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July 12, 2026
 

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Jesse Johnson
Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang, attends a news conference at the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club in Taipei on March 23.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 30, 2026
Head of Taiwan’s main opposition KMT accepts Xi invite to visit China
Kuomintang Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun is set to visit the country from April 7 to 12, part of a bid to “advance the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.”
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a news conference on parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 29, 2026
Japan to establish new Defense Ministry office to bolster Pacific defenses
The ministry will launch the office next month to tackle the challenge of how best to defend Japan’s vulnerable eastern flank, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Chokai guided-missile destroyer sails during the Rim of the Pacific joint exercises in the Pacific Ocean in July 2016.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2026
MSDF destroyer becomes Japan’s first ship capable of firing Tomahawk missiles
With a range of 1,600 kilometers, the weapons will allow the vessels to put targets deep inside China and North Korea within striking distance.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a news conference at parliament in Tokyo on March 13.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2026
Japan again denies U.S. official’s claim Takaichi pledged to send MSDF to Mideast
Japan’s defense minister denied the claim by U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had committed to sending vessels to the region.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 23, 2026
Takaichi weathers Trump, but China challenges linger
In her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured what appeared to be an endorsement of her approach to the Sino-Japanese relationship.
Cargo ships are seen in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran on March 11.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 22, 2026
Iran prepared to let Japanese ships transit Hormuz, FM says
While most G7 nations have poor relations with Iran, Japan has relatively friendly ties with the country, potentially giving Tokyo more diplomatic sway.
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.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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
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