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July 05, 2026
 

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DEFENSE

An Emirates jet flies past plumes of smoke from an Iranian drone strike near Dubai International Airport on March 16.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2026
Why Iran’s escalation strategy is likely to backfire
By widening the scope of the fighting and threatening the Persian Gulf states’ economic lifelines, Iran wants to raise the perceived price of continuing the war.
Kawada Robotics demonstrates one of its prototypes at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo in March 2022. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is wise to accelerate science and technology integration with national security and diplomacy.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Mar 31, 2026
Takaichi rallies support for a ‘new technology-driven nation’
Positioning science and technology at the core of national strategy is not new.
Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura (left) and city of Kumamoto Mayor Kazufumi Onishi (second from left) speak to reporters after viewing upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missile systems (seen in the background), which have a range of about 1,000 kilometers, at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Kengun in the city of Kumamoto on March 17.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2026
Japan’s ‘counterstrike capability’ takes shape with missile deployments
Japan on Tuesday for the first time deployed its homegrown longer-range missiles and new hyper velocity gliding projectiles to two military bases in the country.
A Sting interceptor drone by the Ukrainian company Wild Hornets flies at an undisclosed location in Ukraine on March 16.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 31, 2026
Ukraine’s drone masters eye Iran war to kickstart export ambitions
To export Ukrainian systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criss-crossed the Gulf region to hash out deals with countries that have been targeted by waves of Iranian drone attacks.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on March 19. When interpreting the mercurial U.S. leader's negotiating style, the prime minister must focus on his signals, not his promises.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 30, 2026
Decoding ‘Trump-Speak’ — a guide for Japan’s leaders
For Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the challenge of dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump is not about language or translation. The real difficulty lies in interpreting a presidential communication style that departs sharply from the postwar norms of diplomacy....
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Izumo helicopter carrier (back) leaves Yokosuka port in Kanagawa Prefecture for an escort mission with the United States in May 2017.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 30, 2026
Japan marks a decade since landmark security legislation took effect
The legislation — and what it allows Japan to do — has come under the spotlight amid the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Middle East.
Rocket trails are seen in the sky amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya on Friday.
WORLD / FOCUS
Mar 29, 2026
The war with Iran may be ushering in a new nuclear age
From the North Atlantic to the West Pacific, governments are debating more publicly than before whether they, too, must get the bomb.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Future Investment Initiative Summit in Miami on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 29, 2026
One month into Iran war, only hard choices for Trump
The main question is whether Trump will wind down or ramp up a war with Iran, one that has ignited the worst global energy supply shock in history.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a news conference on parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 29, 2026
Japan to establish new Defense Ministry office to bolster Pacific defenses
The ministry will launch the office next month to tackle the challenge of how best to defend Japan’s vulnerable eastern flank, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.
U.S. Army soldiers and U.S. Marines fire Javelin missiles simultaneously during a counterlanding live-fire exercise as part of last year's Balikatan military drills in Aparri, the Philippines, in May last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 29, 2026
In first, Japan to send ‘combat’ troops to major military drills in Philippines
The Self-Defense Forces personnel will take part in the annual Balikatan military exercises, setting a new milestone in regional security cooperation.
Russia’s slow, costly gains in Ukraine highlight the limits of its military power, especially when contrasted with the speed and effectiveness of recent U.S. and Israeli operations in Iran.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2026
Putin’s misguided war on Ukraine reveals epic impotence
In 2025 alone, Russia lost more than 400,000 soldiers, killed or wounded, while capturing less than 1% of Ukrainian territory.
A satellite image shows obsolete Chinese J-6 fighters that have been converted into attack drones, lined up next to the runway at Longtian airbase in China's Fujian Province on March 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 29, 2026
China stations jets-turned-drones at bases near Taiwan Strait, report says
These jets-turned-drones would fly into targets in the opening phase of an ‌assault on ‌Taiwan, according to a former U.S. naval intelligence officer.
A Palestinian man climbs on the remnants of an Iranian missile that landed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank village of Hares on Tuesday.
WORLD
Mar 29, 2026
U.S. can only confirm about a third of Iran’s missile arsenal destroyed
Iran’s drone capability may be similarly depleted, according to one source.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani receives Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Lusail Palace in Doha on Saturday.
WORLD / FOCUS
Mar 29, 2026
‘Risky moment’: Ukraine treads tightrope with Gulf arms deals
Zelenskyy started offering U.S. allies in the region deals to get their hands on Ukrainian drone interceptors and has dispatched over 200 military experts.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2026
Japan to promote research and development for dual-use technology
The policy direction reflects the fact that various countries are advancing the military application of advanced technologies.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Chokai guided-missile destroyer sails during the Rim of the Pacific joint exercises in the Pacific Ocean in July 2016.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2026
MSDF destroyer becomes Japan’s first ship capable of firing Tomahawk missiles
With a range of 1,600 kilometers, the weapons will allow the vessels to put targets deep inside China and North Korea within striking distance.
The South Korean Air Force Black Eagles aerobatics team perform maneuvers during an event at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, South Korea, last year.
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2026
South Korea’s defense startups surge as global conflicts flare
Domestic manufacturers can churn out NATO- standard weapons cheaper and quicker than many established Western rivals, which has allowed them to capitalize on growing global demand.
The Iran war, like the Russia‑Ukraine war, shows how low‑cost unmanned weapons can overwhelm expensive defense systems.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 27, 2026
What Tokyo can learn from Kyiv’s war experience
The Iran war, like the Russia‑Ukraine war, shows low‑cost unmanned weapons can overwhelm expensive defense systems.
Military vehicles carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles drive past Tiananmen Square during a military parade in Beijing in 2019.
WORLD
Mar 27, 2026
States deploying more nuclear weapons, monitor warns
Nearly all of the nine nuclear-armed states have begun increasing their arsenals or have announced plans to do so, a report found.
Tanker trucks line up at an oil terminal in Yokohama earlier this month amid surging oil prices due to the Iran conflict.
EDITORIALS
Mar 27, 2026
Iran war exposes the global economy’s vulnerability
Oil is the Achilles heel of the global economy. Skyrocketing gasoline prices get considerable attention with good reason, but their real impact is more extensive than imagined.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Japanese police arrest nine over Sierra Leone-based special fraud
Japanese police have arrested nine individuals for their alleged involvement in a special fraud case using Sierra Leone as a base.
Japanese-language education is at a turning point
The country is gradually transforming Japanese-language education from a volunteer-driven system into a professional, government-supported network to better serve its growing foreign population. 
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex’s culture cred
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex.  
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.

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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