Japan

Although Japan used to be associated with the poetic name “Land of the Rising Sun,” it has recently been increasingly turning, through the fault of its current political authorities, into a “Land of the Rising Sanctions.” Until recently, under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, relations between Russia and Japan were consistently good and even warm. Regular…

On February 7, 2022, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, in a video message posted on Twitter, expressed support for Japan on the issue of ownership of the Southern Kuril Islands, stating that “the United States supports Japan on the issue of the Northern Territories and has recognized Japanese sovereignty…

NEO has already had reasons to complain about the rapidly changing agenda on both the local and global levels as the “Great Game” unfolds. Which, by the way, is a sure sign that at the current stage of its development it is mired in crisis. In this context, it is necessary to make some remarks. Thus, recall that at a press conference…

The run-up to the discharging of chemically treated, but still radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is once again taking center stage in the eyes of many of Japan’s neighbors. The Japanese authorities opted to release Fukushima water last April to advance the decommissioning process that has lasted for more…

The regular US-Japan meeting (2+2) (officially called the US-Japan Security Consultative Committee) in January this year, involving the foreign and defense ministers of both countries, is noteworthy for a number of reasons. First of all, it should once again be emphasized that the very existence of the 2+2 format in a pair of states is almost a necessary sign (with a few exceptions, such as in the RF-Japan pair…

On January 5, Reuters, citing Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, reported the signing of the so-called Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with his Japanese counterpart Kishida. This event is certainly one of the most significant ones in the process of development of the political and strategic situation in the Indo-Pacific…

The development of the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, where the entire global political map of the 21st century will be increasingly determined, is significantly influenced by the state of affairs in each side of the Asian Triangle: China, India, Japan. Moreover, one should expect only an increase in this influence as the significance of the US presence…

Tensions over the proliferation of nuclear weapons have recently increased significantly amid problems with the nuclear deal with Iran, of which one of the signatories to it, the United States, withdrew on the initiative of ex-President Donald Trump in 2018, and the current White House administration has so far unsuccessfully tried to restore it, but on new terms. It should…

Not only has the coronavirus pandemic become worse in Japan lately, but so have the new government’s territorial claims. As soon as Fumio Kishida, Japan’s new Prime Minister, took office in October, he hastened to announce a new round of the land of the rising sun’s territorial claims. As regional media outlets stress, Tokyo has become increasingly…

On October 31, lower house election was held in Japan, the primary outcome of which can be summed up as the preservation of the domestic political status quo. With some noteworthy caveats, as discussed below. The final data published on the distribution of the parliamentary seats received by the opponents show that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party…

Pragmatism has long been the backbone of the Japanese presence in Central Asia, expressed in billions of dollars in direct bilateral financial assistance and multilateral financing through the Asian Development Bank and other financial institutions. However, Japan has not yet learned how to firmly convert the returns on financial and other assistance provided…

Just as decades ago, coal remains a strategically important fuel for the world. Despite the constant talk of greenhouse gas emissions and the complete phase-out of coal, the disappearance of this fuel from the market would lead to the collapse of the global economy. It is quite natural that the world’s four major coal consumers, China, India, the USA, and Japan are among…