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November 20, 2025
 

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DEFENSE

Incoming U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Xavier Brunson speaks during a change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, in December.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 19, 2025
Upside-down map highlights role South Korea could play in regional crisis
The move is the latest step by the U.S. to make clear that it views its forces as having “strategic flexibility” in countering not just North Korea but also China.
Taiwan's Chiangkong missile system in Taipei on Sept. 18. The U.S. has confirmed that it will sell Taipei an advanced air defense missile system worth almost $700 million — the same type battle-tested in Ukraine.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 19, 2025
U.S. confirms sale of $700 million air defense system to Taiwan
This is the second weapons deal with Taipei in a week, with only Australia and Indonesia now operating the similar systems in the Indo-Pacific.
In U.S. President Donald Trump's view, wars abroad have left the U.S. military overstretched, and his answer has been to push allies in Europe and Asia to shoulder more of the burden for their own defense.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 19, 2025
U.S. retreat as world’s top cop under Trump opens door to regional strife
The good news is a great-power war remains unlikely.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to reporters Tuesday on the parliament grounds.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 19, 2025
Japan-South Korea defense drill unlikely to take place this month
Some observers say the South Korean move may be a response to Japan’s recent cancellation of refueling for aircraft from the South Korean Air Force.
Director-General of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Masaaki Kanai (left) and Chinese Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs Liu Jinsong depart after a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 18, 2025
Japan seeks to placate China as strained relations move beyond political realm
Tokyo has warned nationals living in China to be on alert for anti-Japanese sentiment, while a Japanese animated film's release date in the nation was postponed.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul on Nov. 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 18, 2025
South Korean sub deal with U.S. will trigger 'nuclear domino' effect, says North
A long-awaited security and trade agreement between Seoul and Washington, finalized last week, includes plans to move forward with developing atomic-powered vessels.
China holds a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 18, 2025
Beware of China’s strategic distortion of reality
The ancient strategy resurfaced after Prime Minister Takaichi said Japan might need to respond militarily if China forced Taiwan’s unification.
(From left) Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Foreign Minister Sugiono, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attend a joint press announcement after their meeting at Iikura Guest House in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 18, 2025
Japan and Indonesia zero in on maritime security as they agree to boost defense ties
The move could also open up opportunities for trilateral cooperation with Australia following Jakarta’s announcement of plans to upgrade a key defense agreement with Canberra.
The book cover of Taiwan's civil defense handbook at a printing house in Taoyuan, Taiwan, on Friday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 18, 2025
Taiwan to give security handbook to all households as China threat rises
The handbook includes for the first time instructions on what to do if citizens encounter enemy soldiers and states any claims of Taiwan's surrender should be considered false.
A worker checks the printed book cover of Taiwan's civil defense handbook at a printing house in Taoyuan, Taiwan, November 14, 2025.
BUSINESS
Nov 18, 2025
Taiwan to further tighten export controls for dual-use technology
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Taiwan has updated its export control regime to prevent Taiwanese high-tech goods from being illicitly used for military purposes.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on May 13. In his upcoming visit to the White House, the crown prince is seeking security guarantees and wants access to artificial intelligence technology and progress toward a deal on a civilian nuclear program.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 18, 2025
Saudi crown prince to visit U.S. with defense, AI and nuclear energy on agenda
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is seeking security guarantees from the U.S. and wants access to AI technology and progress toward a deal on a civilian nuclear program.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi shakes hands with his Indonesian counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, during a visit to the Yokosuka naval base, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Monday in this image posted to Koizumi's X account.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2025
Indonesia’s defense chief inspects MSDF vessels as talk of exports grows
Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin met with Defence Minister Shinjuro Koizumi in Tokyo ahead of a third round of “two-plus-two” talks between both countries’ foreign and defense ministers.
A Chinese tour group in the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo on Sunday. China has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, following a diplomatic feud sparked by remarks from Tokyo's new prime minister about a hypothetical attack on Taiwan.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2025
Japan sends senior official to China to cool boiling tensions
Masaaki Kanai, a top Foreign Ministry official, will be looking to explain that there has been no change in Japan’s existing position on the Taiwan issue.
A nuclear bomb test at Bikini Atoll and Enewetak in June 1956. Such tests are best conceptualized as environmental disasters with consequences that are still felt today, particularly in Oceania and Central Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2025
Nuclear tests and a legacy of harm in the Asia-Pacific
Understanding former nuclear experiments as “tests” is highly misleading, as each atomic explosion has released a tremendous quantity of long-lasting radioactive pollutants.
Vietnam's prime minister, Pham Minh Chinh (center left), speaks with Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 28.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2025
ASEAN’s moment of truth
The block confronts its biggest test yet: building balanced partnerships with powerhouses like China, India, Japan and the U.S.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint press conference with Greece’s prime minister following their meeting in Athens, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 17, 2025
Zelenskyy in France to seal air-defense and warplane deals
The Ukrainian president is in Paris for talks with Emmanuel Macron as heavy Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine have increased in recent weeks.
Two Chinese tourists wearing kimonos take a selfie as they visit Sensoji temple in Tokyo's Asakusa district on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 16, 2025
Fears rise of rupture in Japan-China ties in wake of Taiwan remarks
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi broke years of precedent by hinting that Japan could offer military support for Taiwan under certain “worst-case” scenarios such as a Chinese attack.
The USS Annapolis nuclear-powered submarine is anchored at a naval base on Jeju Island, South Korea, in July 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 16, 2025
Top U.S. admiral says South Korea’s new submarine should keep China in check
The top U.S. military officer said helping counter China’s rapidly expanding fleet is a responsibility expected of a key ally.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (left) and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby attend a meeting at the Pentagon in Washington on July 21.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 16, 2025
Pentagon No. 3 praises Seoul's defense budget hike as eyes turn to Tokyo
South Korea has become the first U.S. treaty ally outside of NATO to hike defense spending to 3.5% of GDP — a move expected to impact Japan’s own spending plans.
A Ukrainian soldier runs past the site where a Russian glide bomb exploded minutes earlier near the embattled city of Pokrovsk, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, in August.
WORLD
Nov 15, 2025
Russia plans to make up to 120,000 glide bombs this year, Kyiv says
The bombs, whose range was previously estimated to be up to 90 km, can breach Ukrainian defenses without sending planes across front lines.
Beware of China’s strategic distortion of reality
China holds a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3. 
Economic security minister stresses crackdown on rule-breaking foreign nationals
Economic security minister Kimi Onoda speaks during a group interview in Tokyo on Monday.
Japan seeks to placate China as strained relations move beyond political realm
Director-General of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Masaaki Kanai (left) and Chinese Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs Liu Jinsong depart after a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Tuesday.
China to reimpose ban on Japanese seafood imports amid row over Taiwan, reports say
A sign reading, "Suspend the sales of all fish products imported from Japan" is displayed in an area home to Japanese restaurants in Beijing in August 2023. China will reimpose a ban on imports of Japanese seafood, media reports in Tokyo said Wednesday, as a diplomatic spat between the two countries deepens.
Japanese court orders Cloudflare to pay $3.2 million over manga piracy
Cloudflare has been ordered to pay $3.2 million after four major publishing firms accused the firm of copyright infringement for its role in hosting sites that distribute pirated copies of manga titles.
Economic security minister stresses crackdown on rule-breaking foreign nationals
Economic security minister Kimi Onoda speaks during a group interview in Tokyo on Monday.
How Band-Maid brought anime energy into the hard-rock sound of ‘Scooooop’
Members of Band-Maid combine heavy riffs and maid-inspired visuals in their latest project, "Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty."
Japan uses series against South Korea to prep for World Baseball Classic title defense
Japan's Ryuhei Sotani pitches against South Korea at Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
Who is cricket’s Shohei Ohtani?
South African cricket legend Jacques Kallis plays a shot during the final day of a cricket test match against India in Johannesburg in December 2013.
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan celebrates 80 years at the forefront of press freedom
Located near the Imperial Palace, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan prides itself on the accessibility of its events and the support it offers to budding and established journalists. The club is currently headed by Dan Sloan, a former reporter for Reuters.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo
By Kathryn Wortley

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