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July 20, 2025
 

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Jesse Johnson
A helicopter takes off from China's Shandong aircraft carrier in waters south of Okinawa Prefecture in April 2023.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025
Chinese aircraft carriers conducted over 1,000 sorties during Pacific training
Japan says the takeoffs and landings highlight the Chinese Navy’s growing ability to operate in distant seas and airspace.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani attend the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 31.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025
Pentagon says Japan must meet ‘global standard’ and spend 5% of GDP on defense
Both allies had been mum on whether the U.S. would press Japan specifically to hit the 5% target amid political sensitivities over the issue.
A J-15 fighter jet from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong makes an unusual approach to a Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C patrol aircraft that was conducting surveillance above the Pacific Ocean on June 8.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2025
In rare move, Japan releases map showing Chinese aircraft carrier activities
The decision to release the map comes as concerns grow over Beijing’s apparent efforts to alter the status quo in the region.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung ahead of their meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Kananaskis in Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 18, 2025
South Korea's Lee touts ‘inseparable’ Japan ties after Ishiba meeting
Seeking to ride the momentum that has pushed the neighbors closer following years of chilly ties, the pair also reaffirmed their commitment to trilateral cooperation with the U.S.
European Council President Antَnio Costa (from left to right), Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Italian leader Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and leader Minister Keir Starmer pose for a family photo during the Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 18, 2025
Asia overshadowed as G7 struggles with crises and lack of unity
Mentions of China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific were conspicuously absent from the statements that emerged from the latest summit.
U.S. President Donald Trump walks to have a family photo taken at the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 17, 2025
G7 backs Israel’s ‘right to defend itself’ as Trump hastily leaves summit
In a tersely worded joint statement, the bloc labeled Iran a “principal source of regional instability.”
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung (center) speaks as leading business executives listen during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 15, 2025
South Korea’s Lee open to trilateral meet with Ishiba and Trump at G7
Any talks would be the first trilateral meeting for all three leaders since taking office, and would symbolize a commitment to continuing to build closer security ties.
A Chinese J-15 fighter jet flies just to the side of a Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C surveillance plane over the high seas in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2025
Chinese fighter jets in close encounters with MSDF patrol planes over Pacific
Chinese fighters made “abnormal approaches” to MSDF patrol aircraft over the Pacific Ocean in recent days that risked collisions, the Defense Ministry said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits one of his country's nuclear material production sites in this photo released in January.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 11, 2025
North Korea constructing new enrichment facility for nuclear bombs, experts say
The apparent new facility could help Pyongyang follow through on pledges to continue ramping up production of fissile materials.
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (second from right) poses with U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass (third from left) and U.S. Marines during a visit to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture on June 4.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 11, 2025
U.S. intel chief warns ‘warmongers’ fomenting nuclear war after Hiroshima visit
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s unusual remarks seemed to echo Russian talking points on the war in Ukraine.
Visitors look at replicas of the Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong at the People's Liberation Navy Naval Museum on the 75th founding anniversary of the navy in Qingdao, China, in April last year.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2025
Two Chinese aircraft carriers conduct simultaneous drills in Pacific for first time
The moves highlight the Chinese Navy’s growing ability to punch through the “second island chain,” officials say.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a ceremony to mark the 70th Memorial Day at Seoul National Cemetery on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 10, 2025
China's Xi urges South Korea's Lee to protect free trade in first talks
Chinese leader Xi Jinping told new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung that the two countries “should jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade."
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a forum in Tokyo on May 29.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 7, 2025
Ishiba and Lee might have first meeting at G7 summit
New South Korean leader Lee Jae-myung will attend the G7 summit in Canada for three days starting June 15, and could meet Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung waves with his his wife, Kim Hye-gyeong, following his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 4, 2025
South Korea’s Lee pledges to heal deep wounds as ‘president for everyone’
Lee Jae-myung, in his inauguration speech, said his government would continue his predecessor’s policy of strengthening cooperation with Japan.
Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's candidate in South Korea's presidential election, speaks during his final campaign event in Seoul on Monday night ahead of Tuesday's vote.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 3, 2025
Lee Jae-myung projected to win South Korean presidential election
Lee, the front-runner in the race since campaigning began, secured 51.7% of the vote — a 12.4 percentage point lead over conservative rival Kim Moon-soo — according to exit polls.
Australian defense chief Richard Marles speaks during the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 2, 2025
U.S demands Australia increase defense spending to 3.5% of GDP
Officials in Tokyo are closely watching how U.S.-Australia defense spending talks unfold, with U.S. President Donald Trump thought to be pushing Japan to also spend more.
A banner showing Lee Jae-myung (left), the South Korean presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, and Kim Moon-soo, the candidate for the conservative People Power Party, outside a polling station in Seoul on Friday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 1, 2025
South Korean presidential election set to reshape diplomatic chessboard
Liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung is projected to sail to a win that could shake up ties with Japan and the U.S. and kick-start talks with North Korea.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives for a trilateral meeting between Japan, the U.S. and Australia at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 1, 2025
Hegseth to prioritize China and more allied spending in Asia — but questions remain
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a clear statement of the United States' commitment to the region, but getting allies to spend more on their defense will be an uphill battle.
The defense chiefs of “the Squad” grouping, which brings together Japan, Australia, the U.S. and the Philippines, meet Saturday in Singapore for talks on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue regional security summit.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 31, 2025
‘Squad’ defense chiefs meet with eye on countering China
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the grouping the most “strategically positioned to manifest deterrence" amid “an unprecedented military buildup by China.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 31, 2025
Hegseth warns of Chinese threat to Taiwan, urging allies to upgrade defenses
In a speech to regional defense officials, U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth also sought to ease concerns among those skeptical of America’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
Japanese markets brace for triple whammy if opposition wins big
A Sanseito campaign van in Shinjuku. The populist party is gaining ground and challenging the more centrist parties.
Sunken WWII Japanese warship Teruzuki found off Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands. A team from the U.S. nonprofit Ocean Exploration Trust has discovered the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki on the deep seabed off the Solomon Islands as the 80th anniversary of the war's end approaches.
Living conditions index hits lowest level in 15 years in Japan
The share of respondents to a Bank of Japan quarterly survey in June who said they have become worse off came to 61.0%, up 5.1 percentage points from the previous survey.
In Upper House race, younger voters in Tokyo turn to DPP for new direction
The Tokyo district has the highest number of candidates in the 2025 Upper House election with 32 people in the running for seven seats.
Concerns grow in Japan over possible Russian interference in Sunday’s election
A think tank researcher said anti-government propaganda by Russian bot accounts was what has made the small far-right party Sanseito so popular leading up to the Upper House election.
Japan's rice farmers are confounded by Shinjiro Koizumi’s policies
Kiyoshi Shibata stands in front of one of the rice paddies in Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, where he produces the prefecture's signature rice brand Tsuyahime.
From stalking to death threats, female candidates still face harassment
Mayu Ushida, a former NHK newscaster running for election in the Tokyo electoral district on the Democratic Party for the People ticket, signs an autograph for a voter after a public rally at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Kawaii Lab redefines idol pop for the TikTok generation
Misa Kimura is the main producer for Kawaii Lab, a project by entertainment agency Asobisystem whose groups have found success by pairing a social media-first strategy with a fresh perspective on traditional idol-pop tropes.
Craig Mod's life in motion in a disappearing Japan
Mod's memoir “Things Become Other Things” chronicles his walking trips across the Kii Peninsula, surveying “a graceful end to a certain life cycle.”
With China and Trump, Japan defense report says world entering ‘new era of crisis’
A senior member of a Self-Defense Forces honor guard inspects a formation before the arrival of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for a visit to the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on June 30.

Podcast

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Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa

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