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August 12, 2026
 

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Alastair Gale
A Tomahawk cruise missile live-fire test conducted aboard the Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Chokai in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2026
Japan conducts first test launch of ship-based cruise missile
The missile was launched from the destroyer JS Chokai in the Pacific Ocean, according to the Defense Ministry.
In an interview at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Wednesday, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Japan would take a transparent approach to investing in new methods of warfare like drones and artificial intelligence.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 18, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ defense chief challenges China¡¯s military spending data
Drawing a contrast with China, Koizumi has said that Japan would take a transparent approach to investing in new methods of warfare like drones and artificial intelligence.
U.S. troops take part in a counter-landing live fire exercise as part of the annual Balikatan joint military drills in the Philippines on May 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 28, 2026
As Europe weighs less reliance on U.S. military, Asia doubles down
Tokyo, Seoul, Canberra and other capitals in the region believe U.S. military power is critical to counter the challenges from China and North Korea.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's stealth frigate JS Mogami. Japan is trying to sell its Mogami-class warships to New Zealand.
JAPAN / Politics
May 12, 2026
Japan faces U.K. rival in race to build warships for New Zealand
A deal with New Zealand would build on an agreement Tokyo recently signed with Canberra to build the first three of 11 Mogami-class ships planned for Australia.
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
Â鶹´«Ã½ 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
Â鶹´«Ã½ 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
Â鶹´«Ã½ 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 Â鶹´«Ã½ 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%.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Strong wind and heavy rain forecast as tropical storm approaches Japan
Tropical Storm Chan-hom is expected to make landfall in northern Kanto between late Tuesday and early Wednesday.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

Podcast

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

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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