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May 06, 2024
 

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Tom Balmforth
For Tom Balmforth's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 17, 2022
Emergency blackouts ensue in Ukraine after major Russian missile strike
Kyiv introduces emergency blackouts across the country as a result of an attack believed to be one of the largest missile barrages since Russia invaded in February.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 16, 2022
Russia rains missiles on Ukraine's infrastructure, forcing power shutdowns
The latest Russian assault followed warnings from Ukrainian officials that Moscow plans a new all-out offensive early next year.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 28, 2022
Zelenskyy tells Ukraine to brace for more Russian attacks
The Kremlin has said in recent days that Kyiv could 'end the suffering' of its population by meeting Russia's demands.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Nov 21, 2022
They call it 'The Hole': Ukrainians describe horrors of Kherson occupation
The green-roofed police building at No. 3, Energy Workers' Street, was the most notorious of several sites where people were interrogated and tortured.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Nov 15, 2022
Why stop now? Ukraine seen pressing advantage after Kherson victory
Even with the vast Dnipro River now separating the enemies around Kherson, other objectives remain in play.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 21, 2022
Iranian trainers helped Russia with Ukraine drone attacks, U.S. says
Washington said it would pursue all means to deal with Iran's supply of munitions to Russia, while also considering air defense solutions for Ukraine.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 20, 2022
Ukraine marches farther into liberated lands as separatist calls for referendum
Ukrainian troops have begun to push into Luhansk since driving Russian forces out of northeastern Kharkiv province in a lightning counteroffensive this month.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 16, 2022
Hundreds of bodies found in mass grave after Russians flee Ukraine city
'Russia is leaving death behind it everywhere and must be held responsible,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address overnight.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 6, 2022
Shelling at Ukrainian nuclear plant highlights danger ahead of U.N. report
Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of risking nuclear disaster by shelling near Europe's largest nuclear plant, which officials said disrupted power lines.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 25, 2022
Russian attack kills 22 civilians on Ukraine's Independence Day, Kyiv officials say
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned of the risk of 'repugnant Russian provocations' ahead of the 31st anniversary of Ukraine's independence from Soviet rule.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 24, 2022
Defiant Ukraine marks Independence Day six months after invasion
Independence Day, which falls six months since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion, has this year taken on hallowed significance for Ukrainians determined not to fall back under Moscow's yoke.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 22, 2022
In occupied south Ukraine, some fear a return to Soviet times under Russia
Some residents see clear signs that Russian-installed authorities are seeking to bind the city, and the surrounding Kherson region, to Moscow.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 19, 2022
Sidelining of spy chief spotlights Ukraine's battle to purge Russian agents
Zelenskyy hailed the dismissal of top members of the nation's security and law enforcement agencies as part of a process of 'self-purification.'
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jul 5, 2022
Russia hails capture of Luhansk region, but big Ukraine battles lie ahead
The Russian assault will now switch its focus to the rest of the Donbas industrial heartland, but Kyiv may be more prepared to defend the areas.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 1, 2022
Missile kills 17 in Odesa after Ukraine retakes Snake Island
Ukraine said it had driven Russian forces off the island after an artillery and missile assault, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailing the strategic win.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jun 25, 2022
Russia's grinding battlefield gains seen driven by new tactics
Moscow's capture of Sievierodonetsk is likely to be hailed by Russia as evidence that its switch from 'lightning warfare' to a much slower grinding offensive is paying off.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 22, 2022
As Russia intensifies push for Donbas, Ukraine rules out cease-fire
With the war continuing, Russia's state gas company said it halted gas exports to Finland, which refused Moscow's demands to pay in rubles.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
May 18, 2022
Putin takes Mariupol, but wider Donbas victory may be slipping from reach
The influx of Western heavy guns could give Ukraine an edge in a war that has revolved around artillery duels.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Feb 26, 2022
Putin's end-game? Split Ukraine and install 'tame' leadership.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine looks designed to take Kyiv and create a land corridor south to the Black Sea, splitting the country into two, military analysts and former officials said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 20, 2022
Separatist rhetoric and 'false-flag operation' fears stoke Ukraine tensions
Ukrainian authorities deny planning any kind of assault, and fear that attempts to create a pretext for a Russian invasion are growing.
Japan says Biden's description of nation as xenophobic is 'unfortunate'
The National Diet building in Tokyo
G7 eyes plan on U.S.-led $50 billion aid package for Ukraine
A local resident visits the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Thursday. The U.S. is in talks with close partners to lead a group of allies that would give as much as $50 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Japan drops to 70th in press freedom rankings
A businessman reads a newspaper outside a train station in Tokyo.
Japan’s record-low children population weighs on growth
The number of children 14 years old or younger fell for the 43rd straight year to around 14.01 million as of April 1.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
'Monster' Inoue ready to tear down Luis Nery in title defense at Tokyo Dome
Naoya Inoue (left) and Luis Nery following a pre-fight news conference in Yokohama on Saturday, two days ahead of their super bantamweight title fight.
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
Sapporo court ruling on Ainu fishing rights presents tough questions
A traditional Ainu preserved food called <i>satchep</i> (dried fish) being made at the government-run National Ainu Museum and Park, nicknamed Upopoy, in the town of Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on Dec. 25. The Sapporo District Court ruled last month that the Raporo Ainu Nation's rights as an Indigenous people did not extend to having an inherent right to fish for commercial reasons.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.

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

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

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