For Jesse Johnson's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
The launch of two “tactical guided missiles” Friday was conducted by the nuclear-armed country’s new railway-borne missile regiment, state-run media said Saturday.
The short-range launches came hours after Pyongyang vowed a “stronger and certain reaction” to U.S. sanctions over a recent spate of provocations.
The growing capability gives Pyongyang another weapon adept at evading defenses while providing ammunition to those championing a major shift in Japan’s defense-only security posture.
South Korea said Tuesday's missile traveled 700 km at a maximum height of 60 km but flew at a top speed of Mach 10, calling it "more advanced" than last week's test.
The test — the second of an apparent hypersonic weapon in recent months — could give more ammunition to those in Japan pushing for the country to acquire a strike capability.
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the North Korean missile had flown for about 500 km and landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Natsuo Yamaguchi proposed that Japan take the lead in establishing an Asian architecture that would include China and the U.S. in a bid to stem soaring regional tensions.
The omicron coronavirus variant may throw a wrench in the prime minister's plans to have 2022 be a "year of actively promoting summit diplomacy.”
In an attempt to strike a diplomatic balance in its relationships with both the U.S. and China, only Olympic officials will represent Japan at the Winter Games.
The U.S. Senate voted 48-21 early Saturday to confirm the 62-year-old ex-Chicago mayor, who is known to be close to President Joe Biden, giving Tokyo its first American envoy in 2½ years.
