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Jesse Johnson
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 24, 2018
China accuses U.S. of 'serious provocation' after American warship sails near man-made island in South China Sea
China's Defense Ministry has accused the U.S. of "serious political and military provocation" after the U.S. Navy conducted its first so-called freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the disputed South China Sea since January.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 22, 2018
China should prepare for 'direct military clash' over Taiwan amid U.S. moves: Chinese paper
A popular Chinese state-run newspaper has said China must prepare for "a direct military clash" over self-ruled Taiwan after a high-level U.S. official visited the island, angering Beijing.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 21, 2018
South Korea's Moon hints at possibility of three-way summit with North Korea and U.S.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday floated the possibility of a three-way summit involving the two Koreas and the United States in the wake of an North-South summit scheduled for next month and a possible meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before the...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 21, 2018
Taiwan shadows China carrier through narrow strait after warning by Xi: report
Taiwan has sent ships and aircraft to shadow a Chinese aircraft carrier group through the narrow Taiwan Strait, its Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 20, 2018
Toned-down U.S.-South Korea military drills set for April 1 amid North Korea thaw
The U.S. and South Korea announced Tuesday that a toned-down version of annual joint military drills would begin April 1 amid a potentially monumental thaw in ties with nuclear-armed North Korea that could see the allies' two leaders hold separate summits with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 19, 2018
Top South Korean diplomat says Kim has 'given his word' on denuclearizing
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has "given his word" that he is committed to denuclearizing, South Korea's top diplomat said Sunday, a key condition for a potential summit with U.S. President Donald Trump planned for May.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 18, 2018
North Korea says Japan 'may not get a ticket for Pyongyang' if pressure policy continues
North Korea threatens Japan over Tokyo's policy of pressuring it and says it “may not get a ticket for Pyongyang” if it continues.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 18, 2018
In rare direct message, North Korea's Kim congratulates China's Xi on re-election as president
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent a congratulatory message to China's Xi Jinping on his re-election as president, state-run media said Sunday, in a rare direct message between the two Asian leaders.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 17, 2018
'Oh, konnichiwa': U.S. interior secretary's remark to lawmaker of Japanese descent draws fire
U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke came under fire this week for what critics said was a "flippant" and "juvenile" use of a Japanese greeting when responding to a question from a congresswoman of Japanese descent during a House committee hearing.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Mar 14, 2018
New top U.S. diplomat's hawkish views on Iran put North Korea detente in question
U.S. President Donald Trump has again cleaned house, this time firing his top diplomat and replacing him with his hawkish spy chief in a move that could have wide-ranging implications for a planned summit between the American and North Korean leaders slated to take place sometime before the end of May....
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 13, 2018
U.S. aircraft carrier and MSDF helicopter destroyer conduct joint exercises in disputed South China Sea
The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group has kicked off bilateral exercises with the Maritime Self-Defense Force, including one of the largest vessels in Japan's fleet, in the disputed South China Sea, the U.S. Navy said Tuesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Mar 12, 2018
Trump-Kim summit expectations high, but North Korea unlikely to part with its 'treasured nuclear sword' any time soon
After years of failed attempts by the United States and others, is U.S. President Donald Trump the man who can strip North Korea of its nuclear weapons and bring lasting peace to the Korean Peninsula?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 11, 2018
Trump says Japan 'very happy' with North Korea talks that could bring 'greatest deal'
U.S. President Donald Trump voiced confidence Saturday that his agreement to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was the right decision, saying that Japan is "very happy with what I'm doing" and that the talks could result in "the greatest deal for the world" that eases nuclear tensions.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 10, 2018
U.S. seeks 'concrete actions' from North Korea before talks
The White House said Friday that President Donald Trump will not meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un unless Pyongyang takes "concrete and verifiable actions," stoking confusion as the administration faced criticism for agreeing to talks while receiving few, if any, tangible benefits in return.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 9, 2018
Trump agrees to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on denuclearization
U.S. President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by the end of May — a stunning and unexpected announcement that comes as the two historic adversaries dial back threats of nuclear annihilation and attempt to reach a deal on the issue of scrapping the North's...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 7, 2018
Trump optimistic, U.S. officials cautious amid signs of progress with North Korea on talks over relinquishing its nukes
U.S. President Donald signaled an openness to talks with North Korea on Tuesday, citing "possible progress" after the regime told visiting South Korean envoys that it was prepared to halt tests of nuclear weapons and missiles and would put scrapping its atomic arsenal on the table for discussion —...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 6, 2018
Two Koreas agree to leaders' summit as North voices openness to denuclearization
In stunning and unexpected announcement late Tuesday, Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to a deal that could see South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet for a rare leaders' summit at the two countries' heavily armed border next month.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 5, 2018
China announces 8.1% defense budget boost from 2017 as Xi pursues 'world-class' force
China announced Monday that it will boost its defense budget 8.1 percent this year from 2017, a larger increase than in the two previous years as leader Xi Jinping seeks to turn the country's military into a "world-class" force that can venture farther from its shores.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 27, 2018
U.S. State Department's point man on North Korea to step down this week
In a stunning development that will leave an already depleted U.S. diplomatic corps in even further disarray, the State Department's top diplomat in charge of North Korea policy has announced that he will step down from his post at the end of the week.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 27, 2018
Trump says U.S. can talk with North Korea but 'only under right conditions'
U.S. President Donald Trump has weighed in on the prospect of talks with nuclear-armed North Korea, saying Monday that such a move would come "only under the right conditions," a refrain that came just a day after a top official from the North said for the second time that Pyongyang was open to dialogue...

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.