Global Scans · Japan · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: The latest sign of weakness in Japan's economy will likely add to mounting skepticism about the prime minister's expansionary policies. His coalition government has just achieved the supermajority it needs to amend the constitution which many are worried that Japan is about to remove the mask of pacificism and convert its "Self-Defense Force" into the military threat it really is.

• [New] Japan will revise its National Security Strategy and related documents in late 2026 and measures to strengthen defence industry and technology are expected to be included. Institute of Geoeconomics(IOG) by Asia Pacific Initiati
• [New] Japan intends to target commercial 6G by 2030, and China has initiated 6G research programs at a national level. EcoPortal.net
• [New] The revisions, passed unanimously by the Upper House, will see the Japan Meteorological Agency and the land ministry introduce a standardized alert scale from one to five for four types of disasters: overflowing rivers, flooding caused by torrential rain, landslides, and storm surges. / Japan Grand Pinnacle Tribune
• [New] The partnership with ANA Holdings in Japan, supported by Toyota's infrastructure and government cooperation, plans to deploy over 100 air taxis in Tokyo. Ainvest
• [New] Resource-poor Japan now wants to revive atomic energy to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and meet growing energy needs from artificial intelligence. The Hindu
• [New] The revival of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant comes as Japan's nuclear industry faces a string of recent scandals and incidents, including data falsification by Chubu Electric Power to underestimate seismic risks. Al Jazeera
• [New] Recent policy shifts have added to the opportunity: fiscal stimulus is aimed at bolstering domestic demand, and the Bank of Japan has moved further away from long-standing zero rates as inflation and wage growth broaden. Blackstone
• [New] Japan's 40-year bond yields hit 4%, Fitch projects debt easing to 190% GDP by 2029. GeopoliticsUnplugged Substack
• [New] Japan hopes to commercialise rare earths from 2030. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] Japan might be able to share stockpiles of rare earths from Minami-Torishima with its allies in the future, which will be a strong diplomatic instrument. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] China, which regards Taiwan as its own territory, reacted angrily, blocking exports to Japan of dual-use items with potential military applications, fuelling worries in Tokyo that Beijing could choke supplies of much-needed rare earths. Space War
• [New] A female prime minister is expected to bring a sense of freshness and novelty capable of revitalising Japan's stagnating political landscape. East Asia Forum
• [New] Use of military force in a Taiwan contingency could constitute a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering the right of collective self-defence. The Strategist
• [New] Japan has called a Taiwan invasion a survival-threatening situation and would likely intervene militarily. TradingView
• [New] Back in November, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in parliament that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would constitute a situation threatening Japan's survival, potentially triggering a military response from Tokyo. Mine Wire Media Group
• [New] Japan is embroiled in a heated diplomatic spat with China, triggered by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's suggestion in November that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan. Space War
• [New] China continues to ramp up pressure on Japan after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Tokyo could react militarily to any attack on Taiwan. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] The largest SAF demands are expected to come from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, as well as other Asian economies such as Japan and ROK. ASEAN Main Portal
• [New] Japan's LNG benchmark is expected to broadly track European pricing conditions, reflecting continued competition for flexible LNG cargoes. Policy Center
• [New] Japanese seafood giant Nissui said it will expand its South American salmon aquaculture business to over 80,000 tons per year by the end of the decade, roughly 2.5 times higher than its current production level. SeafoodNews
• [New] In a future with AI agents, they could perform maintenance and inspections on the hundreds of thousands of system devices in Japan. The Asahi Shimbun
• [New] Japan's Martian Moons eXploration mission, slated to launch in late 2026, will travel to Mars, spend three years studying both of its small, potato-shaped moons - Phobos and Deimos - and collect a surface sample from Phobos to bring back to Earth by 2031. The Conversation

Last updated: 24 January 2026