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The European Union and Japan announced plans to deepen cooperation on economic and security issues following a high-level meeting between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at an EU-Japan summit in Tokyo, Reuters reported on July 23. 

EU, Japan: Competitiveness Alliance To Deepen Trade and Security Cooperation

Following the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's loss in the July 20 upper house elections, the LDP and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party agreed to hold a post-election extraordinary Diet session on Aug. 1, Jiji Press reported on July 22. 

Japan: Opposition Has Window To Strike at Ishiba While LDP Fumes

Canada

United States

Australia

China

Fiji

Indonesia

Malaysia

New Zealand

Papua New Guinea

Philippines

Singapore

South Korea

Thailand

Tonga

Vietnam

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Norway

Netherlands

India

Australia launched U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems as part of the 2025 Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest iteration of the biennial multinational drills to date, AP reported on July 14.

Australia: HIMARS Fired Amid Largest-Ever Military Drills

Senior naval officials from the United States, Japan and Australia signed a trilateral logistics cooperation agreement, according to a July 11 readout from the U.S. Navy. 

U.S., Japan, Australia: Countries Sign Naval Logistics Pact

North Korea

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba criticized the U.S. Trump administration's 25% reciprocal tariff on Japanese goods but pledged to continue negotiations ahead of the new Aug. 1 implementation date, Asahi Shimbun reported July 8.

Japan, South Korea, U.S.: Tokyo, Seoul Rush U.S. Tariff Talks Ahead of August Deadline

South Africa

Laos

Myanmar

Kazakhstan

On July 7, U.S. President Donald Trump published on Truth Social seven letters addressed to the leaders of South Korea, South Africa, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Kazakhstan and Laos informing them that the United States would begin implementing 25%-40% tariffs on their goods on Aug. 1, adding that the rate would double if the countries increased tariffs on U.S. goods in retaliation.

U.S.: Trump Announces 25% to 40% Tariffs From Aug. 1 on Seven Trading Partners

Japan plans to export six decommissioned Abukuma-class destroyer escorts to the Philippines to bolster Manila's maritime deterrence posture against China, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on July 6.

Japan, Philippines: Tokyo To Give Manila Destroyers

Philippine military leaders, in tandem with the United States and Japan, are operationalizing a "one-theater" concept to unify defense planning across the East and South China seas, which Japan and the Philippines, respectively, dispute with China, Reuters reported on June 30. 

Philippines, U.S., Japan: Countries Deepen Unified Security Front and Infrastructure Collaboration

Assessments

Taiwan

A photo taken on Feb. 21, 2025, shows Subaru vehicles bound for shipment at a port in Yokohama, Japan. 

Global Trade

The deal is a win for Japan's economy and its ruling party, but it may hasten Prime Minister Ishiba's exit. It will also help South Korea and Taiwan secure their own U.S. trade deals.

U.S. Trade Deal Is a Mixed Victory for Japan, a Template for Regional Partners

Snapshots

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses the media at the vote counting center in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters in Tokyo on July 20, 2025.

Prime Minister Ishiba's days are likely numbered following his party's poor electoral performance, which will worsen policy gridlock and potentially weaken Tokyo's position in trade talks with Washington.

LDP's Defeat in Japan's Upper House Elections Will Stoke Political Instability

 The European Union and China will hold a high-level leaders' summit July 24 in Beijing, marking the 50th anniversary of Chinese-EU diplomatic relations.

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: An EU-China Summit, South Africa's Budget Vote

Media

Podcasts

What are the key implications of the possible election outcomes?

Essential Geopolitics: Japan's Upper House Parliament Elections

Leaders of eight political parties pose before a debate at the Japan National Press Club on July 2, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. From left to right are Sanseito Secretary General Sohei Kamiya, Japanese Communist Party Chairperson Tomoko Tamura, Komeito Chief Representative Tetsuo Saito, Constitutional Democratic Party President Yoshihiko Noda, Japan's Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba, Governor of Osaka and Japan Innovation Party Co-Representative Hirofumi Yoshimura, Democratic Party for the People Representative Yuichiro Tamaki and Reiwa Shinsengumi President Taro Yamamoto.

Japan's upper house elections will determine whether the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will stay in power and -- if so -- how easily it will be able to pursue its key policy goals.

Japan's Election: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Iran

Israel

A photo taken in Tehran, Iran, on June 26, 2025, shows an Iranian political banner hanging near the remains of a residential building struck by an Israeli attack. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

U.S.-Iran Relations

The Weekly Rundown: Fragile Iran-Israel Ceasefire Holds, U.S. Tariff Deadline Approaches

Sub-Saharan Africa

Italy

Rescue teams work at damaged buildings in Nobonyad Square following Israeli airstrikes on June 13, 2025, in Tehran, Iran. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: G7 Leaders' Summit, More Israeli Attacks on Iran

Ukraine

An image shows a row of flags from the G7 members.

The June 15-17 summit will provide an opportunity for the bloc to discuss trade tensions and the war in Ukraine, but the meeting is more likely to expose transatlantic divisions over Trump's tariffs and reluctance to pressure Russia.

What To Expect From the First G7 Summit Following Trump's Return to the White House

Mexico

A U.S. courthouse facade with columns in lower Manhattan, New York.

The court ruling nullifies most -- though not all -- of the Trump administration's tariffs, giving U.S. trading partners temporary breathing room in negotiations while the White House searches for alternative trade measures.

The White House's Tariff Ambitions Bend -- But Do Not Break -- Under the Weight of a Court Ruling

The ASEAN logo May 15 in front of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia will host the first of the two annual summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on May 26.

The Weekly Rundown: Trans-Atlantic Trade Talks Intensify, Malaysia Hosts Two Summits

The Geopolitics of Trade

U.S. reciprocal tariffs will have major economic and political impacts on Japan and South Korea, particularly as both East Asian countries prepare for summer elections.

The Geopolitics of Trade: The Impact of U.S. Tariffs on South Korea and Japan

Brazil

Lebanon

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.

The Weekly Rundown: The U.S. and Israel Coordinate on Iran, the U.K. Chancellor Seeks Fiscal Discipline

<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

EU, Japan: Competitiveness Alliance To Deepen Trade and Security Cooperation

Japan: Opposition Has Window To Strike at Ishiba While LDP Fumes

Australia: HIMARS Fired Amid Largest-Ever Military Drills

U.S., Japan, Australia: Countries Sign Naval Logistics Pact

Japan, South Korea, U.S.: Tokyo, Seoul Rush U.S. Tariff Talks Ahead of August Deadline

U.S.: Trump Announces 25% to 40% Tariffs From Aug. 1 on Seven Trading Partners

Japan, Philippines: Tokyo To Give Manila Destroyers

Philippines, U.S., Japan: Countries Deepen Unified Security Front and Infrastructure Collaboration

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