East Asia

East Asia is a region of Asia. East Asia borders Siberia to the north, Southeast Asia to the south, South Asia to the southwest, and Central Asia to the west. The People's Republic of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are both socialist nations located in East Asia. The other nations commonly considered to be included in East Asia are Japan, Mongolia, and South Korea. East Asia accounts for approximately 21.53% of the total world population as of 2022.

Historically, many societies in East Asia have interacted with the Chinese sphere of influence. The Japanese Empire has had an impact on the region in the modern era as it colonized and occupied many parts of the region and committed acts of war, kidnapping, murder, slavery, and cultural repression. The region has also been impacted by Western colonialism and imperialism in the past as well as up to the present day. The Russian Empire and Soviet Union have also been influential in the region at different times.

Since the end of the Second World War, Japan and south Korea have both served as bases of U.S. imperialism. Japan, a former imperialist competitor of Western imperialists before its surrender at the end of the Second World War, has become subordinated to Western imperial interests, particularly U.S. interests. Meanwhile, the division of Korea into north and south is a result of the U.S. occupation of the southern half of the peninsula, which was done with the aim of countering communist influence in the region and persists to the present day. In addition, the Chinese province of Taiwan, which is often portrayed as a sovereign state by imperialist powers, is occupied by a neoliberal regime which the U.S. has historically used for maneuvering against the People's Republic of China as part of U.S. anti-communist efforts.

East Asia has been a site of pronounced tension and conflict in the modern period as revolutionary movements within the region have struggled against feudalism, colonialism, and imperialism and worked to establish national independence and socialism, while reactionary forces have aimed to suppress and subdue them through a variety of methods, including direct warfare, economic sanctions, terrorism, subterfuge, and the formation of anti-communist political alliances. The Cold War and its continued escalation, which has been referred to as the New Cold War, are key factors in the modern political situation of East Asia.

According to a 2021 Al Jazeera article, with 120 active bases, Japan has the highest number of US bases in the world, followed by Germany with 119, and South Korea with 73. Similarly, the countries with the most number of US troops include Japan with 53,700, Germany with 33,900 and South Korea with 26,400. In addition, the U.S. officially maintains operational control of the south Korean military in wartime.