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May 31, 2026
 

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Brad Glosserman

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Brad Glosserman
Then-U.S. Vice President Mike Pence inspects a Self-Defense Force Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile interceptor in Tokyo in February 2018. U.S. production bottlenecks are now slowing weapons deliveries and complicating Japan¡¯s efforts to modernize its defense capabilities.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 28, 2026
Indo-Pacific deterrence rests on allied industrial coordination
The decline of the U.S. defense industrial base is not a new story, but it has assumed new urgency with the Iran war.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping greets U.S. President Donald Trump during an event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2026
China¡¯s messaging is as important as its policy
That gap between public understanding of what China is doing and why and the reality of Beijing's policy speaks to a broader failure that deserves more attention.
Philippine soldiers pose for a picture in front of a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Type 88 surface-to-ship missile launcher and other equipment during the annual Balikatan joint military exercises in Paoay, Ilocos Norte province, Philippines, on May 6.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 12, 2026
The Philippines emerges as an Indo-Pacific security pivot
The rise of China refocused attention on the sprawling archipelago, given the country's critical location straddling Southeast Asian sea lanes.
China's Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang speaks about the Belt and Road initiative on the sidelines of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing that September.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 7, 2026
Into Africa: China continues its dominance on the continent
Tokyo must step up those efforts and work with other partners to ensure that African countries have geopolitical choices.
A Walker S2 humanoid robot demonstrates its skills at the UBTech Robotics headquarters in Shenzhen, China, on April 16.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 30, 2026
U.S. adopts China¡¯s playbook on tech and security
U.S. thinking is only catching up with that of China, which has long considered technology essential to the country's sovereignty and survival.
Anthropic's Mythos, a powerful new AI model, signals a turning point in cybersecurity, where advanced AI tools may democratize powerful hacking capabilities faster than governments and companies can respond.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 23, 2026
New AI tool reshapes the cybersecurity landscape
There appears to be consensus that Mythos represents a "step change" in capability and is a taste of the new digital world that we now inhabit.
Smoke rises from the Thai-registered bulk carrier Mayuree Naree near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after it was attacked.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 15, 2026
Gulf oil crisis reveals shortcomings in government readiness
After just two weeks, the International Energy Agency concluded that the Iran war had created the "largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.
A Trident II D5 missile is test-launched from the Ohio-class U.S. ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska off the coast of California in March 2018.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 9, 2026
How soon would ¡®friendly¡¯ proliferation become unfriendly?
If the U.S. wouldn't mind if some allies, like Japan or South Korea, make the nuclear leap, then why shouldn't others?
Famed British author Len Deighton, who died last week at 97, revolutionized spy fiction with his unnamed, working-class anti-heroes whose cynical realism and bureaucratic worlds offered a sharp contrast to glamorous spies, leaving a lasting mark on the genre.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2026
Six decades ago, Len Deighton created a man for our times
Unlike Ian Fleming and John le Carre, creators of James Bond and George Smiley, respectively, Deighton never worked for the British intelligence service.
The private rocket company LandSpace's factory in Huzhou, China, on Dec. 17. China¡¯s Military-Civil Fusion strategy integrates civilian and military capabilities, including space technologies.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2026
Take the China technology challenge seriously
China seeks to engage the rest of the world "to raise and strengthen its position within global technology ecosystems and markets."
Rapid military modernization, expanding nuclear arsenals and shifting alliances in Asia are complicating deterrence strategy, underscoring the need for deeper cooperation among the U.S., Japan and their partners.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2026
Amid a regional transformation, deterrence remains ¡®simple¡¯
Despite all the changes, the most basic factor remains the same. Force modernization is ultimately intended to ensure that nations can defend themselves from external threats.
The U.S. attacks on Iran contradict Washington¡¯s stated strategic priorities, risk draining resources from the Indo-Pacific focus on China and expose the persistent dilemma of Middle East entanglements.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2026
The Middle East ensnares another U.S. president
Trump¡¯s attack on Iran undermines the credibility of objections to Chinese aggression.
A woman collects Orthodox icons from a church destroyed in a Russian missile strike in the village of Komyshuvakha, in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, in April 2023. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is entering its fifth year.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 26, 2026
Lessons from four long years of war in Ukraine
If the intelligence services got the invasion right, they got the war wrong. They badly misjudged Russia¡¯s ability to fight and Ukraine¡¯s determination to resist.
A carnival float depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is displayed at the annual Rosenmontag carnival parade in Duesseldorf, Germany, on Monday. The display comes at a time of growing European unease over Washington¡¯s shifting alliances and values.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2026
American allies ask, without shared values, why not China?
Europeans aren¡¯t convinced. When they assess the transatlantic partnership that guided the world after World War II ¡ª a group often referred to as ¡°the West¡± ¡ª they are dismayed.
The Jeffrey Epstein scandal endures because it reinforces public belief that wealthy elites operate with impunity through powerful global networks that shield them from consequences.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2026
Epstein saga confirms fears of a class above the law
The word ¡®impunity¡¯ is the key to understanding the power of this sickening sex-trafficking scandal.
DF-41 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles are paraded in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in October 2019. Some analysts and even lawmakers are urging Japan and other countries to consider developing their own nuclear weapons.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 5, 2026
The unthinkable is on the list of Japanese security options
In the 2016 campaign, then-candidate Trump suggested that both Japan and South Korea should consider the acquisition of nuclear weapons to counter the North Korean threat.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 20. He was widely lauded for a speech in which he bluntly warned of a rupture in the global order and urged middle powers to act collectively.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 28, 2026
The age of ¡®middle powers,¡¯ hegemons and hypocrites
The future of global liberalism is dependent upon those countries that have sheltered under the U.S. security umbrella.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House on the one-year mark into his second term in office on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2026
R-E-S-P-E-C-T šC What does it mean to Trump?
Europe¡¯s animus is easy to understand and it¡¯s likely to harden as Trump threatens NATO solidarity ¡ª if not its existence ¡ª with his insistence on taking control of Greenland.
China¡¯s export restrictions on dual-use items to Japan illustrate how trade controls can be used as a coercive tool, putting dependent countries at risk.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 18, 2026
China proves skeptics right about export controls
The argument of the developing world, that trade controls are tools to suppress economic opportunity, has been legitimated in recent months.
Supporters of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro hold a protest on Monday in Buenos Aires following the U.S. attack on Venezuela that led to his capture days earlier.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2026
When trying to understand Venezuela, all answers are unsatisfying
The first question is, why did U.S. President Donald Trump take action against Venezuela?
Japan¡¯s 2025 census reflects steepest fall in population on record, data shows
Japan's population saw the largest decline on record in 2025, but Tokyo continued to mark a rise in the number of residents.
Sony takes final bow as standalone TV maker with new Bravia sets
The newest Sony Bravia TVs are likely the brand's final high-end television sets before its TV and home theater business merges with TCL next year.
Japan enacts bill to drastically raise visa-related fees
Haneda Airport in April 2025. An immigration bill enacted Friday includes plans to introduce an electronic travel authorization system by March 2029.
Deeply entrenched gender roles a key factor in Japan¡¯s low birthrate
Hiroya Masuda (center), head of the Forum for the Future We Choose, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in March.
Japan national volleyball player arrested over suspected cannabis possession
Executives of the Japan Volleyball Association bow in apology during a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday following the arrest of Shunichiro Sato, a member of the national volleyball team, on suspicion of cannabis possession.
Japan enacts bill to drastically raise visa-related fees
Haneda Airport in April 2025. An immigration bill enacted Friday includes plans to introduce an electronic travel authorization system by March 2029.
Meet the Japanese mayor seeking to normalize maternity leave in public office
Yawata Mayor Shoko Kawata recently announced that she will take maternity leave, making her the first sitting mayor in Japan to do so.
Labor shortage fuels ramp-up of humanoid robot development
A humanoid robot is displayed at the Humanoids Summit in Tokyo on Thursday.
Kore-eda¡¯s sci-fi film ¡®Sheep in the Box¡¯ fuzzy at edges
Bereaved parents Kensuke (the mononymous Daigo, right) and Otone (Haruka Ayase, left) have their late son resurrected as a humanoid robot in Hirokazu Kore-eda¡¯s ¡°Sheep in the Box.¡±
Built for speed: Inside Japan¡¯s child protection system
The Children and Families Agency says language should not be a barrier to calling the 189 hotline.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Community programs and tracking systems are expanding across Japan as local governments search for ways to prevent dementia-related disappearances.
He told his wife he was ¡®coming home.¡¯ Then he disappeared.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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