Global-related Mar 11, 2014
Obama gambles by slashing defense spending
by Robert Samuelson
The Obama administration's 2015 military budget cuts may embolden potential adversaries and abet miscalculation.
National Mar 10, 2014
Defense talks with U.S. look at 'gray zone' clash scenarios
by Nobuhiro Kubo, Linda Sieg, and Phil Stewart
As Japan and the United States start talks on how to respond to armed incidents that fall short of a full-scale attack on Japan, officials in Tokyo worry that their ally is reluctant to send China a strong message of deterrence. Military officials meet ...
Politics & Diplomacy Feb 26, 2014
Japan eyes arms exports to secure sea lanes under new rules
Japan will allow the export of arms to countries located along sea lanes to ensure the safe delivery of oil and other natural resources, while bolstering Japan’s defense cooperation with the United States by providing repair work for U.S. military aircraft overseas, according to ...
Politics & Diplomacy Feb 22, 2014
Noam Chomsky: Truth to power
by David Mcneill
Often dubbed one of the world’s most important intellectuals and its leading public dissident, Noam Chomsky was for years among the top 10 most quoted academics on the planet, edged out only by William Shakespeare, Karl Marx, Aristotle. An unrelenting critic of U.S. foreign ...
National Feb 13, 2014
Japan may lift ban on arms sales to U.N.
The government is considering enabling supply of defense equipment to the United Nations and other international organizations as part of its rethink of the country’s arms export ban, sources said Wednesday. The plan is under study based on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s policy of ...
Politics & Diplomacy Feb 11, 2014
Weapons export ban under siege
Japan may soon allow exports of defense equipment to international organizations, such as those involved in U.N. peacekeeping missions, on condition that they do not take sides in conflicts.
National Feb 4, 2014
Japan, U.S. to team up in training people to counter cyberattacks
Japanese and U.S. defense officials have agreed to boost their cooperation in training people to counter increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. Among the forms of cooperation discussed Tuesday in their first working-level meeting on the issue is conducting joint exercises to counter cyberattacks on government agencies ...
Politics & Diplomacy Feb 3, 2014
Japan, U.S. reaffirm plans to militarily ignore China ADIZ
Japan and the United States agreed Monday that China’s declaration of an air defense identification zone over the East China Sea will not be allowed to affect the operations of the Self-Defense Forces and U.S. military. In a meeting in Tokyo, Foreign Minister Fumio ...
National Feb 1, 2014
Fears widen over Kadena toxins
by Jon Mitchell
Just days after the commander of U.S. Kadena Air Base, near the city of Okinawa, promised parents their children’s schools were safe from dioxin contamination, a further 50 chemical barrels have been unearthed from adjacent land and a retired U.S. Air Force major has ...
Crime Jan 30, 2014
Judge: Defense in terror case can see secret docs
The U.S. government can’t keep secret its request to conduct clandestine surveillance of an accused attempted terrorist, a federal judge in a Chicago terrorism case said Wednesday in a ruling that gives defense attorneys an unprecedented look at a request made to the country’s ...
National Dec 24, 2013
Defense spending hike covers pay: ministry
by Reiji Yoshida
The Abe administration’s draft budget adopted Tuesday includes ¥4.88 trillion in defense spending in fiscal 2014, a 2.8 percent increase from this year. But the Finance Ministry said most of this year’s increase is a result of the termination of special temporary salary cuts ...
National Dec 9, 2013
Defense ties with Manila get boost from China threat
Japan and the Philippines pledge to boost defense ties as both express concern over China's new air defense identification zone in the East China Sea.