Jesse Johnson - The Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

Feb 19, 2017

U.S. carrier group begins 'routine patrol' of tense South China Sea

In a move likely to stoke the ire of Beijing, the U.S. Navy's Carrier Strike Group 1, which includes the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, began what the navy called "routine operations" in the contested South China Sea on Saturday.

ASIA PACIFIC

Feb 18, 2017

China eyes law to bar some foreign ships from passing through territorial waters

In a move that could have ramifications for U.S. "freedom of navigation" operations in the disputed South China Sea, Beijing is set to revise a key maritime law to bar some foreign ships from passing through Chinese territorial waters.

ASIA PACIFIC

Feb 16, 2017

China warns U.S. against more patrols in disputed South China Sea

Beijing warned Washington on Wednesday not to challenge its sovereignty in the South China Sea amid reports that the U.S. Navy was gearing up to sail more warships near China's man-made islands in the contested waters.

JAPAN

Feb 15, 2017

Ties to Japan may factor in Kim Jong Nam's mysterious murder

Fears by Kim Jong Un over his legitimacy as North Korea's hereditary leader due to his grandfather's work in a Japanese military factory may have had a role in brother's murder.

ASIA PACIFIC

Feb 14, 2017

U.S. to send stealth fighters, nuclear sub for military drills with South Korea next month: report

Just two days after North Korea's test-firing of a new type of medium- to long-range ballistic missile, defense officials in Seoul said Tuesday that the United States would send key strategic assets to the South for joint military exercises scheduled for next month, a report said.

JAPAN / Politics

Feb 13, 2017

North Korea missile test delivers early challenge to Trump and Abe

North Korea says it successfully test-fired a new missile, presenting the administration of President Donald Trump with an early foreign policy challenge and testing his commitment to U.S. allies in Asia.

ASIA PACIFIC

Feb 10, 2017

U.S., Chinese military planes in 'unsafe' encounter over disputed South China Sea

A U.S. Navy reconnaissance aircraft and a Chinese military plane were involved in an "unsafe" encounter earlier this week in international airspace over the disputed South China Sea, the U.S. Pacific Command said Friday.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Feb 8, 2017

Task force report highlights 'precarious' Sino-U.S. ties, urges visit to Japan, China to help repair relations

To better signal that the U.S. has not backed away from its role as an Asia-Pacific nation amid China's rise, President Donald Trump and his senior advisers should visit U.S. ally Japan as soon as possible, according to a new report by an expert task force detailing China policy recommendations for the...

ASIA PACIFIC

Feb 7, 2017

Behind the scenes, Tillerson tones down rhetoric on South China Sea

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appears to have toned down his unexpectedly stern words on China's actions in the disputed South China Sea made during his confirmation hearings, an apparently leaked document has shown.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS

Feb 5, 2017

North Korea offers first foreign test to Trump administration

As U.S. President Donald Trump grapples with domestic crises and transition issues, the country that is widely seen as representing his largest foreign policy challenge is gearing up some 10,000 km away to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the United States.

ASIA PACIFIC

Jan 31, 2017

Mattis reaffirms pledge to defend South Korea against 'evolving' North Korean threat

U.S. defense chief James Mattis spoke with his South Korean counterpart over the telephone Monday to reaffirm Washington's commitment to defending its Asian ally, the Pentagon said in a statement, amid concerns over North Korea's nuclear program.

ASIA PACIFIC

Jan 28, 2017

North Korea appears to have restarted plutonium reactor, think tank says

North Korea appears to have restarted plutonium production for its nuclear weapons program at its main Nyongbyon reactor complex, commercial satellite imagery released by a think tank showed Friday.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / GAUGING TRUMP

Jan 23, 2017

Under Trump, Asia 'pivot' security plank may rise from the ashes

With the ascension of Donald Trump to the White House, former U.S. President Barack Obama's "pivot" to Asia appears to have been burned to the ground. Its remains must yet cool, but what may ultimately emerge from the ashes could prove reassuring to Asian allies fearful of an American retreat amid China's...

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Jan 18, 2017

Top Trump adviser Bolton backs U.S. forces in Taiwan, says move could lessen Okinawa burden

Amid increasingly tense Sino-U.S. ties, John Bolton, a former American ambassador to the U.N. and a top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, has called for a closer U.S. military relationship with Taiwan to help counter a "belligerent" Beijing.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Jan 16, 2017

Former U.N. chief Ban throws weight behind THAAD deployment

Former United Nations chief and presumptive South Korean presidential candidate Ban Ki-moon has backed the deployment later this year of a U.S. anti-missile system to the country amid North Korea's progress in its nuclear and missile programs.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Jan 16, 2017

Chinese state media lambastes Trump on Taiwan, calls issue 'Pandora's box of lethal potential'

Chinese state-run media have lashed out at U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's recent comments on Taiwan, with one newspaper calling the issue a "Pandora's box of lethal potential" that could upend the two powers' relationship.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Jan 15, 2017

Beijing says 'one-China' policy can't be bargaining chip after Trump calls principle negotiable

China has pushed back against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's suggestions that the "one-China" policy on Taiwan is negotiable, with the Foreign Ministry in Beijing urging the incoming administration to "recognize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan question."

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Jan 13, 2017

China, Russia take aim at U.S. anti-missile system planned for deployment in South Korea

China and Russia have agreed to take unspecified "countermeasures" in response to the planned U.S. deployment of an anti-missile system to South Korea — a move that came as Defense Minister Tomomi Inada inspected a version of the system on the U.S. territory of Guam on Friday.

ASIA PACIFIC

Jan 11, 2017

China sends aircraft carrier into Taiwan Strait

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Wednesday that China's only aircraft carrier had transited the Taiwan Strait amid soaring tensions between Beijing and Taipei.

ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS

Jan 10, 2017

U.S. carrier's deployment to turbulent Asia could be test of Trump's China, North Korea policies

Will the symbols of American and Chinese naval might meet in the waters of the disputed South China Sea soon? Probably not.

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