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Abstract Since Japan’s diplomacy towards the South Pacific island countries has completed a critical transformation, both its diplomatic orientation and behavior need to be further discussed. After World War II,Japan once completely withdrew its influence from the South Pacific region. With the rapid development of Japan‘s economy after World War II and the establishment of the Pacific Islands Forum, Japan has resumed its effort to positively enhance diplomatic ties with the South Pacific island countries since the 1980s. By then, Japan has successfully hosted eight consecutive Japan⁃Pacific Islands Summits, which has transformed its diplomatic logic from environmental diplomacy to marine diplomacy in the South Pacific region. Influenced by dual factors of historical inertia and realistic diplomacy, Japan strives to shape a diplomatic model in accordance with its own interests and preferences in the South Pacific region. At present, Japan has upgraded its South Pacific island diplomacy, as the strategic “east wing”, to the position that is paralleled in significance with the Middle East and Africa, which are the “west wing” of its marine strategy.In the future, China’s diplomacy in the South Pacific region will have to directly respond to Japan‘s marine strategy, and engage in the strategic game with it.
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2019, Vol. 27 
