Japan

Politics

Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, announced his official candidacy for the Sept. 27 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election, which will determine the president of the ruling LDP and the next prime minister of Japan, The Asahi Shimbun reported on Sept. 6.

Japan: Koizumi Joins Ruling Party Race, Pledges To Call Snap Election

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Japan and Australia signed the Pacific Digital Development Initiative, or PDDI, following a meeting between the countries' defense and foreign ministers, Nikkei Asia reported on Sept. 5.

Japan, Australia: Countries Deepen Cybersecurity, Defense Ties

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Ministers from the 11-country Asia Zero Emissions Community, or AZEC, agreed to establish an Asian supply chain for sustainable fuel at a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, Nikkei Asia reported on Aug. 21.

Asia-Pacific: AZEC Countries To Collaborate on Sustainable Fuel Supply Chains

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North Korea

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, on the Liberation Day holiday, revealed a new vision for unification with North Korea, Yonhap News reported Aug. 15.

South Korea, North Korea: Yoon's Unification Vision Remains A Long Shot

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida decided to stay home from his trip to Mongolia and an Aug. 9-12 Central Asia summit due to an Aug. 8 warning from the Japan Meteorological Agency about a heightened possibility of a "megaquake" originating from the Nankai Trough that could heavily damage Japan’s southeastern seaboard, Nikkei Asia reported on Aug. 9.

Japan: Megaquake Fears Keep Kishida Home as Elections Loom

Japan's real wages rose 1.1% year on year in June, marking the first rise in 27 months, Reuters reported on Aug. 5.

Japan: Real Wages Closely Watched for Consumption, Election Prospects

Former North Korean senior diplomat and defector Ri Il Gyu revealed in an interview with Reuters on Aug. 1 that North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un is working on a new negotiating strategy and hoped to restart nuclear talks with U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump should he return to the Oval Office following the November election.

North Korea: Defector Says Kim Open To Restarting Talks With Trump, Japan

Netherlands

U.S.-China Relations

The U.S. Biden administration will unveil a new rule in August expanding U.S. powers to block foreign countries from exporting some semiconductor manufacturing equipment to Chinese chipmakers, though the rule may exempt certain U.S. allies, including Japan and the Netherlands, Reuters reported on July 31.

U.S.: Washington To Issue New Semiconductor Sector Restrictions in August

Assessments

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The Geopolitics of Water

The escalating impacts of climate change and water scarcity will inflame tensions between Central Asian countries, raising the risk of violent state conflict in the coming decades. 

The Looming Threat of Central Asian 'Water Wars'

Snapshots

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio on Aug. 14 in Tokyo. The prime minister's resignation raises the prospect for change in domestic economic policy, such as cost-of-living issues, but major changes are unlikely regarding Japan's pursuit of military partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, and a national policy turn toward the left is not yet imminent.

The prime minister's resignation raises the prospect for change in domestic economic policy, such as cost-of-living issues, but major changes are unlikely regarding Japan's pursuit of military partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, and a national policy turn toward the left is not yet imminent.

In Japan, Kishida's Resignation Will Bring a New Face to the Same Old LDP

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A motorcyclist looks at his phone in front of a National Electoral Council poster promoting the upcoming presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 23, 2024.

Global Elections

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

The Weekly Rundown: An Election in Venezuela, Economic Reforms in the U.K.

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.

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

Ukraine

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

(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

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

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

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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

New Zealand

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

<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: Koizumi Joins Ruling Party Race, Pledges To Call Snap Election

Japan, Australia: Countries Deepen Cybersecurity, Defense Ties

Asia-Pacific: AZEC Countries To Collaborate on Sustainable Fuel Supply Chains

South Korea, North Korea: Yoon's Unification Vision Remains A Long Shot

Japan: Megaquake Fears Keep Kishida Home as Elections Loom

Japan: Real Wages Closely Watched for Consumption, Election Prospects

North Korea: Defector Says Kim Open To Restarting Talks With Trump, Japan

U.S.: Washington To Issue New Semiconductor Sector Restrictions in August

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