Tag - military

 
 

MILITARY

An F/A-18 fighter jet takes off from the deck of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during a three-day maritime exercise between the U.S. and Japan in the Philippine Sea, between Okinawa and Taiwan, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2024
U.S. and Japan conduct joint naval drills
U.S. Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello called the joint exercises "a great rehearsal opportunity for us."
A soldier stands in front of the grave sites of fallen soldiers in Kinmen, Taiwan, on Aug. 23, 2023. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to take Taiwan by 2027, though many analysts see that as an attempt to galvanize his military rather than a timeline for invasion.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 1, 2024
How Washington is preparing for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan
It is looking at a key vulnerability — military logistics — and is setting up hubs in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure supplies are readily available.
An F-16 fighter jet in Spangdahlem, Germany, on June 14, 2023
WORLD / Politics
Jan 31, 2024
U.S. F-16 fighter jet crashes off South Korea's west coast
The pilot ejected safely and was recovered, the U.S. military said, hailing close cooperation with South Korea during the rescue operation.
Families of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants gather with supporters for a demonstration demanding an immediate deal as they block off a road near the Israeli Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 30, 2024
U.S. vows to act after drone strike, endangering Gaza hostage talks
An attack Sunday by Iran-backed militants was the first deadly strike against U.S. troops since the Israel-Hamas war began, and marks a major escalation.
A satellite view of the U.S. military outpost known as Tower 22, in Rukban, Rwaished District, Jordan
WORLD
Jan 29, 2024
Three U.S. troops killed in Jordan drone strike linked to Iran
Biden blamed Iran-backed groups for the attack, the first deadly strike against U.S. forces since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.
The drone strike that killed three American soldiers in Jordan presents U.S. President Joe Biden with a decision that will be one of the most consequential of his presidency.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 29, 2024
Biden faces pressure to confront Iran after U.S. troops killed
One possibility is covert action that would see the U.S. strike Iran without claiming credit for it but sending a clear message regardless.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi meets Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki at the Okinawa Prefectural Government building on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 28, 2024
Japanese government to proceed with U.S. base relocation within Okinawa
During the meeting with Hayashi, Tamaki demanded that the central government immediately stop the landfill work related to the Futenma relocation project
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Cairo on August 15, 2023
WORLD / Politics
Jan 25, 2024
U.S. and Iraq to begin talks on end of U.S.-led military coalition
The United States has 2,500 troops in Iraq, advising and assisting local forces to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group
People watch a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at the main railway station in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 24, 2024
North Korea fires multiple cruise missiles off western coast
Leader Kim Jong Un has signaled that his regime no longer recognizes the two Koreas de facto maritime border, staging days of artillery drills in the area earlier this month.
American President Joe Biden hugs Brittany Alkonis after giving a State of the Union in February. The wife of jailed U.S. sailor Lt. Ridge Alkonis ran a successful pressure campaign to get her husband released from a Japanese prison into American custody. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 24, 2024
Japan owes no apology for U.S. Navy officer’s treatment
The case of Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis is a divisive one, which both the U.S. and Japanese governments have tried to keep quiet about.
Military cadets salute during a military funeral procession for Houthi fighters killed in recent U.S.-led strikes on Houthi targets, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 21, 2024
U.S. now pursuing ‘least bad’ option in confronting Houthis
Analysts and the Houthis themselves have said that the airstrikes won’t stop them — especially if the U.S. refuses to target the group’s main backer, Iran.
Philippine Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner walks past an honor guard during the arrival ceremony at Western Command, in Puerto Princesa, on the Philippine island of Palawan last August.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 21, 2024
Manila gets tough in the South China Sea as a showdown looms
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has taken a tough stance on territorial disputes with China — and he is backing this up with bold moves.
Houthi supporters rally to denounce the U.S. labeling of them as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" group, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 20, 2024
U.S. weighs stepping up fight against Houthis as chaos drags on
The U.S. and the U.K. are exploring ways to expand their campaign against Houthi militants in Yemen without provoking a broader war.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2024
U.S. military to join relief effort in earthquake-hit Noto area
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said that the U.S. military and the SDF would be working “side by side” in the operations.
A container ship crosses the Gulf of Suez toward the Red Sea before entering the Suez Canal east of Cairo. Vessels have been pausing or diverting from the Red Sea amid the escalating conflict in the region.
WORLD
Jan 16, 2024
Yemen's Houthis threaten to hit U.S. ships as more tankers steer clear
The Iran-allied militant group said British and American vessels had become "legitimate targets" following last week's strikes on its sites by both countries.
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te and his running mate, Hsiao Bi-khim, attend a rally outside the headquarters of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taipei on Saturday night after winning the presidential election.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 14, 2024
Taiwan chooses continuity in pivotal presidential election
Lai's Democratic Progressive Party party won more than 40% of the roughly 14 million votes cast, but lost its majority in Taiwan’s parliament.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2024
Futenma moves forward, but local concerns must be addressed
Originally planned to have been finished by now, the base project is now anticipated to take over nine years to complete.
U.S. President Joe Biden gives a thumbs-up as he walks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Filoli estate on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, in Woodside, California, on Nov. 15. Their meeting attempted to calm the waters and tried to convey a sense that the U.S. and China could effectively manage their differences.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 11, 2024
In 2024, U.S.-China ties likely to get worse before they get better
The trajectory of Washington and Beijing's relationship this year will have profound effects on Japan's own policies going forward.
In Washington on Monday and Tuesday, Pentagon and Chinese military officials held their first in-person defense policy talks since the COVID-19 pandemic erupted.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 10, 2024
China's military vows no compromise on Taiwan after rare talks with U.S.
The meeting came as China warned Tokyo over remarks by former Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso that Japan would join the fight in a war over the democratic island.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is being treated for prostate cancer, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jan 10, 2024
Biden unaware of Pentagon chief's prostate cancer until Jan. 9
Lloyd Austin, who is 70, has been hospitalized since Jan. 1 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

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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