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July 10, 2026
 

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DEFENSE

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend a news conference on the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, on Feb. 24.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 3, 2026
European capitals push back as Ukraine seeks fast-track EU membership
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants a 2027 date to join the EU as part of a settlement to end Russia’s war.
U.S. President Donald Trump bows his head during a medal of honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 3, 2026
Trump warns of longer Iran war and refuses to rule out U.S. boots on ground
In his first public comments since launching the operation, the president who long campaigned for “no new wars” laid out what he said were four key objectives for hitting Iran.
Two Iran-made ballistic missiles are displayed during a rally commemorating the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution's victory in Freedom Square in Tehran on Feb. 12.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 3, 2026
China showing few signs it will directly supply arms to Iran
In a conflict in which Iran’s retaliation has centered on waves of small attack drones, such support could prove to be crucial.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at the nuclear submarine Navy base Ile Longue in Crozon, France, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 3, 2026
France to expand nuclear arsenal and let European allies host atomic weapons
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that eight European countries had agreed to participate in what he called a “forward” nuclear deterrence scheme.
Huang Kuo-chang, chairman of the opposition Taiwan People’s Party, speaks during an interview in Taipei on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 3, 2026
Taiwan opposition force open to passing special defense budget if U.S. OKs new arms package
The chair of the Taiwan People’s Party has ruled out writing a “blank check” for the government by passing the $40 billion in funding without a commitment from Washington.
The U.S. attacks on Iran contradict Washington’s stated strategic priorities, risk draining resources from the Indo-Pacific focus on China and expose the persistent dilemma of Middle East entanglements.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2026
The Middle East ensnares another U.S. president
Trump’s attack on Iran undermines the credibility of objections to Chinese aggression.
A drone is shown during Iran’s annual Army Day parade on April 18, 2025, in Tehran.
WORLD
Mar 3, 2026
Iran’s missile math: $20,000 drones take on $4 million Patriots
Both Tehran and Washington may run low on weapons in a matter of days or weeks. Whoever can last longer will gain a serious advantage.
U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One before departing Palm Beach International Airport in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, on his way back to Washington amid U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
WORLD
Mar 2, 2026
Pentagon tells Congress no sign that Iran was going to attack U.S. first
The United States and Israel have launched their most ambitious attacks on Iran in decades, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and hitting targets across the country.
Japan aims to become a wartime-resilient “unmanned systems hub” by expanding domestic military-drone production and integrating allied cooperation.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Mar 2, 2026
Lessons for Japan from Russia’s war in Ukraine
Japan aims to become a wartime-resilient “unmanned systems hub” by expanding domestic military-drone production and integrating allied cooperation.
Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones are positioned on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command operating area in November.
WORLD
Mar 1, 2026
U.S. military uses ‘one-way attack drones’ in combat for first time in Iran strikes
The employment of the single-use LUCAS drones was likely being closely watched by both Japan and China.
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched from the Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska in Kodiak, Alaska, in July 2017.
WORLD
Mar 1, 2026
Iranian missile attacks to strain U.S. interceptor stockpiles
Defending against such weapons requires even more interceptors — typical doctrine calls for firing two or three at each incoming target to maximize the chances of hitting it.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, in May 2024.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 1, 2026
OpenAI gives Pentagon AI model access after Anthropic dustup
OpenAI declined to comment on whether the firm’s services for the department would replace work previously done by Anthropic.
The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he is directing the government to stop work with Anthropic and the Pentagon said it will declare the startup a supply-chain risk.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 28, 2026
Trump directs U.S. agencies to toss Anthropic’s AI as Pentagon calls startup a supply risk
The deals a major blow to the artificial intelligence lab after a showdown about technology guardrails.
Taiwan's Patriot air defense system is deployed at a park during the annual Han Kuang drill in Taipei last July.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 28, 2026
Taiwan arms sale OK’d by U.S. Congress is delayed as Trump plans Beijing visit
Officials have said that the White House ordered agencies not to move forward to ensure a successful summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the coming weeks.
A Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C patrol plane (back) flies next to a Philippine military aircraft near the Bashi Channel during joint military exercises on Tuesday in this image posted to X.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2026
Japan joins U.S. and Philippines for military exercises in waters near Taiwan
The naval and aerial exercises were conducted near the Bashi Channel, a crucial waterway between the Philippines and Taiwan.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a Lower House Budget Committee session on Friday where Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi urged officials to consider creating a "China-free" supply chain for defense equipment.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 27, 2026
Koizumi urges pivot away from China for defense equipment supply chain
The defense minister underlined the importance of boosting self-reliance following Beijing’s ban on exporting dual-use items to Japan.
Locals hold a Ukrainian flag on a destroyed bridge in Irpin, Ukraine, during a memorial ceremony on Tuesday marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 27, 2026
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has already changed the world
Russia’s record in this tragedy is less inspiring. The war has been the catastrophe that even many in the Kremlin feared.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei speaks at an AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Feb. 19. The dispute between the U.S. Department of Defense and Anthropic highlights a widening conflict over military AI use and government power over private firms.
EDITORIALS
Feb 27, 2026
Pentagon’s fight with Anthropic is anything but intelligent
On Thursday, Anthropic rejected the Pentagon’s demands that it agree to grant unrestricted use of its technology by the military by Friday, according to reports.
A satellite image shows large drones at Qionghai Boao International Airport on Hainan Island, China, on Sep. 3, 2025.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 26, 2026
How China is masking drone flights in potential Taiwan rehearsal
Military attaches and security analysts scrutinizing the operations say the flights represent a step-change in China’s gray-zone tactics in the contested South China Sea.
An Liberal Democratic Party panel calls for a review of existing measures to deter and detect foreign intelligence activities and states that new legislation should be considered if current safeguards are found to be insufficient.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 26, 2026
LDP panel approves proposal to strengthen intelligence capabilities
Both the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, have said that Japan’s current capabilities are inadequate.
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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