Simon Lewis - The Japan Times

December 26, 2024

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Children at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.

WORLD / Politics

Oct 16, 2024

U.S. tells Israel to improve situation in Gaza or risk military aid

It is Washington's strongest warning since Israel's war with Hamas began a year ago.

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Vietnam's President and ruling Communist Party Chief To Lam on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United National General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

WORLD / Politics

Sep 26, 2024

Biden meets with Vietnam leader to counter ties with China and Russia

A senior U.S. official said the two leaders discussed how to accelerate a strategic partnership agreed to last year.

Antony Blinken, U.S. secretary of state, during a news conference in London on Tuesday

WORLD / Politics

Sep 11, 2024

Russia received missiles from Iran, U.S. says as it piles on sanctions

Russian defense ministry representatives are believed to have signed a contract in December with Iranian officials for ballistic missile systems.

A drone view of Neve Daniel, a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on March 12

WORLD

Jul 22, 2024

Israeli settlers court Republican religious right after Hamas attacks

While Donald Trump has suggested U.S. policy could change, neither he nor the Republican Party have been explicit about their position toward a Palestinian state.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Donald Trump at the former U.S. president's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Thursday. A spokesperson for Orban said the pair discussed the "possibilities of peace" in Ukraine during their meeting.

WORLD / Politics

Jul 12, 2024

NATO outlier Orban discusses possibilities of peace in Ukraine with Trump

The nationalist Hungarian prime minister made surprise visits to Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing in the past two weeks on a self-styled "peace mission," angering NATO allies.

A volunteer hoping to join the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces attends basic training at an undisclosed location in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, on Jan. 9.

WORLD / Politics

Jun 26, 2024

Trump reviews peace talks ultimatum plan for Ukraine and Russia

The proposal would mark a big shift in the U.S. position on the war and would face opposition from European allies.

Cindy Dyer, Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, delivers remarks during the release of the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report at the State Department in Washington on Monday.

WORLD / Politics

Jun 25, 2024

U.S. upgrades Vietnam in human-trafficking report despite concerns

The prior human-trafficking report downgrades, which can lead to sanctions, had added an awkward note to U.S.-Vietnam relations.

Antony Blinken, U.S. secretary of state, at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in Kyiv on Tuesday.

WORLD / Politics

May 15, 2024

Blinken, in Kyiv, vows unwavering U.S. support to Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged the delay of weapons made Ukraine more vulnerable to Russia's attacks.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.

WORLD / Politics

Apr 5, 2024

NATO allies aim to send more air defense aid to Ukraine but make no concrete pledges

The alliance's 75th anniversary has been overshadowed by the war on its borders.

Houthi fighters and tribal supporters hold up firearms during a protest against recent U.S.-led strikes on Houthi targets, near Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday.

WORLD / Politics

Jan 18, 2024

U.S. lists Houthis as terrorists as group attacks second U.S. ship

The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and have threatened to expand attacks to include U.S. ships in response to strikes on their positions.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gestures as he arrives in Tel Aviv on Monday as part of his weeklong trip aimed at calming tensions across the Middle East.

WORLD / Society

Jan 9, 2024

Blinken arrives in Israel as it says Gaza war to continue through 2024

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to meet Israeli leaders on Tuesday in his quest to prevent the Gaza Strip conflict from growing into a regional conflagration as the Israeli military said its fight against Hamas will rage all year.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, on Sunday.

WORLD / Politics

Dec 19, 2023

Diplomats gird for 'doomsday' as prospect of Trump presidency looms

If he were to win a second term, Trump is likely to install loyalists — meaning his whims and isolationist policies would be easier to enact than before.

People carry a coffin as a mass funeral takes place to bury victims of a military strike on a camp for displaced people near the northern Myanmar town of Laiza on Oct. 10.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Nov 1, 2023

U.S. targets Myanmar's state energy firm with partial sanctions

The action prohibits certain financial services by Americans to the state oil and gas enterprise starting on Dec. 15, the Treasury said in a statement.

U.S. President Joe Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, delivers remarks Tuesday after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation following Hamas' deadly attacks on Israel.

WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS

Oct 11, 2023

Israel-Hamas war upends Biden's two-pronged Mideast strategy

After keeping the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at arm's length, Biden now finds himself thrust into a crisis likely to reshape his Middle East policy.

Pacific Island Forum Secretary General Henry Puna

WORLD / Politics

Sep 19, 2023

Pacific island nations to hold second summit with Biden next week

Henry Puna of the Pacific Islands Forum said the region had gone from a period of neglect to one of strategic interest, competition and "manipulation."

Supporters wave flags as they rally in support of Niger's junta in front of the National Assembly in Niamey on Sunday.

WORLD

Aug 1, 2023

U.S. sees narrow opportunity to reverse course in Niger after coup

The U.S. has condemned the junta's overthrow of elected President Mohamed Bazoum.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS

Jul 22, 2023

Bringing Private King home: Reaching Pyongyang is the first challenge

Securing the return of citizens from North Korea has never been easy for the U.S. It may be even harder now, with communications now almost nonexistent.

Japan Times

WORLD

Mar 3, 2023

U.S. and Russian top diplomats meet for first time since Ukraine invasion

Early in the G20 meeting of foreign ministers, the United States and European allies urged the group of nations to keep up pressure on Moscow to end the conflict.

Japan Times

ASIA PACIFIC

Feb 1, 2023

U.S. and allies mark anniversary of Myanmar coup with more sanctions

Washington imposed sanctions on the Union Election Commission, mining enterprises and energy officials, among others.

Japan Times

WORLD

Jul 14, 2022

Last maternity clinic in Ukraine-controlled Donbas a lifeline as war closes in

The center, roughly 40 kilometers from the closest front line, gives a glimpse of the suffering the war is inflicting on pregnant women.

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.

Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?

By Kathryn Wortley

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Site designer on why expos matter more than ever

Site designer on why expos matter more than ever

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