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Alastair Wanklyn
For Alastair Wanklyn's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2018
Hopes wither for World War II peace treaty as Russian military muscles onto Kurils
The Russian Air Force last week took joint control of a newly operational airport in the disputed Northern Territories, in a sign that Moscow is digging in over the islands.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 18, 2016
Duterte praises China's 'good, sound policies' as pivotal visit begins
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was heading to China late Tuesday for a visit that was set to upend relations in the region and possibly throw a security challenge to Japan, which he is due to visit next.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Oct 17, 2016
International Criminal Court puts Duterte on notice as critics begin to speak up
The International Criminal Court has fired a warning shot over allegations of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines' bloody drugs war at a time when critics in Manila have also begun speaking up.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 16, 2016
Japan-based U.S. aircraft carrier wraps up joint drills with South Korean Navy
The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier was due Sunday to call at Busan, South Korea, after almost a week of maneuvers with South Korea's navy.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 16, 2016
ASDF, Royal Air Force to conduct first-ever joint drills in Japan amid strengthening security ties
The Air Self-Defense Force will conduct its first Japan-based exercise with a foreign nation other than the U.S. this month when Britain sends four fighter jets to Aomori Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2016
Jesuits in Japan offer praise for order's first non-European head
Jesuits in Japan on Saturday hailed the election of a new leader for the Roman Catholic order that brought Christianity to Japan and is seen as the modern-day church's most effective missionary force worldwide.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 14, 2016
Japan mourns Thai king; hundreds flock to embassy in Tokyo
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is one of the first world leaders to pay tribute to Thailandu2019s King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 13, 2016
Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize for literature
Celebrated U.S. songwriter Bob Dylan was named winner of the Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Oct 12, 2016
Nuclear-armed North Korea presents hard choices for Obama's successor
As North Korea clears hurdle after hurdle in its race to obtain nuclear weapons, a foreign policy adviser to U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has called for the U.S. to review its objectives.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 12, 2016
North Korea 'purges' top official amid spike in high-level defections
North Korea has purged a vice foreign minister, punishing the 72-year-old and his family with farm work after the nation's No. 2 official in London defected this summer, South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo newspaper said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2016
In historic move, Japan's legal community takes stand against death penalty
Lawyers position themselves against capital punishment as the Japan Federation of Bar Associations calls for an end to the practice.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 5, 2016
In new low for relations, Duterte tells Obama to ‘go to hell’
Manila's relations with Washington appeared to be in critical condition late Thursday after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told U.S. President Barack Obama to "go to hell." It was Duterte's strongest outburst yet over criticism of his deadly war on drugs.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 3, 2016
Japanese microbiologist Yoshinori Ohsumi wins Nobel in medicine for autophagy research
Japanese microbiologist Yoshinori Ohsumi on Monday won the 2016 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his work on cell autophagy, a process that helps the body remove unwanted proteins.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 3, 2016
Amid Duterte-U.S. row, attention turns to Japan
Citing bruising reprimands from Washington, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he may pursue new alliances with Russia and China.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 28, 2016
U.S. upholding commitment to nuclear first-strike: Carter
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday that Washington has no plans to become a nuclear "no first use" nation, tamping down speculation that President Barack Obama may rip away that tenet of U.S. nuclear policy before leaving office.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 23, 2016
Canada activist found guilty of harassing scientists over Fukushima fallout
A Canadian environmental activist who waged a sustained online campaign against two prominent marine scientists is found guilty of harassment in British Columbia.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 21, 2016
Abe bidding hard for permanent Security Council seat
In an online essay, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lays out Japanu2019s case for securing a permanent seat at the helm of the U.N.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 15, 2016
North Korea floods wipe out crops, triggering crisis as winter approaches: WFP
Devastating floods in North Korea have unleashed a humanitarian crisis that may worsen sharply in the next few weeks, the United Nations World Food Programme said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2016
Japan tries to decode Duterte after joint U.S. patrols halted
A day after the Philippine president said he plans to halt joint maritime patrols with foreign navies, Japan's government was trying to make sense of developments, with one senior official saying Tokyo will persevere with a nuanced approach to ties.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 31, 2016
Kremlin blindsides Tokyo with premature announcement of Putin visit
The Kremlin on Tuesday announced a visit by President Vladimir Putin to Japan that was news to Tokyo.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world