Japan is stitching together a defense network with Australia, India, Indonesia and South Korea, and Taiwanese lawmakers say Taiwan should push its way in rather than wait — a shift that is good for regional deterrence but underscores how thin U.S. attention has become.

• Japan's defense minister Shinjiro Koizumi is widening Japan's security strategy beyond the U.S. alliance into a denser web of direct military ties with other middle powers.
• The point is to let these countries coordinate with each other without waiting for Washington to act first.
• DPP lawmaker Chen Kuan-ting says Taiwan should approach Japan, the Philippines and Australia directly and offer concrete projects instead of relying on U.S. brokering.
• Taiwan's leverage is industrial — chips, telecom gear and precision manufacturing — plus its position astride shipping lanes that feed global supply chains.
• The suggested first step is small: fixed contact points with willing partners and one or two joint projects to start.

Outlook: Expect more country-to-country defense deals across the region as U.S. resources spread thin, with Taiwan trying to make itself a partner others cannot skip.