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March 31, 2025
 

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DEFENSE

With Donald Trump's second term as U.S. president, Japan faces a new era in its relationship with the United States, requiring a shift from values-based diplomacy to a transactional approach.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 28, 2025
New era for U.S.-Japan depends on adapting to Trump’s America
The next four years will be more consequential and transactional for leaders in Tokyo as the Trump administration puts America first.
Hanna Shelest outside her apartment building in Odesa, Ukraine, on Jan. 20
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2025
I spent Trump’s inauguration in Ukraine. This is what I saw.
In nearly three years since Russia’s invasion, Odesa has moved from shock and fear to denial and, finally, adaptation.
Turkish warships sail during a naval parade in Istanbul in 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 27, 2025
Turkey bets on naval clout for edge in high-seas power play
The introduction of new naval vessels is part of a mission to diversify a booming domestic defense industry.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance (left) swears in Pete Hegseth (center) as U.S. secretary of defense during a ceremony in Washington on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 26, 2025
New U.S. defense chief pledges to work with allies in message to Pentagon
Pete Hegseth appeared to try and dispel concerns in allied capitals that the U.S. could again see a more transactional approach to foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observes a test of what state-run media said was a strategic cruise missile at an undisclosed location in this image released Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 26, 2025
North Korea tests 'strategic' cruise missiles as it lashes out at U.S. and South Korea
The test of the weapons, believed to be nuclear-capable, were the first since U.S. President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
Taeko Oshioka, a member of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) looks for visitors to sign a petition to call on the Japanese government to sign and ratify the Treaty of the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, in front of the preserved Atomic Bomb Dome in the city of Hiroshima last October.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 26, 2025
Japan rules out participating in nuke ban treaty meeting as observer
Instead, the country is considering sending lawmakers from the ruling bloc to the meeting, officials have said.
Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary, testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14 Washington. U.S. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Hegseth, a former Fox News personality, as U.S. defense chief late Friday — despite allegations of alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct and other concerns about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 25, 2025
Pete Hegseth confirmed in knife-edge vote to be new U.S. defense chief
In a mostly party-line result that saw no Democrats vote for Hegseth, three Republicans — including former GOP leader Mitch McConnell — also voted no.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department in Washington on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2025
Japan's foreign minister vows to take ties with U.S. to new heights
The minister said he will work to take the two countries' cooperation to new heights by building a strong relationship of trust with the Trump administration.
Supporters of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol protest in Seoul on Tuesday. The previous leaders of the U.S. and Japan, along with Yoon, focused on strengthening alliances and regional stability through cooperation whereas newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy may prioritize transactional relationships.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 24, 2025
Japan and South Korea were stable U.S. allies. Not anymore.
Political paralysis in the U.S., Japan and South Korea has left a leadership vacuum in the Indo-Pacific.
U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage with Vice President JD Vance after being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States during the presidential inauguration in Washington on Monday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 24, 2025
Japan should prioritize free trade as it adapts to Trump’s policies
It is difficult, if not impossible, to know what Trump and his administration will do in specific situations. Words and documents are one thing, actions another.
The site of a Rheinmetall arms factory in the municipality of Unterluess, Germany, in February last year. The war in Ukraine has highlighted Europe's need for increased armaments production.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2025
Europe needs a defense production act
The war in Ukraine has already prompted structural reforms and an increase defense spending at the national and EU levels.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya at the State Department in Washington on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2025
Top diplomats agree to take U.S.-Japan alliance to 'new heights'
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also agreed on the importance of trilateral cooperation with South Korea and others.
Staff members of the Kyoto-based company Mitsufuji stand near a small-scale model of a prototype hangar tent for electromagnetic shielding and wearable gadgets at the Vietnam Defense Expo 2024 in Hanoi on Dec. 19.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2025
Japan hunts for dual-use goods makers to aid military expansion
Cultivating a homegrown defense industry was a key plank of Japan's ¥43 trillion military build-up strategy launched in 2022.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone shake hands in the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2025
Japan and Laos agree to arrange vice ministerial security talks
The two countries also issued a joint statement calling for upgrading their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jan 22, 2025
Zelenskyy says security guarantee would need 200,000 peacekeepers
"From all the Europeans? 200,000, it's a minimum. It's a minimum, otherwise it's nothing," Zelenskyy said when asked about the idea of a peacekeeping contingent.
As Donald Trump begins his second term, the U.S. holds a strong position in the Indo-Pacific. However, missteps, economic policies and shifting alliances could undermine the Biden administration's progress in strengthening partnerships and countering China.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2025
Will Trump sustain or squander Biden's Indo-Pacific gains?
The legacy of the Joe Biden administration could prove fleeting, however, the result of missteps by Washington or developments in allied states.
During his first term, U.S. President Donald Trump took a hard line against China. As Trump takes office again, this confrontation is likely to continue and potentially escalate over issues such as Taiwan and economic security interests.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 20, 2025
Politics and the economy: Bedfellows of U.S.-China relations
Since Trump's first term, China has shown its willingness to use aggressive economic measures in its confrontation with the U.S., setting the stage for a potential escalation.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya shakes hands with his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, in Washington on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 20, 2025
Australia says 'Quad' in Washington shows 'iron-clad' commitment
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she would meet Rubio and other members of the Trump administration while in Washington for the inauguration.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami frigate, of the class of the same name, is anchored at the MSDF's naval base in the city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in September 2022.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 20, 2025
Japan looks to learn from the past with bid to build Australian warships
A winning bid for a decadelong Australian frigate program would be a major breakthrough for Japan’s defense industry following a failed 2016 attempt to sell submarines to Canberra.
Donald Trump could take a cue from China's approach in Africa, where, rather than attempting to buy countries outright — like Greenland — Beijing has secured access to critical minerals and influence by offering money, expertise and labor to nations pursuing economic development.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2025
Why would Trump buy Greenland when he can rent it?
U.S. strategic interest, however crudely Trump advertises it, reflects warranted concerns about encroachment by Russia and China.
Japan's biggest beef bowl chain Sukiya to shut nearly 2,000 stores after rat and bug contamination
Zensho Holdings, operator of fast-food chain Sukiya, said it will close all of its stores in Japan, except for a small number in shopping centers, between Monday and Friday following recent contamination incidents.
School-age suicides in Japan hit all-time high
A volunteer handles an incoming call at the Tokyo Befrienders call center, a suicide hotline center in Japan's capital.
Japan considers all possible options as Trump threatens new auto tariffs
Subaru cars awaiting export at a port in Yokohama on Thursday.
In Tokyo, Pentagon chief provides assurances that Japan-U.S. alliance remains robust
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (left) and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo ahead of their talks Sunday.
Japan, South Korea and China vow to strengthen trade ties amid looming U.S. tariffs
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto (left), South Korean Trade Industry and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun (center) and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao during a trilateral meeting in Seoul on Sunday
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
Tokyo tech failures lean into misfortune, mistakes and missteps
Tsuyoshi Domoto in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on March 28. As an entrepreneur, Domoto experienced plenty of setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and continues to pursue his dreams.
Who among the opposition would join the ruling coalition?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Friday.
Traveling the Three-Star Road, the tourist route made from thin air
Scenes like this snow-covered bridge leading to the village of Shirakawa-go are what make the Three-Star Road worth traveling — its name notwithstanding.
Recent spate of wildfires in Japan and South Korea linked to climate change
Smoke and flames rise from a wildfire in Andong, South Korea, on Tuesday.

Podcast

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