The Shangri-La Dialogue held annually in Singapore has become Asia's premier forum for sniping about regional security, and the snark gets most of the headlines. But this weekend included more substance. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged Japan would play an "even greater and more proactive role" with stronger defense ties to Southeast Asia, including an offer of coastal patrol boats. And U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel gave a more complete military accounting of the American "pivot" to Asia than we've previously heard.

The...