Russia and North Korea are further expanding their cooperation. Russia continues to invade Ukraine, while North Korea has continued to make military threats. What impact will the close relationship have on the security of Asia, including Japan? We spoke to Associate Professor Yu Koizumi of the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, who is an expert on military affairs. He points out that the reason behind this is the current international situation is "in an unstable state." He says the U.S. is still forced to devote considerable resources to protecting Europe from Russia.