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Jesse Johnson
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 26, 2020
Kim Jong Un’s aunt makes surprise appearance six years after husband’s execution
The once-influential aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made her first public appearance in more than six years, state media showed Sunday, dispelling rumors that she had been killed or taken her own life after the execution of her powerful husband, Kim's onetime No. 2.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2020
All crew rescued after U.S. Navy chopper crashes off Okinawa
Five crew members aboard a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter that crashed in the Philippine Sea east of Okinawa's main island are rescued with the help of the Self-Defense Forces.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 22, 2020
North Korea confirms new defense chief amid leadership shake-up
North Korea confirmed Wednesday that an official who has overseen leader Kim Jong Un's pet construction projects has been named the nuclear-armed country's new defense minister.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jan 22, 2020
North Korea closes borders to all foreign tourists as new coronavirus spreads from China
North Korea has blocked foreign tourists from entering the country, travel operators said Wednesday, amid fears over the spread of a new coronavirus first detected in China.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 21, 2020
In similar move to Japan, South Korea to deploy anti-piracy unit to Middle East amid U.S. pressure
South Korea’s military will send an independent contingent to the Middle East to help guard oil tankers amid rising regional tensions rather than participating in a U.S.-led coalition, the Defense Ministry in Seoul announced Tuesday, taking a page out of the Self-Defense Forces’ playbook.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Jan 20, 2020
U.S. Navy aircraft carrier to be named for black Pearl Harbor hero
In an honor usually reserved for presidents, the U.S. Navy said Sunday that it would name a future Ford-class aircraft carrier after Doris "Dorie" Miller, the African American mess attendant who heroically leapt into combat — despite limited training — during Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor....
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 19, 2020
North Korea ditches top diplomat in reshuffle that could impact nuclear talks
North Korea has ditched its foreign minister and shuffled other key posts in an apparent major shift that could significantly impact the country's diplomatic stance after 18 months of nuclear talks with the U.S.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 15, 2020
Biden says no way to unconditional meeting with North Korea's Kim
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he would not meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — who once lambasted Biden as a rabid dog — without "preconditions," as President Donald Trump has done three times.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2020
Japanese response to alleged global Chinese assault on rights 'lukewarm,' rights group says
Human Rights Watch released a scathing report Wednesday slamming the Chinese government for crafting an "Orwellian high-tech surveillance state" at home and deploying its growing economic clout to silence its critics overseas, while an official with the group criticized Japan's response to alleged rights...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 13, 2020
White House reaches out to North Korea in bid to resume nuke talks
White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien has said the United States attempted to contact North Korea in a bid to restart deadlocked nuclear talks, according to an interview published Sunday by news website Axios.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 12, 2020
China's navy commissions biggest and 'most powerful' surface warship
China's navy commissioned its biggest and most advanced surface warship yet, the Nanchang guided-missile destroyer, on Sunday morning in the port city of Qingdao, state media reported.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 11, 2020
North Korea says Kim Jong Un's relationship with Trump not enough to salvage nuclear talks
Kim Jong Un's personal relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump may not be enough to salvage stalled nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington, a senior North Korean official said Saturday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 11, 2020
Trump wishes North Korea's Kim a happy birthday, but nuclear talks still on ice
U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly wished North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a happy birthday via South Korean intermediaries, the first known exchange between the two since their June meeting at the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 7, 2020
How the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general rekindled Kim Jong Un's worst fears
With the order to kill a top Iranian general last week, U.S. President Donald Trump may have rekindled Kim Jong Un's worst fears while simultaneously cementing the North Korean leader's belief that relinquishing his nuclear arsenal would be tantamount to suicide.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jan 3, 2020
Japan SDF mission in focus after U.S. assassination of top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani
The SDF unit deploying next month was to independently patrol a quiet area south of the Hormuz Strait, but now it might have a target on its back.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 2, 2020
North Korean missiles again flying over Japan 'only a matter of time,' experts say
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's declaration that his country is no longer bound by its self-imposed nuclear and missile moratorium drastically raises the chances of longer-range weapons overflying Japan once again, experts say.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 1, 2020
North Korea's Kim warns of 'new strategic weapon' as nuclear freeze falters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared that his country is no longer bound by its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, while also warning of a "new strategic weapon" that he vowed to soon reveal to the world, state-run media reported Wednesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 31, 2019
North Korea's Kim calls for 'diplomatic and military countermeasures' as year-end deadline looms
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for "diplomatic and military countermeasures" for preserving the country's sovereignty and security ahead of Pyongyang's self-imposed year-end deadline for U.S. concessions in nuclear talks, state-run media reported Tuesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 22, 2019
North Korea's Kim holds meeting of military elite as year-end deadline looms
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over an enlarged meeting of the ruling party's Central Military Commission to decide on "important organizational and political measures and military steps to bolster" the country's armed forces, state-run media reported Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Dec 18, 2019
The Shandong, China's first homegrown aircraft carrier: More than just a symbol of prestige
The commissioning puts China in a small group of nations with multiple aircraft carriers as it reportedly continues to work on building a third.

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
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