2017 has proven to be quite the politically-charged year for the Asian region, especially with North Korea. And for its New Year’s edition, Weekly Touyou Keizai magazine usually does predictions for the upcoming year. Given the politically-charged environment right now, it’s looking quite bleak. As for their cover, it features plenty of notable characters, including US President Donald J. Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzou Abe.

The cover features the five leaders in a hot pot party. It also shows Kim Jong on on top of a nuclear missile, while Trump is acting drunk, with Abe looking on. Aside from that, the cover also shows that Russia and China have a huge part in trying to stop North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. Both countries are also on edge because they share borders with the country. A conflict with US, South Korea, and Japan might mean a refugee crisis for China, as well as Russia. It features the message of diplomatic complicity, as the world tries to diffuse the Hermit Kingdom’s nuclear crisis.

Legendary Gundam character designer, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko himself drew the cover illustration. This is quite fitting as the Gundam franchise has the reputation for having lots of international politics and intrigue. Throughout the Gundam franchise, several world leaders have used weapons of mass destruction to further their goals. A lot of these leaders have succeeded, and killed off millions of innocent civilians in the stories. In hindsight, the story of Gundam kind of reflects today’s situation, huh?

source: Fujisan magazine