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June 30, 2026
 

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Jesse Johnson
Gen. Zhang Youxia, the senior vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, attends the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at Beijing's Great Hall of the People last March.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 24, 2026
China places military’s top uniformed officer under investigation
The probe into Gen. Zhang Youxia, the senior vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission — apparently for corruption — is one of the highest-level investigations to date.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Tuesday, the one-year mark into his second term in office.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 21, 2026
Japan finds itself in a precarious position, one year into ‘Trump 2.0’
Unlike during his first White House stint from 2017-2021, Donald Trump’s second term in the Oval Office has seen him free to make demands of the alliance and the world at large.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (left) and U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth stand for the national anthems at the Pentagon, near Washington, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2026
U.S.-Japan alliance ‘unshakable,’ Koizumi declares after Pentagon meeting with Hegseth
The defense minister declined to offer specifics about discussions on China with his U.S. counterpart.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first policy speech in parliament in Tokyo on Oct. 24.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 14, 2026
Takaichi to roll the dice on risky, but potentially rewarding, snap election
Calling a snap election during the next session of parliament could prove to be a double-edged sword for the prime minister.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and chief priest Shokaku Furuya see off South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at Horyu-ji temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 14, 2026
Rich in symbolism, Takaichi-Lee talks highlight strong Japan-South Korea ties
The amicable environment was all the more notable considering that the conservative Takaichi and liberal Lee sit on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung raise their drumsticks after a drum session following the two leaders' summit talks in Nara on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 14, 2026
Takaichi and Lee drum up excitement for closer South Korea-Japan ties
Following their talks, the two leaders held a jam session to the songs “Golden,” from the Netflix series “KPop Demon Hunters,” and K-pop supergroup BTS’ hit song “Dynamite.”
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, in October in Gyeongju, South Korea
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 11, 2026
Takaichi and Lee set for talks on cementing ties as China-Japan dispute simmers
Despite a stated goal of strengthening ties between Tokyo and Seoul, the meeting comes in the looming shadow of the ongoing row with Beijing.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a ceremony marking the end of trading of 2025 at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Dec. 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 11, 2026
Momentum grows for snap election as Takaichi’s views enter ‘new stage’
The co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party, the LDP’s ruling coalition partner, has said the prime minister’s thinking on the matter had “shifted to a new stage.”
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during an event in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 10, 2026
Takaichi reportedly eyeing snap election next month in bid to stabilize ruling bloc
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering dissolving the Lower House for a ‌Feb. 8 or Feb. 15 poll, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily has reported.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reacts as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks, aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier during a visit to the U.S. Navy's base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Oct. 28.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 8, 2026
Trump looms large over host of diplomatic challenges facing Japan in 2026
Japan is especially concerned that the U.S. president could try to seal a deal with China that divides the region just as relations between Beijing and Tokyo plummet to fresh lows.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung takes a selfie with Chinese leader Xi Jinping after a dinner at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 6, 2026
Xi pushes Lee to make ‘correct’ choices amid China-Japan row, but Seoul unlikely to bite
The Chinese leader’s outreach on Japan is unlikely to resonate with the South Korean president as Tokyo and Seoul put aside long-standing history issues.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping look at one another during a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, in Busan, South Korea, in October.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 5, 2026
As Trump focuses on U.S. backyard, Venezuela attack emboldens China
The moves could push Latin American nations closer to China while simultaneously giving Beijing more clout in the Indo-Pacific.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversees a hypersonic missile exercise in Pyongyang in this photo released Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 5, 2026
North Korea links hypersonic missile drill to ‘recent geopolitical crisis’
Kim, who appeared to tie the exercise to the U.S. toppling of Venezuela’s president, said the drill was intended to prepare his nuclear forces “for an actual war.”
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Dec. 17.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 4, 2026
Takaichi avoids criticizing U.S. removal of Venezuela’s Maduro
Some Japanese officials, including ex-defense chief Itsunori Onodera, voiced concern over the U.S. toppling of President Nicolas Maduro — and the precedent it could set for China.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to reporters at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sunday following North Korea's launch of at least two ballistic missiles.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2026
North Korea launches multiple missiles in first tests of 2026
Tokyo said the missiles flew on “irregular trajectories,” traveling 900 and 950 km, respectively — a distance that puts a large section of southern Japan within striking distance.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters after a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 2, 2026
In call, Takaichi and Trump agree to work toward spring visit to U.S.
The Japanese leader avoided a clear answer to a question about whether China’s large-scale military exercises around Taiwan earlier this week had been broached during the talks.
This screenshot from undated video footage released on Tuesday shows a Chinese launcher firing rockets at an undisclosed location during military exercises surrounding Taiwan.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 2, 2026
U.S. urges China to halt military pressure on Taiwan, days after Japan and others
A State Department spokesman said China’s military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others in the region “increase tensions unnecessarily.”
Chinese ground forces conduct long-range live-fire drills targeting waters south of Taiwan, at an undisclosed location in this screenshot from a video released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2025
Japan says Chinese military exercises around Taiwan ‘increase tensions’
Tokyo joined Australia and several European nations in conveying concern to Beijing over the large-scale drills as Taipei remained on high alert. 
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meeting in South Korea on Oct. 31.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 31, 2025
Dangerous new equilibrium awaits Japan-China ties in 2026
The deterioration of ties after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on a possible Japanese military intervention in a Taiwan crisis will test both Tokyo and Beijing’s resolve.
Chinese soldiers fire rockets during military drills on Pingtan Island, in eastern China's Fujian province — the closest point to Taiwan — on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 30, 2025
China fires rockets during military exercises simulating Taiwan blockade
The Chinese military held a second day of large-scale exercises on Tuesday focused on isolating the democratic island and deterring aid from Taipei’s partners.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn’t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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