https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-yoon-martial-law-detain-8dd7f03661be39729741de9a3b5d1714 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg45zqz225vo https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-yoon-arrest-warrant-martial-law-57fcd2d8d98ea1d64f59d237c65a0b9a In the early morning hours of December 3rd, 2024 the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, unexpectedly declared martial law and deployed soldiers around the government building in an attempt to prevent politicians from reaching the building, however in a few hours the lawmakers were able to gather just enough people to hold a quick election, invalidating… Read more »
https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/army-news-2024/japan-unveils-historic-734-billion-defense-budget-for-2025-amid-growing-regional-security-threats https://breakingdefense.com/2024/09/new-era-of-crisis-prompts-japan-biggest-defense-budget-ever-59b-for-2025 https://apnews.com/article/japan-military-budget-us-australia-china-f82c70bd6f5cbfc184f15cf17f2fde21 Following World War 2, the Japanese disbanded all of their military forces becoming a disarmed nation. However in 1954 the Japanese Self Defense forces were established, a small army and navy barely enough to defend the home islands, but nowhere large enough to launch offensive campaigns. Over the years as Japan has distanced itself from its dark… Read more »
link to article: https://www.yahoo.com/news/north-korea-stands-lose-12-061024633.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIgM7GkqAXRciSC7JUeFAVVqw-ZoXwpAn_i1Ujtm1cSyvdYTBuECO7YRQOHNU5gcYJ5ir_pNnZaCUPhOY0cbDhY-HsHgqNu4McHWo5BqKN_6Qcf4cKu16v2gzrjh3lX-9ysXEvIZmqwAUnXhWgJkn31DawvHIdhQm4qw2OZ0qVTY The North Korean troops who have been deployed in the Kursk region in Ukraine have been experiencing major losses in combat. It is estimated that if this casualty rate keeps up, all of the 12,000 North Korea troops will be gone in three months. According to the Institute for the Study of War, North Korea has… Read more »
Link to article: https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2024/05/15/australia-unveils-record-37-billion-defense-budget In mid October of last year, the Australian government announced their 2025 Defense budget and it contains some rather interesting figures. The new budget is planned to be around 55.7 Billion AUD, which translates to around 36.8 Billion USD. Its a truly massive amount and one that makes up around 2.2% of its entire GDP. The… Read more »
link to article: https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/09/us/myanmar-yakuza-uranium-smuggling-us-hnk-intl/index.html An alleged leader of one of the crime syndicates, Takeshi Ebisawa, pleaded guilty in a New York court to trafficking nuclear materials, which include uranium and weapon grade plutonium, from Myanmar as part of a network that is involved with drugs, weapons, and money laundering operations. He was arrested in 2022 during the conclusion of an… Read more »
Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trumps-greenland-bid-stirs-debate-china-about-what-do-with-taiwan-2025-01-15/ This article talks about the impact that president Trump’s comment about Greenland and the Panama Canal. Trump has threatened to take over Greenland and Taiwan with force if necessary, and some Chinese commentators argue that his statement weakens the U.S. message of “restraint” regarding Taiwan. These remarks have created discussions in China about a potential deal… Read more »
Article – Three reasons Trump tariffs aren’t China’s only problem This article highlights many of the domestic concerns all tied to China’s slowing and even contracting economy, and how Trump’s tariff threat isn’t actually Beijing’s largest concern. The piece outlined that the largest factors for a declining economy is the large youth unemployment, reliance on exports and not enough domestic… Read more »
Article – Japan, Philippines, US vow to deepen cooperation in face of China’s behaviour This article highlights an effort to tackle China’s aggressive maneuvers in the South China Sea, that is specifically at stake to the Philippines and Japan. It is known that China has allegedly been responsible for multiple boat ramming and injuries against other ports on the sea…. Read more »
Article – The leader of Sri Lanka navigates the China-India rivalry on a visit to Beijing This article outlines Sri Lanka and China’s fond relations as of a visit this month between Sri Lankan leader Dissanayake and Xi Jin-ping. This visit, as the article states, may raise tensions between India and China as they are Asia’s regional rivals, and it… Read more »
Link to article: https://www.voanews.com/a/japan-foreign-minister-to-visit-s-korea-to-shore-up-security-cooperation/7934548.html For the first time in 7 years, Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya will travel to South Korea to discuss security among East Asian neighbors and the US in an attempt to combat China’s increasing power within the region. In addition to meeting with their foreign minister, Iwaya will also meet with the Acting President of South… Read more »
