As the international order faces upheaval, ASEAN-Japan relations require a timely upgrade.　Professor Suzuki Sanae explores the key points and future directions of this partnership. Expand opportunities for Japan to deepen its understanding of ASEAN. Foster proactive participation in ASEAN cooperation projects. Lead Indo-Pacific cooperation through inclusivity and the rule of law.   In 2023, Japan and ASEAN celebrated the 50th anniversary of their friendship and cooperation. The relationship traces its origins back to 1973, the year the Japan-ASEAN Synthetic Rubber Forum was held. This forum was convened at the request of the ASEAN side to discuss the economic damage faced by natural rubber-producing and exporting countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, due to the expansion of Japan’s synthetic rubber exports. In the 1970s, ASEAN nations harbored deep-seated distrust toward Japan, fueled by postwar reparations, the influx of Japanese companies tied to official development ... ... [Read more]

In 2025, major powers intensified their diplomatic engagement with Central Asia. What is the strategy for Japan—a long-standing partner in the region—to ensure it does not “lose its presence”? Major powers hold an overwhelming advantage in terms of historical ties and economic scale. While China is strengthening logistics, Russia is struggling with its declining presence. Japan is required to leverage its accumulated diplomatic experience and demonstrate its “true commitment.” On December 20, 2025, the first Summit of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue was held. Originally, this summit was scheduled to take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, in August 2024 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue framework. However, due to an earthquake off the coast of Kyushu and the issuance of the Nankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information bulletin, then-Prime Minister Kishida Fumio canceled his visit, and the summit ... ... [Read more]

Diplomatic diversification is advancing among US allies. What possibilities do various minilateral frameworks offer? “Hedging-based cooperation” is expanding as a means to mitigate excessive strategic and economic dependence on the United States. Efforts are underway to restructure the Quad’s agenda, while new frameworks that do not include the United States are simultaneously emerging. Regional actors are increasingly seeking to “engage” in shaping a multilayered order, rather than being compelled to make a binary “choice” between competing systems led by the United States and China. In 2025, international politics reached a critical inflection point. Most significantly, the United States—Japan’s sole ally and the long-standing anchor of stability in the Indo-Pacific—has clearly begun to reorient its diplomatic course toward an “America First” policy under the second Donald Trump administration, emerging as a force that shakes the very foundations of the existing international order. However, the destabilization ... ... [Read more]

The innovations in quantum computers are bringing about immeasurable changes to industry and society. At the same time, however, international competition for technological superiority is intensifying, and we have reached a critical juncture where Japan’s standing is being called into question. The future opened by quantum computers and security threats The digital society, which forms the foundation of modern civilization, has been built upon the staggering pace of progress in semiconductor technology. However, this progress is approaching its physical limits. The technology that holds the potential to fundamentally break through this sense of stagnation and fundamentally change the nature of computation is “quantum computers.” They are entirely different from conventional computers, bringing about a leap in computational power by orders of magnitude. As a result, for specific problems, they are expected to solve in just a few seconds calculations that would take a conventional ... ... [Read more]

Since the revelation of the political fundraising scandal involving factions of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the landscape of Japanese party politics has been transformed through two national elections: the Lower House election in October 2024 and the Upper House election in July 2025.[1] The situation has changed at a dizzying pace, characterized by the defeat of the LDP-Komeito coalition in the Lower House election, the birth of a minority government, Komeito’s departure from the coalition, the rapid surge of the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), the sharp expansion of support for Sanseito, and the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) joining the “coalition government” in a confidence and supply agreement (non-cabinet cooperation). The LDP’s response to the political fund scandal was insufficient to convince voters, and combined with the burden of rising prices, the party was abandoned by the electorate. Having lost their majority ... ... [Read more]

On October 21, 2025, the Takaichi Sanae administration was inaugurated. It goes without saying that Takaichi is the first female Prime Minister in Japan’s constitutional history. Furthermore, the coalition between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito, which began in 1994, was dissolved, leading to a realignment of the coalition between the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party (JIP). Just four days prior to this, it was reported that former Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi had passed away at the age of 101. In 1994, the “acrobatic” coalition in which the LDP installed Murayama, the Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party (JSP), as Prime Minister served to inform the world that the “1955 System,” which had long persisted throughout the postwar era, had truly come to an end in both name and reality.[1] Nearly thirty years have passed since the Murayama administration was established in ... ... [Read more]

The economic phase is shifting both domestically and internationally. “Sanaenomics” is an economic policy package designed to respond to this shift with rationality and coherence. Professor Iida Yasuyuki unpacks its full scope and grand design. Structured Policies Judging from patterns of support in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election and the lineup of economic policy brains, many commentators view the economic policies of the Takaichi Sanae administration as a continuation and intensification of Abenomics. On the other hand, the policy documents issued since the administration’s inauguration, as well as the policy agreement with the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), reveal an ambitious policy vision that, while inheriting the achievements of Abenomics, seeks to transcend it. This divergence reflects the demands of economic reality. The two administrations confronted fundamentally different economic circumstances. When the second Abe Shinzo administration was formed in 2012, the Japanese economy was suffering from deficient demand. As the Consumer Price ... ... [Read more]

Amidst a Diverse Food Culture It is difficult to categorize Washoku (Japanese cuisine) into a single type because it has developed uniquely across different eras and regions. One reason for this diversity is the geography of the Japanese archipelago. It stretches approximately 3,200 kilometers from north to south, spanning latitudes from 20 to 45 degrees north. Consequently, the arrival of the “cherry blossom front” (sakura zensen) or the rainy season differs by a month or more between Okinawa and Hokkaido. The presence or absence of heavy snowfall also creates significant regional contrasts. These factors lead to variations in the resources gathered from mountains, rivers, seas, and fields, which in turn shape distinct regional dietary habits. Furthermore, Japan remains an archipelago of mountainous islands, with mountains occupying over 60 percent of the land today. Human dwellings and settlements are scattered up to elevations of several ... ... [Read more]

  Until the end of the Cold War, the center of gravity of national security rested primarily on the two pillars of military and diplomatic power. There is no doubt that the quantity and quality of weapon systems, starting with nuclear weapons, along with the expansion of alliances and economic cooperation, served as the primary indicators for gauging a nation’s survival and influence. The United States and the Soviet Union, confronting each other across the Iron Curtain, competed to expand their nuclear arsenals and alliance networks, barely maintaining peace upon that precarious balance. However, now that a quarter of the 21st century has passed, the situation has clearly changed. The elements that determine a nation’s true power are no longer limited to kinetic forces or the visible scope of diplomatic activities. They have expanded to include the security of data and networks, the resilience ... ... [Read more]

  Does the deregulation of working hours contradict measures against the declining birthrate? The flexibility in working hours promoted by the Takaichi administration holds the potential to maximize both the “earning power” and the “time discretion” of child-rearing households. Professor Oguro Kazumasa shines a new light on this controversial policy from the perspective of demographic challenges. The Current Political Debate Over Working Hour Deregulation Since Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae mentioned a “review of the upper limits on working hours,” an intense debate has continued in the Diet. This is undoubtedly driven by the fact that Japan is transitioning into a full-scale labor-shortage economy, with chronic labor shortages persisting across a wide range of sectors—including services, healthcare/nursing care, construction, and logistics—amid a rapidly shrinking working-age population. From the corporate side, there are expectations that allowing flexible work styles will lead to accelerated innovation and better ... ... [Read more]