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August 28, 2025
 

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Jesse Johnson
JAPAN
May 10, 2022
Aircraft from Chinese carrier conducted 100-plus landings and takeoffs in waters near Okinawan islands
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the operations had taken place in waters southwest of Okinawa Prefecture's Okidaito and Ishigaki islands — the closest to Japan to date.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 10, 2022
Yoon Suk-yeol takes office vowing larger role for South Korea in global affairs
Although Yoon did not mention China or Russia in his inauguration speech, he did zero in on the importance of the international rules-based order, mentioning the word “freedom” 30 times.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 5, 2022
Chinese aircraft carrier conducts training with fighters and helicopters in Western Pacific
The drills in waters that are closely monitored by Japan were likely intended to check military activities in the same area by the U.S., Japan and others.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 4, 2022
North Korea launches apparent ballistic missile as Kim doubles down on tests
Tokyo called Pyongyang's latest launch 'unacceptable,' warning that it threatens the peace and security of the international community.
JAPAN
May 3, 2022
China sends flotilla led by aircraft carrier near Okinawa
The Chinese ships' passage near Okinawa Prefecture and military exercises in the Pacific are likely intended to check activities in the area by the U.S., Japan and others.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 29, 2022
Work to repair North Korean nuclear test site 'well underway,' analysts say
New satellite imagery has shown fresh activity at the once-shuttered Punggye-ri site as Kim Jong Un urged a military build-up 'to annihilate the enemy.'
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 27, 2022
LDP proposal heralds big changes for Japan's security policies
Touting need to break precedent, the ruling party has recommended that Japan acquire 'counterattack capabilities' and boost defense spending to 2% of GDP within five years.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2022
Russia warns Japan over joint military exercises with U.S.
A top official in Moscow said the country would take 'retaliatory measures' if the MSDF and U.S. Navy expanded drills near Russian territory.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 26, 2022
North Korea's Kim uses massive military parade to deliver nuke warning
The North Korean leader vowed to speed up the development of his nuclear arsenal while also saying that his military should be prepared to use its deterrent 'at any time.'
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2022
Japan’s top COVID official hints at relaxation of mask recommendation
Daishiro Yamagiwa, who is in charge of the government's virus response, said there are still “many steps” that must be taken before masks are no longer needed in some situations.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 24, 2022
South Korean delegation faces uphill battle in rebuilding ties with Japan
South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has dispatched a team to Tokyo for five days of meetings with top officials and possibly Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a bid to repair relations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2022
Japan to send protective suits, masks and drones to Ukraine
The decision to provide the defense equipment to Ukraine comes after reports of a possible Russian chemical weapons attack on the besieged city of Mariupol last week.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 17, 2022
North Korea tests new weapon in bid to improve its 'tactical nukes'
In an apparent sign of the test's importance, leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch, telling officials to continue building up the county's 'nuclear combat forces.'
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2022
Tokyo beefs up intelligence-gathering after Russian subs test-fire cruise missiles in Sea of Japan
The Russian submarines launched the advanced Kalibr cruise missiles — the same weapons used in Ukraine — from submerged positions, successfully hitting a target representing an enemy vessel.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 14, 2022
Japan at crossroads as stage set for dramatic rethink of defense policy
While a push by Abe to dispel taboos over nuclear weapons is unlikely to come to fruition, he may have laid the foundation for a change to Japan's defense-oriented security strategy.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 7, 2022
Could North Korea mark key anniversary with a nuclear test?
The U.S. special envoy has said that North Korea may conduct its seventh nuclear test on the 110th anniversary of Kim Il Sung's birth.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 6, 2022
U.S., U.K. and Australia to develop hypersonic weapons after China and Russia advances
The move by the AUKUS alliance also left the door open for other partner nations, such as Japan, to potentially work together on defense issues in the future.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 27, 2022
Kishida calls nuclear threat ‘increasingly real’ as nonproliferation goals fade
The leader has spotlighted concerns in Tokyo that Moscow's nuclear saber-ratting has dealt a setback for nonproliferation — and provided a lesson to others in Asia who might emulate Russia.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 27, 2022
North Korea may be preparing for nuclear test soon, report says
Pyongyang appears to be working on a 'shortcut' to a tunnel at its Punggye-ri test facility, apparently in an attempt to repair the site, which was shuttered in 2018.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 26, 2022
Kishida voices 'serious concern' over Russian nuclear threat in visit to Hiroshima with U.S. envoy
The prime minister and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel also reaffirmed that they would continue to work toward a world without nuclear weapons.
Philippine bid to acquire used Japanese warships gains steam
Tokyo is looking to transfer Abukuma-class vessels to the Philippines as part of broader efforts to boost the defense capabilities of like-minded neighbors amid growing Chinese military assertiveness in the region.
Japan Post to stop accepting some parcels for shipment to the U.S.
Japan Post's UGX will still be available for many rejected packages.
Japan aims to tighten rules for business manager visas from October
The number of foreign residents with business management residency status had reached a record 41,615 as of the end of 2024.
Tokyo releases AI-generated video of Mount Fuji erupting
A screenshot from an AI-generated video showing what could happen to Tokyo if Mount Fuji erupted
Character-crazed Japan has little appetite for Labubu
A pop-up advertisement for the newly opened Chiikawa Park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro neighborhood demonstrates how the country is chockful of cute characters — to the detriment of trends like Labubu.
Koshien’s dark summer forces reckoning for high school baseball
Koryo High School players greet their cheering section after beating Hokkaido’s Asahikawa Shiho in the first round of Summer Koshien on Aug. 7. The school withdrew three days later as a bullying scandal enveloped the team.
Is Kishida plotting a return of the king? Or would he rather stay a kingmaker?
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida chairs a plenary session at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama on Aug. 21.
Japanese prefectures break with labor ministry on minimum wage
The ministry of labor has suggested a 6% minimum wage increase, but most prefectures reporting so far are opting to go slightly higher.
Philippines quietly deepening ‘unofficial’ defense ties with Taiwan
Filipino soldiers take part in a flag-raising ceremony on Mavulis Island during a visit by the Philippines' Armed Forces chief of staff, in Batanes, the Philippines, in June 2023. Batanes, a group of idyllic islands at the country’s northernmost tip, sits about 160 kilometers from Taiwan.
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

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