Good morning, and welcome to the Global Situation Report for Monday, 09 September 2024.
- NUCLEAR ARMAMENT BECOMES CENTRAL ISSUE TO JAPAN: A new candidate for the Japanese Prime Minister’s office, Taro Kono, called on the U.S. to provide greater assurances that Japan is under the nuclear umbrella.
- Kono specifically cited instability in the U.S. government and election as a reason for a Japanese “independent nuclear deterrent.”
- Kono expressed concerns that South Korea and other neighbors may follow suit if Japan abandons its non-nuclear posture.
Why It Matters: As long as Shigeru Ishiba remains in the race, this makes potential Japanese nuclear weapons a key issue for the Prime Minister election. An official move toward nuclear armament may also cause China to preemptively attack Japan as China holds them partially responsible for the Century of Humiliation and wholly responsible for Chinese devastation in World War Two. – J.V.
- Global Rollup
- The Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily news site called on the Philippines to “seriously consider the future” of China-Philippines relations as they are currently “at a crossroads” and headed toward conflict.
- Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski announced this morning that Poland had stopped a destabilization operation from Belarus and Russia. The operation involved electronically infiltrating government institutions to obtain kompromat. The Deputy PM described this as an attempt “to wage a de facto cyberwar.”
- A new report from the European Central Bank claims the European Union (EU) is too dependent on external defense manufacturing and needs to buy more inside of the EU. The report specifically cites the EU’s dependence on the U.S. with 63% of all defense spending being with U.S. companies. (A lower allied demand for U.S. defense production could have several outcomes: a reduction in U.S. jobs for weapons development, a radical boon to U.S. stockpiling since there is still an internal demand, or a greater shift in exports to non-European allies such as Taiwan, the Philippines, or Japan. – J.V.)
THAT’S A WRAP: This does it for today’s edition. Thank you for reading. If you know folks who would also like to receive this email, would you please forward it to them? We appreciate you spreading the word. – M.S.