Number 678 Ms. Sakiko Hataya, Research Fellow at the Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Japan, highlights the increasing importance of the Arctic in Japan's ocean policy and touches upon how Russia's invasion of Ukraine impacts the execution of Japan's Arctic policy. The Arctic is warming at an alarming rate, approximately three times faster than the global average. These changes have far-reaching implications not only for the Arctic region but also for the entire planet. Japan is not an Arctic state but is readily affected by climate change in the Arctic region through oceanic and atmospheric circulation. In terms of political geography, Japan is closest to the Arctic Ocean in East Asia and enjoys many opportunities in the economic and commercial sectors, such as utilization of the Arctic Sea routes..