Matt Spetalnick - The Japan Times

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

Meta

Matt Spetalnick

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS

Apr 4, 2017

When Trump and Xi meet, will it mean conciliation or collision?

When U.S. President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, their summit will be marked not only by deep policy divisions but a clash of personalities between America's brash "tweeter-in-chief" and Beijing's cautious, calculating leader.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Mar 21, 2017

Trump administration weighing broad sanctions on North Korea, top U.S. official says

The Trump administration is considering sweeping sanctions aimed at cutting North Korea off from the global financial system as part of a broad review of measures to counter Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threat, a senior U.S. official said Monday.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Mar 19, 2017

Trump administration crafting big new arms sales to Taiwan, sources say

The Trump administration is crafting a big new arms package for Taiwan that could include advanced rocket systems and anti-ship missiles to defend against China, U.S. officials said, a deal sure to anger Beijing.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Jan 24, 2017

Trump White House warns Beijing over 'takeover' of South China Sea

The new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump vowed Monday that the United States would prevent China from taking over territory in international waters in the South China Sea, something Chinese state media has warned would require Washington to "wage war."

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS

Jan 14, 2017

Trump team sends out contradictory signals as it seeks to craft tougher China policy

The incoming U.S. administration's tough talk against China has set the stage for showdowns on everything from security to trade and cyberspace, but contradictory signals are sowing uncertainty over how far President-elect Donald Trump is prepared to go in confronting Beijing.

ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS

Jul 28, 2016

U.S. diplomatic strategy on South China Sea appears to founder

In the lead-up to an international court ruling on China's claims in the South China Sea this month, American officials talked about rallying a coalition to impose "terrible" costs to Beijing's reputation if it flouted the court's decision.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

Jun 21, 2016

U.S. Navy chief hopes carriers deter East Asia destabilization

The U.S. Navy chief said on Monday he hoped the deployment of two aircraft carriers on a training mission in East Asia would deter any attempts to destabilize the region, where military tensions have risen amid China's growing assertiveness.

Japan Times

WORLD / Politics

Jun 16, 2016

Trump adds new twist to immigration proposals, but legal doubts persist

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's proposal for suspending immigration from parts of the world with a history of terrorism could have a legal basis, but his assertion that it be part of a broader ban on Muslim immigrants makes it constitutionally untenable, legal scholars say.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

Jun 8, 2016

North Korea restarts plutonium production for nuclear bombs: U.S. official

North Korea has restarted production of plutonium fuel, a senior U.S. State Department official said Tuesday, showing that it plans to pursue its nuclear weapons program in defiance of international sanctions.

WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS

Jan 11, 2016

As foreign crises pile up, experts think Obama will take few risks during final year in office

As Barack Obama prepares to deliver his final State of the Union address Tuesday night, the U.S. president and his aides have insisted he will not be content simply to run out the clock on foreign policy and is acting decisively to tackle crises piling up around the globe.

Japan Times

WORLD

Aug 4, 2015

State Department is accused of watering down human trafficking report

In the weeks leading up to a critical annual U.S. report on human trafficking that publicly shames the world's worst offenders, human rights experts at the State Department concluded that trafficking conditions had not improved in Malaysia and Cuba. And in China, they found, things had gotten worse....

WORLD / Politics

Nov 6, 2014

Despite election defeat, foreign policy is not 'game over' for Obama

From marauding jihadists in Iraq to pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine and beheadings of Americans in Syria, a world in crisis has fanned perceptions of an overwhelmed U.S. president and contributed to a Republican sweep of U.S. midterm elections.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Nov 5, 2014

Washington takes hands-off stance on future of Myanmar's Suu Kyi

Despite hailing Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as "an icon of democracy," U.S. President Barack Obama is quietly acquiescing to the government's decision to bar her from running for the presidency in next year's election, U.S. officials say.

Japan Times

WORLD / Politics

Feb 21, 2014

Obama's 'red line' on Ukraine draws derision

President Barack Obama's stern warning to Ukrainian officials Wednesday was the closest thing to a "red line" moment he has had since his threat in 2012 to act against the Syrian government if it deployed chemical weapons.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

The sun shines from behind a waving Philippine flag at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Eighty years after the Battle of Manila, old foes forge new ties

By Anton L. Delgado

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Supporting women’s social participation is Cartier’s commitment

Supporting women’s social participation is Cartier’s commitment

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports