author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 12, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Twitter

@jljzen

Jesse Johnson
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.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a military parade to commemorate the conclusion of a rare ruling party congress in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 26, 2026
North Korea could ‘get on well’ with U.S., Kim says, while spurning South Korea
The North Korean leader’s remarks suggest he may be open to a return to talks with Washington as he called Seoul’s “appeasement attitude” a “clumsy deceptive farce.”
Iranians walk through Tehran's Grand Bazaar on Tuesday. Tokyo on Wednesday called for the release of a Japanese national who it says was detained in Tehran on Jan. 20.
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2026
Tokyo ‘strongly demands’ release of Japanese national held in Iran since Jan. 20
Details were not immediately clear, but media reports named the person as Shinnosuke Kawashima, Japanese public broadcaster NHK’s Tehran bureau chief.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi talks with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi during in the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Feb. 18.
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2026
Japan takes step closer to easing rules on export of lethal weapons
A panel of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday approved a proposal calling on the government to ease rules limiting defense equipment transfers.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a regular news conference Tuesday at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2026
Japan to deploy missiles to Yonaguni Island by fiscal 2030, defense chief says
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the timing for the deployment of the weapons could change depending on the progress of future facility improvements.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un applauds as he attends a ruling Workers' Party of Korea congress, where he was re-elected as general-secretary in Pyongyang on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 23, 2026
North Korea’s ruling party reelects Kim as general-secretary at rare congress
The congress cited leader Kim Jong Un’s achievements, including the county’s “radically improved” nuclear forces.
A member of the Chinese People's Liberation Army stands as the strategic strike group displays DF-5C nuclear-capable missiles during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing last September.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 22, 2026
U.S. and Japan discuss China’s ‘destabilizing’ nuclear buildup and testing
The allies’ Extended Deterrence Dialogue came amid growing tensions with China over Beijing’s push to expand and modernize its nuclear arsenal — an issue broached at the talks.
Ghost Robotics Vision 60 takes part in an annual New Year's military drill by the Ground Self-Defense Force's 1st Airborne Brigade at Narashino exercise field in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, on Jan. 11.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 22, 2026
With fresh mandate, Japan’s Takaichi sets sights on divisive security goals
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s election victory has empowered her to push forward with security and defense goals that, just a decade ago, would have been all but unattainable.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the opening of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea congress in Pyongyang on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 20, 2026
North Korea says five-year goals met as it kicks off rare ruling party congress
Kim Jong Un said the North “successfully” carried out its goals set at the last congress “in all realms such as politics, the economy, national defense, culture and diplomacy.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters onboard Air Force One while traveling from Palm Beach, Florida, to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Monday night.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 17, 2026
Trump claims he’s ‘talking’ about Taiwan arms sales with China’s Xi
Any talks could run counter to key U.S. policy principles intended to reassure Taipei and Congress that state Washington will not consult with China on weapons deals with Taiwan.
The government’s top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, told a news conference Monday that it is necessary to update the country's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy" to better respond to "the changing times.”
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2026
Japan to strengthen Indo-Pacific strategy amid ‘new challenges’
Updates to the FOIP strategy will include sections focused on bolstering economic security and working on emerging technologies with “like-minded” partners.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 15, 2026
China’s top diplomat warns Japan of ‘ghosts of militarism’ in rebuke of Takaichi
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poured cold water on calls by Tokyo to return to dialogue in the wake of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s general election victory last week.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks at the Munich Security Conference in Munich on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 14, 2026
With eye on China, Koizumi stresses importance of rules-based order
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also pledged not to “shut down any channels” of communication as ties with China remain in a deep freeze.
A soldier speaks to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te in Hsinchu, Taiwan, last July.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 11, 2026
Taiwan says defense budget delay jeopardizes collective deterrence against China
Officials in Taipei say a failure to pass the government’s nearly $40 billion defense budget would “seriously weaken” the island’s defense buildup.
The resounding victory by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party in Sunday's general election has sent a strong signal that Takaichi is likely to be around for some time, giving her the bandwidth to adhere to her strategy of putting the onus on Chinese President Xi Jinping to reengage with Japan.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 10, 2026
Landslide election victory lets Takaichi confront China on her terms
Undeterred by Beijing’s economic retaliation for Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks, voters endorsed the prime minister’s unyielding stance on China.
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
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Sompo looks beyond insurance to focus on well-being
Sompo looks beyond insurance to focus on well-being

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER