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August 29, 2025
 

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DEFENSE

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 23, 2025
Japan denies U.S. directly asked it to hike defense spending to 5% of GDP
Tokyo’s top government spokesman also said it was untrue that Japan had postponed a key bilateral security meeting over the issue.
Malaysian military personnel take part in a seven-day training program in Japan focused on the operation and maintenance of drones, which are set to be provided to Malaysia through Japan's official security assistance program.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2025
Japan aims to double number of military aid recipients this year
Tokyo is looking to add five new countries to its official security assistance (OSA) program, which is intended to help maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
A U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bomber is flanked by four F-22 fighter jets during a flyover of military aircraft down the Hudson River and New York Harbor past New York City in July 2020.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 23, 2025
Decoy stealth bombers and Tomahawk missiles: How the U.S. hit Iran
As one group of U.S. B-2 bombers flew west across the Pacific Ocean, more B-2s flew east — literally under the radar — to attack Iranian nuclear sites.
A B-2 stealth bomber flies over the Washington Monument at the National Mall, during Independence Day celebrations in Washington on July 4, 2020.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jun 22, 2025
U.S. B-2 bombers and 'bunker-busters' used in Iran strike
The U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bombers were involved in strikes on Iran's nuclear sites on Saturday.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles looks on during a ceremonial reception in New Delhi on June 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 22, 2025
Australia says it will base defense spending on country’s needs
Defense Minister Richard Marles will join NATO leaders for meetings in the coming week at the Hague, where he said a conversation on the issue is expected.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo on March 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 21, 2025
Japan scraps ‘two-plus-two’ meeting with U.S. over defense spending demand, report says
The talks’ cancellation reportedly came after the U.S. asked Japan to hike its defense budget to 3.5% of gross domestic product.
A model of a next-generation fighter jet that is being developed by Japan, Italy and the U.K. is displayed at the DSEI Japan defense exhibition in Chiba in May.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025
GCAP industry partners launch joint venture for trilateral fighter project
Named Edgewing, the new firm will be responsible for the fighter’s design and development and will remain the design authority for the life of the product.
A helicopter takes off from China's Shandong aircraft carrier in waters south of Okinawa Prefecture in April 2023.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025
Chinese aircraft carriers conducted over 1,000 sorties during Pacific training
Japan says the takeoffs and landings highlight the Chinese Navy’s growing ability to operate in distant seas and airspace.
The HMS Spey, a patrol vessel for Britain's Royal Navy, conducted a routine navigation through the Taiwan Strait that was part of a long-planned deployment and took place in full compliance with international law, the Royal Navy said.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 20, 2025
China calls British warship's Taiwan Strait transit an attempt to 'cause trouble'
Britain's Royal Navy said the patrol vessel conducted a routine navigation through the narrow waterway that was in full compliance with international law.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani attend the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 31.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025
Pentagon says Japan must meet ‘global standard’ and spend 5% of GDP on defense
Both allies had been mum on whether the U.S. would press Japan specifically to hit the 5% target amid political sensitivities over the issue.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez addresses the media in Madrid on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 20, 2025
Spain risks derailing NATO summit by resisting 5% defense spending goal
At an estimated 1.28% of GDP, Spain had the lowest proportion of expenditure on defense in the alliance last year, according to NATO estimates.
Protesters from the Socialista National Confederation of Labor, angered by China's actions in the South China Sea, hold a rally outside the Chinese Consulate in Makati City, Metro Manila, in June 2015.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2025
Beijing's peace message on South China Sea contradicts its actions
The four principles articulated in a recent Chinese paper are propaganda and concocted realities of communist thinking.
South Korea's F-15K fighters were involved in a joint aerial exercise with Japanese and U.S. fighters off South Korea's Jeju island Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2025
Japan, U.S. and South Korea conduct joint aerial drill
It was the first three-way joint training since the administration of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung was inaugurated on June 4.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s support for Israel’s attack on Iran has sparked outrage among MAGA loyalists who see it as a betrayal of his anti-war promises.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2025
Trump's MAGA coalition won't survive a bunker-buster in Iran
As the U.S. president weighs whether to join Israel’s war against Iran, a rift cleaves his own base, not to mention the world.
A U.S. military plane takes off at the Kadena U.S. Air Force Base in Okinawa Prefecture in August 2023.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2025
Okinawa marks 80 years since 'Typhoon of Steel,' with U.S. presence still a burden
On June 23, Japan’s southernmost prefecture commemorates the end of the Battle of Okinawa, among the bloodiest ground battles of World War II.
A Ukrainian tank fitted with protective netting — known as “cage armor” — highlights how the war has favored fast, low-tech adaptations over expensive hardware.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2025
High-tech weapons alone won’t win the wars of tomorrow
To prevail in future conflicts, Western countries must maintain financial flexibility and combine advanced systems with scalable low-tech solutions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with representatives of international news agencies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 19, 2025
Putin says NATO rearmament not a 'threat' to Russia
NATO will hold a crucial summit in The Hague next week to discuss increasing defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product.
In a recorded speech played on television Wednesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for unconditional surrender, saying Americans "should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage."
WORLD / Politics
Jun 18, 2025
Iran supreme leader rejects Trump's call for surrender as thousands flee Tehran
U.S. President Donald Trump has veered from proposing a swift diplomatic end to the Israel-Iran war to suggesting the United States might join it.
A J-15 fighter jet from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong makes an unusual approach to a Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C patrol aircraft that was conducting surveillance above the Pacific Ocean on June 8.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2025
In rare move, Japan releases map showing Chinese aircraft carrier activities
The decision to release the map comes as concerns grow over Beijing’s apparent efforts to alter the status quo in the region.
The AUKUS submarine deal was flawed from the start, and its possible collapse offers Australia a chance to rethink its defense strategy, reclaim sovereignty and pursue more practical, cost-effective alternatives.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 18, 2025
Cross your fingers, Australia, and hope the AUKUS deal collapses
Some analysts assume that the U.S. Defense Department review is just another Trumpian extortion exercise designed to extract an even bigger financial commitment from Australia.
Philippine bid to acquire used Japanese warships gains steam
Tokyo is looking to transfer Abukuma-class vessels to the Philippines as part of broader efforts to boost the defense capabilities of like-minded neighbors amid growing Chinese military assertiveness in the region.
Koshien’s dark summer forces reckoning for high school baseball
Koryo High School players greet their cheering section after beating Hokkaido’s Asahikawa Shiho in the first round of Summer Koshien on Aug. 7. The school withdrew three days later as a bullying scandal enveloped the team.
Akazawa's trip to Washington for tariff talks abruptly canceled
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, had been set to fly to Washington on Thursday.
Confusion over Japan’s ‘hometown’ plan overshadows African development event
First Lady Yoshiko Ishiba (center, in white and blue dress) hosts an event on Japanese culture with the first ladies of African leaders on the sidelines of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama on Aug. 21.
Mitsubishi’s wind-power retreat a blow to Japan's alternative-energy goals
Wind turbines in the town of Happo in Akita prefecture. Wind power is a key part of Japan's alternative energy drive.
Koshien’s dark summer forces reckoning for high school baseball
Koryo High School players greet their cheering section after beating Hokkaido’s Asahikawa Shiho in the first round of Summer Koshien on Aug. 7. The school withdrew three days later as a bullying scandal enveloped the team.
Is Kishida plotting a return of the king? Or would he rather stay a kingmaker?
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida chairs a plenary session at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama on Aug. 21.
Japanese prefectures break with labor ministry on minimum wage
The ministry of labor has suggested a 6% minimum wage increase, but most prefectures reporting so far are opting to go slightly higher.
Philippines quietly deepening ‘unofficial’ defense ties with Taiwan
Filipino soldiers take part in a flag-raising ceremony on Mavulis Island during a visit by the Philippines' Armed Forces chief of staff, in Batanes, the Philippines, in June 2023. Batanes, a group of idyllic islands at the country’s northernmost tip, sits about 160 kilometers from Taiwan.
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

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