The global economy is entering a more fragmented and uncertain era. Long-standing frameworks built on international cooperation, multilateralism and dollar-centered globalization are gradually giving way to a more decentralized and interest-driven system.

Three recent developments illustrate this shift: the United Arab Emirates¡¯ withdrawal from OPEC, the growing political role of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank and the expansion of alternative cross-border payment systems outside the traditional dollar-based framework.

Taken together, these developments suggest that the world is moving toward a more multipolar structure in which countries increasingly prioritize strategic autonomy and national interests over collective coordination. For Japan, this transition presents difficult challenges.