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August 29, 2025
 

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Jesse Johnson
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Oct 22, 2018
China’s missile buildup — a threat to U.S. bases in Japan — likely a key factor in Trump plan to exit INF
U.S. President Donald Trump has pinned much of the blame for Washington's planned exit from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) on Russian violations of the landmark pact. But a closer look shows that China's buildup of its missile forces — which pose a grave threat to U.S. military...
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 21, 2018
Ahead of Abe's visit to Beijing a look at Japan-China ties through the years
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to China from Thursday, which will include the first formal summit between the two countries' leaders since 2011 and comes as they mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, is expected to cap a warming trend in once chilly Sino-Japanese...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 21, 2018
Beijing says depression behind Macau representative's death in fall from building
China's top representative to Macau died Saturday night, after tumbling from the building where he lived "due to depression," the Chinese government said Sunday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 20, 2018
U.S. to suspend another joint military exercise with South Korea as Trump-Kim summit looks unlikely this year
The United States will suspend another military exercise with South Korea in effort to facilitate ongoing North Korean denuclearization talks, the Pentagon said Friday, as reports emerged that the next summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump would likely not take...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 18, 2018
Amidst global upheaval, diplomats and experts eye greater role for Japan
Despite the fraught global environment — with U.S.-China animosity mounting alongside a bevy of regional security concerns — Japan appears to be viewing the situation as a glass half-full scenario, according to leading experts, as well as current and former officials.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 17, 2018
TPP takes back seat as Malaysia sets sights on early conclusion to RCEP trade deal
Malaysia is putting a premium on a free trade deal led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, its trade minister told The Japan Times in a recent interview, while also apparently relegating the Japan-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership to the back burner for the time being.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 15, 2018
Trump says Mattis is 'sort of a Democrat,' hints that defense chief may be exiting Cabinet
U.S. President Donald Trump has hinted that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis — long viewed as a force restraining Trump's foreign policy excesses — could be one of the next officials to leave his Cabinet.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 10, 2018
Trump says second meeting with Kim will happen after November midterm elections
A second meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will have to wait until after the Nov. 6 midterm elections.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 9, 2018
North Korea's Kim invites Pope Francis to visit Pyongyang, Seoul says
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has invited Pope Francis to visit Pyongyang, a spokesman for South Korea's presidential Blue House said Tuesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 3, 2018
High-stakes denuclearization talks in balance as U.S. announces top diplomat's visit to North Korea
The White House's high-stakes talks with Pyongyang over its nuclear program have entered a crucial phase, with the negotiations likely to hinge on a scheduled meeting Sunday between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Oct 3, 2018
Photos confirm U.S.-Chinese warships' near-miss as experts say South China Sea encounter likely to affect allied operations in region
Experts said a near-miss between a U.S. Navy destroyer and a Chinese warship in the disputed South China Sea earlier this week could have dire implications for American allies and partners operating in the waterway and elsewhere — including Japan — after the U.S. confirmed that photos showing just...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 3, 2018
Top U.S. diplomat Mike Pompeo to meet North Korea's Kim on Sunday
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday, the State Department said Tuesday as high-stakes talks over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program enter a crucial phase.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 2, 2018
In 'unsafe' encounter, Chinese warship sails within 40 meters of U.S. Navy destroyer in South China Sea
A Chinese destroyer performed an "unsafe" maneuver during an encounter with a U.S. Navy warship in the disputed South China Sea over the weekend, coming within 40 meters (45 yards) of the American vessel's bow and forcing it to steer the ship away to prevent a collision, the U.S. military said Tuesday....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 2, 2018
Trust in Trump remains low but Japan still looks to U.S. for leadership amid China's rise: poll
But the survey also found that, despite the high esteem for the U.S., there are concerns in Japan about the trajectory of American power.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 1, 2018
U.S. sends warship near man-made islets in South China Sea's Spratly chain
The United States has sailed a warship near two of China’s man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea, the latest in a series of recent moves by the U.S. military in the strategic waterway and in the diplomatic arena amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 30, 2018
'We fell in love': Trump touts bromance with North Korea's Kim
U.S. President Donald Trump has fallen in love — with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 29, 2018
Chinese warplanes hold live-fire drills in South China Sea days after U.S. bomber flights
The Chinese military has sent fighter planes and bombers to conduct live-fire exercises at a range in the disputed South China Sea, state broadcaster CCTV reported Saturday, just days after the U.S. sent heavy bombers through the strategic waterway twice during the past week.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 28, 2018
U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber sent over East China Sea and Sea of Japan in training with ASDF
The U.S. Air Force has sent a B-52 bomber over the East China Sea and Sea of Japan for a large-scale training mission involving 16 Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets, both countries' militaries said Friday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 27, 2018
Trump backs off timetable for North Korean denuclearization as top U.S. diplomat announces trip to Pyongyang next month
In the latest twist in Donald Trump's shifting strategy on North Korea, the U.S. president on Wednesday backed off a set timetable for Pyongyang to denuclearize, ahead of a planned visit next month to the North Korean capital by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 26, 2018
Declaring an end to the Korean War: A possible — and controversial — next step in denuclearization talks
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke of "a bold and new push for peace" with nuclear-armed North Korea during his speech before the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, in a hint at the direction his administration is heading as he gears up for a second summit with Kim Jong Un.
Toyoko Kids: The lonely street children of Tokyo
Many young people who feel neglected at home flock to the Toyoko area to find a community where they can fit in.
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.
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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