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Jesse Johnson
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 24, 2019
North Korean leader's right-hand man and top nuclear negotiator removed from key post, report says
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's right-hand man and one of the top officials involved in nuclear talks with the United States, Kim Yong Chol, has been replaced as chief of a key espionage agency handling inter-Korean affairs, a report said Wednesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 23, 2019
Chinese Navy puts military might on display with fleet review attended by Japan and others
Seven decades after its founding, the Chinese Navy put on a show Tuesday of the numerous strides it has made to become a "world-class" force to be reckoned — a shift that has unnerved some regional countries and the United States.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 22, 2019
South Korea to mark anniversary of Moon-Kim summit with event — but will the North show up?
South Korea will hold a ceremony later this week to mark the one-year anniversary of the historic first summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 21, 2019
Chinese Navy's 70th anniversary celebrations: Mere muscle-flexing or something more?
China's navy will mark its 70th anniversary this week with an array of events, including a massive international fleet review and parade — but is this merely military muscle-flexing or something more nuanced?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 20, 2019
Senior North Korean negotiator calls U.S. national security adviser John Bolton 'dim-sighted'
One of North Korea's top nuclear negotiators with the United States has served up mild criticism of remarks by White House national security adviser John Bolton, calling him "dim-sighted" — the second condemnation of a top U.S. official in days.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 20, 2019
China to show off new nuclear subs, destroyers for first time at fleet review marking navy's 70th anniversary
China will show off some of its new warships — including nuclear submarines and destroyers — for the first time during a massive maritime parade marking the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Navy on Tuesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 18, 2019
North Korea tests new weapon with 'powerful warhead' and demands Pompeo's removal from nuke talks
North Korea has demanded that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be removed as Washington's top negotiator with Pyongyang, just hours after announcing the test-firing of a "new-type tactical guided weapon," the country's state-run media said Thursday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 17, 2019
Top U.S. envoy for North Korea heads to Moscow as speculation about Kim-Putin summit gains steam
The top U.S. envoy for North Korea will travel to Moscow this week for talks on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program, the State Department said Tuesday — a sign that a meeting between leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the near future could be imminent.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 16, 2019
Kim-Putin summit rumors heat up as Kremlin says preparations underway
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could hold his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week amid stalled nuclear talks with the United States, media reports have said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 13, 2019
North Korea's Kim willing to meet Trump a third time but gives U.S. an end-of-year deadline
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he is willing to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump for a third time for nuclear talks — if Washington comes to the table with the "correct posture" — but laid down a year-end deadline "for a bold decision from the U.S."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 12, 2019
Trump says no to eased sanctions, but South Korea's Moon keeps nuclear talks with Kim alive
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, on a mission to Washington on Thursday to kick-start nuclear diplomacy by persuading U.S. President Donald Trump to ease crushing sanctions on North Korea and gain an OK for inter-Korean projects, fell short in talks with Trump.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 11, 2019
U.S. Navy drops criminal charges against USS Fitzgerald officers in case of 2017 fatal collision
The U.S. Navy said Wednesday that it will drop charges against two former USS Fitzgerald officers accused of criminal negligence in the warship's deadly 2017 collision south of Tokyo Bay.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 11, 2019
North Korea's Kim doubles down on sanctions threat, vowing to deal 'telling blow' to those imposing them
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has doubled down on his regime persevering through tough sanctions that have choked his economy, urging his country to deal a "telling blow" to those imposing the sanctions and pitching self-reliance as an "eternal lifeline," state-run media reported Thursday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 10, 2019
South Korean leader has work cut out for him in talks with Trump on North Korean nukes
South Korean leader Moon Jae-in heads to Washington for a crucial summit with U.S. President Donald Trump this week in hopes of persuading the mercurial leader to give some ground in his negotiations with North Korea over that country's nuclear arsenal.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 10, 2019
Powerful North Korean decision-making body set to decide 'new orientation' ahead of Trump-Moon summit
North Korea has announced that the Central Committee of its ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was set to hold a meeting Wednesday to discuss and decide what it called a "new orientation" just days ahead of South Korean leader Moon Jae-in's visit to the White House.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 9, 2019
U.S. sails massive, F-35-laden warship in disputed South China Sea
In the latest show of military muscle in the South China Sea, the U.S. has apparently sailed its USS Wasp amphibious assault ship near a strategic reef claimed by Beijing and Manila that lies just 230 km (140 miles) from the Philippine coast.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 8, 2019
North Korean leader's 'field guidance' trips highlight economic focus ahead of parliament meeting
In a possible signal of what to expect at a key meeting of North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament later this week, state media reported Monday on leader Kim Jong Un's visit to a recently remodeled, modern-looking department store.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 6, 2019
Top U.S. diplomat 'confident' of third round of Trump-Kim nuclear talks
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said he is "confident" there will be a third summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, noting that talks with Pyongyang are continuing after a February nuclear summit in Hanoi failed to yield a deal.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 5, 2019
In snub, U.S. won't send warships or senior officials to Chinese Navy's 70th anniversary celebrations
The United States has decided not to send warships or senior military officers to celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of China's People's Liberation Army Navy later this month, a snub by Washington even as U.S. allies Japan and South Korea are expected to send their own vessels...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 5, 2019
U.S. trains with ASDF in Western Pacific as area sees ramped-up military drills by China
B-52 bombers from Guam have trained with Air Self-Defense Force and Okinawa-based U.S. fighter jets in the Western Pacific, just days after China sent a total of six bombers and other aircraft through a key entryway into the Pacific for their own military exercises.

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