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September 16, 2025
 

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DEFENSE

A volunteer recruit listens to an instructor as she learns how to dig trenches during military training in Braniewo, Poland, on June 24.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 14, 2025
Fearful of Russia, Poles flock to receive military training
More than 20,000 Poles signed up for voluntary military training in the first seven months of 2025.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, arrives at the Vostochny Сosmodrome before a meeting between her brother and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia's far eastern Amur region in September 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 14, 2025
North Korea condemns 'reckless' U.S.-Japan-South Korea drills
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister condemned the upcoming joint military drills as a "reckless show of strength" that would bring "bad results."
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis destroyer Chokai at its Sasebo base in Nagasaki Prefecture
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2025
MSDF Aegis destroyer Chokai to test-fire Tomahawk missiles
If successful, the SDF would gain the ability to directly strike the territory of other countries using cruise missiles.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles speaks during an announcement at the Kuttabul Australian Navy base in Sydney on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 14, 2025
Australia to spend $8 billion on AUKUS nuclear sub shipyard facility
The investment is part of a major military restructure to improve Australia's long-range strike capabilities in the face of China's expanding military strength across the Pacific.
Sailors aboard the U.S. Navy's guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn conduct a small boat operation during a "Maritime Cooperative Activity" with the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Osumi tank-landing ship and the Philippine Navy's Jose Rizal frigate in the South China Sea on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 14, 2025
Beijing denounces joint U.S.-Japan-Philippines patrol of South China Sea
China criticized the joint trilateral exercises, alleging that Manila has “frequently colluded with non-regional countries” to organize the patrols.
A British SkySpyke anti-drone system by Quell is seen during the international military exercise Baltic Trust 25 at the Selonia military training ground near Viesite, Latvia, on Aug. 27.
WORLD / FOCUS
Sep 13, 2025
As drones swarm battlefields, militaries seek cheaper defenses
The dilemma militaries around the world face is that drones tend to be far cheaper than the response to destroy them.
"We will not give in to Russia's increasing intimidation," said French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been leading diplomatic efforts internationally to end Russia's war on Ukraine.
WORLD
Sep 12, 2025
France to deploy three jets to 'help protect Polish airspace,' Macron says
Poland had gathered its NATO allies for urgent talks after it said Russian drones flew into Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine.
A soldier on a tank waves an Israeli flag amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas near the Israel-Gaza border in January 2024. 
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 12, 2025
War responsibility across borders and generations
The Asia-Pacific War is often remembered for the culpability of leaders, but this overlooks the multitudes who filled the ranks below.
The Defense Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) conducted a ship-board railgun shooting test from June to early July this year with the support of the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2025
Japan's cutting-edge railgun successfully strikes target vessel
The defense ministry’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency says its test-firings marked the first time a ship-mounted railgun was successfully fired at a real vessel.
A Philippine Navy soldier observes Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Takanami from a Philippine ship in the South China Sea, on June 14.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2025
Japan-Philippines visiting-forces pact comes into force as defense ties blossom
The pact will serve as the legal basis for Japanese and Philippine forces operating in each other’s countries, paving the way for greater cooperation amid tensions with Beijing.
Soldiers walk next to a site where a roof of a house was destroyed after suspected Russian drones violated Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine, in Wyryki, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, on Wednesday.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Sep 11, 2025
Suspected Russian incursion in Poland raises drone defense questions for NATO
NATO’s more traditional air defense systems were designed to protect against missiles and manned aircraft.
This damaged drone was found in a field near the eastern Polish village of Czosnowka on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 11, 2025
Lessons for NATO after Putin sends drones over Poland
The U.S. and Europe have a lot to learn from Russia’s warning shot.
Australian defence chief Richard Marles (second from left), Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy (left), and navy chief Vice Adm. Mark Hammond inspect a "Ghost Shark"-class autonomous undersea vehicle at a naval base in Sydney on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 10, 2025
Australia to field 'Ghost Shark' underwater strike drones
The $1.1 billion fleet will be designed to conduct intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike operations, both stealthily and at long range.
Chinese DF-61 intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles are displayed during a military parade in Beijing, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on Sept. 3. 
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 10, 2025
The global nuclear picture grows darker and darker
It’s hard, if not impossible, to escape the conclusion that the world is in a grim place when measured by nuclear metrics.
The 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force conducts the first Typhon midrange missile system live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States on July 16, successfully sinking a maritime target during the Talisman Sabre exercises in Australia's Northern Territory.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Sep 10, 2025
High-tech U.S. missile systems come to Japan amid policy shifts and China concerns
Long wary of such a move, Tokyo’s acquiescence — and its own planned missile deployments — highlights a gradual but monumental shift in defense policy.
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Sep 9, 2025
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
Japan has been assisting the Philippines in several ways, including by providing security equipment and training — and could soon offer up used warships.
U.S. President Donald Trump salutes the troops during the U.S. Army’s 250th Birthday parade in Washington on June 14, which coincided with his 79th birthday. Trump 2.0 is reshaping global alliances with new defense and diplomatic strategies.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 9, 2025
‘Trump Doctrine’ a fundamental challenge to allied unity
Many in traditional foreign-policy circles struggle to see the method in Trump’s pursuit of “strategic surprises.”
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (left) and South Korean defense chief Ahn Gyu-back inspect an honor guard before their meeting in Seoul on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 8, 2025
Japan and South Korea defense chiefs agree to regular visits and tech cooperation
The agreement emerged during a visit by Defense Minister Gen Nakatani to South Korea, the first by a Japanese defense chief in a decade.
Canadian frigate Ville de Quebec and Australian destroyer HMAS Brisbane sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday. The Ville de Quebec had been operating in the Philippine economic zone, taking part in freedom of navigation exercises.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 7, 2025
China criticizes Canadian and Australian warships transiting Taiwan Strait
China said the Canadian frigate Ville de Quebec and the Australian guided-missile destroyer Brisbane were engaged in "trouble-making and provocation."
ASEAN leaders take a group photo at the bloc's summit in Kuala Lumpur on May 26. The association, set to expand to 11 members, aims to protect its autonomy and unity through deeper integration, sustainable growth and broader partnerships.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2025
ASEAN balances autonomy and unity in a shifting geopolitical landscape
ASEAN, set to expand to 11 members, aims to protect its autonomy and unity through deeper integration, sustainable growth and broader partnerships.
SDF spots China’s biggest aircraft carrier for first time
The Fujian aircraft carrier is seen in Shanghai in May 2024 as it leaves for its first sea trial.
Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture
Is America ready for Japanese-style 7-Elevens?
Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life and 7-Eleven, a chain that began in the U.S. in 1927, opened its first store in Japan in 1974 — and then became wholly Japanese-owned in 2005 through parent company Seven & I Holdings.
Final weeks of World Expo in Osaka likely to see large crowds
With one month left to go, crowds are expected to swell at the World Expo in Osaka during its final weeks.
Japan's elderly population down at around 36.2 million
The estimated number of people age 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, accounting for record 29.4% of the country's total population, according to the internal affairs ministry.
Strikes on Qatar and Poland shake U.S. sway among friend and foe
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Museum of the Bible in Washington on Sept. 8. Israeli strikes in Qatar and Russian drone incursions into Poland have challenged the U.S. leaders claims of global respect.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.
An aesthetic escape to Hakone’s art-drenched hills
Between traditional examples of fine art and sleek, modern exhibitions that blend with nature, Hakone offers a unique escape from Tokyo's urban sprawl.
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.

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