The Asia Cable

01/07/2026

On Asia Daily

After careful discussion, we have made the difficult decision to retire Asia Daily effective August 1.

When we launched The Asia Cable, our goal was to provide readers with a concise and accessible way to keep up with major developments across Asia. We’re grateful for the readership, feedback, and encouragement we’ve received, and it has been rewarding to see people incorporate Asia Daily into their routines.

At the same time, producing a daily newsletter is a significant commitment. As we look ahead to our respective continued education and endeavors abroad, we’ve reached a point where consistently committing the time and energy required to produce Asia Daily is no longer sustainable without pulling us away from other important commitments.

Rather than stretch ourselves too thin, we’ve decided to close this chapter and focus our energy on more advanced and sophisticated work. This includes more original analysis, deeper research, and more ambitious projects that allow us to explore the issues shaping Asia alongside our fantastic team of contributors.

This decision does not mean The Asia Cable is stepping back from its broader work. We will continue publishing Asian Affairs and Perspectives, while also turning our attention toward an upcoming project that we are excited to share more about soon.

Because Asia Daily has been a major driver of our subscriptions, we have paused paid subscriptions in advance. We will resume paid subscriptions on September 1, giving subscribers time to decide whether they will continue supporting The Asia Cable as we move into this next phase.

Asia Daily became a larger part of The Asia Cable than we could have imagined, and we’re deeply appreciative of everyone who read, subscribed, shared our work, or offered feedback along the way.

Thank you for reading. We’re excited for what’s next.

-Nick, Alex

15/06/2026

Türkiye’s Indo-Pacific ambitions are becoming harder to ignore.

Sapna Suresh examines how Ankara is blending Islamic solidarity with defense partnerships to position itself as an alternative partner for middle powers navigating U.S.-China competition.

Ankara looks east through faith, defense, and middle-power diplomacy.

15/06/2026

Can tariffs force away from Russian energy?

Spandan Gandhi examines the relevant data to show that Indian imports fell during U.S.-India trade tensions, but trade-deal expectations mattered more than the tariff itself. Later energy shocks pushed imports back up, exposing the limits of U.S. economic pressure.

Tariffs cut India’s Russian energy imports, until the Iran war reversed the trend.

01/05/2026

Japan’s defense industry just crossed a major threshold.

Caleb Mills has the details on the Mogami Memorandum: a $7 billion frigate deal with Australia that signals Tokyo’s growing willingness to use arms sales as both strategy and statecraft.

Japan’s frigate deal with Australia marks a major step away from its postwar restraints on arms exports.

30/04/2026

Japan’s intelligence community may be heading for its biggest postwar shake-up.

Caleb Mills breaks down Sanae Takaichi’s push for a National Intelligence Council, a reform meant to centralize decision-making under the prime minister’s office and strengthen coordination across agencies.

The proposed National Intelligence Council is one of Japan’s most consequential postwar security reforms.

27/04/2026

Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi's proactive approach to foreign affairs has come to be a defining feature of her government and public image. But how does this new approach stand to impact the current order in the Indo-Pacific?

Griffin Grubb breaks down Takaichi's foreign policy approach and its potential consequences for the status quo in the region.

Japan's Prime Minister has set out an ambitious foreign policy approach, but at what cost to the regional status quo?