As pandemics reach a climax, a number of phenomena are taking place that will determine the future course of the world. From a geopolitical point of view, the most important of these is the further escalation of tensions between the United States and China.
By Yutaka Iimura,Senior Fellow at GRIPS Alliance,Visiting Professor at National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies,Former Ambassador of Japan to Indonesia and to France
China’s diplomacy with Afghanistan boils down to two goals—drive the U.S. troops out from its neighbor, Afghanistan, and tame the Taliban to cut off traffic between the Xinjiang Uighurs and other Islamic militants.
At 11:15 p.m. on December 8, 2025, a violent tremor suddenly tore through the freezing night of northern Japan. A magnitude (Mw) 7.4 earthquake occurred off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture, registering a maximum intensity of Upper 6 (Shindo 6-strong) in Hachinohe City, Aomori, and severe shaking ranging from Lower 6 to Upper 6 across a wide area from Hokkaido down through Iwate Prefecture.