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November 22, 2024
 

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Jesse Johnson
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Palestinian groups.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 22, 2023
Fears grow that Israel-Hamas war could spread across Middle East
Tensions surged as the U.S. said it was sending more military assets to the region and Israel appeared poised for a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Journalists watch a large screen showing Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa addressing the International Peace Summit hosted by the Egyptian president in Cairo on Saturday amid the ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 21, 2023
Japan FM urges redoubling of diplomacy to halt Israel-Hamas fighting
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa joined a handful of leaders and officials for a meeting hosted by the Egyptian president in Cairo.
Military vehicles carrying DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missiles in Beijing in 2019
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 20, 2023
Pentagon says China set to have over 1,000 nukes by 2030
The report adds that China has "probably completed" 300 intercontinental ballistic missile silos as it expands its launch facilities.
A Chinese fighter jet is seen during an intercept of a U.S. aircraft in the South China Sea, including by approaching a distance of just 12 meters before repeatedly flying above and below the U.S. aircraft and flashing its weapons.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 18, 2023
U.S. sees 'sharp increase' in Chinese military's 'risky' behavior
The Pentagon said it has documented nearly 300 dangerous incidents that affected U.S., allied and partner aircraft since the fall of 2021.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara speaks during a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Washington on Oct. 4.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 16, 2023
Defense chief retracts comments implying LDP vote would be good for SDF
Article 61 of the Self-Defense Forces Law explicitly forbids SDF personnel from engaging in political activity, with the exception of voting.
A field of kochia plants is lit up in the colors of the rainbow at Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki Prefecture, in September.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 15, 2023
Ibaraki regains ignominious crown as least attractive prefecture
This marks the 12th time the prefecture ranked last since the survey began in 2009 — after being dethroned by Saga in 2022.
People evacuated from Israel arrive at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of the South Korean capital, late Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 15, 2023
Japan evacuates eight citizens from Israel as 51 others arrive in Seoul
An SDF aircraft will remain on standby in Djibouti for the possibility of airlifting additional Japanese nationals.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping walks past then-Foreign Minister Qin Gang (front left) and defense chief Li Shangfu (front right) as he arrives for the closing session of the National People's Congress at Beijing's Great Hall of the People in March.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 13, 2023
With purges of top officials, is China’s Xi in trouble? Hardly.
The well-known opacity in Beijing may have clouded assessments of how the turbulence is affecting Xi’s grip on power
A China Coast Guard ship blocks the direction of a Philippine Coast Guard ship conducting a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed at a grounded warship in the South China Sea on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 7, 2023
Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships come within meter of colliding
The close call came Wednesday near Second Thomas Shoal, about 200 kilometers off the Philippine coast, as Manila was carrying out a resupply mission.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Nusa Dua, Indonesia, last November.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 7, 2023
Biden says meeting with Xi in November is a 'possibility'
Washington and Beijing are edging closer to setting up a Biden-Xi meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco from Nov. 16-17.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomes Defense Minister Minoru Kihara to the Pentagon in Washington on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 5, 2023
Japan expedites purchase of Tomahawks as security concerns grow
In light of the increasingly challenging Asian security environment, Japan will acquire the cruise missiles a year earlier than initially planned.
A man walks past a television showing a news broadcast featuring a photo of U.S. soldier Travis King, who ran across the border into North Korea while part of a tour group visiting the Demilitarized Zone on South Korea's border, in Seoul, on Aug. 16.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 28, 2023
U.S. soldier in American custody after release from North Korea
U.S. Army soldier Travis King was released by Pyongyang more than two months after he sprinted across the border from the South in July.
A Philippine Coast Guard member cuts a rope connecting a floating barrier that was installed near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, in this undated photo released late Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 26, 2023
Philippines removes floating barrier in South China Sea
Manila said Tuesday said it had conducted “a special operation” to remove a 300-meter floating barrier installed by China.
Anti-war demonstrators mark the 78th anniversary of the United States' 1945 atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima with a march and protest in New York's Times Square on Aug. 6.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 26, 2023
Nuclear specter rises as world marks day for eliminating weapons
The goal of ridding the world of nukes appears more distant than ever as the U.S., Russia and China ramp up activity at their test sites.
China Coast Guard and other vessels install a floating barrier in a flash point area of the contested South China Sea, just 230 kilometers from the Philippine coast on Friday, in this image posted to X on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 24, 2023
Philippines condemns Beijing's 'floating barrier' in South China Sea
Manila has condemned the China Coast Guard’s move to install a floating barrier in a flash point area just 230 kilometers from the Philippine coast.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Monday in New York.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 19, 2023
Japan’s new top diplomat makes international debut
On the sidelines to the U.N. General Assembly sidelines, new Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa gets off to a quick start.
A Taiwanese pilot runs toward an F-16V fighter jet for an evening take off as part of a combat readiness mission at the airbase in Hualien, Taiwan, in August last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 18, 2023
Taiwan detects 'recent high' 103 Chinese warplanes near island
The incident happened hours after China's top envoy told the U.S. national security adviser that Taiwan is "the first red line that must not be crossed."
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 18, 2023
Top Biden official and Chinese diplomat hold 'constructive' talks
The talks come ahead of an anticipated November meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at an APEC summit.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after receiving a gift at their luncheon during Kim's visit to the port of Vladivostok, Russia, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 17, 2023
North Korea's Kim talks up defense ties as Russia trip concludes
Both countries hinted at the “strategic importance” of bilateral ties during Kim's visit — despite U.S. warnings against any arms deals.
Minoru Kihara
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 17, 2023
New Japan defense chief 'very concerned' about Chinese military moves
Minoru Kihara called trilateral cooperation with South Korea and the U.S. “the cornerstone” of Tokyo’s response to the regional security concerns.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Putin says
Ukrainian firefighters work on a spot following an airstrike in Dnipro on Thursday.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.

Podcast

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

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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