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Jesse Johnson
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2017
ICC chief lauds Japan's commitment but is concerned court is underrepresented in Asia
On a swing through Northeast Asia over the weekend, Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi, the first female head of the International Criminal Court, lauded Japan's commitment to the relatively young institution but voiced concerns about underrepresentation in Asia.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 30, 2017
Imagery shows gathering at North Korean nuclear test site not seen since 2013 atomic blast
New satellite imagery taken Tuesday shows a gathering of up to 100 people at the administrative area of North Korea's main nuclear test site — a level of activity not been seen since January 2013, a month before Pyongyang's third atomic test, the influential 38 North website said Wednesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 29, 2017
Satellite imagery shows North Korea may be in final stages of preparing for nuclear test
Satellite imagery of North Korea's main nuclear test site "strongly suggests" that preparations for the country's sixth atomic test are entering the final stages, a leading U.S. website that monitors the isolated nation said Tuesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 28, 2017
Report warns that Beijing's military bases in South China Sea are ready for use
Major construction at three of China's large man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea is wrapping up, allowing Beijing to deploy fighter jets and mobile missile launchers to the area at any time, a think tank said Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 27, 2017
Pyongyang threatens 'own style of pre-emptive attack' after joint U.S.-South Korea 'decapitation' drills
North Korea has threatened its own pre-emptive strikes in response to recent drills for "decapitation" strikes by U.S. and South Korean special operations forces aimed at taking out the leadership in Pyongyang.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 21, 2017
Did America's top diplomat inadvertently offer China a 'new great power relationship'?
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's use of phrases and language commonly employed by China's Communist Party during his first trip to the country as top diplomat has left some regional experts wondering if he may have inadvertently endorsed Beijing's push for a new "great power relationship."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 20, 2017
North Korean state-run propaganda website depicts U.S. aircraft carrier, bomber engulfed in flames
The YouTube channel of North Korea's state-run Uriminzokkiri propaganda website has released a video showing images of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and strategic bomber engulfed in flames.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2017
Amid North Korea threat, Tillerson hints that 'circumstances could evolve' for a Japanese nuclear arsenal
U.S. secretary of state says possibility of Japanese atomic weapons may have to be considered as tensions on Korean Peninsula surge.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 19, 2017
North Korea hails test of powerful new rocket engine
North Korea heralded the successful development of a new "high-thrust engine" during a visit to the country's rocket test site by leader Kim Jong Un, the reclusive nation's state media said Sunday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 17, 2017
Tillerson's tough talk on North Korea garners mixed reviews
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued bold proclamations during his Asia visit, saying that “all options are on the table” in dealing with nuclear-armed North Korea.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 17, 2017
China planning 'monitoring station' on hotly contested South China Sea shoal
China is planning to build an "environmental monitoring station" on a hotly disputed reef at the center of an ongoing territorial row over the South China Sea, according to a top official who administers Beijing's regional island claims.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 14, 2017
U.S. to deploy attack drones to South Korea amid surging tensions with Pyongyang
The U.S. has announced that it will permanently deploy attack drones to South Korea to help counter the growing threats posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs — including to U.S. military bases in Japan.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Mar 13, 2017
Chinese defense spending stokes concern, debate as military ramps up operations in air and sea near Japan
China's plan to boost defense spending this year by around 7 percent — the slowest pace since 1991 — will raise concerns and stoke debate in Japan and the U.S. over their own capabilities as Beijing ramps up operations in the waters and airspace of the East and South China seas, experts say.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2017
North Korean missile drill simulated targeting Iwakuni base, analysis shows
A new open-source intelligence analysis of North Korean media by missile experts has shown what appears to be the hypothetical target of Monday's test-launches: the U.S. base at Iwakuni.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2017
North Korea says missile launches were training for striking U.S. bases in Japan
North Korea said Tuesday its launch exercise a day earlier involving multiple missiles simulated an attack on U.S. bases — a type of saturation attack that experts say could leave Japan vulnerable.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2017
Abe says latest North Korean missile launch represents 'new level of threat'
North Korea demonstrated its growing military capabilities with the launch of four ballistic missiles Monday, three of which fell into the Sea of Japan, in what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe characterized as "a new level of threat."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 4, 2017
China to boost defense spending by 'about 7%' in 2017 amid 'outside meddling' in maritime disputes
China will boost its defense budget by "around 7 percent" this year, a top official said Saturday, as Beijing seeks to inject more cash into its increasingly modern military amid "outside meddling" in territorial disputes in the East and South China seas.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2017
ASDF scrambles jets as China sends more fighters and bombers through Miyako Strait
Japan scrambled fighters jets Thursday after China's navy carried out a large-scale drill through a strategic entryway into the Western Pacific between the islands of Miyako and Okinawa — part of Beijing's growing push to project its military clout farther into the Pacific.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 1, 2017
In speech to Congress, Trump urges military allies to do more — a demand Abe may welcome
In U.S. President Donald Trump's first address to Congress, he used the speech to remind security allies — including Japan — they must “pay their fair share” of the alliances' costs.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Feb 26, 2017
Did North Korea kill Kim Jong Nam with VX nerve agent to send a signal to its enemies?
Last week's stunning revelation that the deadly VX nerve agent was used to kill the estranged half brother of North Korea's leader at a crowded air terminal in Malaysia has thrown a spotlight on Pyongyang's chemical weapons arsenal — and raised questions of whether the operation was a purposeful but...

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