For Soo-Hyang Choi's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Pyongyang is on the path to "finally defuse" the crisis, the state news agency said Monday, while Asian neighbors battle a fresh wave of infections driven by omicron subvariants.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has emphasized Tokyo's readiness to take a more robust defense posture, which the U.S. has long welcomed to counter an increasingly assertive China.
The COVID-19 wave, which North Korea first declared on May 12, has fueled concerns over a lack of vaccines, inadequate medical infrastructure and a potential food crisis.
The country has not responded to offers from its old enemies, South Korea and the United States, to send help, a South Korean official said.
