Japan

South Korea

Taiwan

Economics

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

United States

China

Military & Security

Politics

South Korea's Oceans Minister Kang Do-hyung announced that the country had installed a floating platform in waters disputed with China in the Yellow Sea (which Seoul calls the West Sea), in response to China's recent installation of a steel structure in the same area, Reuters reported on March 26. 

China, South Korea, Japan: Maritime Spats Threaten Beijing's Diplomatic Window To Capitalize on Trump Tariffs

The net approval rating (approval minus disapproval) for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's government dropped to -30, according to a 10-day moving average of Japanese media polls weighted by sample size, Observing Japan reported on March 24. 

Japan: Ishiba's Sinking Approval Ratings Raise Prospect of Resignation

The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea will meet in Tokyo, Japan, on March 22, marking the first such trilateral talks since 2023, Reuters reported on March 18. 

China, Japan, South Korea: Foreign Ministers To Meet for First Time Since 2023

Australia

The United States rejected Australia's proposal to secure tariff exemptions on steel and aluminum imports in exchange for guaranteed critical minerals access, the Australian Financial Review reported on March 13. 

Australia: Trump Rejects Steel and Aluminum Tariff Exemption Proposal as Japan Makes Port Call 

Cambodia

Cambodia is signaling openness to naval port calls by the United States and U.S. allies at the Chinese-built Ream Naval Base, where Japan’s navy is set to make a port call in April, The Washington Post reported March 6.

Cambodia: Upcoming Japanese Port Call Could Signal Shifting Strategy

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito, in coordination with the small conservative opposition party Nippon Ishin, jointly passed the 2025 budget in the lower house of the country's legislature on March 4, Asahi Shimbun reported the same day.

Japan: Lower House Passes Budget, Freeing LDP To Focus on Elections

The Japanese minority government, comprised of the Liberal Democratic Party and minor partner Komeito, agreed on Feb. 21 to bolster education and lower social insurance premiums in return for the opposition Japan Innovation Party's support for the budget in March, The Asahi Shimbun reported on Feb. 22.

Japan: Budget Plan Reached, Raising Question of Expanded Coalition Post-July

Assessments

Brazil

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

Vietnam

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.

Global Trade

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

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.

Environment, Science & Technology

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Science & Technology

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

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

<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

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

China, South Korea, Japan: Maritime Spats Threaten Beijing's Diplomatic Window To Capitalize on Trump Tariffs

Japan: Ishiba's Sinking Approval Ratings Raise Prospect of Resignation

China, Japan, South Korea: Foreign Ministers To Meet for First Time Since 2023

Australia: Trump Rejects Steel and Aluminum Tariff Exemption Proposal as Japan Makes Port Call

Cambodia: Upcoming Japanese Port Call Could Signal Shifting Strategy

Japan: Lower House Passes Budget, Freeing LDP To Focus on Elections

Japan: Budget Plan Reached, Raising Question of Expanded Coalition Post-July

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