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Courtney McBride
For Courtney McBride's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A Ukrainian lieutenant colonel examines the remains of his aircraft on the outskirts of the town of Izyum, Kharkiv region, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 19, 2024
Ukraine’s allies see bleak times without more air defenses
G7 ministers are expected to agree to step up shipments of military equipment and to reaffirm their "unwavering determination” to support Ukraine.
An anti-missile system operates after Iran launched drones and missiles toward Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on Sunday.
WORLD
Apr 14, 2024
Multiphase Iran attack tests U.S.-backed Israeli air defenses
Early indications suggest Israel's air defenses effectively handled Iran's missile and drone attack, aimed at overwhelming systems with its complexity.
Ukrainian police officers and rescue workers clear away the rubble of a destroyed house after a Russian rocket attack in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 19, 2024
Ukraine’s allies are gaming out a world where the U.S. retreats
NATO members are beginning to doubt the U.S. will maintain its traditional role of protecting Europe as part of the alliance.
Ukrainian soldier fire a mortar near Kyiv on Nov. 8.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 13, 2023
Pentagon has a workaround to send Ukraine arms despite aid stalemate
The tactic: Continue to provide arms from U.S. stockpiles in hopes of waiting until later for the money to replace them.
Smoke fills the sky after a strike on the port of Gaza City on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 12, 2023
Israel-Hamas conflict offers boon to Russia in Ukraine
Israel’s requests for U.S. military aid risk diverting weapons and focus from Ukraine while the rising price of oil bolsters Moscow’s economy.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 27, 2023
U.S. denies any role in Russia uprising as allies watch and wait
In his first public comments about the matter, U.S. President Joe Biden said it was still too soon to make any conclusions about the revolt by Wagner Group mercenaries.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 13, 2023
Trump didn’t do enough to counter Chinese spying, Blinken says
Trump’s administration didn’t do enough after discovering that Beiijng had been operating a spy facility in Cuba since 2019, the top U.S. diplomat said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 14, 2023
U.S. left red-faced over 21-year-old’s alleged tie to intelligence leak
Washington is going to have a hard time explaining how the biggest U.S. intelligence leak in a decade may have been committed by an airman in a junior role.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2023
U.S.-Saudi oil pact breaking down as Russia grabs upper hand
A Riyadh-Moscow oil alliance could wreak havoc on the U.S. economy and President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 20, 2023
U.S.-China meeting intended to ease tensions only fueled them
Talks over the weekend underscored how, for all the claims from President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping about their desire to steady ties, neither side seems capable of doing so.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 9, 2022
Biden’s one-for-one Brittney Griner swap stirs unease and elation
The Kremlin quickly characterized the swap as an example of Russian President Vladimir Putin one-upping Biden, with an official calling it 'a true Christmas present.”
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 12, 2022
U.S. weighs next moves on Ukraine arms in ‘escalatory cycle’
Meetings in Brussels this week come days after Russia launched a series of missile barrages on the capital Kyiv and other civilian targets, and pressure is high for NATO allies to respond.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 21, 2022
Biden faces G20 quandary between joining Putin and Xi or staying home
The U.S. leader is facing a difficult choice — attend this year's summit with two leaders he has sought to isolate, or skip the gathering and forgo a chance to shape its outcome.
EDITORIALS
Oct 18, 2011
Economic trouble in China
The decision of China's sovereign wealth fund to buy shares of four of the country's biggest banks is a warning signal. The move to prop up the plummeting value of those institutions is intended to boost confidence; instead, it has highlighted the many unknowns that dominate the country's financial system. China's leaders (and bankers) are understandably nervous about shedding more light on its dark corners, but failure to do so will only increase the pain when a future shock comes.

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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