Several years ago, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe first discussed his vision for a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" founded on a "rules-based order". Since then, the concept of the Indo-Pacific as a distinct region of nations with interconnecting needs and outlooks has become more widely accepted within the world as a whole. Now with the development of the Quad and US President Biden's Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, the region is seeing greater movement toward cooperation, or at least toward proactive discussion. Professor Gordon Flake, Chief Executive Officer of the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia, joins Japan Up Close to discuss the challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region, the current state and future of US-Japan relations, and the evolving role Japan is playing on the global stage.