Introduction: A Strategic Perspective for 2026:

Japan’s Strategic Autonomy and Indispensability in an Era of Uncertainty. 2

Chapter 1: US Strategic Restraint and Japan’s Security. 5

Chapter 2: The Free Trade System at a Crossroads: Trade Strategy in the New Normal. 8

Chapter 3: US-China Coexistence and the Taiwan Situation in a Period of Fragile Stability. 11

Chapter 4: The Korean Peninsula: The ROK and North Korea Seek to Expand Their “Survival Space” Amid Unrest in the International Order. 14

Chapter 5: Europe’s “Strategic Autonomy”:

The Intersection of Long-Term and Short-Term Perspectives. 17

Chapter 6: Will Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Ever End?

The Path of Ceasefire Negotiations and the Deepening Russia-North Korea Relationship. 20

Chapter 7: Economic Security: Current Situation, Outlook, and Recommendations. 23

Chapter 8: The Future of the Nuclear Order. 26