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July 08, 2025
 

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DEFENSE

A photo taken from a Norwegian surveillance aircraft shows Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in international waters off the coast of Norway in October 2016.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Apr 23, 2025
Global warming is a security threat and armies must adapt, experts say
Defense departments have already underscored that a warming planet poses major national security challenges, and militaries need to adapt to respond to these evolving threats.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a meeting of the Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias Task Force, at the Justice Department in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 23, 2025
Hegseth delivers what Trump wants but with unwanted controversy
Hegseth has done most everything so far that Trump hoped he would — and for now, that’s been enough to keep Trump on Hegseth’s side.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (right) and his Dutch counterpart, Dick Schoof, shake hands after a joint news conference at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 22, 2025
Japanese and Dutch leaders agree to strengthen cooperation
The two leaders announced an action plan calling for cooperation in a wide range of fields, including diplomacy, security, economy and culture.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to reporters during the 2025 White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 22, 2025
'Disruptor' Hegseth's unsettled Pentagon starts turning against him
U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth accused former advisers of turning against him following news he texted sensitive U.S. military plans to his wife, brother, attorney and others.
Hiroshima is full of memorials to the 1945 atomic bombing. Among them, the peace museum promotes an ambiguous message: One against nuclear weapons without acknowledging the role of nuclear deterrence in preserving the postwar peace.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 21, 2025
The ambiguity of Japan’s message on nuclear weapons
It is common in Japan to be both anti-atomic weapons and anti-war. But are these positions not contradictory if nuclear deterrence actually works to preserve the peace?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a parliamentary committee session in Tokyo on Monday, during which U.S. tariffs were discussed.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 21, 2025
Tokyo insists defense issues and tariff talks must remain separate
Mixing the two risks distorting the essence of each issue, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says.
Global trade, energy and financial networks are increasingly being leveraged as strategic tools by nations, with supply chains, shipping routes and financial systems becoming potential points of conflict.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2025
How much 'weaponization' can the global economy take?
Global trade, energy and financial networks are increasingly being leveraged as strategic tools by nations.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami frigate is docked at the MSDF's base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, earlier this month.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 21, 2025
Japan and Indonesia continue frigate talks looking to boost defense-industrial ties
Ambassador Heri Akhmadi said Jakarta’s growing ties with Tokyo reflect its nonalignment policy, as it looks to avoid taking sides between China and the United States.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks on before a luncheon with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Washington Thursday. Hegseth shared information on forthcoming U.S. airstrikes on Yemen in a private Signal chat group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, The New York Times reported Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2025
Pentagon chief shared sensitive Yemen war plans in second Signal chat
A U.S. official at the Pentagon questioned how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could keep his job after the latest news.
A soldier from the U.S.-led coalition holds the hand of a boy during a joint U.S.- Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces patrol in the countryside of Qamishli in northeastern Syria in February 2024.
WORLD
Apr 19, 2025
U.S. to withdraw some 1,000 troops from Syria
President Donald Trump has long been skeptical of Washington's presence in Syria.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks to reporters in Tokyo on April 11.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2025
Japan defense chief says 'no reason' to change current U.S. troop deal
Gen Nakatani said that spending “is appropriately shared between the Japanese and U.S. governments based on mutual agreement, with a set time frame.”
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass speaks to reporters on Friday in Tokyo just after he arrived at Haneda Airport.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2025
New U.S. envoy arrives in Japan with focus on trade, defense and reining in China
Ambassador George Glass said Washington will aim to deepen cooperation with Tokyo on pushing back against China's economic and military moves.
An autonomous aerial vehicle designed to carry one passenger conducts a test flight in Guangzhou, China. Flying taxis and even drone-powered food delivery services are rapidly becoming realities in the country's government-backed "low-altitude economy."
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 18, 2025
Will a 'low-altitude economy' make Chinese growth soar again?
Beijing wants to repeat the economic success story of its battery and EV players by propelling companies operating in low-altitude airspace to global market dominance.
U.S. soldiers take part in a live-fire exercise as part of the Balikatan drills with Philippine troops, at Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, in May 2024.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2025
In a first, Japan will join major Philippine-U.S. drills as participant
The Self-Defense Forces will dispatch about 150 personnel and a warship to the multidomain Balikatan exercises, which begin next week.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday in Washington.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 16, 2025
Trump calls the U.S.-Japan alliance ‘one-sided.’ Tokyo says otherwise.
Some observers believe the U.S. president’s worldview is stuck in the 1980s, a time when trade deficits with Japan captured the attention of U.S. policymakers.
India's Akash missiles are displayed during a Republic Day parade in New Delhi in 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2025
India carving niche as budget-friendly arms maker for Russia's past buyers
The effort aims to capitalize on a sourcing scramble since the outbreak of war in Ukraine by nations that had historically relied on Washington and Moscow for weapons.
Iranian missiles are displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran on Nov. 15, 2024
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2025
Would military strikes kill Iran's nuclear program? Probably not
Rather than destroying the nuclear program, an attack could prompt Iran to kick out United Nations nuclear inspectors and drive their program fully underground.
The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Minnesota is seen off the coast of Western Australia on March 16.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 15, 2025
AUKUS exemption to U.S. defense trade controls doesn't cover nuclear subs, officials say
The controls create hurdles to defense industry collaboration on U.S. Virginia-class sub production.
A computer-generated image of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's next-generation offshore patrol vessel
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2025
Japan begins work on naval patrol vessels to boost surveillance
The ships will require fewer personnel and feature autonomous navigation and other state-of-the-art systems, allowing them to perform a range of operations.
Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, well regarded in Tokyo as a leading voice in the promotion of U.S.-Japan ties, has died at the age of 79.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 15, 2025
Richard Armitage, ex-U.S. diplomat known for boosting Japan ties, dies at 79
He was a leading voice in the promotion of U.S.-Japan relations even after leaving government service.
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai in July 2022. The Chinese government risks long-term decline by repeating Japan’s policy mistakes in handling its real estate and demographic crises.
The future is bright inside the visionary mind of architect Sou Fujimoto
The exhibition of Fujimoto’s architecture surveys his career to date, as well as looks ahead as shown in his proposal of a future floating city designed in collaboration with data scientist Hiroaki Miyata.
A tiny mountain hamlet keeps traditional log rafting afloat
Once a way to transport lumber from the mountains to the coast, log rafting is now Kitayama's biggest attraction.
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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