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May 01, 2026
 

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Alastair Gale
A soldier from Ukraine¡¯s Taifun unmanned aerial vehicle unit holds a new model Marsianin attack drone on April 7 in Kharkiv region, Ukraine.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 29, 2026
Japan¡¯s Terra Drone expands investment in Ukraine drone sector
The Tokyo-based company looks to bring battlefield-tested technology back to Japan to tap into a multibillion-dollar defense budget for unmanned systems.
The USS Thomas Hudner fires a Tomahawk land attack missile in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2026
Japan¡¯s order for Tomahawk missiles delayed by U.S. use in Iran
Tomahawk missiles are a centerpiece of Tokyo's new strategy of equipping itself with long-range strike capabilities to deal with challenges from China and North Korea.
An F-35C Lightning II is staged for flight operations on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in support of Operation Epic Fury, on March 2.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 13, 2026
U.S. allies near China on edge as weapons shift from Asia to Iran
Even if fighting wraps up soon, there is concern that depleted stockpiles of munitions could take years to replace, leaving Taiwan and other places vulnerable.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers questions during a Lower House Budget Committee meeting on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 12, 2026
Japan not planning to send minesweepers to Middle East, Takaichi says
The prime minister said that while details about the use of sea mines are unclear, Japan wouldn¡¯t be able to get involved in mine clearance as long as the conflict continues.
Xian H-6N jet bombers fly in a formation past a Chinese national flag during a flyover rehearsal ahead of a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing on Aug. 24, 2025.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 12, 2026
China sends more warplanes toward Taiwan after mystery lull
Five PLA aircraft were detected in Taiwan¡¯s air defense identification zone, and three crossed the strait¡¯s median line, an unofficial boundary between Taiwan and China.
U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby exchanged views on the regional security environment with Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 29, 2026
Top U.S. and Japan officials discuss reinforcing military alliance
U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby exchanged views on the regional security environment with Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi.
An activist shouts slogans as she holds an anti-Trump sign during a protest near the U.S. Embassy, opposing U.S. military actions in Venezuela capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in Manila, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 17, 2026
U.S. faces skepticism over deterring China as Trump eyes Greenland
Government and defense industry leaders have expressed unease at Trump¡¯s challenge to fellow NATO member Denmark over control of Greenland.
Military radar towers on Yonaguni, the westernmost inhabited island of Japan.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2025
Japan builds up ¡®missile archipelago¡¯ near Taiwan to counter China
As tensions between China and Japan rise, the sparsely populated island of Yonaguni finds itself right on the front lines.
Japan still trails the U.S. and Europe in cyber defense, and broad improvements across the corporate sector are needed, National Cyber Director Yoichi Iida said in an interview on the sidelines of a cybersecurity conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2025
Japan¡¯s cyber chief warns nation still behind on cybersecurity
Cybersecurity has been highlighted as one of the priority investment areas under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s administration, amid a string of recent breaches.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to reporters after inspecting the Ground Self-Defense Force garrison on Yonaguni Island, Okinawa Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2025
Japan on track to deploy missiles to island near Taiwan, Koizumi says
Japan is planning to station medium-range surface-to-air missiles on Yonaguni, about 110 kilometers east of Taiwan, as part of a broader military build-up.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass as he walks from Marine One to board Air Force One to depart Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Oct. 29.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2025
The U.S. has Japan¡¯s back in any dispute with China, Glass says
The U.S. ambassador has taken to social media several times since the dispute erupted to criticize China and Chinese officials.
U.S. President Donald Trump raises his fist as he boards Air Force One before traveling to South Korea, from Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 2, 2025
Trump plays nice with Asian allies stung by repeated threats
While allies in Asia have ample reason to be wary of U.S. President Donald Trump, the message from his regional tour appeared to be that America isn't going anywhere.
Takumi Yamaguchi (right), head of startup AirKamuy, and a colleague retrieve a drone made of cardboard after a test flight in a field near Nagoya.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 7, 2025
Startups lead charge as Japan warms to defense and dual-use technologies
Opinion polls show public support growing for a stronger defense, and the new leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Sanae Takaichi, has called for more military spending.
Japan said on Tuesday that it had lodged a protest with China after observing a new structure in a natural gas field in the East China Sea.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2025
Japan protests new Chinese construction in East China Sea
In the latest development, Japan said on Tuesday it lodged a protest with China after observing a new structure in a natural gas field in the East China Sea.
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.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives at Calgary International Airport in Canada on Sunday for a Group of Seven leaders' summit.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2025
Polls show support for Ishiba recovering ahead of election
A survey conducted over the weekend by Kyodo News showed the approval rating for Ishiba¡¯s Cabinet at 37.0%.
U.S. Steel Edgar Thompson Works in Pennsylvania
BUSINESS / Economy
May 29, 2025
Trump¡¯s Nippon Steel bid support boosts Japan¡¯s trade talk hopes
The apparent breakthrough raises the possibility that Japan could get some new traction in its bid to get tariffs on autos and other exports removed.
Public opinion polls published over the weekend show that support for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet is weakening.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2025
Ishiba¡¯s support falls, but likely no ouster before July election
Polls published over the weekend showed support for Ishiba¡¯s Cabinet ranging from 22% to 31%.
U.S. President Donald Trump makes a trade announcement as U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick (second from left), U.S. Vice President JD Vance (third from left), British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson (third from right), U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (second from right) and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins (right) look on in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
May 10, 2025
Trump¡¯s first trade pact offers faint glimpse of art of the deal
For global leaders puzzling over how to negotiate with Donald Trump, the U.S. president¡¯s inaugural pact with the U.K. offers a few clues on how much ground he¡¯s prepared to give.
As Japan gears up for the trade talks, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is also seeking to cushion the blow that the U.S. tariffs may have on the domestic economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 26, 2025
Japan to resist Trump efforts to form trade bloc against China
Any demands from Washington on Tokyo to downgrade its economic relationship with China would potentially deal Japan a major economic blow.
New Zealand officials reject statue remembering 91²Ö¿â comfort women
A statue symbolizing former South Korean comfort women in Seoul
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ¡®kill web¡¯ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
Japan considers making language programs a factor in residency screenings
The government is considering creating a Japanese language program for foreign people that would be a factor in residency screenings.
Yen soars as Japan intervenes after issuing 'final' warning
Pedestrians walk past a stock quotation board showing the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen, outside a brokerage in Tokyo on Thursday.
'RikuRyu' signs off in emotional farewell
Figure skating pair Riku Miura (left) and Ryuichi Kihara pose for photos at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday. The pair have announced their retirement from competitive skating.
Tennis trailblazer Kei Nishikori announces his retirement
Kei Nishikori, who has won 12 titles on the ATP Tour and climbed as high as No. 4 in the world rankings, on Thursday announced his retirement.
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ¡®kill web¡¯ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
The Japanese dietitian who keeps the Blue Jays¡¯ engines running
Sports dietitian Yuka Sanui works behind the scenes to ensure Blue Jays players get the most out of their bodies when they step on the field.
The American chef reconnecting with Japan through a Kyoto restaurant
SoNoMa chef partner Kyle Connaughton (right) and chef de cuisine Keita Tominaga both have ties to Sonoma County in Northern California, the restaurant¡¯s namesake. Connaughton rose to prominence there with SingleThread, while Tominaga¡¯s father ran a Japanese restaurant in the region.
Inkonbini: Slice-of-life, cozy gaming from Japan¡¯s convenience stores
Alongside the simplified management of a convenience store, Inkonbini asks players to help a small cast of regular shoppers with not only their shopping but problems in their personal lives.

Podcast

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

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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