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Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Military & Security

Politics

Science & Technology

Capping the 10th triennial Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, the 18-member Pacific Island Forum, or PIF, and Japan issued a declaration centered on climate change, maritime defense, trade and technology cooperation, Nikkei Asia reported on July 18.

Japan, Pacific Islands: Summit Produces Declaration on Maritime Security, Trade and Climate Cooperation

Netherlands

U.S.-China Relations

The United States told Japan and the Netherlands that it is considering tightening export restrictions on semiconductor manufacturing equipment produced abroad that uses U.S. technology via a foreign direct product rule, or FDPR, if Tokyo and The Hague do not tighten restrictions on Tokyo Electron and ASML Holding, respectively, Bloomberg reported on July 16.

U.S.: Washington Threatens To Broaden Export Controls if Japan, the Netherlands Do Not

Japan's Ministry of Defense claimed it found 38 incidents of Maritime Self-Defense Force members gaining access to classified information (e.g., on tracking foreign ships) without proper security clearance, prompting MSDF chief of staff Adm. Ryo Sakai to announce his resignation, the Financial Times reported on July 12.

Japan: Data Access Scandal Prompts Navy Chief Resignation, Impedes Defense Partnerships

The incumbent candidate, Yuriko Koike, an independent backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), won the Tokyo gubernatorial election on July 7, Asahi Shimbun reported July 8. 

Japan: Mixed Tokyo Election Results Show Risk of Snap Election Miscalculation

Philippines

Japan and the Philippines will hold a so-called ''2+2'' meeting between their foreign and defense ministers in Manila on July 8, Nikkei Asia reported July 5.

Japan, Philippines: Meeting Likely To Produce Reciprocal Access Agreement

Energy

The Japanese government is offering financial assistance to domestic companies and governments in Southeast Asia to build out underdeveloped power grids, both regionally and nationally, Nikkei Asia reported July 2.

Japan: Country Making Significant Contributions to ASEAN Power Grids

North Korea

South Korea

Russia

South Korea's marine corps conducted live-fire exercises on the ​​Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong islands, which lie west of the Korean Peninsula near the Northern Limit Line maritime border with North Korea, or NLL, Yonhap News Agency reported on June 26.

South Korea: Live-Fire Drills Around NLL Risk Escalation

A 52-year-old Chinese man stabbed two Japanese individuals, a mother and child, and a Chinese guide who tried to intervene at a bus station for a Japanese school bus in Suzhou, China, the South China Morning Post reported on June 25.

China: Japanese Nationals Stabbed in Second Recent Attack Against Foreigners

Assessments

South Africa

The European Commission in Brussels. On July 18, incumbents Roberta Metsola and Ursula von der Leyen are expected to be confirmed for a second term as presidents of the European Parliament and the European Commission, respectively.

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

The Weekly Rundown: A New European Commission President, the Third Plenary Session of the CPC

France

Ukraine

India

A banner reading "public services in danger, let's vote" on July 5 in Paris.

The Weekly Rundown: French Legislative Runoffs, a NATO Summit in Washington

Snapshots

(From left to right) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Chinese Premier Li Qiang attend a joint press conference during a trilateral summit on May 27, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea. 

Barring major economic and political shifts, cooperation between the three countries is unlikely to notably improve, as Seoul and Tokyo's strategic interests will remain largely at odds with Beijing's.

Reviewing the China-Japan-South Korea Summit: A Long Shot Effort To Ease Tensions

Taiwan

Global Elections

While President Biden would be expected to continue to build and strengthen alliances with America's key allies in the northern Asian region, the reelection of President Trump could spur those same allies to look beyond the U.S. for their physical and economic security.

The 2024 U.S. Presidential Elections, Northern Asia and Geopolitical Risk: What to Expect

Israel

Palestinian Territories

United Kingdom

Supporters of the African National Congress (ANC) party dance, sing and chant slogans during a campaign march on May 24, 2024, in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: South Africa's General Election, Israel Resumes Hostage Talks With Hamas

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

Indonesia

New Zealand

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.

Cyber

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

Poland

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

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

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

<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, Pacific Islands: Summit Produces Declaration on Maritime Security, Trade and Climate Cooperation

U.S.: Washington Threatens To Broaden Export Controls if Japan, the Netherlands Do Not

Japan: Data Access Scandal Prompts Navy Chief Resignation, Impedes Defense Partnerships

Japan: Mixed Tokyo Election Results Show Risk of Snap Election Miscalculation

Japan, Philippines: Meeting Likely To Produce Reciprocal Access Agreement

Japan: Country Making Significant Contributions to ASEAN Power Grids

South Korea: Live-Fire Drills Around NLL Risk Escalation

China: Japanese Nationals Stabbed in Second Recent Attack Against Foreigners

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