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Gabriel Dominguez
For Gabriel Dominguez's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A CV-22 Osprey at the U.S. military's Yokota Air Base in Tokyo in September 2018
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2023
U.S. Osprey crash rekindles safety concerns in Japan
The unique aircraft has had its share of incidents, but still has a relatively safe record compared to other military aircraft.
Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrive for a document exchange ceremony and joint news conference after their meeting in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 28, 2023
With eye on China, Japan and Vietnam take ties to ‘new heights’
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong agreed to elevate the relationship to a “comprehensive strategic partnership.”
An official shot for this year’s lineup for NHK’s annual “Kohaku Uta Gassen.”
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 22, 2023
Things get warmer with Xi; Johnny’s get the cold shoulder
While Japan and China look to ease tensions, NHK makes things tense with a Johnny’s-less “Kohaku” announcement.
A Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in this photo released Monday.
WORLD / Politics / EXPLAINER
Nov 22, 2023
Houthi ship hijacking stokes fears of escalating Israel-Hamas war
The group warned they would continue to target vessels linked to Israelis until the end of the military campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO summit in San Francisco on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 20, 2023
Beyond security: U.S. pulls Manila closer via economic cooperation
Despite mounting tensions in the South China Sea, Marcos said a “major step” in enhancing bilateral relations was a landmark nuclear deal with the U.S.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a family photo during an APEC summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2023
Kishida and Xi aim for trade progress despite lingering tensions
Their talks signaled initial momentum toward a cautious detente, although the two countries appeared to prioritize an improvement in economic ties.
U.S. President Joe Biden greets Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders week in Woodside, California, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 16, 2023
Biden and Xi agree to pick up the phone to avert crisis. But now what?
Agreed measures are unlikely to be enough to improve bilateral ties, as neither side appeared willing to tackle fundamental differences head on.
Japan's decision to provide patrol boats to Bangladesh will make Dhaka the second beneficiary of defense equipment under Tokyo’s new official security assistance military aid program.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2023
Bangladesh to get patrol boats under Japan's military aid program
The move makes Dhaka the second beneficiary of defense equipment under Tokyo’s new aid program.
Three of Shield AI’s V-Bat drones, which can fly both autonomously and as swarm with a program called hivemind, are seen during testing near Devils Lake, North Dakota, last June.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2023
Japan joins U.S.-led effort to regulate military use of AI
Japan and 44 other countries have endorsed a U.S.-led initiative aimed at setting guardrails around the military use of this cutting-edge technology.
U.S., Japanese and South Korean navy destroyers take part in joint missile defense exercises in international waters between South Korea and Japan in April.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 13, 2023
Japan, U.S. South Korea to share missile-warning data
Following talks between the countries' defense chiefs, the three sides said the mechanism is now "in the final stages of testing."
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (from left), U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh ahead of their bilateral meetings in New Delhi on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 11, 2023
U.S. pulling India closer to West as strategic interests converge
At “two-plus-two” talks Friday, the nations' top diplomats and defense chiefs agreed to accelerate defense-industrial collaboration.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and British counterpart Grant Shapps review an honor guard ahead of a bilateral meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2023
Japan and Britain to ramp up security cooperation
Following talks held in Tokyo, the nations' ministers said in a joint statement that they aim to boost military coordination and interoperability.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 8, 2023
China and Australia agree to mend ties. But will this impact security?
As the two nations agree to put bygones behind them and boost communication, questions remain over how this will impact security tensions in the region.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa meets with the families of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas militants to the Gaza Strip, during a visit to Tel Aviv on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 6, 2023
Israel-Hamas conflict to dominate Tokyo summit of top G7 diplomats
Japan will be looking to further align the bloc’s responses to the war amid growing calls for a humanitarian pause in the fighting.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida waves with Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim during his official visit to Malaysia, in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 5, 2023
Japan turns to Southeast Asia to boost security network
The leader sought to strengthen Japan's security and defense ties with Malaysia and the Philippines, amid growing concerns over Chinese assertiveness.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the first Japanese leader to address a special joint session of the Philippine Congress, waves beside Philippines' Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Philippines' House Speaker Martin Romualdez at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Philippines, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 4, 2023
Japan and Philippines agree to take defense ties to next level
Tokyo and Manila launched talks on a visiting forces agreement, while the Philippines became the first recipient of Japan's new military aid program.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa waits for U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to arrive for a meeting in New York in September.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 2, 2023
Japan top envoy faces diplomatic test on trip to Israel and Jordan
One of the key focuses of Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa's trip will be the role Japan can play in easing the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. President Joe Biden toasts with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during an official state dinner at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 26, 2023
U.S. and Australia seek military drone cooperation with Japan
The moves comes as the nations aim to maintain an edge in the face of China's growing military might.
Two Air Self-Defense Force F-2 fighter jets (bottom) fly in formation with a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber as part of a joint exercise with the United States and South Korea in airspace near Kyushu on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 25, 2023
U.S., Japan and South Korea cooperation reaches new heights with aerial drill
While some view the move as signaling a "new era" in security ties, questions remain as to how long the current political momentum will hold
A Philippine-flagged boat is blocked by a China Coast Guard vessel during an incident that resulted in a collision between the two ships in the disputed waters of the South China Sea in this screen shot taken from video on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / EXPLAINER
Oct 23, 2023
After collisions at sea, could Sino-Philippine tensions boil over?
Tensions are rapidly surging between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea, where the two countries have overlapping claims.

Longform

Yoshiko Koide sits in a classroom at Nagoya College where she teaches a Japanese-language observation seminar.
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