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July 12, 2026
 

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DEFENSE

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 Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami-class frigate Kumano is docked at Singapore's Changi Naval Base during a maritime defense exhibition in May 2023.
JAPAN
May 29, 2026
New Zealand to decide on Japan’s frigates by end of 2027, defense chief says
New Zealand Defence Minister Chris Penk highlighted interoperability with Australia as a key factor in the ongoing deliberations.
Japan's Ambassador to the U.N. Yamazaki Kazuyuki said Japan had always been faithful to the ⁠U.N. Charter and upheld international law, while Russia was "continuing its aggression against Ukraine in violation of ​the charter."
JAPAN
May 29, 2026
Japan dismisses ‘ridiculous’ Russian criticism of military buildup
Russia’s U.N. ambassador had said that “remilitarization” in Germany and Japan was a dangerous threat to global security and was undoing the results of World War II.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. before a meeting at the Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 28, 2026
Japan and Philippines agree to elevate ties to new level amid China concerns
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also said they would begin formal negotiations on a key intelligence-sharing pact.
Members of the People's Liberation Army stand guard as the strategic strike group displays DF-61 nuclear missiles during a military parade in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 28, 2026
U.S.-China conflict over Taiwan risks a nuclear escalation, study finds
The International Institute for Strategic Studies says the world is on the cusp of a new nuclear arms race “with the Asia-Pacific at its core.”
U.S. troops take part in a counter-landing live fire exercise as part of the annual Balikatan joint military drills in the Philippines on May 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 28, 2026
As Europe weighs less reliance on U.S. military, Asia doubles down
Tokyo, Seoul, Canberra and other capitals in the region believe U.S. military power is critical to counter the challenges from China and North Korea.
Then-U.S. Vice President Mike Pence inspects a Self-Defense Force Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile interceptor in Tokyo in February 2018. U.S. production bottlenecks are now slowing weapons deliveries and complicating Japan’s efforts to modernize its defense capabilities.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 28, 2026
Indo-Pacific deterrence rests on allied industrial coordination
The decline of the U.S. defense industrial base is not a new story, but it has assumed new urgency with the Iran war.
A person watched the Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites streaks across the sky in a SpaceX launch as viewed from Venice Beach in Los Angeles on April 6.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 27, 2026
Pentagon spars with SpaceX over Starlink price hike during Iran war
The disagreement over Starlink’s use on suicide drones is part of increasing tensions between SpaceX and the Pentagon over Starlink pricing in recent months.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversees tests of a newly developed lightweight multipurpose missile-launching system and multiple tactical cruise missile weapons system at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 27, 2026
North Korea tests mix of enhanced ballistic, cruise missiles and artillery rockets
The tests confirmed the combat readiness of cruise missiles to be deployed ‌near the border with South Korea equipped with precision navigation and AI-guided controls.
China's Liaoning aircraft carrier sails off Hong Kong in July 2017.
JAPAN
May 27, 2026
New Chinese frigate joins carrier strike group training in western Pacific for first time
China’s dispatch of its Type 054B for its first far-seas training since entering service a year ago is a milestone in Beijing’s push to punch further into the western Pacific.
A woman watches a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at the main train station in Seoul on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 26, 2026
North Korea fires ballistic missile into Yellow Sea
Pyongyang may using the missiles tests to take advantage of eroding international norms to cement its nuclear status.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun speaks at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore in June 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 26, 2026
China defense minister expected to again skip Singapore security forum
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun will likely skip the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this weekend, according to people familiar with the matter.
The BLR MK2 unmanned armored vehicle is displayed at the Eurosatory defense and security trade fair near in Paris in June 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2026
When war moves at machine speed, politics must not fall behind
Drones, electronic warfare, satellite imagery, battlefield software and rapid technological adaptation have become part of the daily reality of war in Ukraine.
As drone warfare reshapes the Ukraine conflict and the nature of the fighting, Europe is facing pressure to support Kyiv while building its own long-term strategy and security framework separate from the U.S.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2026
The Ukrainians are doing better, now it’s the Europeans’ turn
Overall, the nature of the battlefield has changed in ways that blunt Russia’s overwhelming advantages in manpower, artillery and armor.
This photo handed out on May 25 shows Pope Leo XIV signing his first encyclical letter.
WORLD
May 26, 2026
Pope says AI should be ‘disarmed’ to avoid dominating humanity
Pope Leo XIV said artificial intelligence should be “disarmed” to protect humanity from its dangers, adding his voice to a heated debate over the extent to which governments should regulate a technology that is reshaping the world.
Although U.S. President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese leader Xi has raised doubts about U.S. commitment to Taiwan, American ties to the island are increasingly rooted in institutional, economic and technological linkages that are unlikely to be reversed.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2026
Has Taiwan made itself immune to American betrayal?
Although Donald Trump’s recent statements about Taiwan seemed like a gift to Chinese President Xi Jinping, such rhetoric no longer tells us as much as it once did.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers questions during an Upper House session at parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 25, 2026
Xi strongly criticized Takaichi over Japan’s ‘remilitarization’ during Trump summit
The Chinese leader became visibly agitated over Japan’s increased defense spending, in one of the most heated parts of his summit with the U.S. president, a media report said.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (left) and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on Jan. 15, near Washington
JAPAN
May 24, 2026
U.S. informs Japan of Tomahawk missile delivery delays: report
The Japanese government has signed a contract with the U.S. government to acquire up to 400 Tomahawk missiles between fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2027.
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa attends Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ministerial meetings in the ‌eastern Chinese city ‌of Suzhou on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 24, 2026
Japan trade minister holds brief talks with Chinese counterpart amid diplomatic row
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa is the most senior ​Japanese official to visit China since a diplomatic dispute between the two countries erupted in November.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. takes part in a news conference during an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Cebu, central Philippines, on May 8.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 24, 2026
Philippine leader’s state visit to Japan to focus on shoring up defense ties
Energy security will also be on the agenda for Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s trip to Tokyo — the first state visit by the country’s leader in more than a decade.
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’

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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