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June 30, 2026
 

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DEFENSE

A tactical short-range unmanned aerial vehicle during a military exercise at a military facility in Taichung, Taiwan, on Saturday. Taiwan’s debate over drone procurement is being closely watched because the successful use of unmanned systems by Ukraine and Iran have underscored the ways in which the technology can be used to defend territory against larger adversaries.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Taiwan opposition pitches $7.5 billion drone plan after stalling government bid
The debate is being closely watched because use of unmanned systems elsewhere has shown how the technology can be leveraged to defend against larger adversaries.
A television screen shows a news report on patrol and law‑enforcement operations around Taiwan conducted by the China Coast Guard, at a restaurant in Beijing in late December.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 30, 2026
More than a boundary: Why Japan-Philippines maritime talks matter for China
Beijing says the talks infringe on maritime rights it claims through Taiwan and sees discussions as part of a broader effort by Manila and Tokyo to deepen strategic coordination.
China's Commerce Ministry building in Beijing. The ministry on Monday added 20 Japanese companies and organizations to its export control list.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 29, 2026
China blacklists more Japanese entities as row deepens
The move is the latest by Beijing to tighten restrictions on firms and entities it claims are tied to Tokyo’s “remilitarization.”
Minoru Kihara
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2026
Japan calls China Coast Guard moves in its EEZ near Yonaguni ‘unacceptable’
The unusual moves follow an agreement between Japan and the Philippines last month to launch maritime border delimitation talks, which overlap with areas claimed by Beijing.
Toshiko Nakasoko, 90, leaves a nursing care facility on Hateruma Island in Taketomi, Okinawa Prefecture, in April. If a contingency over Taiwan occurs, "I’ll just die on the island,” she said.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Jun 29, 2026
‘I’ll just die on the island’: Some in Okinawa to resist evacuation
For many older people on Okinawa’s remote islands, Taiwan contingency plans do not necessarily guarantee their safety, while some are scarred by memories of World War II.
Self-Defense Forces drones are flown during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 29, 2026
Does a new arsenal of deterrence run through Japan?
A spate of defense deals have highlighted Japan’s emergence as a potentially key manufacturing base for the Indo-Pacific region.
A Taiwan Coast Guard ship patrols near Dadan Island in Kinmen County, Taiwan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2026
A Taiwan crisis and America’s faltering industrial base
Weaknesses in the U.S. defense industrial base no longer represent a mere economic issue; they now pose an immediate strategic vulnerability.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and South Korean defense chief Ahn Gyu-back inspect an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony before their meeting at the Defense Ministry in Seoul on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 28, 2026
Koizumi holds rare talks in Seoul with South Korean defense chief
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his counterpart, Ahn Gyu-back, held the first talks in South Korea between the countries’ defense chiefs in 11 years.
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2026
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
China’s Defense Ministry said the flight demonstrated the two countries’ “resolve and capability to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.”
An Airbus Eurodrone remotely piloted aircraft system is displayed at the International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris in June last year.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2026
KHI and Airbus eye cooperation on Japanese variant of Eurodrone
Kawasaki Heavy Industries has signed a preliminary deal with Airbus to cooperate on a possible Japanese anti-submarine version of a European defense drone.
Soldiers from the Germany Army and the Navy take part in the Armed Forces Day at the Bundeswehr University in Munich on June 6.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 27, 2026
Germany could revive conscription by mid-2027, senior lawmaker says
Berlin is looking to revamp its army and has committed to increase its troop strength to at least 260,000 soldiers — up from the current 185,000 — by 2035.
An Iranian woman who lost two of her children in a February airstrike on a school in Minab walks near the school on May 21.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jun 27, 2026
An analyst’s missed remark surfaced in deadly Iran school strike probe
An analyst’s missed remarks and U.S. intelligence systems that weren’t connected to one another are among the missteps that led to an airstrike on an Iranian school.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said a bill enacted by parliament on Friday will allow his ministry to respond to the most severe and complex security environment of the postwar period.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 26, 2026
Japan enacts bill to add space operations into ASDF’s fold
The renaming of the ASDF by the end of fiscal 2026, will mark the first name change for any branch of the Self-Defense Forces since its establishment in 1954.
Chinese warships and fighter jets take part in a military display in the South China Sea in April 2018.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 26, 2026
The world should reject China’s latest maritime power grab
The U.S. and international community must immediately reject that claim. Otherwise, Beijing will interpret the silence as tacit acceptance.
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.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 26, 2026
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
The planned longer-term presence of a U.S. midrange missile system in Japan, combined with the fielding of other advanced weaponry, is complicating Chinese military planning.
U.S. Marines and Japanese and Australian soldiers prepare to take part in Exercise Southern Jackaroo in northeast Australia on May 29. The U.S. military's participation falls under the recently renamed U.S. Pacific Command.
EDITORIALS
Jun 26, 2026
Indo-Pacific name change unnerves many
Names reveal strategic priorities. Even if the area of responsibility has not been altered.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty in Tokyo on Wednesday
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2026
Canadian defense minister says he discussed GCAP fighter with Japanese counterpart
Canada’s potential interest comes as the ⁠program attracts attention from potential new partners and a rival European fighter project has collapsed.
A Self-Defense Forces member stands guard at the entrance of the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2026
Japan rejects Chinese claim SDF ‘harassed’ Chinese aircraft carrier group
The Defense Ministry in Tokyo said the accusations “are not true” and pledged to continue to “professionally and diligently” monitor the waters and airspace around Japan.
Nissan Motor's Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. U.S. defense firm Anduril Industries is in talks to acquire the plant to build military drones in Japan, sources say.
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2026
U.S. defense firm Anduril in talks for Nissan plant to build drones in Japan, sources say
While sources say no decision has been made, any deal could transform one of Japan’s first large-scale postwar car factories into ​a weapons hub.
Participants in Finland’s National Defense Course gain access to military facilities, information and demonstrations that few Finns ever see.
WORLD
Jun 25, 2026
Finland’s secretive training course prepares its elite for war
Participants attend classified briefings and visit strategic facilities as well as government sites normally closed to the public over a period of three to four weeks.
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.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
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.
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.

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

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What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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