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October 15, 2025
 

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Jesse Johnson
As horse-trading and speculation surge over who will be elected the next prime minister in parliament — the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Sanae Takaichi or a possible candidate put forward by a unified opposition — Japan’s next leader will be confronted with a quick succession of key diplomatic events.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 13, 2025
A frenetic diplomatic schedule looms for Japan’s next leader — whomever that may be
Japanese diplomacy has landed in a precarious position following the exit of Komeito from the LDP-led ruling bloc as a spate of summits and meetings loom at the end of this month.
North Korea's new Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile is displayed during a military parade to celebrate the 80th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang in this image released Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 11, 2025
North Korea unveils new long-range missile during military parade
The North has called its Hwasong-20 ICBM "the most powerful nuclear strategic weapon" — though the missile is still under development.
A Ground Self-Defense Force member conducts a military drill with an anti-ship missiles unit at the GSDF's Camp Miyako on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2022.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2025
Top Pentagon nominee says Japan has 'long underemphasized' defense spending
John Noh, the White House's nominee to be the Defense Department's top Asia official, said Tokyo “has long underemphasized spending for its own defense.”
A protester holds a sign with an image depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and the words "Nobel" written on it, as supporters and family members of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, demonstrate to demand the immediate end of the war and the release of all hostages, outside the U.S. Consulate in Tel Aviv, on Sept. 2.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 7, 2025
Trump has his eyes on the prize — but a Nobel win looks unlikely
While this year’s prize is expected to be out of reach, the U.S. president could gain momentum for next year’s award if his Gaza plan and North Korea outreach prove fruitful.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 26.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 7, 2025
Chinese Premier Li Qiang to visit North Korea for ruling party anniversary
The festivities are expected to include a large-scale nighttime military parade, South Korean authorities have said.
U.S. President Donald Trump departs after addressing senior military officers gathered at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 1, 2025
Trump speech to military brass hints at looming Pentagon shift to focus on homeland
Amid a litany of talking points were Trump’s hints at an increasingly inward-looking foreign policy stance.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung before their meeting in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 1, 2025
Japan and South Korea tout stable ties, but concerns rise over Ishiba’s replacement
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung looked to regularize “shuttle diplomacy,” but much may hinge on Japan’s next leader.
Kim Son Gyong, North Korea's vice minister for foreign affairs, speaks during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 30, 2025
With U.N. speech and China visit, North Korea ramps up diplomatic moves
Pyongyang sent a senior official to the U.N. on Monday for a speech for the first time since 2018, while its foreign minister was in China for talks with top officials.
The Liberal Democratic Party presidential election candidates in Nagoya on Friday
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 28, 2025
On defense and foreign policy, LDP candidates largely align — except where they don’t
From nuanced differences in how to bolster Japan’s defenses to the importance of relations with the U.S., each candidate’s views could result in significantly different policies.
A parody Mount Rushmore sculpture depicts the faces of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (second from right) and U.S. President Donald Trump (right), as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a shopping mall in Bangkok on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 27, 2025
Seoul says it can’t rule out Kim-Trump meeting during APEC summit
A report quoting a South Korean official appeared to reverse Seoul’s earlier position that North Korea’s participation in the summit was unlikely.
U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 24, 2025
Trump switches gears on Ukraine war, but fears of disengagement rise
Ukraine and its supporters are concerned the U.S. president could be pivoting to distance himself from the war that he had vowed to end in days.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio shakes hands with Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (right) at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 23, 2025
Japan, U.S. and South Korea reaffirm commitment to ridding North Korea of nukes
The countries’ top diplomats poured cold water on the chances of the U.S. ditching its denuclearization policy, after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hinted he is open to talks.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang in this photo released Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 22, 2025
North Korea’s Kim open to talks with Trump, as South’s Lee backs nuke freeze
Kim said talks could reopen if the U.S. drops its denuclearization demand, remarks that came as South Korea's leader said he'd back a deal to freeze Pyongyang's nuke program.
Visitors look at a model of the China's Fujian aircraft carrier at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, China, last November.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 16, 2025
China offers latest hint that newest aircraft carrier could soon enter service
Observers say that a commissioning ceremony could come as early as next month, though training for carrier-based aircraft must still be conducted.
A China Coast Guard ship navigates near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea in August.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 16, 2025
China says Philippine ship ‘deliberately rammed’ coast guard vessel in South China Sea
The clash near the flash point Scarborough Shoal, which is also claimed by Manila, came just days after Beijing approved plans to turn the area into a national nature reserve.
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.
Former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit in the Danish capital in May.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 10, 2025
China complains as former Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen visits Japan
The visit to Japan, which does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, was the first known trip to the country by Tsai since she left office in May 2024.
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.
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.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 5, 2025
Kim and Xi offer mutual support ‘no matter how international situation changes’
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first in-person talks in six years on Thursday, with the two vowing to build up ties.
Hypothermia in the land of the rising Sanae
Amid the election of Sanae Takaichi as Liberal Democratic Party president, and possibly the next prime minister, Japan's economy shows signs of recovery, but weak wages, a conservative corporate culture and currency issues raise doubts about a true economic thaw.
Number of scenarios now on the table for who might be Japan’s next prime minister
Newly-elected leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party Sanae Takaichi (right) celebrates with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after winning the LDP leadership election in Tokyo on October 4.
After plenty of ups and downs, Osaka Expo concludes with message of unity
The sun sets on the Grand Ring on the final day of the Osaka Expo on Monday.
A frenetic diplomatic schedule looms for Japan’s next leader — whomever that may be
As horse-trading and speculation surge over who will be elected the next prime minister in parliament — the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Sanae Takaichi or a possible candidate put forward by a unified opposition — Japan’s next leader will be confronted with a quick succession of key diplomatic events.
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
A frenetic diplomatic schedule looms for Japan’s next leader — whomever that may be
As horse-trading and speculation surge over who will be elected the next prime minister in parliament — the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Sanae Takaichi or a possible candidate put forward by a unified opposition — Japan’s next leader will be confronted with a quick succession of key diplomatic events.
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
At Osaka Expo, gas giants promote a greener future. But is it a lot of hot air?
The Gas Pavilion had welcomed around 500,000 visitors by the end of August, making it one of the most popular exhibits at the Osaka Expo.
‘Takaichi trade’ starts unwinding as political calculus upended by Komeito exit
Less than a week ago, Sanae Takaichi seemed set to become Japan's first female prime minister.
‘Save the Ring’ calls intensify as Osaka Expo’s end nears
Visitors lounge on the grassy hill on the top of the Grand Ring during the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka in May.

Podcast

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

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building
By Patrick St. Michel

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