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July 19, 2025
 

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NORTH KOREA

Members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces stand in formation during a review at Camp Asaka in October 2018. The government’s latest Defense White Paper warns of growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea.
EDITORIALS
Jul 18, 2025
Japan must be ready for an increasingly dangerous world
If there is a complaint to be issued against this year’s Defense White Paper, it is its reluctance to fully address the impact of Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency.
The United Nations Command-Rear, which operates from Yokota Air Base, plays a critical role in maintaining peace and stability in Asia.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 17, 2025
Little-known U.N. Command bases in Japan play a critical security role in Asia
The United Nations Command-Rear is a small multinational team that works quietly to ensure peace and stability in the region.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting in Wonsan, North Korea, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 14, 2025
Ukraine denies North Korea planning to send 30,000 more troops to Russia
Kyiv's military intelligence agency said Pyongyang will instead send 6,000 personnel for reconstruction operations in batches of 1,500 to 3,000 personnel this month and next.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s regime is supplying up to 40% of Russia’s ammunition, along with other military equipment, for Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, according to Ukraine's intelligence service.
WORLD
Jul 13, 2025
Ukraine spy chief says 40% of Russian ammunition is North Korean
Kim Jong Un’s regime is also sending other weapons to Russia, including ballistic missiles and artillery systems.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (L) greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) in Wonsan, North Korea, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 13, 2025
Kim offers Russia full support on Ukraine in Lavrov talks, North Korea media says
Lavrov's visit to North Korea was the latest in a series of high-profile trips by top Moscow officials.
The Demilitarized Zone — the border area separating the two Koreas — is one of the most heavily mined places on earth.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 4, 2025
North Korean man detained after crossing land border, Seoul says
Defections across the land border are relatively rare, as the area is densely forested, heavily mined and monitored by soldiers on both sides.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech during a news conference to mark his first 30 days in office at the Blue House in Seoul on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 3, 2025
South Korea's Lee pledges 'bold' economic policy after martial law crisis
The South Korean president says his top priority is to improve the lives of the people, whose faith in government had been greatly shaken by "a national crisis."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends tactical training by military special forces and a firing drill by tank units at an unknown location in North Korea on May 13.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2025
Russia could soon get up to 30,000 more North Korean troops, reports say
The addition would almost triple the total number of North Korean soldiers directly fighting alongside Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (left), Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (second from left), Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (second from right) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand together at the start of a meeting of "the Quad" at the U.S. State Department in Washington on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2025
‘Quad’ nations announce critical minerals initiative amid China concerns
A joint statement was carefully crafted not to directly mention China, but the four Indo-Pacific countries made clear a goal of reducing dependence on Beijing.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (left) and his daughter Kim Ju Ae (front right) visiting the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area in Kangwon Province, North Korea, on June 24.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 2, 2025
North Korea opens massive beach resort, state media reports
The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area can accommodate nearly 20,000 people, according to Pyongyang.
This screen shot from Korean Central Television taken Friday shows a screen displaying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looking at coffins during a performance attended by Kim and Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova in Pyongyang.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 1, 2025
North Korea's Kim shown honoring troops killed in Russia-Ukraine war
Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, according to South Korea's spy agency.
A banner calling for the resolution of the issue of abductions by North Korea is displayed near the Diet building in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on June 10.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2025
Families of Japanese abductees race against time
Negotiations between Japan and North Korea have remained at a standstill since October 2002, when five victims were repatriated.
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.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on the sidelines of the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Kananaskis in Alberta, Canada, on June 17.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 27, 2025
Japan-North Korea engagement possible with Lee in power
South Korea’s new president opens a window for Japan to rethink its stalled North Korea diplomacy with a more strategic approach.
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.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects nuclear warheads at an undisclosed location. Events in Iran are likely to reinforce Pyongyang's belief that nuclear weapons ensure regime survival, with Pakistan and Libya providing lessons on how to get them and why giving them up can be fatal.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2025
Kim Jong Un’s nuclear lessons should trouble the rest of us
Operation Rising Lion has reaffirmed the belief that nuclear weapons are essential to protect a nation from attack.
People pray during a visit to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Aug. 15, the 79th anniversary of Japan's surrender during World War II.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 20, 2025
Why only Japan is criticized for honoring its war dead
Other countries honor the ultimate sacrifice regardless of whether the war was just, later judged a mistake or involved actions that could be seen as war crimes.
A visitor looks into North Korea from South Korea's Odusan Unification Observatory in Paju on June 12.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jun 20, 2025
Rights abuses continue in North Korea a decade after probe, says U.N.
A U.N official said he is still surprised by the continued prevalence of executions, forced labour and reports of starvation in the authoritarian country.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attend a state reception in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024.
WORLD
Jun 19, 2025
Russian ties do little for Iran while boosting North Korea
Iran has little to show for its relationship with Moscow as it continues to be pummeled by waves of Israeli attacks.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right) meets with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu (left) at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 18, 2025
North Korea to send thousands of troops to Russia to help rebuild Kursk
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu announced the move following two meetings in as many weeks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Living conditions index hits lowest level in 15 years in Japan
The share of respondents to a Bank of Japan quarterly survey in June who said they have become worse off came to 61.0%, up 5.1 percentage points from the previous survey.
Tokyo emerges as a top market for global tech talent
Tokyo ranks among the world's top tech talent hubs alongside Beijing, the San Francisco Bay Area, Bengaluru, Paris, New York and Dublin, according to Colliers' newly released global tech markets report.
From stalking to death threats, female candidates still face harassment
Mayu Ushida, a former NHK newscaster running for election in the Tokyo electoral district on the Democratic Party for the People ticket, signs an autograph for a voter after a public rally at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo on Tuesday.
CDP leader criticizes ‘Japanese First’ policy and calls for inclusive society
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda said it is obvious that Japanese society could not function without the help of foreign workers in manufacturing, health care, construction and public transportation.
JSA’s 100th anniversary event is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for sumo fans
Egyptian wrestler Osunaarashi has some fun with children during a special Japan Sumo Association event in 2017.
Japan's rice farmers are confounded by Shinjiro Koizumi’s policies
Kiyoshi Shibata stands in front of one of the rice paddies in Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, where he produces the prefecture's signature rice brand Tsuyahime.
From stalking to death threats, female candidates still face harassment
Mayu Ushida, a former NHK newscaster running for election in the Tokyo electoral district on the Democratic Party for the People ticket, signs an autograph for a voter after a public rally at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Kawaii Lab redefines idol pop for the TikTok generation
Misa Kimura is the main producer for Kawaii Lab, a project by entertainment agency Asobisystem whose groups have found success by pairing a social media-first strategy with a fresh perspective on traditional idol-pop tropes.
Craig Mod's life in motion in a disappearing Japan
Mod's memoir “Things Become Other Things” chronicles his walking trips across the Kii Peninsula, surveying “a graceful end to a certain life cycle.”
With China and Trump, Japan defense report says world entering ‘new era of crisis’
A senior member of a Self-Defense Forces honor guard inspects a formation before the arrival of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for a visit to the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on June 30.

Podcast

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

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa

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