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July 09, 2026
 

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DEFENSE

A mock-up of the European New Generation Fighter (NGF) for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is displayed during the International Paris Air Show in June 2023.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2026
Germany seeks more F-35 jets as European fighter program falters
One source said Berlin was ‌in talks ‌that could lead to the purchase of more than 35 ​jets in addition to the 35 it bought in 2022.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius speaks during a news conference after the European Group of Five defense ministers' meeting in Krakow, Poland, on Friday.
WORLD
Feb 21, 2026
Top European military powers to work on low-cost air defense
This new initiative, known as Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms, or LEAP, is spearheaded by the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Poland.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi meet on the sidelines of the 62nd Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2026
In a new Cold War, Japan-U.S. ties grow in importance
After a decade of strategic drift, Washington has finally aligned its resources with the reality Japan has lived with for a generation.
Sanae Takaichi and her ruling party's election victory strengthens Japan’s stability and its role in regional and global diplomacy amid rising geopolitical uncertainty.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2026
Stability as strategy: Japan’s moment for global leadership
Rising anti-China sentiment may have contributed to Takaichi’s strong mandate.
Claims by China that Japan is returning to militarism are misleading because legal and institutional constraints make such a shift unlikely and current defense reforms reflect practical responses to changing regional threats.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2026
Debunking the myth of Japanese militarism
It is necessary to be clear on this point: Japan in 2026 is not the Japan of 1936.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the opening of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea congress in Pyongyang on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 20, 2026
North Korea says five-year goals met as it kicks off rare ruling party congress
Kim Jong Un said the North “successfully” carried out its goals set at the last congress “in all realms such as politics, the economy, national defense, culture and diplomacy.”
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her policy speech during the House of Representatives plenary session in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 20, 2026
Touting ‘responsible and proactive’ fiscal policy, Takaichi seeks to reassure markets
In her policy speech to parliament, the prime minister attempted to alleviate concerns that her policies are overly expansionary.
U.S. sailors direct a warplane on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier, in the Arabian Sea on Feb. 3
WORLD
Feb 19, 2026
Major U.S. naval and air buildup sets stage for potential Iran war
Washington currently has 13 warships in the Middle East: one aircraft carrier, nine destroyers and three littoral combat ships, with more on the way.
U.S. President Donald Trump appears to have reversed his position on a proposed deal over the fate of the Chagos Islands, calling it a "big mistake" on Wednesday, just weeks after saying the agreement was the "best" arrangement.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 19, 2026
In new flip, Trump attacks U.K. on base deal as U.S. mulls Iran attack
Under a proposed agreement, Britain would return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and instead pay to lease the strategic joint U.S.-U.K. base at Diego Garcia for a century.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at an event in Montreal on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 18, 2026
Mark Carney to bolster defense spending, steering more to Canadian firms
The new strategy outlines will raise the share of acquisitions awarded to Canadian firms to 70% from about 30% — a major shift for a country long reliant on U.S. suppliers.
China's nuclear arsenal remains far smaller than those of Russia and the United States but it has been growing quickly.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 18, 2026
U.S. says it will match alleged low-yield nuclear tests by China
The United States is ready to carry out low-yield nuclear tests to match alleged secret explosions by China and Russia, a senior official has said.
A Ground Self-Defense Force's Type 19 155 mm self-propelled howitzer takes part in an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji training field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in August 2019.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2026
Japan’s push for long-range weapons draws interest from foreign firms
There is a growing need for a long-range weapon that can be used flexibly as Tokyo looks to boost its overall counterattack capabilities.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters onboard Air Force One while traveling from Palm Beach, Florida, to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Monday night.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 17, 2026
Trump claims he’s ‘talking’ about Taiwan arms sales with China’s Xi
Any talks could run counter to key U.S. policy principles intended to reassure Taipei and Congress that state Washington will not consult with China on weapons deals with Taiwan.
A mine strike is simulated during a military exercise outside a naval base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Jan. 29.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 17, 2026
Taiwan parliament to tackle defense spending review from Monday
The move comes amid pressure from a bipartisan group ⁠of U.S. lawmakers that has expressed concern about parliament stalling the proposed defense ​spending bill.
The government’s top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, told a news conference Monday that it is necessary to update the country's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy" to better respond to "the changing times.”
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2026
Japan to strengthen Indo-Pacific strategy amid ‘new challenges’
Updates to the FOIP strategy will include sections focused on bolstering economic security and working on emerging technologies with “like-minded” partners.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 16, 2026
Four takeaways from the Munich Security Conference
Among the takeaways from the Munich Security Conference was that European leaders do not believe a ceasefire will soon come in the Ukraine war started by Russia’s invasion.
A pro-government student holds a painting depicting ousted Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro during a march on International Youth Day in Caracas on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 16, 2026
Trump’s Caribbean surge is costing billions of dollars
U.S. ships and aircraft were diverted to the Caribbean months before capturing Venezuela’s president, consuming billions of dollars and possibly constraining U.S. power elsewhere.
A Danish soldier stands at a checkpoint in the harbor of Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 26.
WORLD
Feb 16, 2026
Europe aims to rely less on U.S. defense after Trump’s Greenland push
In another sign of the nervousness surrounding U.S. security commitments, Merz ​said he had ‌begun talks with Macron about a European nuclear deterrence.
A man walks past an AUKUS sign on the first day of the Indo-Pacific International Maritime Exposition in Sydney last November.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 15, 2026
Australia unveils initial $2.8 billion for new nuclear subs facility
The AUKUS pact aims to arm Australia with cutting-edge submarines from the U.S. and provide for cooperation in developing an array of warfare technologies.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 15, 2026
China’s top diplomat warns Japan of ‘ghosts of militarism’ in rebuke of Takaichi
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poured cold water on calls by Tokyo to return to dialogue in the wake of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s general election victory last week.
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.
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.
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
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.
Long-stalled maglev line finally gets green light from Shizuoka Prefecture
Environmental concerns relating to the construction of Central Japan Railway’s high-speed maglev line had contributed to years of delays for the project.
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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