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July 10, 2026
 

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DEFENSE

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.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte meet in London earlier this month. Ukraine is struggling to secure funds from NATO allies to purchase U.S. weapons.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 26, 2026
Ukraine struggles to find more NATO donors to pay for U.S. weapons
Currently, a small handful of countries are paying for the bulk of the weapons, and the U.K. is the only contributor that has recently joined the fold.
The Finance Ministry projected in December that revenue from tobacco tax increases would total ¥44 billion for the 2026 fiscal year and ¥116 billion in 2027.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 26, 2026
Tobacco and corporate tax hikes to help finance defense expansion
The new taxes are being introduced as the government is looking to secure over ¥9 trillion in defense spending for the 2026 fiscal year, reaching 2% of GDP.
Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo visits the United States pavilion during the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in Taipei on Sept.18.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 26, 2026
Taiwan says next U.S. arms purchase is on track after guarantee
The development comes as as the U.S. and Chinese leaders prepare to ‌meet in ‌May.
Japan’s tonal shift about China is likely less a dramatic shift in Tokyo’s approach to Beijing, and more of a reflection of both long-standing policy trends and a response to recent flare-ups.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 26, 2026
Japan’s change of China’s description is not a ‘significant shift’
Tokyo’s adjusted phrasing is likely more a reflection of both long-standing policy trends and a response to recent flare-ups.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. The Defense Ministry plans to deploy the current model HVGP domestically next week.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 26, 2026
U.S. approves support for Japan’s development of upgraded HVGP missiles
HVGPs are launched from the ground, travel at supersonic speeds from high altitudes and fly in irregular trajectories, making them difficult to intercept.
Taiwanese sailors prepare the ROCS Chang Chien ahead of National Day celebrations in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in October 2021. Japan’s growing military and technological support is also a boost to the island's security.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 26, 2026
What the war in Iran means for Japan and Indo-Pacific security
Japan’s technological and industrial strategy is becoming a cornerstone of Taiwan’s security environment.
A photo provided by the U.S. Central Command shows LUCAS drones, made by SpektreWorks. After years of criticism and financial risk, Palantir, Anthropic and small startups are generating rewards from their investments in defense tech.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 26, 2026
Tech startups’ role in U.S.-Israeli war on Iran shows changing shape of conflict
For the first time, military-industrial pillars like Lockheed Martin and Boeing are being joined by rising technology giants Palantir, Anthropic and Anduril.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Trump says ‘Japan’ instead of Iran at meeting in Ankara
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara on Wednesday.
Wakatakakage injury casts pall over July meet, but potential new stars loom
Nicholas Tarasenko trains at Minato stable in August 2024.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.

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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