Tokyo ready to join Trump's ‘Golden Dome’

Today's headlines: new Israeli attacks on Iran, missiles from the Islamic Republic strike the Jewish state, causing several casualties. ASEAN foreign ministers meet today to discuss the Gulf crisis, markets and energy concerns. Islamabad bombs a fuel depot near Kandahar airport. In Indonesia, there has been a sharp increase in measles cases due to the collapse of post-COVID vaccinations.

JAPAN - CHINA - UNITED STATES

Sanae Takaichi is expected to announce Tokyo's participation in the US ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense system at a meeting with US President Donald Trump scheduled for next week. Government sources reported by the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri say that the Japanese prime minister is expected to discuss the initiative with the White House tenant at the meeting scheduled for March 19 in Washington. The goal is to develop a joint interceptor system and satellite network with allies as a counterforce to the hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) being researched by China and Russia.

IRAN - ISRAEL - USA

Israel has launched a new, massive attack on Iran after Tehran fired a wave of missiles at the Jewish state, some of which evaded the defensive shield, causing dozens of injuries in Zarzir, near Nazareth. Earlier, a US Air Force refueling plane crashed in western Iraq, and a French soldier was killed in an attack in Kurdistan. In the information war, US President Donald Trump claims to be “totally destroying” the Iranian regime. yesterday, the first speech - read on state television - by the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who announced the continuation of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, where three more ships were attacked. Finally, Washington announced the easing of sanctions on Russian oil to curb the surge in oil prices.

SOUTHEAST ASIA - MIDDLE EAST

The spread of conflict in the Middle East and its repercussions on markets and energy dominate the agenda of today's meeting of foreign ministers of ASEAN, the association of 11 Southeast Asian nations. The Philippines, which holds the rotating chairmanship for 2026, is hosting the meetings as officials assess the impacts and responses to rising oil prices, disruptions to shipping, logistics, and trade flows. The crisis has forced ministers to convene a special virtual meeting to assess the implications for Southeast Asia.

PAKISTAN - AFGHANISTAN - CHINA

Pakistan has bombed a fuel depot belonging to the private airline Kam Air near Kandahar airport in Afghanistan. This was reported by Taliban sources, with the worst conflict in recent years between the two neighbors appearing to have regained momentum after recent attempts—particularly by China and its president Xi Jinping—at mediation to ease tensions. Kabul called Islamabad's raids a violation of sovereignty and launched retaliatory attacks.

INDONESIA

A sharp increase in cases of measles highlights the difficulties of Indonesia's ongoing struggle to increase immunization rates, which have declined due to growing vaccine hesitancy that has persisted since the Covid-19 pandemic. The escalation of measles cases is worrying doctors, who are beginning to give advice on social media, including avoiding close contact for children, especially during the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan and is an occasion for family gatherings. Immunization rates have fallen from 88% in 2019 to 82% in 2023.

NEPAL - GULF

Nepal, like many other South Asian countries, will begin rationing the distribution of fuel, particularly cooking gas, amid fears that the war in the Middle East could create nationwide shortages. Chandika Prasad Bhatta, executive director of the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), reports that starting today, authorities will fill only half of empty cylinders to make its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplies last longer.

RUSSIA - TURKEY - UAE - INDIA

According to The Insider‘s analysis of Russian companies’ foreign trade data for 2024-2025, more than 6,000 foreign exporting companies are trafficking items subject to sanctions with the Russians. In particular, companies in the military-industrial complex, mainly Chinese (about 4,000), Turkey (300), the United Arab Emirates (120), and India (60), such as the Chinese company Henan New Silk Road International with turbojets worth million.

CENTRAL ASIA

The head of the Eurasian Development Bank, Nikolai Podguzov, said in an interview with Tass that the population of the five Central Asian countries could reach 96 million by 2040. This is a factor to be considered “a priority directive for the economy,” even if such an exorbitant number would be an almost impossible burden on infrastructure, and “a leap forward in energy efficiency” is also needed.