Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichiâs visit to Guwahati was cancelled, shifting the India-Japan summit to Delhi instead. Assam loses investment opportunities and a planned fifty-member Japanese business delegation visit, disappointing state officials who prepared extensively.
Japan Should Help Sink China's Invasion Fleet
Trump has insulted most G7 leaders over recent months, straining alliances with longtime allies over their refusal to support his Iran war, marking continued deterioration in relationships dating back to his first term.
Japan is modernizing its defense policies, not rearming, by easing export restrictions on lethal defense equipment to trusted allies.
Prime Minister Takaichi announced Japan's policy shift on April 21, 2026, allowing arms exports to strengthen security partnerships with allies amid regional threats from China, North Korea, and Russia, while maintaining constitutional constraints on defence.
China deployed coast guard vessels and placed surveillance equipment in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone near Taiwan in late May and early June, escalating South China Sea tensions amid fears of Japanese military strengthening and potential Taiwan intervention.
China is worried about Japan's strengthened defense posture and potential remilitarization.
Why the Philippines and Japan are preparing for a Taiwan contingency
The US considers nuclear sharing in Asia, sparking regional security concerns.
A suspected spray attack in a Tokyo shopping center left over two dozen people hospitalized with sore throats.
Japan Should Help Sink China’s Invasion Fleet
Is Tokyo Becoming Jakarta’s New Security Anchor?
Japan and South Korea are strengthening pragmatic bilateral ties to address Trump's unilateralism and China's growing military-economic influence, with leaders emphasizing defense cooperation and moving beyond historical disputes toward concrete economic and security results.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi rapidly increased Japan's defense budget to 9.04 trillion yen, reaching the 2% GDP spending threshold ahead of schedule, driven by China's military threat and Taiwan contingency concerns, while signaling constitutional revision by 2027.
Japan fired missiles at a decommissioned Philippine ship, marking its first overseas missile launch.
The Economist offers news and analysis on Asia's integration and geopolitical tensions.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi eliminated Japan's postwar restrictions on defense exports to security partners in April, marking a historic policy shift that positions Japan's defense industry for potential global growth, though actual industry participation remains uncertain pending government follow-up support.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Guwahati visit is cancelled due to a tight schedule.
The US Defense Department reverts Indo-Pacific Command to its original name, Pacific Command.
The G7 is expanding its 2026 summit guest list to include India, Brazil, South Korea, Kenya, Egypt, Qatar, Ukraine, and the UAE, strategically diversifying influence as it anticipates potential American withdrawal under Trump's possible return.
The Quad alliance's stability in the Indo-Pacific region depends critically on sustained US commitment, strategic alignment among member nations, and mutual trust to counter China's regional assertiveness and dominance ambitions.
Dr. Kenneth Weinstein, Hudson Institute Japan Chair, discusses how former PM Abe's Free and Open Indo-Pacific framework evolved from economic connectivity into a security-focused strategy adopted by over a dozen nations, though interpretations vary widely.
American Global Strategies Adds Former Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat as Senior Advisor
China gains opportunity as the US shifts from "Indo-Pacific" to "Pacific" terminology.
Former BOJ Governor Kuroda argues that wage growth around 5 percent now exceeds inflation, offsetting price increases and improving household purchasing power, though many consumers still feel financial strain from rising costs and yen weakness.
Japan's Prime Minister Takaichi attempts balancing Trump's demands with China containment through defensive military buildup and middle power alliances, but this "Plan A+" strategy fails to address deteriorating Japan-China relations and cannot compensate for weakening US security commitments.
Around 20 people were injured in a Tokyo mall after a man sprayed a substance near an ATM.
At the Centre of Two Oceans: India's Critical Role in the Free and Open Indo-Pacific
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's May 2026 India visit and Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting aim to strengthen democratic cooperation on critical minerals supply chains, countering China's dominance in graphite and other strategic resources essential for semiconductors and electric vehicles.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated at a contentious G7 summit in Canada that protectionism benefits no country, urging compliance with WTO rules amid trade tensions as the U.S. pursued tariffs on steel, aluminum, and potentially Japanese autos.
The Economist provides global news, analysis, and predictions on various topics.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visits Japan May 26-29, marking the first Philippine presidential state visit in 11 years and the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations, while Japan undergoes historic strategic shifts including deploying combat troops to joint exercises and lifting post-World War II arms export restrictions.
The United States demanded North Korea take concrete nuclear disarmament steps at six-party talks resuming February 8 in Beijing, while separately discussing a financial dispute involving twenty-four million dollars frozen in Macau accounts.
Japan witnesses large anti-war protests as PM pushes for stronger defense.
China warns of Japanese "neo-militarism" implying a shift towards nationalism and fascism.
Italian Prime Minister Meloni hosted leaders from India, Japan, and South Korea while approving military transfers and launching tech initiatives, demonstrating Italy's shift toward structured Indo-Pacific engagement amid U.S. terminology changes and global strategic realignment.
G7 leaders gathered in France to discuss a tentative U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at reducing Middle East tensions, though divisions over Iran policy and Ukraine support persist, risking their unified stance on global security issues.
How Japan’s FOIP is reinforcing ASEAN’s strategic autonomy
Former Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono died at 89, leaving a legacy of wartime apologies and diplomacy.
Japan and Malaysia agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in energy and maritime security, reinforcing strategic partnership in Southeast Asia amid regional geopolitical concerns and shared interests in resource management and regional stability.
Meir Ben-Shabbat joins American Global Strategies as a Senior Advisor, bringing decades of national security experience.
Japan is transitioning toward genuine strategic autonomy by building independent foreign policy infrastructure, advancing military normalization under Takaichi, establishing regional energy networks outside Chinese dominance, and deepening security partnerships with Philippines, Australia, and South Korea, marking its first postwar shift from inherited alliances to deliberate partnership choices.
India's bullet train project is nearing reality after nine years of construction and delays.
India's Quad Diplomacy Gains Momentum Amid Global Strategic Realignment
Japan and South Korea must strengthen pragmatic bilateral relations to effectively counter Trump administration policies and China's growing regional influence, analysts argue, emphasizing their strategic interdependence in addressing shared geopolitical challenges.
Japan and South Korea are strengthening pragmatic bilateral cooperation to address Trump's unilateralism and China's growing military and economic influence, moving beyond historical disputes toward concrete results in trade and defense collaboration.
The Trump administration risks alienating India and other Indo-Pacific allies through coercive pressure tactics similar to China's approach, potentially undermining the US-led regional strategy while Beijing's grey-zone coercion inadvertently strengthened Japanese rearmament and alliance cohesion.
Japan and Vietnam are strengthening energy and minerals partnerships to reduce supply chain vulnerabilities amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the region, enhancing mutual economic resilience.
Philippine President Aquino compared China's South China Sea expansion to Nazi Germany's pre-World War Two territorial aggression, urging Beijing to reconsider land reclamation projects that violate international agreements and threatening regional stability.
Japan participates in the Philippines' largest military drills, reviving debate on an "Asian NATO".