Tag - defense

 
 

DEFENSE

Then-U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo in May 2019.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 19, 2025
As Trump returns, will Japan be able to weather the storm?
Tokyo may be surprisingly more suited to work with Trump — and beat back any exorbitant demands — than it was during his first stint.
Makeshift housing units are built on Tanegashima island, Kagoshima Prefesture, for workers involved in construction of an Air Self-Defense Force base on nearby Mageshima island.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2025
ASDF base construction on Mageshima to be delayed by three years
The completion is expected for the end of March 2030 due to bad weather and a labor shortage.
Then-Rep. Brandon Williams, a Republican from New York, during a House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing in Washington last May
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2025
Trump picks one-term congressman to manage U.S. nuclear arsenal
Brandon Williams represented a New York congressional district for one term, but little is known about his experience in the management of atomic weapons.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks during a news conference at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2025
Japan conveys serious concerns during rare visit by Chinese military delegation
The visit by the group from the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command, which covers Taiwan and other areas in the East China Sea, was the first in five years.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and other Asian leaders pose for a family photo during a the ASEAN-U.S. 40th Anniversary Summit in Manila in November 2017. The U.S. president-elect’s Cabinet secretary level and other picks for his second term point to a tougher China policy.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 17, 2025
What Trump’s appointments tell us about his Asia policy
Donald Trump’s second term as president appears set to intensify efforts to curb China’s influence while maintaining crucial alliances in Asia.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo hold a joint news conference in Taguig City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2025
Japan looks to up the ante with more money and partners in military aid program
As funds for Japan's official security assistance increase, so will Tokyo's efforts to boost the number of countries it assists, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump in Tokyo march ahead of the inauguration of then President-elect Joe Biden on Jan 20, 2021.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 17, 2025
Japan has nothing to fear from Trump — except in maybe one area
Japan is far better positioned in the areas most important to Trump than many other countries. If Shinzo Abe were still alive, Japan would be in a great place.
The bill calls for mandatory prior approval by an independent organization to break into the server of an attack source and render it harmless.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2025
Japan to penalize the illicit use of cyber defense information
The penalties are part of a broader government plan to introduce active cyber defense, or preemptive action to prevent cyberattacks.
The air-to-surface standoff missiles have a range of about 900 kilometers, enabling strikes from beyond enemy firing ranges.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2025
U.S. approves sale of air-to-surface missiles to Japan
The move comes in response to the Japanese government's request to purchase up to 16 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range.
U.K. Secretary of State for Defence John Healey (center left) shakes hands with Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (center right) at the Ministry of Defence in London on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2025
Japan and U.K. defense chiefs talk of deepening ties as fighter program progresses
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his British counterpart backed the quick formation of a joint venture for developing their new fighter jet with Italy.
A NATO Star logo flag flies at NATO headquarters in Brussels in 2018.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2025
Mission of Japan to NATO separates from the Japanese Embassy in Brussels
The move is intended to boost security cooperation between Japan and NATO.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb attends a news conference on Tuesday in Helsinki.
WORLD
Jan 15, 2025
'Holiday is over' and Europe must boost defense, Finnish president says
Concern about the region's security has mounted after the severing of several subsea telecom and power cables in recent months.
The flag of Greenland flutters at the Inussivik hall in Nuuk in 2021.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
Why does Trump want Greenland and could he get it?
Greenland's strategic location and resources could benefit the U.S.
Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
Trump nominee Pete Hegseth weathers Democrat grilling largely unscathed
Hegseth, a former Fox News host and decorated veteran, is one of the most controversial figures ever nominated to be secretary of defense.
Kaja Kallas, vice president of the European Commission, in Brussels on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
EU’s top diplomat aims to use economic muscle against Russia
The EU is trying to find ways to ramp up its defense spending to rearm the continent while also putting pressure on Russia to join possible peace talks over Ukraine.
Members of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army were visiting their Japanese counterparts and senior Japanese defense officials from Monday through Friday, Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 14, 2025
Japan hosts Chinese military delegation in rare visit
The trip was organized after the Japanese and Chinese defense ministers met in November in Laos.
China has increased provocations against Japan under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's weak leadership, exploiting political instability to push its agenda, including military incursions, cyberattacks and other forms of coercion.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 14, 2025
China seizes opportunities amid Ishiba’s weak leadership
China is also no longer hesitant to send its aircraft carrier group through narrow straits in the southernmost Nansei Islands to conduct drills.
The Nvidia headquarters in Santa Clara, California
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 14, 2025
White House unveils new curbs on exporting Nvidia AI chips
The rules, which are set to take effect in one year, establish caps on the amount of computing power that can be sold to most countries.
Palestinians pass through an Israeli checkpoint as they make their way to Jerusalem's al-Aqsa compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, in the West Bank, in March 2024. Israeli forces have frequently used disguises to infiltrate Gaza and target Hamas operatives.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 12, 2025
In the art of war, mimicry runs the gambit from disguises to deepfakes
Impersonation is one of the oldest tactics in war, because it exploits our social nature and persists because humans are dependent on identities for cooperation.
U.S. Army soldiers with the NATO multinational battle group on the territory of Bulgaria stand in formation with a U.S. flag and an armored vehicle during a visit by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the Novo Selo military ground near Mokren, Bulgaria, on Dec. 19.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 11, 2025
NATO won't back Trump's new defense spending target but will raise its sights
A new target is likely to be agreed at a NATO summit in June, but the key questions are what that new target will be and whether it will be enough to satisfy Trump.

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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