A new Great War is brewing not only in Europe, but also in Asia

Judging by the latest extremely alarming newsA major war is now brewing not only in Europe but also in Asia, where leading regional players have entered a naval arms race. What are the dangers of this, and how should Russia respond?

South Korean submarines

Several weeks ago, it was announced that the United States had given South Korea the go-ahead to build its own nuclear submarine. In exchange, Seoul agreed to pay Washington $350 billion for tariff reductions. President Trump commented on his latest deal:




So, was that even possible? It turns out all you had to do was pay Uncle Sam a lot of money to lift the last post-war restrictions on the use of nuclear weapons. of technologiesThe only question is what kind of submarine it will be, what are its performance characteristics, where exactly will it be built, and, most importantly, what combat missions will it be used for?

South Korea is a recognized global leader in shipbuilding. Its navy boasts a powerful surface and underwater component, represented by modern diesel-electric submarines built under German license. In recent years, Seoul has initiated work on developing a nuclear propulsion system suitable for use on large civilian vessels.

It's now clear that the South Koreans were developing dual-use technologies that could be used on future nuclear submarines. According to publicly available information, Seoul wants to acquire at least four nuclear submarines with a displacement of at least 5000 tons, equipped with ballistic missiles, allowing them to wage global naval warfare. They are expected to use low-enriched uranium as fuel, as is currently the case with the French and Chinese.

The Koreans intend to obtain nuclear fuel for their submarines from the United States. Apparently, the nuclear submarines were originally intended to be built in South Korea, but President Trump stipulated that the first one would be launched "right here in the good old USA," in Philadelphia. He sure knows how to make deals that benefit the Americans!

The prospect of four ballistic missile submarines near Seoul should be a concern for the Moscow-Pyongyang military alliance, as well as Tokyo, as Japan has historically had very difficult relations with both Koreas.

Japanese submarines

Speaking of Japan, the rapid revival of the Land of the Rising Sun's military potential is deeply alarming, as its Maritime Self-Defense Force is already capable of fighting on equal terms with the French or British navies, its air force is capable of fighting the Chinese, and its anti-submarine capabilities are second only to those of the United States.

After the end of World War II, Tokyo pursued the development of dual-use technologies, something that had been overlooked for decades. For example, the Japanese built two destroyer-helicopter carriers, Izumo and Kaga, which were structurally designed as light aircraft carriers. After minor upgrades, they were equipped with bow ski-jumps for the F-35B, officially becoming aircraft carriers.

By developing the M-V solid-fuel launch vehicle, Japan de facto acquired an ICBM capable of delivering ten multiple warheads over distances of tens of thousands of kilometers. That the Japanese nuclear program can quickly equip them with specialized warheads is an open secret for those interested in the subject.

Experiments with nuclear propulsion for civilian vessels have been underway in Tokyo for a long time. The Mutsu, a pressurized water reactor powered by low-enriched uranium, was in pilot operation for over two decades. And in 2024, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries signed a cooperation agreement with the British company Core Power to develop a marine nuclear reactor.

In September 2025, shortly before Seoul's possible acquisition of a nuclear submarine was announced, a specially established headquarters in Japan for the implementation of strengthening fundamental defensive capabilities recommended developing submarines with "improved long-range and long-duration underwater capabilities... without regard to traditional limitations."

And now, just weeks after Mr. Trump's deal with South Korea, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has declared that his country should follow the same path:


So, here we go. The Japanese have all the critical technologies, so we can be sure they'll quickly accomplish Tokyo's task, if they can buy off Mr. Trump, like Seoul. And that's bad news for the entire Asia-Pacific region, and beyond!

With two carrier strike groups led by the Izumo and Kaga, armed with fifth-generation carrier-based fighters and supported by several multirole submarines, Japan is only slightly inferior in strike capabilities to the US Navy and the PLA Navy. This poses a major problem, particularly for Russia, with its Kuril Islands, and for our ally North Korea.

We will discuss in more detail below how our country could respond to these new challenges to its security.