United States

Australia

China

Japan

Philippines

Taiwan

India

Military & Security

Politics

U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said the U.S. military planned to conduct maintenance on six naval ships in international shipyards in fiscal year 2025 in preparation for wartime contingency repairs in the Indo-Pacific, the South China Morning Post reported on May 3.

U.S., Indo-Pacific: U.S. To Expand Overseas Ship Repair, Bolster Maritime Interoperability

Canada

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Italy

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The Group of Seven's energy ministers agreed to phase out the use of coal in power generation "during the first half of (the) 2030s," according to a communique released on April 30.

Global: G7 Agrees To Phase Out Coal-Fired Power Generation by 2035

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost all three by-elections on April 28, including the Tokyo No. 15 and Nagasaki No. 3 districts -- in which no LDP candidate ran -- and the Shimane No. 1 district, in which the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party took the traditional LDP stronghold, The Asahi Shimbun reported on April 29.

Japan: The Ruling Party's By-Election Losses Will Test Kishida in Diet Debate

Czech Republic

Economics

The U.S. Treasury Department will issue a proposal to strengthen the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, and its ability to review and address investments in the United States that harm U.S. national security, Axios reported on April 11. 

U.S.: Biden Administration Aims To Strengthen Committee Reviewing Foreign Investment

New Zealand

South Korea

Cyber

The United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are considering adding New Zealand, South Korea, Canada and Japan to AUKUS Pillar II, Yonhap News Agency reported on April 10.

AUKUS: Grouping Considers Doubling in Size Along Pillar II

Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States carried out the first exercise under their multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity framework within the Philippines's exclusive economic zone in the disputed South China Sea on April 7, BenarNews reported the next day. 

Australia, Japan, Philippines, U.S.: Navies Begin Large-Scale Multilateral Exercises in South China Sea

The Tokyo Hire-Taxi Association held a ceremony to celebrate the start of Japan's first ride-sharing service on April 8, according to Asahi Shimbun, with other cities and new ride-sharing services to follow over the next month after a nationwide ban was lifted in April. 

Japan: Belated Arrival of Ride-Sharing to Help Improve Attraction to Foreign Businesses

U.S.-China Relations

The head of U.S. Army forces in the Pacific, Gen. Charles Flynn, said on April 3 that the United States would deploy a medium-range missile launcher in the Asia-Pacific region by the end of 2024, The Asahi Shimbun reported the next day.

U.S., Japan, Guam: U.S. To Deploy 'Precision Fire' Missile System to Asia-Pacific

Assessments

North Korea

Natsumi Sakai (C) of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan poses with others after receiving news that she won the by-election for the Tokyo No. 15 district seat for the lower house, in Tokyo, Japan, on April 28, 2024.

Recent by-elections reveal that a slush fund scandal is continuing to take its toll on Japan's ruling party, but Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to remain in power, for now.

By-Election Losses Shake Japan's Ruling Party, but Kishida Stays the Course

Media

Podcasts

What is the future of Japan and the U.S.'s military relationship?

Essential Geopolitics: What Continued U.S.-Japan Cooperation Means for China

Columns

On Geopolitics

Fiji

Indonesia

Singapore

Vietnam

A 3D rendering of Southeast Asia from space at night with city lights showing Southeast Asian cities in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

In the Asia-Pacific, countries are increasingly pursuing complex networks of political, economic and defense ties as part of a burgeoning "multi-alignment" strategy that seeks to avoid U.S.-China strategic competition.

Examining 'Multi-Alignment' in the Asia-Pacific

U.S. President Joe Biden (right) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands following a joint press conference in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 10, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

Greater U.S.-Japan defense cooperation will exacerbate China's sense of entrapment, furthering Beijing's partnerships with authoritarian regimes and its long-term preparations for a Taiwan conflict.

Japan-U.S. Relationship Serves as a Model for Indo-Pacific Security, a Bad Omen for China

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (center), flanked by two other U.S. officials, is seen during a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo (not pictured) on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly at the Lotte Palace Hotel in New York City on Sept. 22, 2023.

A partnership between the three countries will likely improve freedom of navigation and economic security in the South China Sea, but may also raise the risk of trade disputes and conflict with China.

What To Watch for During the Inaugural U.S.-Japan-Philippines Summit

Iran

Israel

Poland

People attend an April 5, 2024, funeral procession for seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in an Israeli strike in Syria.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The Threat of Iranian Retaliation Against Israel, Polish Local Elections

Snapshots

10,000 yen notes on Sept. 24, 2022, in Tokyo.

A decision by the Bank of Japan to end negative interest rate and yield curve control policies is meant to reestablish greater monetary policy flexibility.

In a Boost for the Banking Sector, Japan Ends Negative Interest Rates

Bangladesh

A digital illustration of the Bangladeshi flag.

After weeks of election-related unrest, the situation in Bangladesh has stabilized, which will free the government to focus on securing investment and infrastructure deals with the U.S., India, Japan and China.

As the Dust Settles at Home, Bangladesh Turns Its Attention to Foreign Policy

Japanese soldiers are seen at a joint military drill conducted with participants from the U.S., the U.K., Canada and Germany, among other countries, in Funabashi, east of Tokyo, on Jan. 7, 2024.

Japan will be able to ramp up its defense expenditures in the short-to-medium term, but it will still struggle to keep pace with China's booming military budget.

How Will Japan's High Debt Levels Impact Its Increased Defense Spending?

Brunei Darussalam

Laos

Malaysia

Thailand

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a speech at the gala dinner for the ASEAN-Japan commemorative summit in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2023. 

Over the next year, Tokyo will provide ASEAN countries with military equipment and more infrastructure investment, which will raise threat perceptions and further deteriorate Japan's ties with China.

The Implications of Japan's Growing Interest in Southeast Asia

Burkina Faso

Mali

Niger

South Africa

Argentina

Mexico

Palestinian Territories

Turkey

Hong Kong SAR, China

Spain

Armenia

Ukraine

Azerbaijan

Russia

Pakistan

In this scorecard, we take a critical look at our successes and slip-ups in forecasting geopolitical events over the past year.

Grading Our 2023 Annual Forecast

Europe

Finland

Netherlands

As 2024 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five events as measured by geopolitical impact.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

2023: A Geopolitical Review

<p>Japan is a mountainous, volcanic island chain located in the western Pacific Ocean. The islands arc from Russia in the north toward the Korean Peninsula in the south. The country has four main islands, Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, plus thousands of minor ones extending through the Ryukyu island chain framing the East China Sea. Japan&#39;s rugged terrain and lack of interregional connecting rivers isolated its population into separate, densely populated coastal plains. The Yamato plain, which dominates the &quot;Inland Sea,&quot; the birthplace of Japanese civilization. The Inland Sea saw the rise of early Japanese maritime culture and facilitated communication and political control. As Japanese culture expanded over the island chain, the seat of power moved to the more productive and strategically located Kanto plain, Japan&#39;s core region and home to Tokyo, the world&#39;s largest metropolitan area. The country&#39;s primary geographic challenge is sustaining its large population on an island with little arable land and few natural resources. Japan&#39;s geography has prompted the country to alternate between periods of isolationism and expansion. When Japan unifies under strong centralized control, it is often drawn toward the continent for resources and land. This happened in the late 1500s and again in the early 1900s, leading to World War II. Given its location, the Korean Peninsula has been the corridor of invasion between Japan and China, and its status remains of strategic importance to Tokyo. The lack of natural resources in Japan continues to force the country to seek them abroad, leaving the country to balance between U.S. naval dominance and China&#39;s expanding maritime interests.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Indo-Pacific: U.S. To Expand Overseas Ship Repair, Bolster Maritime Interoperability

Global: G7 Agrees To Phase Out Coal-Fired Power Generation by 2035

Japan: The Ruling Party's By-Election Losses Will Test Kishida in Diet Debate

U.S.: Biden Administration Aims To Strengthen Committee Reviewing Foreign Investment

AUKUS: Grouping Considers Doubling in Size Along Pillar II

Australia, Japan, Philippines, U.S.: Navies Begin Large-Scale Multilateral Exercises in South China Sea

Japan: Belated Arrival of Ride-Sharing to Help Improve Attraction to Foreign Businesses

U.S., Japan, Guam: U.S. To Deploy 'Precision Fire' Missile System to Asia-Pacific

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