Archives Japan - Page 5 of 25 - New Eastern Outlook

The eve of the New Year of 2026 in Japan was marked by a series of notable publications from leading media outlets, focusing both on evaluating 2025 and making forecasts for the future trajectory of certain aspects of the country’s political line.

As it has been previously noted in the New Eastern Outlook, the situation in the Indo-Pacific region is becoming increasingly complex. This trend is clearly manifested in a series of recent events in the relations among the key regional players.

In early December, media reports started assuming that there was an idea potentially circulating in the American policymaking circles to form a new cooperation format, the “Core Five.” The group will supposedly embrace the United States, China, India, Russia, and Japan.