Japan has abandoned decades of pacifism in response to Ukraine invasion and increased Chinese pressure on Taiwan

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza, have left tens of thousands dead and sent shockwaves across Europe and the Middle East. But—brutal and tragic as they are—the wars in Ukraine and Gaza are regionally bounded, meaning that most of the rest of the world rolls along, largely unaffected. This will not be the case if armed conflict breaks out in east Asia.