Tag - nuclear-weapons

 
 

NUCLEAR WEAPONS

South Korean soldiers prepare for a counterterrorism drill, as part of the Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea, at a subway station in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 23, 2023
South Korea holds first nationwide defense drills in six years
The drill, focused on a North Korea attack, required South Korea’s 51 million residents to practice evacuating to shelters or underground spaces.
North Korea's new Chollima-1 rocket is launched in Cholsan County, North Korea, on May 31 in this image taken from video.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2023
North Korea to launch satellite between Thursday and Aug. 31
Japan has indefinitely extended an order issued to destroy any North Korean ballistic missile, rocket or debris that threatens the country's territory.
Mitsuko Suyama talks about falling victim to “black rain” in front of the community center where she was at the time of the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Aug 21, 2023
Nagasaki ‘black rain’ victims angry over lack of health benefits
Victims of the Nagasaki A-bomb tell of suffering and exclusion from health benefits reserved for those officially recognized as survivors.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversees a "strategic cruise missile" test aboard a navy warship in this undated photo released Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 21, 2023
Kim leads missile test as South Korea-U.S. military drills begin
North Korea's test of “strategic cruise missiles” came as the U.S. and South Korea kicked off some of the largest joint military exercises in years.
A Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile is launched from an undisclosed location in North Korea in this image released on July 13.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 19, 2023
Latest North Korean missile sparks debate over Russian links
The Hwasong-18 solid fueled ICBM has highlighted possible Russian links to nuclear-armed Pyongyang's dramatic missile development.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has since the start of the Ukraine invasion destroyed the norms that developed during the Cold War to prevent a nuclear arms race or the eventual use of such weapons.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 14, 2023
Russia outnumbers the U.S. 10-to-1 in tactical nukes. Now what?
Never mind that Vladimir Putin is breaking all nuclear taboos and China is beefing up its arsenal. U.S. nuclear doctrine is still fundamentally sound.
A promotional poster for the film "Barbie" in Tokyo earlier this month
CULTURE
Aug 12, 2023
Hollywood blockbuster 'Barbie' opens in Japan after controversy
Tickets sold fast in Japan as fans flocked to the theatrical release, timed to coincide with the start of the Bon holiday period.
People offer silent prayers for the victims of the 1945 Nagasaki atomic bombing at the city's Peace Park on Wednesday to mark the 78th anniversary of the attack.
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 2023
Nuclear threats grow stronger and more immediate
In this world, unilateral disarmament and the hope that setting an example will inspire other nations to follow suit is fantasy.
People pray at the Peace Park in Nagasaki on Wednesday, the 78th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2023
Nagasaki urges break from nuclear deterrence at reduced A-bomb ceremony
The ceremony was the first held inside rather than at the city's Peace Park since 1963, and the first not attended by a Japanese leader since 1999.
A girl floats a lantern down the Motoyasu River in front of Hiroshima's Atomic Bomb Dome on Sunday, the 78th anniversary of the U.S. nuclear attack on the city.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2023
Nuke ban treaty still out of reach as Japan marks atomic bombings
Japan, which is positioned under the "nuclear umbrella" of the U.S., has refrained from joining the treaty, citing its own “tough security environment.”
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other leaders of the Group of Seven, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meet during their summit in Hiroshima on May 21. 
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 7, 2023
The G7 leaders’ vision on nuclear disarmament
Geopolitical rivalries and the failure to address the complicity of G7 members in perpetuating a nuclearized world are stymieing nonproliferation efforts.
Family legacy successor Kento Ogata, who tells the story of his grandfather Shozo Matsubara, an atomic-bomb survivor, in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima on July 8
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2023
A-bomb survivors' kin rush to preserve family histories
An initiative launched by the city of Hiroshima allows relatives to pass on the experiences of surviving hibakusha.
People pray in front of the cenotaph on Sunday, the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, at the city's Peace Memorial Park.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2023
Hiroshima marks 78th anniversary of atomic bombing
The mayor of the city called on world leaders to recognize that deterrence is a folly amid today's growing nuclear threats.
The aftermath of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima in the closing days of World War II
JAPAN / History
Aug 5, 2023
Smithsonian museum plans to show photos of A-bomb aftermath
The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, however, does not currently plan to present photos or personal belongs of the bombing victims.
Signboards for the movies “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” at a theater in Los Angeles 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 4, 2023
'Barbenheimer' highlights U.S. ignorance of nuclear reality
The “Barbenheimer” craze shows the U.S. education system needs work and Americans need lessons on nuclear weapons.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in May.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 3, 2023
Japan's vision of nuke-free world in focus ahead of anniversaries
The tension between Tokyo's lofty goals and realpolitik necessities has made any move toward nuclear disarmament largely elusive.
Chinese President Xi Jinping at a promotion ceremony for senior generals of China's People's Liberation Army on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 2, 2023
Purge in Chinese nuclear missile force points to graft in ranks
Chinese President Xi Jinping has reshuffled the leadership of the country’s missile forces in an apparent attempt to install more trustworthy officials.
The social media backlash to “Barbenheimer,” an internet trend centered on the simultaneous release of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” in the United States, led to the hashtag #NoBarbenheimer trending recently on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 2, 2023
‘Barbenheimer’ memes trigger anger in atomic-bombed Japan
Warner Bros. Japan criticized its U.S. counterpart for participating in internet memes that appear to trivialize the effects of the atomic bombings.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol greet each other ahead of a trilateral meeting during the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima on May 21.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 29, 2023
U.S. announces trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea
The leaders of the three countries will use the summit at the Camp David presidential retreat to expand trilateral cooperation “across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.”
A screen displays Chinese leader Xi Jinping, at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing last October.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 28, 2023
China eyes accelerated plan for ‘world-class military,’ Japan says
An annual defense white paper said the world was facing its greatest test since World War II amid China's military buildup and the Ukraine war.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals