Jesse Johnson - The Japan Times

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Jesse Johnson

Japan Times

JAPAN / OBAMA VISITS HIROSHIMA

May 26, 2016

WWII fighter pilot's Japan experience: From foe to family

The long and circuitous life of 92-year-old World War II veteran Jerry Yellin reads like a work of fiction.

Japan Times

JAPAN

May 24, 2016

Prominent scholars urge Obama to use Hiroshima visit to reinvigorate push against nukes

Ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's historic visit Friday to Hiroshima, a group of more than 70 prominent scholars and activists have joined a growing chorus calling for the American leader to do more in the final months of his term to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Japan Times

JAPAN

May 23, 2016

U.S. lifting of Vietnam arms ban 'good news' for Japan: expert

U.S. President Barack Obama announced Monday the lifting of a decades-old ban on the sale of weapons to Vietnam — a move that could have positive effects for Tokyo's already growing security ties with Hanoi.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

May 21, 2016

Beijing says more than 40 nations back its claim on South China Sea

China's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that more than 40 countries have backed Beijing's position on an international court case over the disputed South China Sea.

ASIA PACIFIC

May 19, 2016

Chinese jets intercept U.S. military spy plane in an 'unsafe' manner

The Pentagon was investigating the "unsafe" intercept Tuesday of a U.S. spy plane by two Chinese fighter jets in the South China Sea, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

May 17, 2016

China moves closer to fielding 'Guam Killer' ballistic missile: report

China is getting closer to deploying a new intermediate-range ballistic missile known as the DF-26 — or "Guam Killer" — which could put American forces stationed on the western Pacific U.S. territory at risk, a government report has warned.

ASIA PACIFIC

May 16, 2016

U.S. Navy secretary to visit New Zealand as talk of port calls heats up

U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus is set to visit New Zealand this week for a trip that could move Washington closer to resolving a decades-old dispute with Wellington over port calls for U.S. vessels, it was learned Monday.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

May 15, 2016

China slams 'hyped-up' Pentagon report on state of its military

Beijing lambasted the U.S. Defense Department on Sunday over its annual report on the state of China's military, calling it a "hyped-up" move that "deliberately distorted the nation's defense policies."

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

May 14, 2016

Beijing's 'coercive tactics' lay foundation for long-term maritime goals, Pentagon report says

China has used "coercive tactics" to boost its presence and control over disputed areas of the South China Sea and is shifting gears to beef up its military assets in the contested waters, a report released Friday by the Pentagon said.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

May 11, 2016

China says U.S. patrols justify defense facilities in contested waters

China's Defense Ministry traded blame with the U.S. on Wednesday over rising tensions in the South China Sea, a day after Washington sent a guided-missile destroyer near a Chinese-controlled man-made island.

JAPAN

May 11, 2016

Obama steps into regional spat over victimhood

A plan for the first-ever visit to Hiroshima by a sitting U.S. president was expected to draw a mixed reaction in the region, where China and South Korea have accused Japan of glossing over its actions in World War II and playing up its own victimhood.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS

May 11, 2016

'Minimalist' U.S. sail-bys in South China Sea could reinforce Beijing's claims

Washington on Tuesday called a third U.S. Navy maneuver in a disputed part of the South China Sea a robust stand on freedom of navigation. However, the fleeting sail-by fits an approach that some critics have called "minimalist" — one that could strengthen Beijing's claims.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS

May 10, 2016

Duterte's South China Sea stance could shake up security ties with Japan, U.S.

Take a breath. Tough-talking Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte is unlikely to ride a jet ski to plant a flag on a China-held island, as he promised in a stump speech.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

May 8, 2016

Forbidden fruit: China bans 'erotic' banana-eating live streams

Bananas may be China's new forbidden fruit — at least online.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

May 7, 2016

Images show North Korea may be preparing fifth nuke test: think tank

Satellite imagery taken Thursday — just a day before North Korea kicked off a key summit of the country's ruling party — shows that Pyongyang may be preparing to conduct its fifth nuclear test "in the near future," a U.S. think tank said Friday.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

May 3, 2016

North Korea party congress set to be Kim's coronation

As its "70-day campaign of loyalty" wraps up, North Korea on Friday will hold its first Workers' Party Congress in nearly 40 years, with young Kim Jong Un looking to cement his position as the country's supreme leader — showing his people and the world who's in charge.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

May 1, 2016

Beijing launches charm offensive ahead of South China Sea court ruling

Beijing has launched a charm offensive to shore up its position in the South China Sea ahead of a key international court decision widely expected to rule against its claims to the disputed waters.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

Apr 30, 2016

China denies Hong Kong port call request by U.S. carrier group

China has denied a request by a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group to make a port call in Hong Kong, the U.S. State Department said Saturday, as tensions continue to rise over the disputed South China Sea.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

Apr 27, 2016

China says Australia sub deal strengthens U.S., warns Canberra to keep out of regional disputes

Chinese state-run media said Wednesday that Australia's choice of France to build its next-generation fleet of submarines avoided a "worst-case scenario" by not choosing Japan but issued a warning to U.S. ally Canberra not to upset the shifting security balance in the region.

Japan Times

JAPAN / ANALYSIS

Apr 26, 2016

Australian politics, Japan's lack of experience behind failed bid to build subs

In a stunning reversal of fortunes, Japan — the onetime front-runner in the multibillion-dollar tender to build Australia's next-generation submarine — fails in its bid to assemble the vessels.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.

That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

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