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July 11, 2026
 

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DEFENSE

The Pentagon is "moving to deploy frontier ‌AI ‌capabilities across all classification levels," an official who requested anonymity said.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 12, 2026
Pentagon pushing AI companies to expand on classified networks, sources say
It is the latest development in talks between the Pentagon and top AI companies over how the U.S. will use AI on a future battlefield.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s election win is fueling regional backing for Japan to take on a bigger defense role as Asian nations seek balance against China and shifting U.S. policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 12, 2026
Most in Asia want a stronger Japanese security presence — except for China
A more confident Tokyo complicates Beijing’s preferred regional order. For many of Asia’s middle powers, that makes Japan an appealing counterweight.
A police officer stands guard in a room full of ballot boxes, before dispatching them to voting centers, ahead of the national election in Dhaka.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 11, 2026
U.S. plans to pitch defense alternatives in Bangladesh to counter China
China recently signed a defense agreement ​with Bangladesh to build a drone factory near the India border, worrying foreign diplomats.
A soldier speaks to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te in Hsinchu, Taiwan, last July.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 11, 2026
Taiwan says defense budget delay jeopardizes collective deterrence against China
Officials in Taipei say a failure to pass the government’s nearly $40 billion defense budget would “seriously weaken” the island’s defense buildup.
A concept model of the Global Air Combat Program fighter jet on display at the Defense and Security Equipment International Japan conference in Chiba last May
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2026
Germany considers joining GCAP fighter project with Japan, U.K. and Italy
Berlin is reportedly eyeing the program to develop a next-generation fighter jet, as its collaboration with France and Spain faces challenges.
Ali Larijani (L), Iranian Secretary of the National Security Council, meets with the Minister of the Royal Office in the Sultanate of Oman, Sultan bin Mohammed al Numani, in Muscat, Oman, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2026
Trump hints at second carrier in Middle East as Iran and U.S. near talks
The U.S. is seeking to expand the scope of negotiations with Iran beyond the nuclear issue to curb Iran’s ballistic missile program, one of the biggest in the Middle East.
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning speaks at the opening session of the conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in March 2025.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 10, 2026
China to support ‘pro-unification forces’ in Taiwan and strike ‘separatists’
China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up its military and ‍political pressure against the island as Beijing seeks to assert its sovereignty claims.
After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Sunday’s House of Representatives election, the United States plans to boost security and economic cooperation with Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 10, 2026
U.S. plans to boost security and economic cooperation with Japan after LDP win
The result strengthens Takaichi’s political foundation, a U.S. official said, making it easier to advance talks on Japan’s investment in and loans to the United States.
A People's Liberation Army Air Force Chengdu J-20S stealth fighter jet. China sent an average of 5.4 aircraft per day across the median line of the Taiwan Strait in January, the lowest number since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te took office.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 10, 2026
China sends fewer flights near Taiwan in sign of training shift
Beijing sent an average of 5.4 aircraft per day across the median line of the Taiwan Strait in January, the fewest since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te took office.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on Monday, a day after her ruling coalition secured an overwhelming majority in Sunday’s Lower House vote.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 10, 2026
Takaichi’s big win: A major victory for hard-nosed realism
The turnout was driven primarily by a craving for security. Voters rallied behind Takaichi’s willingness to stand up to Chinese economic coercion and disinformation campaigns.
Munich Security Conference Foundation Council President Wolfgang Ischinger attends a news conference regarding the Munich Security Report in Berlin on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 10, 2026
Rise of ‘wrecking-ball politics’ in focus at Munich security meet
The 2026 Munich Security Report describes U.S. President Donald Trump as the “most powerful of those who take the axe to existing rules and institutions.“ 
Attendees examine Raytheon missiles during the Association of the United States Army annual meeting and exposition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington in October 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 7, 2026
Trump orders prioritizing countries with higher defense spending as customers for U.S. weapons
The executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump ​establishing the “America First Arms Transfer Strategy” marks a significant shift ‍in ⁠U.S. arms sales policy.
A U.S.-made TOW-2A wire-guided anti-tank missile is launched by Taiwanese soldiers from an M1167 TOW carrier vehicle at the Fangshan training grounds in Pingtung, Taiwan, in August 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 7, 2026
Taiwan to seek extension of arms deals with U.S. amid budget standoff
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has ‍urged the opposition to approve the spending proposal, saying that any delay could postpone much-needed weapons deliveries.
China's air force performs during an aerial flying display at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Center on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Feb 7, 2026
China flexes its muscle at Singapore Airshow as U.S. isolated
Regional delegations paid close attention to Beijing as it sharpened its bid for influence in Southeast Asia.
A member of China's People's Liberation Army stands as DF-5C nuclear missiles are displayed during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 7, 2026
U.S. accuses China of secret nuclear testing
The accusations came a day after the treaty limiting U.S. and Russian missile and warhead deployments expired.
The EU (left), Estonian (center) and NATO flags fly in Narva, Estonia, near the Ivangorod Fortress on the Russian side of the border.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 6, 2026
Next in Putin’s sights? Estonia town stuck between two worlds
The border town of over 50,000 people is home to a mixture of Estonians, Russians and people left stateless after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to meet with then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Kyiv in March 2023. Four years into the war, Japan stands out as a leading supporter of Ukraine through economic and humanitarian aid.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 6, 2026
Four years of war and Ukraine still needs the world
Four years into the war, Japan stands out as a leading supporter of Ukraine through economic and humanitarian aid, testing its ability to sustain international economic diplomacy.
China’s promise of stability is undercut by its tendency toward coercion and control, leaving middle powers still reliant on the U.S. for security and deterrence.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 6, 2026
Memo to middle powers: Time for a reality check
Middle powers do not design the system they inhabit. They can maneuver inside it, but they cannot wish away the forces that set the boundaries of that maneuvering.
A missile being prepared to be loaded onto a fighter jet during a military exercise at Chiayi Air Base in Taiwan.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 6, 2026
Taiwan’s political standoff stalls $40 billion defense plan
Opposition lawmakers refuse to consider Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s ambitious spending plan without government concessions, sparking criticism in Washington.
A woman walks past a mural depicting a U.S. drone on a wall of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran. U.S. President Donald Trump’s mixed signals on Iran raise doubts that Washington has a clear strategy or enough understanding of the country to manage the consequences of military action.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 6, 2026
On Iran, U.S. needs a little more data and a lot less hubris
Responses from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his officials have ranged from let’s talk (about nuclear) to forget about it and make my day.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
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.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
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.
World’s first fully sealed vertical-farming facility opens in Tokyo
Fully sealed units are stacked on top of each other at Plantx's vertical-farming facility in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Wednesday.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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