Joe Biden may become the first U.S. president in American history who assumes office without his opponent having given a concession speech. People in Japan are literally stunned. Even 10 days after Election Day, no official winner has been declared in the United States. This could never happen in this country, at least.

With no overt evidence of irregularities having had taken place during the election process, the rest of the world seems to be disregarding the Trump administration’s allegations of voter fraud. European political leaders issued carefully concerted messages of congratulations to Biden soon after he was projected the winner in the state of Pennsylvania.

What would a Biden presidency mean to Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul? Will this affect the trans-Atlantic alliance or already souring U.S.-Russia relations? How will America’s friends and foes in the Middle East react — or overreact — to the coming new reality? The following are some of my observations.