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April 06, 2025
 

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Jesse Johnson
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 23, 2018
Trump falsely claims North Korea has agreed to denuclearize, but will it ditch its 'treasured sword'?
U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Sunday to serve up the dubious claim that North Korea has "agreed to denuclearization" ahead of his meeting with Kim Jong Un — an assertion at odds with what the White House has previously said and something Pyongyang has yet to say publicly.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 22, 2018
North Korea's surprise move unlikely to deepen U.S.-Japan rift ahead of Trump-Kim summit: experts
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sudden announcement Saturday that his country had suspended nuclear and longer-range missile tests and shut down its main atomic test site to focus on its sanctions-hit economy may have caught the U.S. and Japan off guard, but experts say it is unlikely to deepen any...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 21, 2018
Abe cautious as North Korea pledges to halt nuclear and longer-range missile tests just days before key summit
North Korea's suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests draws wary praise and skepticism from experts less than a week before a pivotal inter-Korean summit.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2018
In first, Chinese aircraft carrier performs drills in Pacific, Japanese Defense Ministry says
The Defense Ministry in Tokyo confirmed Saturday that for the first time China has conducted a drill in the Pacific with its sole operating aircraft carrier.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 20, 2018
Trump looking to rid North Korea of chemical and biological weapons as well as nuclear arsenal: ambassador
The U.S.-North Korea summit could see U.S. President Donald Trump push for eradicating its chemical and biological weapons as well, U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty says.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 20, 2018
Did North Korea's Kim Jong Un just remove a key stumbling block in negotiations with the U.S.?
By affirming that American troops can stay in South Korea under a possible nuclear deal, did North Korean leader Kim Jong Un just remove a key stumbling block in negotiations with the United States?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 19, 2018
Trump and Abe agree to intensify trade talks, but show little progress on metals tariff exemption
Asked for clarification on whether moves to deepen discussions could lead to a bilateral trade deal, neither leader was prepared to give a definitive response.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 19, 2018
Trump says he would walk away if Kim summit isn't 'fruitful'
U.S. President Donald Trump voiced hopes Wednesday of a successful planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but warned that he could "respectfully" walk away if it appeared the talks would not be "fruitful."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 19, 2018
Trump confirms CIA chief visited North Korea for secret meeting with Kim Jong Un
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that CIA chief Mike Pompeo had held clandestine talks with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, as the two nations move closer to a landmark summit that would see their sitting leaders meet for first time ever.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 17, 2018
Two Koreas to discuss announcing official end to war, report says
In what would amount to a stunning development, North and South Korea are in discussions to announce at next week's leaders' summit an official end to the military conflict between the two neighbors, which remain technically at war, the South's Munhwa Ilbo daily reported Monday, citing an unidentified...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 16, 2018
China launches new website that lets users report 'foreign spies'
China has ramped up its crackdown on foreign espionage with a new website in both Mandarin and English that allows users to report alleged threats such as collusion with foreign countries that endangers the country's "sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2018
Strike on Syria gives Japan preview of stealthy new 'standoff' missile it is looking to buy
Japan was given a preview of the stealthy JASSM-ER "standoff" missiles it is considering purchasing after U.S. officials said B-1B bombers launched the weapons Friday for the first time in combat during strikes on the Syrian regime.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 15, 2018
As Kim-Trump summit approaches, Syria strikes evoke memories of Gadhafi's gruesome fate for North Korea
Could the decision to strike Syrian targets after a recent chemical weapons attack impact the planned landmark summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un?
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2018
Chinese military aircraft flew over strategic waterway record number of times in fiscal 2017, Japan Defense Ministry says
Chinese military aircraft flew through a strategic waterway between Okinawa's main island and the island of Miyakojima a record 36 times in fiscal 2017, the Japanese Defense Ministry has announced, as China seeks to extend its reach further into the Western Pacific with what it calls "regular" exercises....
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 13, 2018
Mike Pompeo optimistic on Kim-Trump summit, but ‘America first’ remarks likely to trigger concern in Tokyo and Seoul
U.S. Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo voiced cautious optimism in President Donald Trump's ability to negotiate a nuclear deal with Pyongyang, but also struck a tone on the issue that was likely to trigger concern in Tokyo and Seoul, during a Senate confirmation hearing Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 13, 2018
Xi shows off China's naval might with largest fleet review since 1949
Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized the "urgent" need to build a robust navy as he oversaw the country's largest naval fleet review since 1949, while the government announced live-fire military drills would take place in the Taiwan Strait next week.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 11, 2018
Former U.S. defense chief William Perry urges Trump to learn from past successes and failures on North Korea
As one of the key individuals who brought the United States and North Korea closer than ever before to a deal on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons, former U.S. defense chief William Perry has a lot to say about dealing with the regime of Kim Jong Un and a planned landmark summit with President Donald Trump...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 11, 2018
North Korea and Trump's dangerous perception gap on denuclearization
Washington's acknowledgment this week that Pyongyang is ready to discuss the "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" may sound like a step toward ridding North Korea of its hard-won nuclear weapons, but experts and observers say such a move is extremely unlikely in the near-term and highlights a potentially...
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 10, 2018
China defends military buildup in disputed South China Sea
Beijing defended its construction of what it called defensive facilities in the disputed South China Sea on Tuesday, saying the moves were not directed at any specific country, according to a Defense Ministry spokesman.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 10, 2018
North Korea's Kim breaks silence on talks with U.S.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made his first direct acknowledgment of the prospect of talks with the U.S., addressing the issue at a meeting of the ruling party's Politburo, state-run media reported Tuesday.
3D printer used to construct train station building in Japan
A train station building (front) is assembled from parts printed using 3D printer technology, in Arida, Wakayama Prefecture, on Wednesday.
Nissan says it will not take new U.S. orders for Mexican-built Infiniti SUVs
A Nissan manufacturing complex in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Nissan says it will not take new orders from the United States for two Mexican-built Infiniti SUVs following new auto tariffs levied by the U.S.
Japan digs deep to address 'national crisis' caused by Trump tariffs
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office on April 1. He has said that Japan is facing a "national crisis" following the introduction of new tariffs by the United States.
Tokyo’s KK Line to close for decadelong overhaul as public greenway
People enjoy running and yoga on Tokyo Expressway’s KK Line, a 2-kilometer elevated expressway cutting through the capital’s commercial Ginza district, when it was opened as a pedestrian space in May last year.
Japan promises 'bold and speedy' response to Trump’s surprise 24% tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump unveils new U.S. tariffs at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
Tottori takes a bold leap forward in the arts
The city of Kurayoshi in Tottori Prefecture celebrated the opening of its public art museum with festivities such as a parade that drew 1,000 revelers.
Haruki Murakami TV adaptation revisits 30 years of watershed moments
Though Haruki Murakami's trademark whiff of offbeat existentialism is threaded throughout NHK's "After the Quake," the final episode — conceived as a sequel to the story "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" — is the most stylized, featuring an anthropomorphic talking frog (voiced by Non) and his erstwhile associate Katagiri (Koichi Sato).
Nintendo to launch the Switch 2 on June 5
The controllers for the Switch 2 will attach to the console magnetically rather than sliding on rails as with the original device.
A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar gather at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud center on the country's border with Thailand, after a multinational crackdown in February.

Podcast

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

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
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