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April 30, 2024
 

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Jesse Johnson
For Jesse Johnson's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, hold a news conference in a bomb shelter in Kyiv, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 7, 2024
Japan foreign minister promises aid for Ukrainian anti-drone system
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Tokyo to provide the war-torn country with a drone detection system via a contribution to a NATO fund.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an event with students to celebrate the new year in Pyongyang in this undated picture released Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 6, 2024
North Korea's Kim sends rare sympathy message to Japan over Ishikawa quake
The rare communication between the two countries’ leaders delivered Friday is believed to be Kim's first direct message to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, in December last year. Trump's potential return to the White House could have serious implications for the U.S, as well as Japan, as he appears set to be even less inhibited and open to reason than before.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 5, 2024
Potential Trump redux: Unrestrained in Asia or bound by a changed region?
A win for the ex-president in November's election would potentially have big implications for Japan, given the death of Shinzo Abe, its most effective “Trump whisperer.”
A mobile missile launcher awaits the order to fire a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile from an undisclosed location in North Korea in this undated picture released Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2023
Japan, South Korea, U.S. begin sharing real-time data on North Korean missiles
The data-sharing system was activated as Pyongyang confirmed that it tested a solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile a day earlier.
A woman walks past a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at the main railway station in Seoul on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 18, 2023
North Korea launches long-range ballistic missile for fifth time in 2023
Japan said the missile was estimated to have a range of 15,000 kilometers, putting the entire U.S. within striking distance.
A Ground Self-Defense Force V-22 Osprey aircraft takes part in a live-fire exercise at the East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in May.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 13, 2023
U.S. and Japan defense chiefs call Osprey safety 'top priority'
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara asked that the U.S. military not resume Osprey flights until the aircraft's safety could be ensured.
A China Coast Guard vessel uses a water cannon against a Philippine supply boat as it carries out a mission to deliver provisions to the Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 11, 2023
Manila summons Chinese envoy after tense weekend in South China Sea
The moves came after the Philippines said one of its vessels was rammed and others "directly targeted” by a China Coast Guard ship with a water cannon.
U.S. military Ospreys and helicopters are lined up on a runway at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on Dec. 1
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 7, 2023
U.S. military grounds all Osprey aircraft after Japan crash
A preliminary investigation into the crash last week indicated that problems with the aircraft — not a mistake by the crew — had led to the deaths.
U.S. military officers on boats depart the Anbo Port on Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 6, 2023
Biden ‘heartbroken’ as U.S. confirms eight dead in Osprey crash
The crash — the first fatal accident involving an Osprey in Japan and deadliest ever since it became operational — has rekindled concern over its safety.
The U.S. Army's prototype Mid-Range Capability system, known as the “Typhon” Strategic Mid-Range Fires system, is seen in this image released in July following its successful launch of a Tomahawk missile.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 5, 2023
U.S. to deploy powerful new missile launcher to Indo-Pacific in '24
The system, which is capable of firing weapons with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, is unlikely to be deployed in Japan.
A Maritime Self-Defense Force warship searches for the crashed CV-22 Osprey off Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 5, 2023
Japan defense chief says concerns linger after U.S. Osprey crew remains found
Dive teams have found the remains of five more crew members from a CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft that crashed off southwestern Japan last week.
Chinese vessels gather near Whitsun Reef in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Saturday. The Philippines said Sunday that more than 135 Chinese "maritime militia" vessels were "swarming" the reef.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 3, 2023
Philippines says Chinese boats 'swarming' reef in South China Sea
Manila said that more than 135 Chinese “maritime militia” ships were “swarming” a reef that it claims sovereignty over in the disputed waterway.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un chats with senior officials during a banquet to celebrate the launch of a reconnaissance satellite, at the Mulan Pavilion in Pyongyang, in this image released Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 28, 2023
North Korea says satellite took photos of White House and Pentagon
The assertions by the nuclear-armed country were the latest about its new spy satellite's capabilities — though it has yet to release any images.
Yoko Kamikawa
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2023
Kamikawa conveys ‘comfort women’ stance to South Korean envoy
Kamikawa urged Seoul to "immediately take appropriate measures" to rectify the situation.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (center) and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi pose for a photo ahead of trilateral talks in Busan, South Korea, on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2023
Japan, South Korea and China seek leaders' summit at 'earliest' time
The talks were seen as a steppingstone toward reviving the three-way summit, but progress on hammering out a specific date appeared elusive.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa shakes hands with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during bilateral talks in Busan, South Korea, on Saturday evening.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 25, 2023
Japanese and Chinese top envoys eye more talks on Fukushima row
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa met with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Saturday in Busan, South Korea, ahead of a trilateral summit.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the control center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration in Pyongyang to inspect the operational readiness of a new military spy satellite and view photographs in this image released Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 25, 2023
North Korea's Kim views satellite photos of South Korea and Hawaii
Pyongyang claimed the images showed “major target areas,” including Seoul and cities home to U.S. military bases in South Korea.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa speaks during a news conference after a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo on Nov. 8.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 25, 2023
Japan, South Korea and U.S. envoys seek united front on North Korea
The three countries' top diplomats strongly condemned North Korea’s launch of a military spy satellite and vowed to boost trilateral security cooperation.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 24, 2023
Japan says North Korean ‘object’ orbiting Earth after launch
"We need to continue to carefully analyze the details, including whether the satellite is orbiting the Earth as intended," the defense minister said.
Pedestrians walk past a screen displaying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un celebrating after the launch of a military reconnaissance satellite, in Tokyo's Akihabara district on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 23, 2023
North Korea ends 2018 military accord with South after launch
Pyongyang said its first military spy satellite is in orbit, with the rocket passing over the Japanese archipelago late Tuesday.
When will Japan intervene to support the yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has reiterated the government's readiness to take an appropriate action as the yen continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
Yen rebounds strongly after first slide past ¥160 since 1990
The yen dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01 amid speculation of an intervention by Japanese currency authorities.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability
Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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