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July 03, 2026
 

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DEFENSE

The nuclear-powered submarine USS Annapolis is greeted by South Korean Navy sailors upon its arrival at a naval base on Jeju Island, South Korea, in July 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jun 9, 2026
South Korea’s nuclear sub ambitions to intensify Indo-Pacific naval competition
Seoul insists its plan to build the ships is aimed at countering North Korea. But the decision carries implications far beyond this, with China watching particularly closely.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a news conference to mark the first anniversary of his inauguration in Seoul on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 9, 2026
South Korean president mentions need for acquisition pact with Japan
In 2012, the Japanese and South Korean governments were close to concluding an ACSA, but strong criticism in South Korea stalled momentum for a deal.
Koji Yamazaki, former chief of the Defense Ministry's Joint Staff, speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday. Yamazaki has called for revising Japan's policy of not allowing nuclear weapons to be brought to the country.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 9, 2026
Experts urge caution amid proposal to revise Japan’s nonnuclear principles
At a meeting on Monday, a former chief of the Defense Ministry’s Joint Staff had called for revising the policy of not allowing nuclear weapons to be brought to Japan.
Scale models of the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System, Europe's next-generation fighter jet, in Paris in February 2020
WORLD
Jun 9, 2026
Germany and France drop joint fighter jet project
The decision comes as Western military officials have warned of a growing threat from ⁠Russia, while the U.S. is stepping up pressure for Europe to rearm itself.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attend a ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 8, 2026
China’s Xi vows boosted ties with Kim, but avoids North Korea nuclear issue
Chinese leader Xi Jinping stressed China’s “firm commitment to safeguarding the shared interests of the two countries” during a rare summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force dispatched its Kongo destroyer and the South Korean Navy sent its Cheon Ja Bong landing ship for a joint search-and-rescue exercise in waters west of the Goto Islands on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2026
Japanese and South Korean navies hold first joint drills in nine years
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi hailed the resumption of exercises as signaling “a new chapter” in bilateral defense cooperation.
A hyper velocity gliding projectile launcher was unveiled to the public for the first time during the Ground Self-Defense Force's live-fire exercise in Shizuoka Prefecture on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2026
Standoff weapon launcher showcased in SDF live-fire exercise for the first time
The Type-25 HVGP missile system, which was deployed at the GSDF’s Camp Fuji in March, appeared in an exercise attended by about 3,000 GSDF troops on Sunday.
A production line at a Mercedes-Benz factory, in Rastatt, Germany, in June 2025
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2026
German carmakers weigh China and defense tie-ups for idle plants
Volkswagen said in April it is also open to the idea of “partnering” with Chinese manufacturers at its plants.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives to attend a ceremony marking the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 7, 2026
Hegseth urges Europe on D-Day to counter present-day ‘invasion’
The U.S. Defense Secretary also called on European countries to do more to contribute to their own defense.
The Maritime Self Defense Force's Asagiri-class destroyer Setogiri is docked for a goodwill visit to Metro Manila in May 2018.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2026
Japan and Indonesia to begin talks on exporting Asagiri-class destroyers
The agreement to begin working-level discussions is the latest in a push by Tokyo to transfer defense equipment to like-minded partners.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a newly inaugurated nuclear materials production factory at an undisclosed location in the country in this image released Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 4, 2026
North Korea’s Kim says ‘newly inaugurated’ nuke site opens door to ‘larger plans’
Kim Jong Un said the suspected uranium-enrichment facility will help create an “environment for going into the new next-stage of bolstering up the nuclear forces.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 4, 2026
India’s China dilemma: engagement vs. dependence
India’s attempt to reduce dependence on China, for now, requires deeper engagement with the Asian giant. This is the central contradiction shaping the relationship.
French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin speaks during the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 4, 2026
France opens Space Command to Japanese officer as ties deepen under new road map
The move, announced by France’s defense chief, is one of the clearest signs yet that the security relationship is evolving from political alignment into practical integration.
Critics argue the selection of Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to lead U.S. intelligence reflects a preference for political loyalty over expertise.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 4, 2026
Pulte will drag U.S. intelligence from bad to worse
Pulte, though, appears to be worse. He seems even less qualified for the job than Gabbard (who at least had military experience).
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul speaks to the press following the election of the non-permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2026
Germany fails to gain seat on U.N. Security Council
This is the first time that Germany, Europe’s largest economy that has already served six terms, failed to get elected to the 15-member council.
U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, commander of the U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), in Washington on March 12
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2026
Europe and Canada told to boost NATO aircraft and ships as U.S. steps back
Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO and told its European members they will have to take over primary responsibility for the conventional defense of the continent.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump give an address aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington during a visit to the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in October.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 3, 2026
A ‘Golden Age’ for Japan-U.S. relations? Not quite.
Calls for increased defense spending are one thing; doubts about America’s commitment to the security alliance are another.
Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 3, 2026
Between restraint and red lines, Malaysia navigates China’s gray-zone pressure
The Southeast Asian nation’s defense chief has set a clear threshold in the South China Sea: any disruption to the country’s offshore oil and gas platforms would cross a red line.
Smoke and flames rise from garages damaged during a Russian missile and drone strikes, in Kyiv on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jun 3, 2026
At least 23 killed in Russian attack; Zelenskyy warns new assault possible
It ​was the third heavy assault on Kyiv in under a month.
A Russian Su-27 flies over the Black Sea in April. Since the war began, Russian forces have received 12 Su-27 warplanes, while Ukrainian intelligence figures imply Russia outputs around 20,000 first-person view drones per day.
WORLD
Jun 2, 2026
Russian aircraft production surges as Putin pivots to drone war
With tanks and other conventional armor hitting limits, cheap and scalable unmanned systems have become one of the few areas of Russian industry still capable of rapid expansion.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
Japan spent ¥11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.

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
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