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Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 7, 2022

Trump companies are convicted in NY criminal tax fraud trial

It is the first time a Trump business has been convicted of criminal conduct and comes as the former president is running for a second term.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 23, 2022

Beijing is fixing its foul air. Why can’t New Delhi?

The return of smog season in India's capital has again left residents asking why nothing has changed. The answer may be largely political.
Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange protest outside The Royal Courts of Justice, Britain's High Court, in central London on Monday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 21, 2024

WikiLeaks' Julian Assange wins right to appeal extradition from Britain to U.S.

Assange, 52, is wanted in the U.S. on 18 charges, nearly all under the Espionage Act, relating to WikiLeaks' mass release of secret U.S. documents.
Supporters of Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Karachi hold his poster as they celebrate his acquittal of leaking state secrets following a court verdict on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2024

Pakistan's Imran Khan acquitted of leaking state secrets charges

But the former prime minister will remain in jail for now due to a conviction in another case.
A white-tailed eagle is released backed to the wild in Hokkaido in February after having been treated for bird flu with human-use influenza drug.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Jun 6, 2024

White-tailed eagle treated with human drug returns to wild

After having been released in the wild in February, subsequent tracking verified that the bird was successfully living independently in its natural habitat.
American Institute in Taiwan Director Sandra Oudkirk looks at a Switchblade 300 drone during the 2023 Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei last September.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 19, 2024

U.S. approves sale of more than 1,000 ‘suicide drones’ to Taiwan

The $360 million arms sale comes as Washington doubles down on helping Taipei counter a potential Chinese attack on the self-ruled island.
Palestinian woman Nisreen holds the hand of her son Majd Salem, a six-month-old malnourished Palestinian baby who weighed 3.5 kilograms when he was born and gained just 300 grams in six months, at Kamal Adwan hospital in the northern Gaza Strip on May 9.
WORLD / Society
Jun 25, 2024

Gaza faces the threat of famine: How children starve

More than 1 million of Gaza's inhabitants face the most extreme form of malnutrition — classified by the IPC as "Catastrophe or Famine."
Ground Self-Defense Force members participate in a seminar to prevent harassment at Camp Asaka in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 10, 2024

Spate of scandals threaten to tarnish Defense Ministry and SDF’s reputation

The emergence of multiple scandals is the latest challenge for the Defense Ministry as it seeks to strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities.
A German army Eurocopter Tiger helicopter flies during the Quadriga 2024 military exercises in Pabrade, Lithuania, on May 29.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 25, 2024

NATO planners count cost of hardening Europe against Russian threat

A recent analysis shows shortages in air defenses and long-range missiles, troop numbers, ammunition and secure digital communications on the battlefield.
South Korean and U.S. soldiers conduct a joint river-crossing exercise in Yeoncheon, South Korea, in March.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 28, 2024

South Korea reports leak from its military intelligence command

The military said in a brief statement that it planned to "deal sternly with” those responsible for the leak.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara speaks on July 30 during a parliamentary inquiry into a series of scandals involving the ministry and the Self-Defense Forces.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 6, 2024

The wider international and domestic implications of the SDF scandals

The problems have put the spotlight on Japan’s ability to convince its partners that it’s ready to shoulder a larger security role.
Military vehicles carrying DF-26 ballistic missiles travel past Beijing's Tiananmen Gate during a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing in September 2015.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 21, 2024

Biden approved secret nuclear strategy refocusing on Chinese threat

In a new classified document, the U.S. president ordered preparations for possible coordinated nuclear confrontations with Russia, China and North Korea.
A police officer distributes leaflets on Osaka's revised ordinance to eliminate organized crime groups in the city's Minami entertainment district on July 1.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 28, 2024

Osaka steps up drive to ensure expo and casino resort free of organized crime

The revised ordinance also targets the sex work industry, street solicitation and scouting.
Seven & I is currently categorized on the Finance Ministry's classification list as a company that conducts "designated," but not "core" businesses.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 3, 2024

Japanese companies cannot use national security cover to block takeovers, official says

Japanese companies cannot use a national security designation as a tool to thwart foreign takeovers, a senior Finance Ministry official said.
A U.S. Marine participates in counterdrone training in June 2021.
WORLD
Oct 1, 2024

Pentagon’s Replicator 2 to focus on countering threat from small drones

U.S. military facilities around the globe, including those in Japan and South Korea, are expected to benefit from the initiative.
Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister (center) Melanie Joly, Canada's foreign minister (left) and Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's public safety, democratic institutions and intergovernmental affairs minister, during a news conference in Ottawa on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 17, 2024

Trudeau describes failed efforts at quiet diplomacy with Modi

Canada is not looking to provoke a fight with India and has repeatedly tried to give "off ramps” that have been rejected, Justin Trudeau said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
WORLD / Politics
Nov 4, 2024

Netanyahu’s office accused of leaks to foil Gaza cease-fire

Opposition leaders and liberal commentators say it’s the latest example of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's manipulation of the public discourse around the war.
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a Donald Trump rally at the Greensboro Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Nov. 2
WORLD / Politics
Nov 22, 2024

Trump picks Pam Bondi for U.S. Attorney General after Gaetz withdraws

The president-elect moved swiftly to replace his former nominee Matt Gaetz after the embattled former congressman withdrew from consideration.
Special Counsel Jack Smith speaks at a news conference in Washington on Aug. 1, 2023. Smith on Monday asked a federal judge in Washington to formally dismiss the indictment charging President-elect Donald Trump with plotting to subvert the 2020 election.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 26, 2024

Judge tosses Trump 2020 election case after prosecutors' request

The request stems from Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Nov. 13.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 27, 2024

Trump team signs transition agreement with Biden White House after delays

Under the agreement, Trump's team avoided signing a government ethics pledge, saying it has its own ethics plan.
Former chief of staff to the U.S. secretary of defense Kash Patel speaks during a campaign rally for former U.S. President Donald Trump in Las Vegas in October.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 1, 2024

Trump picks Kash Patel to head FBI

Patel has called for stripping the FBI of its intelligence-gathering role and purging anyone who refuses to support Trump's agenda.
The primary motivation for potentially adding Japan to the Five Eyes alliance is the considerable intelligence contributions the country could make concerning China, North Korea, Eastern Russia and East and Southeast Asia.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 30, 2024

If ever invited, should Japan make it 'Six Eyes'?

The primary motivation for potentially adding Japan to the alliance is the considerable intelligence contributions the country could make.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with his Japanese counterpart, Gen Nakatani,  at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 13, 2024

The global spy alliance should let Japan join

Tokyo’s inclusion in the club is long overdue, especially as the region combats China’s growing assertiveness and the unpredictability of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump gestures as he makes remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 8, 2025

Trump will not rule out force to take Panama Canal and Greenland

Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, also floated the idea of turning Canada into a U.S. state.
The USAID building in Washington on Saturday. Senior security staff have been put on leave by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump after they refused to allow representatives from billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access restricted parts of the building, people familiar with the matter have said.
WORLD
Feb 3, 2025

More USAID staff ousted after clash with Musk's team as Trump dismantles agency

The fast-moving developments follow an executive order by Trump last month to halt and reevaluate U.S. foreign aid.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth walks to the West Wing of the White House on March 21. Hegseth disclosed war plans in an encrypted chat group that included a journalist two hours before U.S. troops launched attacks against the Houthi militia in Yemen, the White House said on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 25, 2025

White House mistakenly shares Yemen war plans with journalist

The plans were shared in a Signal messaging group that included a journalist from The Atlantic just before the U.S. attacked Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen.
Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre, seen behind orange construction fencing, speaks at an election campaign event Ontario, Canada, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 26, 2025

India said to have meddled in Canadian party election

A yearlong inquiry identified New Delhi as one of the main actors saying that it supported candidates believed to be pro-India.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's contradictory statements on U.S. military strategy and alliances with Europe and Asia raise questions about his true stance, reflecting the chameleon-like nature of U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2025

Will the real Pete Hegseth please stand up?

The same fears remain in terms of security. Even if the Trump administration seeks to deter China, it is unlikely to shift its policy of so-called pacifism.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s JASM plant in Kumamoto Prefecture. Ensuring stability in the semiconductor supply chain is a matter of national security and must be based on cooperation between the government and private sector.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 4, 2025

Identifying choke points in the semiconductor supply chain

Addressing bottlenecks in chipmaking is essential for Japan's economic security and requires public-private collaboration, including aimed at information sharing.

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