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July 07, 2026
 

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DEFENSE

Rapid military modernization, expanding nuclear arsenals and shifting alliances in Asia are complicating deterrence strategy, underscoring the need for deeper cooperation among the U.S., Japan and their partners.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2026
Amid a regional transformation, deterrence remains ‘simple’
Despite all the changes, the most basic factor remains the same. Force modernization is ultimately intended to ensure that nations can defend themselves from external threats.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on March 4
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 11, 2026
Japan and U.S. defense chiefs discuss Iran in first known call since war began
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi noted that Tokyo is closely monitoring the situation with great interest in order to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals.
International development is not just a form of “soft power.” It is hard power — and the world's most effective preemptive strike against future threats.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2026
Development provides security as effectively as hard power
International development is not just a form of “soft power.” It is hard power — and our most effective preemptive strike against future threats.
The Gemini logo on a laptop computer arranged in New York on Dec. 9, 2023
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 11, 2026
Google to provide Pentagon with AI agents for unclassified work
The new feature will allow civilian and military personnel at the Defense Department to build AI agents using natural language.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks at the Philippines-Korea Business Forum in Pasay, Metro Manila, on March 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 10, 2026
Seoul can’t stop U.S. forces from redeploying weapons to Middle East, says Lee
U.S. and South Korean militaries have been discussing possible redeployment of some U.S. Patriot missile defense systems based in South Korea.
A Typhon midrange weapons system arrives on Luzon island in the Philippines in April 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Mar 10, 2026
Spate of missile deployments points to ‘division of labor’ with Taiwan
Japan, the U.S. and the Philippines are sending advanced missiles to sites that they hope will deter Chinese forces or keep them at bay in a conflict.
Donald Trump is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the U.S. president addresses the Knesset in late October. Trump and Netanyahu’s war in Iran is struggling for moral legitimacy.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2026
When is an illegal conflict morally defensible?
Though historical examples of legitimacy trumping legality in previous wars are few and far between, they do exist.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers questions at the Lower House Budget Committee on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 10, 2026
Can the U.S. ask for Japan’s help in the Iran war?
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says the Middle East conflict is not a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan thus far.
French President Emmanuel Macron (center) meets the crew of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle deployed in the Mediterranean Sea following Iranian drone strikes on Cyprus, on Monday.
WORLD
Mar 10, 2026
France to deploy almost a dozen warships and mull Hormuz mission, Macron says
European states have been largely sidelined as the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran has escalated, and they are grappling with how to defend their interests.
AI developer Anthropic has filed a lawsuit to block the Pentagon from placing it on a national security blacklist.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 10, 2026
Anthropic sues to block Pentagon blacklisting over AI use restrictions
Anthropic said in its lawsuit that the supply-chain risk designation was unlawful and violated its free speech and due process rights.
Launchers and other equipment related to Japan's domestically made Type-12 surface-to-ship extended-range missiles arrive at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Kengun in the city of Kumamoto early Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2026
In first, Japan to deploy homegrown long-range missiles on March 31
The deployment, which the Defense Ministry moved forward by one year, comes as the Chinese military ramps up its training around Japan’s far-flung islands near Taiwan.
A vehicle that appears to be carrying equipment for sophisticated long-range missiles enters the Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Kengun in the city of Kumamoto early Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2026
Long-range missile equipment sent to GSDF camp in city of Kumamoto
The Defense Ministry has announced that the upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship guided missile system will be deployed at the city of Kumamoto’s Camp Kengun this month.
This screen shot taken from video posted to social media on Sunday shows fire erupting at an oil depot in Iran's capital Tehran.
WORLD / Society
Mar 9, 2026
Use of AI for Iran targeting raises questions amid growing military reliance
The latest fighting between the United States, Israel and Iran has seen the technology deployed as never before, even as its use in war remains hotly debated.
A woman holds a banner reading "Ukraine Needs Weapons" as she takes part in rally in support of Ukraine to mark 4th anniversary of the Russian full scale invasion on Ukraine on Feb. 24 in Warsaw's Old Town.
WORLD
Mar 9, 2026
Global arms exports soar on European demand, study finds
Europe more than tripled its imports over 2021-2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
An intermediate-range DF-26D ballistic missile is displayed during a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing on Sept. 3. China’s newer DF-27 has a much longer range capable of striking targets far beyond the Western Pacific. 
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Mar 8, 2026
China’s long-range DF-27 missiles are a game changer
Beijing’s nuclear warhead stockpile, estimated at roughly 200 in 2020, is projected to exceed 1,000 by 2030.
David McGuinty, Canada's minister of national defense, at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo on Saturday
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 8, 2026
Canada eyes deeper security ties with Japan and other ‘middle powers’ in Indo-Pacific
Canada’s defense minister says his country also aims to boost military and defense-industrial ties with like-minded Indo-Pacific partners as regional security tensions surge.
LDP’s security chief Yasukazu Hamada (left) and JIP counterpart Seiji Maehara speak to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 6, 2026
LDP-JIP coalition submits proposal to revise rules on defense equipment exports
The ruling parties’ joint security committee seeks to relax export rules for defense equipment, which would be a major policy shift for Japan.
Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo at an event in Taipei in September last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 6, 2026
Taiwan defense minister rejects opposition’s cut‑price budget and U.S. arms deadline
Taiwan has faced pressure from the United States to sharply raise defense spending.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomes then-Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at a ceremony in Beijing in February 2023. China is unlikely to be weakened by Donald Trump’s Iran strikes and may instead exploit any prolonged U.S. distraction in the Middle East.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2026
Regimes come and go. China’s interests in Iran will endure.
“The Middle East is not a paramount security or foreign policy priority for the Chinese in the way it is for the Europeans and the Americans.”
As U.S. President Donald Trump launches the first open-ended military campaign of his presidency, Europe's leaders find themselves holding something he needs: their bases, airspace and strategic geography.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 6, 2026
Trump finds he needs Europe now that he’s waging war in Iran
Europe’s bases, airspace and strategic geography are crucial for the first open-ended military campaign of Trump’s presidency,
Japan might be giving the currency market the silent treatment
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has issued verbal warnings recently using the same language and the same tone, saying authorities “will take appropriate action at any time, as necessary.”
Murakami says his novels are ‘different’ from AI literature
Haruki Murakami's first book in three years hit shelves in Japan on Friday.
Suspected Asian fraud ring exec served fresh warrant in Japan
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Osaka Prefectural Police have issued arrest warrants for three people, including a suspected fraud network leader, over alleged immigration and residency violations.
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.
Tokyo hospital baby hatch accepts 20 newborns in first year
Hitoshi Kato (left), head of San-ikukai Hospital in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, speaks during a news conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building on Thursday.
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.
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.
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.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.

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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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