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July 12, 2026
 

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DEFENSE

A ceremony is held at Misawa Air Base to mark the arrival of the first operational F-35A Lightning II to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s 3rd Air Wing in February 2018. The SDF is already one of the world's best equipped militaries.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 28, 2026
Japan’s constitutional theater: Revising Article 9 would be a mistake.
The distance between constitutional language and security practice is not a mistake that needs correcting.
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 28, 2026
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ‘kill web’ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson said the strategy seeks to fuse the strengths of Washington’s regional treaty allies into a single, networked system capable of coordinated actions.
Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in July last year
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 27, 2026
Taiwan downplays impact of Chinese sanctions on European arms makers
China’s Commerce Ministry banned exports on Friday of dual-use ​items to the seven companies over arms sales to Taiwan, placing them on its export control list.
Taiwan-based Thunder Tiger Group's Papa Delta drone is displayed during a media tour in Taichung, Taiwan, on April 21.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 27, 2026
U.S. presses Taiwan parliament to pass ‘comprehensive’ defense budget
Taiwan’s government has said delays in passing the budget could mean Taiwan risks losing its place in the production and delivery queue for U.S. weapons.
Russian troops at a Victory Day military parade rehearsal in St. Petersburg last week. Russia's military spending rose 5.9% in 2025 to $190 billion, equivalent to 7.5% of GDP.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 27, 2026
Global military spending surges on insecurity, report finds
The three top spenders — the United States, China and Russia — spent a combined total of $1.48 trillion, just over half of global expenditure.
Commander of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Amphibious Rapid Deployment, Maj. Gen. Toshikatsu Musha, and commander of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Amphibious and Mine Warfare Force, Rear Adm. Ikeuchi Izuru, attend the opening ceremony of the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercises, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on April 20.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 26, 2026
Beyond the hub-and-spoke: Japan quietly emerges as a secondary connector
Tokyo is positioning itself as a strategic hub for middle-power security diplomacy that reinforces the U.S.-led order while diversifying its own security partnerships.
Takayuki Kobayashi, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council, presents the party's recommendations to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2026
Japan assesses feasibility of sending minesweepers to Strait of Hormuz
Kobayashi said that sending minesweepers after the war is one option for securing Japan’s national interests within legal constraints.
Head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr., speaks during the opening ceremony of the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercises, at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 25, 2026
China holds live-fire drills in waters near Luzon as Japan joins military exercises in Philippines
The Chinese drills included live-fire shooting, sea-air coordination, rapid maneuvers and ⁠maritime replenishments to test integrated joint combat capabilities.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks during a news conference at Malacanang Palace in Manila in March.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 24, 2026
Philippines President Marcos to make state visit to Japan
The two nations have been strengthening military ties in recent years, with Tokyo supplying Manila with coast guard ships and radar systems.
A man navigates the rubble of a building at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran after it was targeted by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, on April 4.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 24, 2026
Iran war has drained U.S. supplies of critical, costly weapons
White House officials have refused to estimate the cost of the conflict so far, but two independent groups say the expense is just under $1 billion a day.
Escalating violations of international law by major powers, especially under U.S. President Donald Trump with his conflicts and actions in Iran and Venezuela, expose the fragility of the rules-based order but also create an opportunity for reform.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2026
Trump has made the case for international law
The task now is to re-imagine an international legal regime that works more reliably for more people, without exception for the powerful.
A Type-88 missile is test-fired near Shinhidaka, Hokkaido, in June. Japan’s easing of arms export restrictions is intended to strengthen security cooperation and defense capabilities while adapting to a more unstable global environment.
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2026
Japan’s new arms export stance and changing security realities
This new policy responds to the new security reality, recognizing that dangers are mounting and every nation must do more.
Makino's machine tools are widely used in defense applications and a planned takeover by a South Korean fund could undermine Japan's national security, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama says.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 23, 2026
Japan moves to block South Korean buyout deal with rare use of security law
Makino’s machine tools are widely used in defense applications and the takeover could undermine national security, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said in parliament.
Vietnamese President To Lam (right) and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on Wednesday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 23, 2026
Vietnam and South Korea ink deals on security and nuclear power
The 12 agreements, such as cooperation in developing nuclear power plants, underscore deepening industrial ties as the Iran war disrupts energy markets and global supply chains.
Terra Drone’s Terra A1 interceptor drone has entered active combat use in Ukraine after being deployed to a military unit tasked with countering Russian uncrewed aerial systems.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2026
Japan-Ukraine drone tie-up sends first weapon onto battlefield
Japanese drone company Terra Drone said its Terra A1 interceptor, developed with a Ukrainian partner, has entered active combat use.
Raju Modiyam, who lost a leg in a land mine explosion, rests in the Lankapalli village of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, India, on April 1.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 22, 2026
Maoist land mine legacy haunts India
India’s blood-soaked six-decade Maoist insurgency may be over, but a lethal legacy remains.
A soldier carries a drone during a military parade in Washington on June 14, 2025.
WORLD
Apr 22, 2026
Pentagon seeks $75 billion for drones in record budget ask
The drone-funding proposal includes $54.6 billion for the Defense Autonomous Working Group, from just $225.9 million this year.
A Self-Defense Forces armored unit takes part in an annual parade and ceremony at the Asaka Base, north of Tokyo, in October 2018.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 22, 2026
Revising Japan’s arms export ban isn’t ‘militarism’
Japan’s militarism ended with World War II more than eight decades ago. Today’s Japan is free, democratic and open.
A mock model of an upgraded Type-12 missile made by Japan is displayed during the DSEI Japan security show at Makuhari Messe in the city of Chiba in May last year.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2026
Partners line up for arms deals as Japan opens defense industry door
“A number of countries” have approached Tokyo with “expressions of interest and various needs” about Japanese defense equipment, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.
A member of the 41 Canadian Brigade Group patrols in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, on Feb.16.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 22, 2026
Canadian military aims to show it can go it alone in the Arctic
U.S. President Donald Trump’s ​jibes about making Canada the 51st state and his growing tensions with NATO have prompted Canadians to rethink their reliance on their neighbor.
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

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