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December 05, 2024
 

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Jesse Johnson
Monday was the third day in a row that a large number of Chinese military aircraft had been reported around Taiwan, with the Defense Ministry in Taipei saying the earlier instances had been part of exercises that saw them head into the West Pacific for long-distance flights.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 4, 2024
Taiwan sees surge in Chinese military activity ahead of U.S. election
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said that it had detected 44 Chinese military aircraft around the self-ruled island on Nov. 4.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, face off in an election Tuesday that will have wide-ranging implications for Japan.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 3, 2024
Status quo or disruption? Breaking down the U.S. election's impact on Japan
Regardless of who wins, Washington is likely to have limited bandwidth to change tack in a significant way with its most important Asian ally.
The Meteorological Agency said that, as of 2:10 p.m Saturday, a total of 188 observation points in western and central Japan had recorded their largest-ever 24-hour rainfall for November
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2024
Western and central Japan drenched by record rainfall for November
The heavy rains saw the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, issue the highest-level alert and urge nearly 190,000 residents to evacuate to shelters.
A man at a rail station in Seoul watches a news broadcast on Thursday with file footage of a North Korean missile test.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 31, 2024
North Korea fires off ICBM with longest flight time yet
The missile, which flew for 86 minutes, fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, landing in waters some 300 kilometers west of Hokkaido's Okushiri Island.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Jan. 16.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 30, 2024
North Korea's top diplomat heads to Moscow as troops gear up for fight
The Pentagon has said there are indications troops deployed to Russia by Pyongyang could be used in an infantry role in the Ukraine war.
North Korean special forces soldiers march and shout slogans during a military parade marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang in April 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Oct 29, 2024
North Korean troops in Russia could have dangerous ramifications for Asia
Kim Jong Un's decision to send soldiers amid the war in Ukraine highlights the gamble he appears to be willing to take in his strategic relationship with Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 25, 2024
Putin appears to hint that North Korean troops are in Russia
Putin's comments came as Ukraine’s intelligence agency said that North Korean soldiers had already arrived in Russia's Kursk region.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a training base at an undisclosed location in North Korea in a photo released on Oct. 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 24, 2024
U.S. says North Korean troops in Russia, possibly to fight in Ukraine war
But the U.S. defense chief and other officials said that it remained to be seen what exactly the North Korean troops would be doing in Russia.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks at a news briefing following meetings with top Ukrainians officials in Kyiv on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 23, 2024
U.S. defense chief confirms North Korean troops are in Russia
The remarks follow claims by Kyiv and Seoul that Pyongyang is dispatching soldiers to fight against Ukraine.
North Korean special forces troops take part in training at a base in an undisclosed location in the country in this image released on Oct. 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 22, 2024
U.S. warns against North Korean troops in Ukraine as Seoul eyes arms to Kyiv
South Korea, Japan and the U.S. are rushing to address the high possibility of Pyongyang sending combat troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine.
An F-35B stealth fighter jet lands on the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kaga helicopter carrier during a test on Sunday of the southern coast of California.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2024
F-35B fighter makes first landing on de facto aircraft carrier Kaga
The Maritime Self-Defense Force is conducting tests to determine if there are issues with such aircraft taking off from the vessel while verifying other procedures.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his government has intelligence that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to link up with Russian forces fighting Ukraine, warning that such a move would be “the first step to a world war.”
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 21, 2024
Zelenskyy seeks 'strong reaction' to North Korean involvement in Ukraine war
The Ukrainian leader has urged partners to take measures in response to claims Pyongyang is sending thousands of troops to fight beside Russia on the front lines.
Police officers remove a vehicle that crashed into a barricade outside the Prime Minister's Office in central Tokyo on Saturday after a man threw Molotov cocktail-like objects outside the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters and later drove into the barricade.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 20, 2024
More details emerge about suspect in attack at LDP headquarters
The suspect was sent to prosecutors on Sunday, although his motives for the attack remain unclear.
Group of Seven defense chiefs attend the grouping's first-ever defense ministers' meeting in Naples, Italy, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 20, 2024
G7 defense chiefs voice concern over Chinese military drills around Taiwan
The defense chiefs singled out China over a number of concerns, though their decision to emphasize Taiwan, in particular, is unlikely to go over well in Beijing.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 20, 2024
Japan and U.S. defense chiefs voice 'sense of crisis' amid China military moves
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also agreed to work toward bolstering their command-and-control frameworks.
Police officers and fire department officials investigate a vehicle that crashed into a barricade outside the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Saturday morning after a man threw Molotov cocktail-like objects outside the ruling party's headquarters. The vehicle's number plate has been digitally obscured.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 19, 2024
Man arrested after throwing apparent firebombs at LDP headquarters
The suspect, identified as a 49-year-old man from Saitama Prefecture, was arrested on the spot and no injuries were reported from the incident.
People load a bus heading to the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California, in this 1943 handout photo.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 19, 2024
Trump compares jailed Capitol rioters to WWII Japanese internment
The former U.S. president's comments were met with widespread criticism from Japanese American groups and others.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba would face a number of obstacles to updating the Status of Forces Agreement — something that hasn’t occurred since its promulgation in 1960.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Oct 16, 2024
Ishiba's goal of revising U.S. troops pact likely long-term project
The prime minister's push to change the Status of Forces Agreement governing the U.S. military presence in Japan is unlikely to happen any time soon.
China's Liaoning aircraft carrier takes part in the Joint Sword-2024B military drills east of Taiwan, in this screenshot from video released Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 15, 2024
China says it won't rule out use of force to take Taiwan as war games end
Japan and the U.S. condemned the large-scale Chinese military exercises around Taiwan as Beijing hinted that more could come.
A map released Monday shows the locations of the Joint Sword-2024B military drills being conducted by China around Taiwan. China deployed planes and ships to encircle the island in drills Beijing said were aimed at sending a "stern warning" to "separatist" forces on the self-ruled island.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 14, 2024
China kicks off fresh round of large-scale war games around Taiwan
The exercises, code-named Joint Sword-2024B, are intended to 'test the joint operations capabilities of the theater command's troops.'
South Korea's Yoon backs down after parliament rejects martial law
Soldiers try to enter the National Assembly building in Seoul, after South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday evening.
BOJ weighs case for first triple hike since Japan’s bubble burst
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda reiterated in an interview published Saturday that authorities will raise rates if the economy performs in line with projections.
Australian says romance scam tricked her into smuggling drugs into Japan
Donna Nelson says her life was turned upside down when she learned that the man she was falling for had tricked her into smuggling 2 kilograms of methamphetamine into Japan.
Jetstar Japan loses lawsuit over disciplinary action against cabin crew
Jetstar Japan has been ordered to pay back wages to two cabin crew members for the periods they were suspended.
Nomura CEO takes pay cut after former employee charged with attempted murder
Kentaro Okuda, CEO of Nomura Holdings, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
U.S. Space Force launches first unit in Japan
Activated on Wednesday, U.S. Space Forces Japan — a component similar to the one established at South Korea’s Osan Air Base in 2022 — will operate out of Yokota Air Base in the city of Fussa, western Tokyo, with a staff of about 10.
Can Japan's scientific community rebound from a Nobel nosedive?
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo is a popular place to foster curiosity in the natural sciences.
Europe eyes 'boots on the ground' in Ukraine as possible peace deal option
A serviceman with the Ukrainian Army's 24th mechanized brigade fires a machine gun during an exercise, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the country's Donetsk region on Friday.
Seven strangers and an algorithm: Can this new dinner app help you make friends?
Timeleft uses an algorithm to match its users with five or six strangers in an effort to prompt “human connection” over dinner at a restaurant. It determines the attendees with the help of a simple personality quiz available when you sign up for the service.
Don’t worry, you can still use your Japan health insurance card — for now
A My Number card reader at a pediatric clinic in Tokyo. While the government will stop issuing new health insurance cards on Monday, most people will remain unaffected by the move in the short term as existing health insurance cards can still be used for another year.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo is a popular place to foster curiosity in the natural sciences.
Can Japan's scientific community rebound from a Nobel nosedive?
By Tomoko Otake

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