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October 13, 2025
 

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DEFENSE

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meet at the U.S. State Department in Washington on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2025
Rubio urges Japan to beef up defenses, but leaves out spending target
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said that no specific spending figure was broached in talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A Self-Defense Forces tank unit takes part in parade at Camp Asaka, near Tokyo, in October 2018. The percentage of GDP spent on defense is a politically convenient but flawed metric that oversimplifies the complex realities of alliance management.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 2, 2025
In the Trump era, how much should countries really be spending on defense?
In truth, the “percentage of GDP” approach is a political one, not a practical one
The remains of an Iranian missile launched during the 12-day Israel-Iran war lie on a road near Tekoa in the occupied West Bank on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 2, 2025
Nuclear proliferation cannot just be bombed away
The most powerful deterrent for any state is possession of nuclear weapons or membership in an alliance that offers a nuclear umbrella (like NATO).
German Ambassador to Japan Petra Sigmund says that Tokyo and Berlin "face similar security challenges," and that they must "invest in defense, deterrence and diplomacy alike."
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2025
‘No time to lose’: Germany aims to boost defense-industrial ties with Japan
Berlin’s ambassador to Tokyo says her country is looking to quickly ramp up cooperation amid a growing Russian threat.
Japanese seafood in a supermarket in Hong Kong in July 2023
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2025
China partially lifts ban on Japanese seafood imports in bid to ease frictions
Tokyo labeled the move “a major turning point,” though improving the relationship still faces hurdles over China’s military moves near Japan.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba inspects an honor guard upon his arrival at the Defense Ministry on Monday.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2025
Japan needs to bolster defense capabilities steadily, says Ishiba
"The way of fighting keeps changing as the technology develops," the prime minister noted, citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an example.
U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte attend the opening of the NATO leaders summit in The Hague on June 25.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2025
NATO’s Donald Trump dilemma
NATO's fate — and the future of global stability — will hinge on whether European leaders push back.
A mock-up of Japan's upgraded Mogami-class frigate is displayed during the DSEI exhibition at Makuhari Messe in the city of Chiba on May 21.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2025
Top Japanese official visits Australia as bid to build new frigate heats up
The trip by Akihisa Nagashima, special adviser to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, was seen as another move by Tokyo to secure the multibillion dollar contract.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on June 16.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2025
Canada's middle power myths give way to harsh realities
The goal is not to become America’s 51st state but to make such absorption unthinkable because Canada provides more value as a sovereign partner.
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joel Vowell, the deputy commanding general of United States Army Pacific (fourth from right), walks with soldiers during the Khaan Quest 2025 exercises on June 15 at the Five Hills Training Area in Mongolia.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 29, 2025
U.S. Army capable of countering China’s plans to keep it at bay, top general says
Increased firepower, cutting-edge tech and greater interoperability with regional allies and partners are key for U.S. deterrence.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's P-1 aircraft, Japan's first domestic patrol
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2025
SDF's P-1 patrol aircraft underused due to engine and electronics issues
The issue was mainly due to engine corrosion and problems with electronic devices, a probe has found.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a news conference at the White House on Friday in Washington.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 28, 2025
Trump says he will 'get the conflict solved with North Korea'
Trump also appeared to spotlight fears among U.S. allies that his administration could put their security in jeopardy by not adhering to alliance commitments.
Self-Defense Forces soldiers take part in an evacuation drill, at Nama Hama Beach on Yonaguni island, Japan's westernmost inhabited island in Okinawa Prefecture, in November 2023.
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2025
Japan aims to complete Yonaguni evacuation shelter in 2028
The project was started bearing in mind a possible emergency over Taiwan in the Nansei southwestern island region.
This satellite image taken on June 19 shows damage at the Iranian nuclear facility at Arak in central Iran after an Israeli strike.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 27, 2025
An Iranian nuclear weapon just became more likely
The U.S. and Israel are likely to learn this the hard way when Iran abandons all doubts about pursuing nuclear breakout.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Minsk, Belarus, on Thursday. The lack of a common understanding between U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about Putin's goals is seen complicating future diplomatic plans to wind down the war in Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 27, 2025
Following NATO summit, Trump and Europe still at odds over Putin's ambitions
The NATO summit highlighted the widening gap between how the U.S. and Europe see the military ambitions of Russia, the bloc's main foil.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague on Wednesday. He expressed anger and threatened to sue over media reports claiming the U.S. strike on Iran delayed its nuclear program by only a few months.
EDITORIALS
Jun 27, 2025
Airstrikes won’t end Iran’s nuclear ambitions — diplomacy might
The consensus of the U.S. intelligence community earlier this year was that Iran was up to three years away from being able to deliver a nuclear weapon to a target of its choosing.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and his counterparts pose for a group photo before the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defense Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao, Shandong province in China on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 26, 2025
China hosts Iran and Russia's defense ministers amid 'momentous change'
The Qingdao meeting of the SCO's top defense officials comes as a fledgling ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds after 12 days of fighting between the arch-foes.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2025
NATO spending deal creates new standard — for Indo-Pacific allies
NATO members agreed on a spending target of 5% of GDP by 2035, enabling the U.S. to shift its focus to the region as it zeros in on containing China.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a news conference during the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2025
NATO's Trump flattery buys time but dodges tough questions
Sooner or later, NATO will have to deal with tough topics of vital importance to it, such as the war in Ukraine, Russia strategy and a likely drawdown of U.S. troops in Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sideline of the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2025
Trump considers more Patriots for Ukraine, saying Putin 'has to end' the war
The U.S. president added that Russian President Vladimir Putin "really has to end that war."
University of Tokyo lands its highest spot ever in global higher education ranking
The University of Tokyo in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
After ruling bloc breakup, CDP and Komeito eye unified PM candidate
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to reporters at the Diet in Tokyo on Friday.
As the Osaka Expo comes to a close, what will its legacy be?
After a run-up marked by apathy, organizers soon found they had the opposite problem as crowd control became a concern.
Why Japan's coalition collapsed — and what's next
Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi enters party headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
‘Takaichi trade’ starts unwinding as political calculus upended by Komeito exit
Less than a week ago, Sanae Takaichi seemed set to become Japan's first female prime minister.
‘Save the Ring’ calls intensify as Osaka Expo’s end nears
Visitors lounge on the grassy hill on the top of the Grand Ring during the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka in May.
A Japanese comedian walks into an Aussie bar … and stays there
Takashi “Waka” Wakasugi stopped by the Tokyo Comedy Bar in Shibuya Ward last month following his stint at Edinburgh Festival Fringe performing his show “Comedy Samurai.”
Chemistry Nobel winner Kitagawa says downtime helped him think up new material
Susumu Kitagawa speaks to reporters at Kyoto University on Wednesday after receiving the news that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry the same day.

Podcast

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

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building
By Patrick St. Michel

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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