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April 24, 2024
 

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Eric Schmitt
For Eric Schmitt's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A Ukrainian soldier fires a rocket-propelled grenade during training in the Donetsk region on April 1. Shipments of American weapons could begin flowing to Ukraine again soon after U.S. House approval of a long-stalled aid package, U.S. officials say, with goods from the Pentagon's stockpiles in Germany shipped quickly by rail to the Ukrainian border.
WORLD
Apr 21, 2024
U.S. military aid for Ukraine could soon flow again
The measure, approved by the U.S. House on Saturday, would provide the Ukraine war effort with about $60 billion.
Iranians at an anti-Israeli rally after Friday prayers in Tehran. An Israeli airstrike on Iran on Friday damaged an air defense system, according to Western and Iranian officials, in an attack calculated to deliver a message that Israel could bypass Iran's defensive systems undetected and paralyze them.
WORLD
Apr 21, 2024
Israel’s strike on Iran highlights its ability to evade Tehran’s air defenses
The strike Friday was the latest salvo between the two countries this month that have heightened fears of a broader regional conflict.
A funeral procession in Tehran for seven Iranian military commanders killed by an Israeli airstrike in Syria, on April 5. American intelligence analysts and officials said Friday that they expected Iran to strike multiple targets inside Israel within the next few days in retaliation for an Israeli bombing in the Syrian capital on April 1 that killed several senior Iranian commanders.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 13, 2024
U.S. targets unlikely to be on list in possible Iranian attack, officials say
In anticipation of the strikes, several countries have issued new guidelines to their citizens about travel in Israel and the surrounding region.
Mourners gather in Tehran on Friday for the funerals of senior Iranian military and intelligence officials killed in Israel's bombing of the Iranian Embassy building in Damascus, Syria.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 6, 2024
Israel and U.S. are on alert for Iran to strike back at Israel
Analysts say Iran is more likely to strike Israel itself than through Hezbollah, its closest militant ally.
Ukrainian soldiers who recently pulled out of Avdiivka, Ukraine, replenish supplies in a nearby village on Feb. 19.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 13, 2024
U.S. to send $300 million in weapons to Ukraine under makeshift plan
The package will keep advancing Russian troops at bay for only a few weeks, an official said.
Houthi supporters and other protesters rally in solidarity with the Palestinians in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 27, 2024
After U.S. strikes, Iran’s proxies scale back attacks on U.S. bases
Tehran, wary of igniting open warfare with Washington, has told militia groups it backs to curtail assaults on targets such as military installations.
U.K. Royal Air Force planes take off from Cyprus to strike military targets in Yemen on Saturday.
WORLD
Feb 25, 2024
U.S. and U.K. warplanes again strike Houthi-linked targets in Yemen
The strikes were intended to degrade the Iran-backed militants’ ability to attack ships in critical sea lanes.
The war in Ukraine has pitted the United States and its allies against Russian President Vladimir Putin (center).
WORLD / Politics
Feb 15, 2024
Russia’s advances on space-based nuclear weapon alarm the U.S.
A satellite-killing weapon, if deployed, could destroy civilian communications, surveillance from space and military command-and-control operations.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks following a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2023
U.S. carries out another round of airstrikes on Iran-linked targets
President Joe Biden has rejected more aggressive bombing options proposed by the Pentagon out of fear of provoking a wider conflict with Iran.
A protest for the return of the hostages on a main street in Tel Aviv on Saturday. The Biden administration has advised Israel to delay a ground invasion of Gaza, hoping to buy time for hostage negotiations and to allow more humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians in the sealed-off enclave, according to several U.S. officials.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 23, 2023
U.S. advises Israel to delay Gaza invasion, officials say
The U.S. has suggested that more time is needed for hostage negotiations, the delivery of aid and mapping out ways to avoid more civilian casualties.
The U.S. Army's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, its flagship medical center in Germany, is seen in 2021. The medical center has quietly started admitting Ukrainian Army soldiers who were wounded in combat, most of them American volunteers.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2023
U.S. Army hospital in Germany treating Americans hurt fighting in Ukraine
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center has quietly started admitting Ukrainian Army soldiers who were wounded in combat, most of them American volunteers.
An impromptu memorial for Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group who died in a plane crash in Russia, in Moscow on Aug. 27. A shadowy fight is playing out on three continents for control of Prigozhin's sprawling interests as head of Wagner.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 11, 2023
After Prigozhin’s death, a high-stakes scramble for his empire
African leaders once allied with the Wagner chief hear a new message from the Kremlin: Russia’s African operations are under new management.
A billboard promoting contract army service in front of the Private Military Company Wagner Center in St. Petersburg on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 27, 2023
Kremlin eyes how to bring private military group under its control
The organization’s military prowess, experienced operators and ties to African governments may be too valuable to lose.
Relatives and friends touch the coffin of a man who was killed fighting Russian troops in Ukraine's Donetsk region, during a funeral ceremony in Kyiv on Thursday.
WORLD
Aug 19, 2023
Troop deaths and injuries in Ukraine war near 500,000
Ukraine and Russia have lost a staggering number of troops as Kyiv’s counteroffensive drags on. A lack of rapid medical care has added to the toll.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 7, 2023
Biden weighs giving Ukraine weapons banned by many U.S. allies
Ukraine is seeking cluster munitions, which are known to cause grievous injuries to civilians, as its ammunition supply runs low.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 28, 2023
Russian general knew about mercenary chief’s rebellion plans, U.S. officials say
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, may have believed he had support in Russia’s military.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 28, 2023
‘It’s time’: Ukraine’s top commander says counteroffensive is imminent
A blunt statement, accompanied by a slickly produced video of Ukrainian troops preparing for battle, appeared designed to rally the nation and to spread anxiety among Russian forces.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 16, 2023
Pentagon leaks: New twists in a familiar plot
The Pentagon intelligence leaks have offered new details about the state of the war in Ukraine but have not fundamentally altered the overall picture of it.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 9, 2023
Leaked documents reveal depth of U.S. spy efforts and Russia’s military struggles
The information, exposed on social media sites, also shows that U.S. intelligence services are eavesdropping on important allies.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 8, 2023
New batch of classified U.S. documents appear on social media sites
The scale of the leak — analysts say more than 100 documents may have been obtained — along with the sensitivity of the documents themselves, could be hugely damaging, U.S. officials said.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan’s cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.
An AI star seeks to bring self-driving cars to Japan by 2030
Japanese startup Turing plans to unveil a self-driving car with at least 30 minutes’ driving range next year and develop a fully autonomous car by 2030.
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Tsukiji 2030s: A stadium, culinary center and transportation hub
A computer-generated image shows redevelopment plans for the former site of the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
Hearing the impact of climate change in Okinawa, one bird call at a time
Toshihiro Kinjo (center), a research support technician at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, inspects an audio recording device in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on April 3 as Masako Ogasawara, a research support specialist at OIST, looks on.

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

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa
A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa

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