Japan

Cyber

Military & Security

Politics

Japan's ruling party and most major opposition parties in the Diet passed the Active Cyber Defense Law, which will enable the government to take offensive cyber action during peacetime against overseas targets believed to be facilitating cyberattacks against Japan, The Asahi Shimbun reported on May 16. 

Japan: New Cyber Offensive Law Highlights Broad Support for Curbing Pacifism

United States

Economics

Japan's trade envoy to the United States, Ryosei Akazawa, met with his counterparts in Washington on May 1, where the U.S. team proposed easing reciprocal tariffs (but maintaining automobile, steel and aluminum tariffs) on Japanese goods in return for Japanese concessions on nontariff barriers for automobiles and agriculture, a plan the Japanese team "strongly opposed," Nikkei reported on May 2.

Japan, U.S.: As Second Trade Talk Founders, Tokyo Hints at Wielding Treasuries

Vietnam

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met in Hanoi, Vietnam, to reaffirm the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership, Nikkei Asia reported on April 28.

Japan, Vietnam: Ishiba Visit Deepens Semiconductor, Clean Energy and Defense Ties

U.S. President Donald Trump met in Washington, D.C., with Japan's chief trade negotiator, Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa, with both sides expressing a desire to reach a deal within 90 days and agreeing to a follow-up meeting later in April, according to Akazawa, The Asahi Shimbun reported on April 17.

Japan, U.S.: Trump and Akazawa Talk Trade, Looking for a Quick Deal

China

South Korea

Taiwan

On April 3, Northeast Asian countries responded to U.S. baseline and reciprocal tariffs imposed on April 2.

Asia-Pacific: China Aside, Northeast Asian Countries Likely To Avoid Retaliating Against U.S. Tariffs

Japan's Diet passed a 115.2 trillion yen ($767.7 billion) budget for 2025 on the last day of the 2024 fiscal year, The Asahi Shimbun reported on March 31.

Japan: Diet Passes Budget, Shows Policymaking Slowdown and Prime Minister's Stakes 

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with his counterpart in Japan, pledging to upgrade the U.S. military command in Japan and accelerate joint missile production while noting that "Japan is our indispensable partner in deterring communist Chinese military aggression," Reuters reported on March 30.

Japan, Taiwan, U.S.: Hegseth Champions Japan, Pentagon Prioritizes Taiwan

South Korea's Acting President Han Duck-soo said in a meeting with business lobbyists that the government would "draw up response strategies" and "focus on providing tailored support" in light of the "current trade war" with the United States, the Financial Times reported March 27. 

South Korea, Japan, Taiwan: U.S. Partners Scramble to Respond to Auto Tariffs

Assessments

The Geopolitics of Trade

Global Trade

U.S. reciprocal tariffs will have major economic and political impacts on Japan and South Korea, particularly as both East Asian countries prepare for summer elections.

The Geopolitics of Trade: The Impact of U.S. Tariffs on South Korea and Japan

Brazil

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

United Kingdom

Ukraine

Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a joint press conference Feb. 16 at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem. Senior Israeli officials from the security and intelligence ministries will visit the United States to discuss Iran's nuclear program and Israeli border demarcation talks with Lebanon.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-Iran Relations

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 U.S. and Israel Coordinate on Iran, the U.K. Chancellor Seeks Fiscal Discipline

Indonesia

Laos

Malaysia

Philippines

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hold a joint press conference on Jan. 10, 2025.

U.S.-China Relations

Japan is intensifying its diplomatic and security engagement in Southeast Asia through defense, trade and infrastructure agreements to counterbalance China and enhance regional stability.

Ishiba Strengthens Japan's Role in Southeast Asia With Defense and Trade Deals

Columns

On Geopolitics

Asia-Pacific

Australia

India

U.S. President Joe Biden gestures to reporters after landing on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

Trump's more aggressive and transactional approach could deliver quick wins for the U.S.'s position in the region, though it could also strain ties with key partners. 

Trump's Asia-Pacific Approach Will Test Biden's Gains

Media

Podcasts

How do demographic trends impact military power?

Applied Geopolitics: Demographic Decline and Military Manpower: Understanding the Shifting Role of Troops in Conflict

South Korean marines participate in joint exercises with U.S. forces Sept. 2 in Pohang, South Korea. Japan and South Korea set the blueprint for how militaries must contend with stiff competition for human resources.

Japan and South Korea set the blueprint for how militaries must contend with stiff competition for human resources.

Demographic Decline and Military Manpower: Understanding the Shifting Role of People in Conflict

Snapshots

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on Nov. 11, 2024.

Global Elections

While Ishiba is unlikely to leave office anytime soon, Japan's new minority government will impede domestic policymaking, which could fray U.S.-Japan ties if defense spending reforms are delayed.

Japan's PM Ishiba Survives To Struggle Another Day

Palestinian Territories

Sri Lanka

A ballot is cast in front of the Japanese flag. On Nov. 11, the country will select a prime minister and convene an extraordinary session of its bicameral Diet.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Japan Selects a Prime Minister, Trump's Shadow Looms Over COP29

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives for a plenary session at the lower house of parliament on Oct. 9, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. 

A weaker government will slow policymaking on key economic and defense issues, and could return Japan to a period of revolving-door prime ministers.

Japan's LDP Loses Its Majority in Snap Ballot, Portending Policy Gridlock

Chile

Uruguay

Georgia

Protesters hold Georgian flags during a pro-Europe rally in Tbilisi ahead of Georgia's parliamentary elections on Oct. 20, 2024. 

The Weekly Rundown: Key Elections in Georgia and Japan, Efforts to Resume Gaza Cease-Fire Talks

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (center) waves as he arrives for a campaign rally at Onahama Port in Iwaki, Japan, on Oct. 15, 2024. 

Still reeling from a slush fund scandal, the ruling party and its coalition partner are set to lose seats but remain in power, portending slow and arduous policymaking in the years ahead.

Japan's Snap Elections Set To Weaken the LDP's Governing Capacity

Newly-elected leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Shigeru Ishiba, speaks during a press conference on Sept. 27, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. 

As prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba will focus on strengthening the Japanese military and regional defense ties. But the opposition would seek to roll back such efforts if it wins the Oct. 27 snap general election.

Japan's New PM Will Seek To Revive His Party -- if He Survives a Snap Election

<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

Japan: New Cyber Offensive Law Highlights Broad Support for Curbing Pacifism

Japan, U.S.: As Second Trade Talk Founders, Tokyo Hints at Wielding Treasuries

Japan, Vietnam: Ishiba Visit Deepens Semiconductor, Clean Energy and Defense Ties

Japan, U.S.: Trump and Akazawa Talk Trade, Looking for a Quick Deal

Asia-Pacific: China Aside, Northeast Asian Countries Likely To Avoid Retaliating Against U.S. Tariffs

Japan: Diet Passes Budget, Shows Policymaking Slowdown and Prime Minister's Stakes

Japan, Taiwan, U.S.: Hegseth Champions Japan, Pentagon Prioritizes Taiwan

South Korea, Japan, Taiwan: U.S. Partners Scramble to Respond to Auto Tariffs

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