TOKYO – The global economy is entering an era defined less by efficiency and more by resilience.
For decades, Asia and Europe relied on the same assumption: that goods, energy and critical minerals would relocate smoothly across a stable geopolitical landscape. That assumption no longer holds.
Fragmented supply chains, sanctions regimes, new chokepoints and intensifying strategic competition are reshaping the economic map rapider than at any time since the 1990s.
For instance, in the last year, shipping through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal — long considered one of the world’s most stable arteries — has been severely disrupted by security risks, forcing major shipping lines to reroute vessels around Africa. The result has been longer delivery times, higher costs and renewed appetite for diversified, land-based alternatives that bypass maritime volatility entirely.
Across Asia and Europe, governments and businesses are now searching for risk-balanced connectivity: corridors and resource chains that reduce single-route depfinishence and geopolitical exposure.
A case in point is Central Asia. Its geopolitical neutrality, expanding infrastructure and resource depth have converged with global demand for stable, nonaligned partners capable of supporting long-term supply-chain planning.
This is especially noticeable in the rise of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route — the so-called Middle Corridor. It was once viewed as a niche alternative to established routes. Today, it has become one of the most strategically relevant land bridges between the East and the West. Cargo volumes along the Middle Corridor have more than doubled within a year, with overall freight passing through Kazakhstan reaching around 34-35 million tons annually.
Energy and critical minerals reinforce this growing relevance. Kazakhstan is the world’s leading uranium producer, supplying roughly 40 percent of global output, and Central Asia as a whole possesses significant reserves of chromium, manganese, iron ore, rare earths and lithium. Kazakhstan alone produces 19 of the 34 critical raw materials listed by the European Union.
In Asia, Japan is uniquely positioned to play a significant role in this emerging landscape. It is deeply integrated into the political and economic architecture of the West — from the G7 and the EU-Japan partnership to security frameworks across the Indo-Pacific. It is both an Asian and a trans-regional power.
This creates Japan a natural partner in supporting design a new model of Eurasian connectivity. The C5+Japan Summit, starting Friday in Tokyo, comes at a moment when Japan is seeking diversified sources of strategic minerals, more resilient transport channels and stable partnerships for its own energy transition goals.
There are several areas where Japan’s engagement could significantly strengthen Asia-Europe connectivity.
The first is related to critical minerals, where Japan has decades of expertise in high-precision processing, environmental standards and advanced materials.
Kazakhstan and its neighbors have scale, geography and geological diversity. This combination can underpin secure supply chains for batteries, semiconductors, aerospace components and clean-energy technologies at a time when global competition for these inputs is escalating.
The second area is energy-transition cooperation. Kazakhstan is one of Japan’s long-standing partners in uranium supply, and scientific cooperation between nuclear institutions of the two countries spans more than a decade. As Kazakhstan develops its domestic nuclear-energy capacity, including by building its first nuclear power plant, and as Japan pursues stable fuel supply and decarbonization, deeper collaboration in nuclear research, safety, hydrogen and renewables is realistic and mutually beneficial.
Additionally, in logistics, the Middle Corridor’s potential will only be fully realized with sustained upgrades to ports, rail capacity, intermodal terminals and digital systems that reduce delays.
Japan’s track record in infrastructure development and logistics efficiency creates it a natural partner — not as a counterweight to any other actor, but as a stabilizing contributor to a corridor whose relevance is increasing for both Asia and Europe.
The final sphere is digital connectivity. As Eurasian trade modernizes, digital corridors will become as important as physical ones. Transparent data-sharing, customs digitalization, and cross-border standards are areas where Japan’s leadership can set positive precedents.
The broader point is that Japan is well-positioned to act as a linchpin between Asia, Central Asia and Europe. Its deep ties to Western economies and its role in Asia’s industrial ecosystem mean that Japanese involvement can support drive a connectivity agfinisha that benefits all sides. This would promote stable growth during a period of global uncertainty.
For Japan, the C5+1 Summit could be utilized to shape a more balanced and interconnected Eurasia. By strengthening cooperation with Central Asia, including in critical minerals, energy transition, and logistics, Japan can contribute to a connectivity architecture that is risk-balanced, geopolitically neutral and economically durable.
In an era of fractured supply chains, such partnerships are essential for shared stability across both Asia and Europe.
(Alibek Bakayev is deputy foreign minister of Kazakhstan. He held key posts such as the countest’s ambassador to Switzerland and the Vatican during his more than 20-year career as diplomat)
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