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Japan

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Military & Security

Politics

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gave her first policy speech to the Diet, in which she pledged to raise defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product by March 2026, two years ahead of schedule, Jiji Press reported on Oct. 24.

Japan: Takaichi To Accelerate Defense, Household Spending

New Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is compiling a list of purchase pledges, including of U.S. pickup trucks, natural gas and soybeans, to deliver to U.S. President Donald Trump when he visits Japan on Oct. 27-28, according to Reuters sources on Oct. 22. 

Japan: Takaichi Aims To Finalize Investment Terms of U.S. Trade Deal

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, and the conservative opposition Japan Innovation Party, or JIP, agreed to vote for LDP President Sanae Takaichi as Japan's next prime minister on Oct. 21 and to cooperate on policy in the Diet, Kyodo News reported on Oct. 20.

Japan: Takaichi To Become Next Premier Thanks to Limited Coalition

Russia

Energy

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump expects Japan to stop importing Russian energy, according to an Oct. 15 X post from Bessent.

Japan, U.S.: Request for Russian Energy Curbs Risks Ties With New Government

Sanae Takaichi, the president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, met with Hirofumi Yoshimura, the leader of the conservative opposition Japan Innovation Party, or JIP, Jiji Press reported on Oct. 15.

Japan: Takaichi Sees Path to Victory in Coalition With JIP

The new head of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Japan's presumptive next premier, Sanae Takaichi, and the head of coalition partner Komeito, Tetsuo Saito, have so far failed to agree on a policy for political finance reform, delaying a coalition renewal agreement, The Asahi Shimbun reported on Oct. 7. 

Japan: Presumptive Premier Takaichi Faces Coalition Cracks, Opposition Threats

South Korea

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in the South Korean port city of Busan, and they issued a joint statement pledging to strengthen cooperation on societal and technological issues, Yonhap News Agency reported on Sept. 30.

South Korea, Japan: Leader Summit Confirms Ties, But Political Headwinds Remain

The Trump administration is engaged in internal talks about how to invest money from the $550 billion investment fund established with Japan as part of trade talks, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sept. 18.

U.S.: Trump Administration Crafting Plans for $550B Japan-U.S. Investment Fund

Assessments

Cameroon

Cote d'Ivoire

Tanzania

Argentina

China

Netherlands

Supporters of Argentine President Javier Milei's Liberty Advances (LLA) party wave flags during a campaign rally in Rosario, Argentina, on Oct. 23, 2025.

U.S.-China 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: Argentina Holds Midterm Elections, Trump Travels to Asia

Snapshots

Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 21, 2025.

Sanae Takaichi's appointment as prime minister will reduce short-term political instability in Japan and strengthen U.S. ties, but her conservative government will struggle to recover domestic support and could alienate neighboring countries.

New Premier Takaichi a Quick Fix for Japan's Long-Term Political Problems

Media

Podcasts

On Oct. 4, conservative candidate and former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi won the leadership election of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, clearing the way for her to become Japan's next prime minister after a Diet vote tentatively scheduled for mid-October.

Essential Geopolitics: Who Will Be Japan's Next Prime Minister?

Israel

Palestinian Territories

France

Palestinians on Oct. 10 on Al-Rashid road headed toward Gaza City. U.S. President Donald Trump said he might visit the Middle East just as 20 hostages are meant to be released by Hamas after surviving two years in captivity as the White House pushes for the solidification of a frail ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Tries To Solidify the Gaza Ceasefire, a Presidential Vote in Cameroon

Tetsuo Saito, the leader of Japan's Komeito party, attends a meeting at the Diet in Tokyo on Oct. 10, 2025.

The collapse of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's longstanding coalition with Komeito increases the likelihood of a fragile opposition government taking power, which could strain U.S.-Japan trade ties while improving Tokyo's regional diplomatic prospects.

End of an Era: Japan's 26-Year Coalition Government Falls Apart

Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected LDP leader, on Oct. 4 in Tokyo.

Takaichi will lean into populism, spurring near-term growth but exacerbating long-term economic challenges, while her nationalism will bolster Japan's military and boost U.S. ties even as it strains those with Japan's neighbors.

Japan's Conservative Takaichi Set To Become Next Prime Minister

Syria

Turkey

Tajikistan

Azerbaijan

Georgia

The assembly hall of the Syrian parliament Oct. 1 in Damascus. An Oct. 5 indirect election for parliament will mark the first time Syrians have had an electoral say in their government since the 1960s.

The Weekly Rundown: Japan's Election, Syria's Political Transition

The candidates running in the leadership election of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party -- (from left to right) Takayuki Kobayashi, Toshimitsu Motegi, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Sanae Takaichi and Shinjiro Koizumi -- pose after delivering speeches at the kick-off of the campaign in Tokyo on Sept. 22, 2025. 

Global Elections

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Oct. 4 vote for party president and therefore prime minister will influence the trajectory of Japan's fiscal policy and foreign relations.

Japan's LDP Leadership Election: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Guyana

Australia

Ukraine

The President of the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly and former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks during a General Assembly meeting to vote on a two-state solution to the Palestinian question on Sept. 12 at the United Nations in New York. Countries including Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom will likely formally recognize Palestinian statehood over the next several days at the assembly.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Western Countries Recognize Palestine, the EU Discusses a 'Drone Wall'

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office on Sept. 6, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan.

Japan's leadership contest will threaten to split the ruling party as conservative and reformer factions compete to place their leaders in the country's highest office.

In Japan, Ishiba's Resignation Sparks a Volatile Party Leadership Contest

Ethiopia

Brazil

United Kingdom

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou leaves after the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on Aug. 27, 2025.

The Weekly Rundown: France's Bayrou Faces a Confidence Vote, Ethiopia Inaugurates Its Mega-Dam

Bolivia

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Lebanon

United Arab Emirates

Indonesia

Singapore

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The Geopolitics of Trade

Global Trade

Mercosur is increasingly opening its markets in pursuit of free trade agreements with partners around the world, particularly as U.S. protectionism shifts global trade dynamics.

The Geopolitics of Trade: What Changing Trade Dynamics Mean for Mercosur

<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: Takaichi To Accelerate Defense, Household Spending

Japan: Takaichi Aims To Finalize Investment Terms of U.S. Trade Deal

Japan: Takaichi To Become Next Premier Thanks to Limited Coalition

Japan, U.S.: Request for Russian Energy Curbs Risks Ties With New Government

Japan: Takaichi Sees Path to Victory in Coalition With JIP

Japan: Presumptive Premier Takaichi Faces Coalition Cracks, Opposition Threats

South Korea, Japan: Leader Summit Confirms Ties, But Political Headwinds Remain

U.S.: Trump Administration Crafting Plans for $550B Japan-U.S. Investment Fund

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