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June 30, 2026
 

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Jesse Johnson
Minoru Kihara
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2026
Japan calls China Coast Guard moves in its EEZ near Yonaguni ‘unacceptable’
The unusual moves follow an agreement between Japan and the Philippines last month to launch maritime border delimitation talks, which overlap with areas claimed by Beijing.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and South Korean defense chief Ahn Gyu-back inspect an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony before their meeting at the Defense Ministry in Seoul on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 28, 2026
Koizumi holds rare talks in Seoul with South Korean defense chief
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his counterpart, Ahn Gyu-back, held the first talks in South Korea between the countries’ defense chiefs in 11 years.
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2026
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
China’s Defense Ministry said the flight demonstrated the two countries’ “resolve and capability to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.”
An Airbus Eurodrone remotely piloted aircraft system is displayed at the International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris in June last year.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2026
KHI and Airbus eye cooperation on Japanese variant of Eurodrone
Kawasaki Heavy Industries has signed a preliminary deal with Airbus to cooperate on a possible Japanese anti-submarine version of a European defense drone.
A Self-Defense Forces member stands guard at the entrance of the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2026
Japan rejects Chinese claim SDF ‘harassed’ Chinese aircraft carrier group
The Defense Ministry in Tokyo said the accusations “are not true” and pledged to continue to “professionally and diligently” monitor the waters and airspace around Japan.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un salutes the new Choe Hyon destroyer following its commissioning ceremony at Nampo port in North Korea on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 24, 2026
North Korea’s Kim unveils plans for new warships and nuclear-armed navy
Kim Jong Un has vowed to modernize his navy, but questions remain whether the investment will ultimately prove worthwhile for the strongman.
China's Liaoning aircraft carrier takes part in a military drill in the western Pacific in April 2018.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2026
China accuses Japan of ‘harassment’ during far-seas aircraft carrier training
Beijing said the Japanese side had conducted “dangerous” close-in reconnaissance of the Chinese Navy’s Liaoning aircraft carrier flotilla.
The Typhon ground-launched missile system is displayed at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercise by the U.S. Marines and the Self-Defense Forces last September.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2026
U.S. deploying powerful midrange missile system to Japan for joint drills
The deployment of the land-based Typhon system is seen as part of a more robust allied approach to countering China’s growing military assertiveness in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump with Adm. Harry Harris (center right), head of the U.S. Pacific Command, at the command's headquarters in Hawaii in November 2017
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 17, 2026
Pentagon restores U.S. military’s Pacific Command moniker, dropping ‘Indo’
The command’s vast area of responsibility “remains exactly the same,” the Pentagon said, with the move coming amid soured U.S.-India ties.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends her first Group of Seven summit on Monday in Evian-les-Bains, France.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 16, 2026
Takaichi proposes G7 framework for stockpiling critical minerals
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pitched a plan for coordinating critical mineral stockpiles among the group and like-minded nations, amid China’s tight grip on key supply chains.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watch a welcome performance at Pyongyang Gymnasium on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 9, 2026
What was left unsaid may be biggest takeaway from Xi-Kim summit
The lack of any public reference to North Korea’s nuclear program during the talks has reinforced the perception that China no longer views denuclearization as a viable option.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attend a ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 8, 2026
China’s Xi vows boosted ties with Kim, but avoids North Korea nuclear issue
Chinese leader Xi Jinping stressed China’s “firm commitment to safeguarding the shared interests of the two countries” during a rare summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force dispatched its Kongo destroyer and the South Korean Navy sent its Cheon Ja Bong landing ship for a joint search-and-rescue exercise in waters west of the Goto Islands on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2026
Japanese and South Korean navies hold first joint drills in nine years
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi hailed the resumption of exercises as signaling “a new chapter” in bilateral defense cooperation.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping at Pyongyang International Airport in the North Korean capital in this photo released June 21, 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Jun 7, 2026
Ahead of talks, Kim has a message for Xi: North Korea’s nukes aren’t up for negotiation
North Korea has been clear in the run-up to Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to Pyongyang that it is hoping for at least a tacit recognition of its nuclear status.
The Maritime Self Defense Force's Asagiri-class destroyer Setogiri is docked for a goodwill visit to Metro Manila in May 2018.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2026
Japan and Indonesia to begin talks on exporting Asagiri-class destroyers
The agreement to begin working-level discussions is the latest in a push by Tokyo to transfer defense equipment to like-minded partners.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a newly inaugurated nuclear materials production factory at an undisclosed location in the country in this image released Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 4, 2026
North Korea’s Kim says ‘newly inaugurated’ nuke site opens door to ‘larger plans’
Kim Jong Un said the suspected uranium-enrichment facility will help create an “environment for going into the new next-stage of bolstering up the nuclear forces.”
China's Liaoning aircraft carrier takes part in a military drill in the western Pacific in April 2018.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2026
Chinese aircraft carrier conducts drills east of Philippines
The exercises were reported as Beijing lashed out at Tokyo over its defense buildup and growing security ties with Manila.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 1, 2026
Japan taking cautious — if firm — approach to avoiding escalation with China
The absence of any direct mention of China in Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s rebuttal against claims of a “new militarism” in Japan highlights the country’s careful approach.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday.
JAPAN
May 30, 2026
Hegseth says U.S. has ‘high expectations‘ for Japan on defense spending
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has delivered a veiled warning to Tokyo, saying that while Japan was “headed in the right direction,” more must be done.
The Japanese Defense Ministry said Friday it will send four officers from the Self-Defense Forces to the NATO Security Assistance and Training Organization for Ukraine (NSATU) — a command headquartered in the German town of Wiesbaden and launched in July 2024 to coordinate planning and arrange the delivery of security assistance to the war-torn country.
JAPAN
May 29, 2026
Japan to send SDF officers to NATO Ukraine command for first time
Tokyo will send four officers to the NATO Security Assistance and Training Organization for Ukraine to help coordinate planning and arrange the delivery of security assistance.
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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