Japan

Economics

Politics

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Feb. 17 pledged to raise various limits on school tuition assistance in response to questions from Seiji Maehara, the co-head of the conservative opposition Japan Innovation Party, at a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Feb. 19.

Japan: Ishiba Closes in on Deal To Pass Budget, but at Long-Term Cost 

Afghanistan

Around six Afghan Taliban officials (purportedly deputy ministers from Afghanistan's ministries of foreign affairs, education, economy and health) arrived in Japan on Feb. 16 for a weeklong visit, The Asahi Shimbun reported on Feb. 18.

Afghanistan, Japan: Afghan Taliban Make First Visit to Japan Since 2021 Takeover

United States

Energy

At a press conference following U.S. President Donald Trump's first meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Trump said Japanese investments in U.S. oil and gas could rectify their trade imbalance and preempt the need for tariffs, Reuters reported on Feb. 7.

Japan, U.S.: Trump and Ishiba Discuss Energy Investments To Forestall Tariffs

Motegi Toshimitsu, the former secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, inaugurated a monthly study session on economic and social security with a meeting of 60 lawmakers, including former LDP presidential candidates Koichi Hagiuda and Seiko Noda, Jiji reported on Jan. 29. 

Japan: Prime Minister Hopefuls Build Support Amid Talk of Double Election

Australia

China

India

The top diplomats of the United States, Australia, India and Japan, which collectively make up the Quad grouping, convened in Washington for the first high-level engagement under U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed administration, Reuters reported on Jan. 22.

Quad: Trump Administration Reaffirms Bloc's Importance in First High-Level Talks

Indonesia

Military & Security

Japan and Indonesia agreed to strengthen security cooperation, including joint development of maritime defense capabilities, The Asahi Shimbun reported on Jan. 13. 

Japan, Indonesia: Maritime Defense, Food Security Deals Signed

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba discussed the need to "examine the [electoral] system beyond party lines" and revisit the lower house electoral system at a Jan. 6 press conference, Jiji Press reported on Jan. 10.

Japan: Diet Reform Could Stoke Long-Term Political Instability

Malaysia

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba began a four-day trip to Malaysia and Indonesia, where he will hold separate summits with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian President Subianto Prabowo, The Japan Times reported Jan. 9.

Japan: Prime Minister Seeks Trade, Defense Upgrades in Visits to Malaysia and Indonesia 

Assessments

Laos

Philippines

Vietnam

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

South Korea

Taiwan

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

Israel

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.

Environment, Science & Technology

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Science & Technology

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

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

United Kingdom

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

Mexico

Austria

Supporters of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) wave flags during an election rally in Vienna, Austria, on Sept. 27, 2024. 

The Weekly Rundown: Austrian Elections and a U.S. Port Workers Strike

What key factors are informing the outcome of the elections?

Essential Geopolitics: What to Expect from Japan's Leadership Elections

<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: Ishiba Closes in on Deal To Pass Budget, but at Long-Term Cost

Afghanistan, Japan: Afghan Taliban Make First Visit to Japan Since 2021 Takeover

Japan, U.S.: Trump and Ishiba Discuss Energy Investments To Forestall Tariffs

Japan: Prime Minister Hopefuls Build Support Amid Talk of Double Election

Quad: Trump Administration Reaffirms Bloc's Importance in First High-Level Talks

Japan, Indonesia: Maritime Defense, Food Security Deals Signed

Japan: Diet Reform Could Stoke Long-Term Political Instability

Japan: Prime Minister Seeks Trade, Defense Upgrades in Visits to Malaysia and Indonesia

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