Russia is getting their head handed to them by Ukraine. That war has reversed itself, and Putin is the consummate fool, for Trump gave him a ramp to exit the war, and he thumbed his nose at Trump's generous extension of kindness to the modern day Adolph Hitler.
But I do not see this modern day trio as a new Axis of Evil. Times are different. The USA in 1939 had the 18th strongest military in the world. Many European nations in 1939 used horses in their military, and not tanks like Germany. Today's Europe have US and French jets that certainly stand up well to anything Russia or China have. And as the Ukrainian War has proven, US, German, and Brit tanks outmatch the Russian tanks for the most part.
But war has been redefined with the drone as a weapon. Drones have largely proven that tanks are most ineffective on the battlefield. Presently, it is difficult for tanks to defend against drones. Fortunately for Ukraine, they have become one of the preeminent manufacturers of drone.
I don't see China doing what Russia did. If they did, they would lose their western markets. As it is, the USA is finally waking to the fact we are too dependent on China for key products, starting with pharma. I think Trump needs to do more to address this dependency. Biden and the Dems were criminally negligent across the board when it came to markets, besides many other considerations.
And North Korea, while they are a nuclear threat, I do not see them going beyond their borders except to help in efforts like what they are doing with Russia in Ukraine. And the NK troops are getting killed quickly once they hit the theater. The Russians are abusing the NK troops and I do not see that continuing for long.
But I think the time has come for Japan to increase their funding to defend their nation properly. Just like NATO, Japan needs to step up their spending for defense and not solely rely on the USA to defend them.