Asia and Pacific

In World War II, the United States built a western Pacific airfield here, another there, and more elsewhere, each intended to bring more Japanese targets into range. Now the abundance of old bases is becoming a resource for resilience: several are being brought back into service as places to disperse aircraft and to maintain operations even as other airfields are knocked out.

Russia’s Sakhalin-II project has been used to supply around 10% of Japan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG). In contrast to Western states’ extensive sanctions against Russian energy infrastructure projects such as Nord Stream in Europe, the US has very recently extended Sakhalin-II’s import permit, allowing it to continue LNG supplies to Japan.

That the PRC’s propaganda is now pivoting towards deterring China’s partners is no surprise, as the PLA has long recognized the ability to deter or defeat U.S. intervention attempts as central to any military effort to take Taiwan.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan’s newly elected leader Sanae Takaichi was confirmed as Japan’s new Prime Minister on 21st October. Takaichi is also Japan’s first female prime minister in its history.

Despite the legitimate agreement Australia and Nauru drafted, the implementation of this agreement requires extreme scrutiny on behalf of the contracted parties.

If negotiations between Tokyo and Washington do not terminate positively,, there is the risk that their economic interdependence between Japan and China will increase to the point that former becomes dangerously vulnerable to geopolitical shocks, as was the case with Germany and Russia in the leadup to the latter’s invasion of Ukraine.

Both Trump and Putin see NATO as a threat to national security. For Trump, NATO affairs represent a chief factor in distracting American attention and resources from the most urgent threats represented by the Southern US border and China’s rising power.

The highly militaristic nature of the North Korean-Russian alliance can escalate the tensions on the Korean peninsula, making it a global concern.

Japan and Hong Kong share deep-rooted commercial and cultural ties. Hong Kong’s younger generation appear to hold a much more favourable view of Japan than their forebears.

October 1, 2023 HSC Deputy Director Dr Rowan Allport has had a comment piece on Taiwan’s unveiling of its new first Hai Kun-class submarine published in The Diplomat. In it, he examines how the type will contribute to the defense of ...