In a remarkable development in the Indo-Pacific political puzzle, on August 20 this year Japan and India held a 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi in which the foreign and defense ministers of both countries took part. It was the third meeting of its kind, the first of which took place in New Delhi in November 2019. The original decision to create this bilateral platform was taken following a series of reciprocal visits by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart at the time, Shinzo Abe.

Over the years, the AUKUS and Quad military blocs, as any reasonable observer will have noted, have become sources of militarization in the Asia-Pacific region. However, one of the risks associated with these and other US regional alliances, and one which has so far been overlooked, is the potential, in the near future, for nuclear proliferation and the spread of dual-use technologies in this part of the world.

On August 14 of this year, Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida announced that he will not run for head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party at the end of the three-year term provided for in the party’s charter. This is a remarkable event in the current life of the country.

During the summer of 2024, Japan sharply intensified its foreign policy in its most important aspects, particularly on China and Pacific states. In our opinion, this intensification and some improvements in Japanese relations with China are primarily related to balancing its military and political activities with Western countries. On the one hand, Japan is building up its own defence potential and strengthening various multilateral formats in the field of security; on the other hand, it is trying to reduce tension in relations with China.

In July 2024, Japan sharply intensified its foreign policy in the most important areas, particularly regarding strengthening relations with the countries of the collective West, split into three aspects: US, South Korean and European. Japan has focused on defence cooperation with its allies in both bilateral and multilateral formats (IP4, AUKUS+, NATO, the Seoul-Washington-Tokyo axis, etc.).

July of this year saw a multitude of noteworthy events along the line of Japanese foreign policy. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa visited Europe again. She did so ‘again’, as she visited Europe only two and a half months earlier together with her boss, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

A number of recent events have indicated the increased diplomatic activity of China and Japan, two leading Asian powers, with island countries located in the Pacific Ocean.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s presence as a guest at the NATO anniversary summit in Washington on July 9-11, dedicated to the 75^th anniversary of the creation of the military-political alliance, as well as his stop in Germany on the way home, are noteworthy events.

The ongoing upgrades to the US-Japan military cooperation signals new regional developments. In reality, however, this upgrade is a continuation of the US strategy in the Pacific to build military outposts so that China can be deterred and tackled. On the one hand, it is militarizing Japan. On the other hand, the sale of weapons keeps bringing money to the US military-industrial complex. Ultimately, this alliance will do little to serve the purpose of ‘containing’ China.

At the end of June, the Japanese imperial couple paid a seven-day visit to the United Kingdom. Some aspects of this event and a number of accompanying political events in Japan, which is becoming one of the most important participants in the current stage of the “Great World Game”, are undoubtedly of interest…

The participants in the trilateral summit discussed ways to promote cooperation in six specific areas: economy and trade, sustainable development (including the response to climate change), healthcare, science and technology, disaster management and security, and exchange programs…

Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, arrived in Seoul around noon. This was his first visit to the country since taking office in March 2023. Lee and Yoon’s first meeting, in September 2023, took place in Indonesia on the margins of the ASEAN summit…