Northeast Asia / NEA
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Global Commons
Japan, South Korea, U.S. boost electronic warfare capabilities to safeguard regional security
Felix Kim Electronic warfare (EW) — military activity conducted in the electromagnetic spectrum — is a growing priority for Indo-Pacific armed forces. Japan, South Korea and the United States are enhancing their EW capabilities in the air, at sea and on land in the face of regional threats posed by North Korea, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia.…
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Northeast Asia
Japan, South Korea, U.S. discuss sharing North Korea missile data
The Associated Press Japan, South Korea and the United States are negotiating an agreement on sharing real-time data on North Korean missile launches, as cooperation among the three nations becomes increasingly important amid growing nuclear and missile threats from the North, Tokyo’s chief government spokesperson said in early May 2023. “I understand that defense authorities are vigorously proceeding to set…
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Global Commons
Automation, new technologies support Japan’s defense future
Marc Jacob Prosser Japan’s plan to boost defense spending to 2% of its gross domestic product by 2027 comes as the nation faces a stark security challenge: an aging, shrinking population. In 1994, there were 17 million Japanese citizens age 18 to 26, the core of the Japan Self-Defense Forces’ (JSDF) recruitment pool. By October 2021, the number had fallen…
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Across The Region
Indo-Pacific Countries Launch Major Trade Talks
Economic ministers from more than a dozen Indo-Pacific countries launched negotiations in September 2022 on the United States’ first major regional trade engagement effort in nearly a decade. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework talks in Los Angeles, California, were aimed at addressing future challenges and achieving “sustainable and equitable growth” in the region. U.S. President…
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Northeast Asia
Japan, South Korea strengthen defense, supply chain cooperation
Marc Jacob Prosser Japan and South Korea are working together in key areas including defense and supply chain resilience. Through formal agreements and increased dialogue, their governments are sharing intelligence and cooperating on technology trade security, officials and analysts said. “There is an increasing need for [South] Korea and Japan to cooperate in this time of a polycrisis, with North…
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Global Commons
Japan considers lifting arms export ban to support threatened countries
Marc Jacob Prosser The symbolism was unmistakable as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s surprise visit to Ukraine coincided with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow. The March 2023 visits underscore expanding geopolitical divisions that contribute to Japan considering a significant shift in policy to allow the export of weapons to countries such as Ukraine. The…
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Conflicts - Tensions
South Korea counters North Korean threats with AI-based drones, robots
Felix Kim Contesting North Korea’s asymmetric threats is the core aim of Defense Innovation 4.0 (DI 4.0), the latest technology-centered endeavor of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of National Defense (MND). The initiative accelerates the development of unmanned and manned defense systems that use artificial intelligence to enhance performance. New command structures will emerge from DI 4.0, including units…
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Across The Region
Japan Applies Extra Scrutiny to foreign students
Japan is asking universities for greater scrutiny of foreign students and scholars to prevent technology leaks to nations such as the People’s Republic of China. The move is partly for national security but also to safeguard exchanges with United States and European universities. A string of recent U.S. arrests of Chinese academics over spying allegations was a wake-up call for…
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Conflicts - Tensions
CCP Shifts Oppression of Uyghurs from ‘Reeducation’ to Prison, Analysts Say
Radio Free Asia Two reports released by officials in Xinjiang — one by the region’s highest court, the other by a group of prosecutors — show the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) strategy for constraining the Uyghur population is shifting from so-called reeducation camps to prison. The reports, published in March 2022 on the official website of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous…
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Features
Defining Sovereignty
Dr. John Hemmings/PACIFIC FORUM INTERNATIONAL Sovereignty is one of the most important concepts in international relations — perhaps as important as power for its central role in guiding state relations and setting the baseline for a rules-based order. The Treaty of Westphalia, signed in Europe in 1648 after the Thirty Years’ War, established the concept of the sovereign state. In…
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