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A MQ-4C Triton drone taxis at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2025

U.S. to send long-range surveillance drones to Japan amid Taiwan tensions

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said that the drones will be sent to the U.S. air base in Kadena, on Okinawa Prefecture’s main island, in the coming weeks.
George Glass, U.S. President Donald Trump's pick to be ambassador to Japan, attends a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington on March 13.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 9, 2025

Japan gets a new U.S. ambassador — and he has his work cut out for him

The U.S. Senate has voted to confirm George Glass, whose top agenda items include resolving the tariff row and getting Tokyo to spend more on defense.
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. delivers speaks during a function at the Lowy Institute in Sydney on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 10, 2025

Palau stands with Taiwan 'until death do us part,' President Whipps says

Despite rising pressure from China, Palau says its support for Taiwan is unshakable — even as military risks grow.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki may participate in a joint patrol in the prefecture by Japanese and U.S. officials, an official in the area said.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2025

Japan and U.S. to hold joint patrol after Okinawa sexual assaults

The one-off joint operation through busy areas until the early hours of the next day was proposed by the U.S. side.
People line up outside a polling station to vote in Canada's federal election, in Toronto on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 29, 2025

Canada votes as Trump renews U.S. takeover push

Trump put himself into Canadian politics again with a social media post saying Canada would face "ZERO TARIFFS" if it "becomes the cherished 51st state."
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki (center) takes part in a joint patrol involving the U.S. military and the Okinawa Prefectural Police in the city of Okinawa on April 18.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2025

U.S. forces and Okinawa officials to meet in May to address local concerns

The forum is designed to address a range of issues and improve community relations.
A Honda vehicle is assembled at a plant in Lincoln, Alabama. Despite concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump's economic policies, around half of Japanese firms remain committed to the American market, according to a recent survey.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 2, 2025

Japan Inc. cautiously optimistic despite rising uncertainty

Trump's economic policies and geopolitical risks are front of mind for many Japanese companies. But many remain committed to staying in the U.S. and China, says a recent survey.
St. Mary of the Assumption, the church where Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, used to attend while growing up in Chicago, on Thursday.
WORLD / Society
May 9, 2025

Chicago celebrates its native son's elevation to pope

The election of former Cardinal Robert Prevost has sparked questions on a range of topics, from the future of his papacy to which baseball club he supports.
Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in the Oval Office of the White House in April. Since then, Japan's trade negotiations with the U.S. have produced no tangible results.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
May 16, 2025

Akazawa's dilemma: no tariff deal or a half-baked deal

Japan has realized the U.S. has no intention of seriously talking about duties on automobiles now.
Nippon Steel Chairman and CEO Eiji Hashimoto (left) and Nippon Steel Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President Takahiro Mori. The Japanese company is still undecided about a civil suit filed against a U.S. competitor.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 20, 2025

Nippon Steel drops lawsuit against U.S. government after acquiring U.S. Steel

The Japanese company had challenged the legality of U.S. President Joe Biden's rejection of the acquisition.
Israeli security forces stand guard at the site of an Iranian strike on a residential neighborhood in the Ramat Aviv area of Tel Aviv on Sunday.
WORLD
Jun 23, 2025

Israel keeps up Iran attacks with debate raging on when to stop

Some experts argue that Israel should seek a mutual pause in hostilities after all its military targets in Iran have been hit.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick attends an event at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025

Lutnick says U.S.-China truce signed and 10 trade deals imminent

The move includes a commitment from China to deliver rare earths used in everything from wind turbines to jet planes.
U.S. President Donald Trump (center) with Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the White House on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 9, 2025

Trump vows no tariff extension and hardens threats on copper and drugs

The U.S. president stresses he would not offer additional extensions on country-specific levies set to now hit in early August.
Takeshi Niinami, Suntory Holdings CEO and chairperson of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 10, 2025

Japan's united front on tariffs begins to crack as doubts raised

A senior business leader has questioned the effectiveness of the government in negotiating with the U.S.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shakes hands with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a welcome ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 22, 2025

Philippine president and top U.S. officials vow to ramp up deterrence

Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met separately with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
U.S., Japanese and Australian staff work in the JJOC Cooperation Team office at the U.S. Army’s Hardy Barracks in central Tokyo in this image posted to the Australian Embassy's X account on July 25.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 31, 2025

Coordination office marks first step in U.S. Forces Japan’s shift to ‘warfighting’ command

The launch of the new joint command team is the fruit of a multiyear effort to reshape and streamline U.S.-Japan operations.
Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto (left) and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Walter Mondale during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo in April 1996 announcing the decision to return to Japan the site for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 17, 2025

Okinawa’s backers in LDP dwindle, prompting concern

At present, not many lawmakers are putting priority on Okinawa after measures taken by the government in the past for the development of the prefecture produced certain results.
Takemasa Kinjo, who was a high school student when his mother was killed by a U.S. Marine in 1974, looks on at the construction site of the new Henoko military base for U.S. forces near his residence in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, in June.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Aug 25, 2025

Decades after WWII, Okinawa is a reluctant host for U.S. troops

A string of incidents over the years involving American troops and base personnel, including sexual assault cases, have angered residents.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 3, 2025

Xi — joined by Kim and Putin — delivers stark warning at military parade

Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned in a speech that the world is facing a choice of war or peace, as his country marked 80 years since Japan’s defeat in World War II.
A chartered plane transporting South Korean workers who were detained in an immigration raid last week arrives at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 12, 2025

South Korean workers arrive home after U.S. detention

South Koreans made up the majority of the 475 people arrested at a Hyundai-LG battery factory site in the state of Georgia last week.
The RAF Red Arrows perform a flyover at Windsor Castle in the U.K. on Wednesday.
WORLD
Sep 18, 2025

Apple and Citi CEOs join Trump and King Charles at state dinner

The guest list of the event nodded to the work that Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer face as they attempt to bring the special relationship back onto stronger footing.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses members of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday. At a climate summit hosted by Guterres on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 7%-10% from its peak by 2035.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 25, 2025

Beijing takes the lead with new climate plans amid Washington’s denial

China's reduction target marked the first time the world's biggest emitter pledged a cut in emissions, rather than just limiting their growth.
Afghan soldiers stand guard at the gate of Bagram Air Base, Parwan province, Afghanistan, on July 2, 2021, the day the last American troops vacated the facility.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2025

Will Trump strike Afghanistan over Bagram Air Base?

For Afghans, the cost of another military conflict with the U.S. would be ruinous.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2023

GSDF amphibious unit now seen as 'partner' of U.S. Marines

The GSDF unit and the U.S. Marine Corps have conducted many joint exercises, and the two sides can now work together in higher-level operations, according to GSDF Col. Taisuke Fujimura.
Travis King
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 5, 2023

U.S. won't invoke POW status for soldier who fled to North Korea

The decision, which could mean Travis King is not covered by protections entitled under the Geneva Convention, is highly sensitive for the U.S. military.
The darkened area surrounding Lahaina shows where the fire spread on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Aug. 13.
WORLD / Society
Aug 23, 2023

After Maui wildfire residents fear land grab may threaten culture

Hawaii's Office of Consumer Protection has warned of people making below-market offers, playing on fears of foreclosure and the cost of rebuilding.
Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding his private plane at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Thursday, where he turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail earlier in the evening.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 25, 2023

Trump booked at Georgia jail on election charges

Authorities said they took Trump's mug shot at Fulton County Jail — a first for the former U.S. president.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force disembark from a V-22 Osprey aircraft during a live-fire exercise in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in May 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 5, 2023

Why building an effective Japan-U.S. kill chain will enhance defense

The conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated that modern warfare necessitates advanced coordination of operations.
A United Auto Workers (UAW) union member holds a sign to mark the beginning of contract negotiations in Sterling Heights, Michigan, in July.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 17, 2023

U.S. auto talks at 'critical phase' as political pressure grows

Workers at all Big Three automakers are coordinating for the first time, with demands such as a 40% pay increase over a four-year contract.
Striking writers and actors stage a solidarity march through Hollywood on Sept. 13.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 1, 2023

The Writers Guild had a PR strategy like no other

So how did the Writers Guild union do it? First and foremost, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of social media in the equation.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.