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June 30, 2026
 

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Jesse Johnson
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Yurii Lutovinov speaks during an interview at the Ukrainian Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 20, 2026
Ukraine ready to share combat expertise and drone tech with Japan, ambassador says
Discussions on defense cooperation are already underway, with a focus on how Kyiv’s experience could inform Tokyo’s own efforts to develop its capabilities.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 20, 2026
At summit, Takaichi avoids rift with Trump on Iran — for now
While Japan managed to dodge direct U.S. criticism, experts say the meeting’s success should not be overstated.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 20, 2026
Trump compares Iran strikes with Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Asked by a Japanese reporter why the U.S. had attacked Iran without consulting with allies, the U.S. leader appeared to respond with what he thought would be a light-hearted joke.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi departs from Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Wednesday ahead of her summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 19, 2026
Japan rejects U.S. report calling PM’s remarks over Taiwan ‘a significant shift’
The U.S. spy community’s assessment of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Japan’s military intervention in a crisis over the island was at odds with Tokyo’s view.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi heads to attend a Lower House Budget Committee meeting at parliament in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2026
Takaichi vows to tell Trump what Japan ‘can and cannot do’ in Middle East
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was set for a summit in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump later this week that will be a test of her mettle amid the war in Iran.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers questions at an Upper House Budget Committee meeting in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 17, 2026
Takaichi weighs options as Trump pressures Japan on Hormuz
One option for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi could be to formally endorse a coalition of like-minded nations aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation in the strait.
U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier at the naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Oct. 28.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 17, 2026
Iran war to dominate Takaichi’s meeting with Trump this week
The prime minister’s plans to deepen ties with the U.S. and win commitments to the alliance have been derailed by the chaos unleashed by the conflict in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during an Upper House Budget Committee meeting on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 16, 2026
Takaichi says no current plan to deploy SDF for Hormuz escort mission
The prime minister said such an operation would be legally “very difficult,” adding that Japan had not been asked to join a coalition to help secure vessels in the waterway.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during the National Defense Academy's graduation ceremony in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 15, 2026
Trump’s call for Japan to send warships to Strait of Hormuz heaps pressure on Takaichi
The U.S. president’s push for a “team effort” to reopen key waterway comes less than a week before Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is due in Washington for a summit with Trump.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae observe a cruise missile test launch at an unknown location in North Korea on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 14, 2026
North Korea fires off barrage of around 10 ballistic missiles, Seoul says
The weapons traveled about 340 kilometers before landing outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan.
A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, lands aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli in the Philippine Sea on Feb. 12.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2026
U.S. sending more than 2,200 Okinawa-based marines to Middle East, reports say
The U.S. military deployment to the region comes as Iran ramps up attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for oil shipping.
The Chinese Navy's nuclear-powered Type 094A Jin-class ballistic missile submarine sails during a military display in the South China Sea in April 2018.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Mar 11, 2026
China is eyeing an all-nuclear submarine fleet. Will Japan follow suit?
Tokyo must confront an array of hurdles to such a move, with personnel issues and potential redundancies standing in the way.
Launchers and other equipment related to Japan's domestically made Type-12 surface-to-ship extended-range missiles arrive at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Kengun in the city of Kumamoto early Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2026
In first, Japan to deploy homegrown long-range missiles on March 31
The deployment, which the Defense Ministry moved forward by one year, comes as the Chinese military ramps up its training around Japan’s far-flung islands near Taiwan.
Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai holds a booklet on tariffs as he speaks at a news conference about a U.S.-Taiwan trade deal in Taipei on Jan. 20.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 7, 2026
Taiwan’s premier makes rare visit to Japan for WBC
The visit by Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai was the first known planned trip to Japan by a sitting premier from the island since the two sides severed diplomatic ties in 1972.
Taiwanese Air Force ground crew scramble toward an F-16 fighter jet during an annual military exercise ahead of Lunar New Year in Chiayi, Taiwan, on Jan. 27.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 7, 2026
China military flights near Taiwan resume after mysterious seven-day absence
The stretch was part of a broader trend this year that has seen far fewer flights compared with the same time period in 2025.
Ground Self-Defense Force troops take part in an annual New Year's military drill at Narashino exercise field in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, on Jan. 11.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 5, 2026
Pentagon No. 3 says Japan knows about need to hike defense budgets ‘better than anybody’
The remarks, just over two weeks before Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, hint that a spending hike will likely be discussed.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers questions at a Lower House Budget Committee meeting on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 3, 2026
Takaichi to discuss Iran with Trump at summit in U.S. this month
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she can’t give a legal assessment of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran “at this stage,” as questions about their lawfulness grow.
Smoke rises after coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in Tehran on Sunday, as joint military operations hit targets in the capital.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 2, 2026
Trump’s Iran attacks put Japan in tough spot as it emphasizes rules-based order
Japan is seeking to balance its strong support for the rule of law with its need to maintain its robust alliance with the U.S.
Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones are positioned on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command operating area in November.
WORLD
Mar 1, 2026
U.S. military uses ‘one-way attack drones’ in combat for first time in Iran strikes
The employment of the single-use LUCAS drones was likely being closely watched by both Japan and China.
A Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C patrol plane (back) flies next to a Philippine military aircraft near the Bashi Channel during joint military exercises on Tuesday in this image posted to X.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2026
Japan joins U.S. and Philippines for military exercises in waters near Taiwan
The naval and aerial exercises were conducted near the Bashi Channel, a crucial waterway between the Philippines and Taiwan.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn’t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

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

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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