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July 03, 2026
 

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DISPUTED ISLANDS

A television screen shows a news report on patrol and law‑enforcement operations around Taiwan conducted by the China Coast Guard, at a restaurant in Beijing in late December.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 30, 2026
More than a boundary: Why Japan-Philippines maritime talks matter for China
Beijing says the talks infringe on maritime rights it claims through Taiwan and sees discussions as part of a broader effort by Manila and Tokyo to deepen strategic coordination.
Dutch Defense Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius during an interview Monday aboard the Dutch frigate HNLMS De Ruyter in Tokyo after the warship arrived for a three-day port call
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 15, 2026
Dutch defense chief says Chinese naval encounter won’t deter Europe in Indo-Pacific
The Netherlands will continue its regular military deployments to the Indo-Pacific, Dutch Defense Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius has said.
A China Coast Guard ship is seen on the horizon through a telescopic view near Philippine-occupied Thitu Island in the disputed South China Sea on Feb. 21.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 10, 2026
Philippines plans sea border talks with Japan amid opposition from China
Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has maritime disputes with Tokyo and Manila in the East China Sea and South China Sea.
Aerial monitoring by several Philippine agencies confirmed the presence of a floating structure within the Scarborough Shoal.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 10, 2026
Philippines urges China to remove structure in disputed shoal
Manila calls the structure “unauthorized and illegal,” while Beijing says it has “indisputable sovereignty” over the shoal.
Waseda University professor Makoto Seta says it is common for two countries to delimit their maritime boundary first and then negotiate with a third-party country, even if there is an overlap in the three nations' exclusive economic zones.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2026
Japan-Philippines maritime talks ‘big step,’ expert says
China has criticized the Japan-Philippines negotiations, saying that Beijing’s participation is essential and that the talks are completely illegal and invalid.
Former residents of the Northern Territories join hands aboard the exchange ship Etopirika, in July last year.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2026
Ex-residents to hold memorial services near Japan-claimed isles
Former residents of Russian-held northwestern Pacific islands claimed by Japan will hold memorial services for their ancestors at sea and in the air between July 25 and Nov. 7, the prefectural government of Hokkaido said Friday.
A Jin Chiang navy ship returns to base in Keelung, Taiwan in July.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2026
Taiwan says Japan and Philippines must respect its rights in maritime border talks
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it calls on Japan and the Philippines to fully consider ‌Taiwan’s rights and interests and engage in talks.
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.
China's coast guard has ⁠conducted patrols in waters east of Taiwan in response to Japan and the Philippines' plans to launch maritime border delimitation talks.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2026
China patrols waters east of Taiwan in response to Japan-Philippines talks
Japan and the Philippines said last week they would ​begin talks on delimiting the maritime boundary of the exclusive ‌economic zone, which overlaps with areas claimed by Beijing.
A Filipino fisherman rows a boat near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, in Masinloc, Zambales province, Philippines, in 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 31, 2026
China patrols Scarborough Shoal after Philippines warns of threat
The Scarborough Shoal has become a ⁠frequent flash point between China and the Philippines over sovereignty and fishing rights.
Four Chinese coast guard vessels sailed in Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, on Thursday, marking the first intrusion by Chinese government ships into the area since April 28.
JAPAN
May 8, 2026
China Coast Guard ships sail in Japanese waters off Senkakus
The four vessels entered Japanese waters near Uotsuri Island, part of the Senkaku chain, in the late afternoon on Thursday.
A policeman stands guard at an entrance to the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo on March 25. A man was apprehended in Tokyo March 24 after he trespassed onto the grounds of the embassy.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 6, 2026
Japan-China tensions have no visible off-ramp
Tokyo lodged a protest with Beijing over the installation of structures in the East China Sea, marking the latest in a series of incidents between the two Asian rivals.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (back left) and Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin (back right) look on after a memorandum of understanding was signed at the Pentagon in Washington on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 15, 2026
Indonesian Foreign Ministry urged caution over U.S. military overflight proposal
While the two nations agreed on a defense cooperation partnership ​in a meeting Monday, a Pentagon statement that followed made no reference to overflights.
Philippine Navy spokesman Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad points to an image showing where Filipino soldiers seized yellow bottles, suspected to contain cyanide, from Chinese fishermen in the disputed South China Sea, in Manila on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 14, 2026
Philippines warns of ‘sabotage’ after cyanide seizure in disputed South China Sea atoll
Officials warned ​that the cyanide could damage marine life and weaken the reef supporting a warship that Manila grounded there to reinforce its maritime claim.
A China Coast Guard ship is seen on the horizon through a telescopic view from Philippine-occupied Thitu Island in the disputed South China Sea in February.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 30, 2026
China urges Philippines to stabilize ties amid maritime row
Officials held a “candid and in-depth” exchange of views on relations, and international and regional issues over the weekend.
Students from Okinawa Prefecture speak with Hiroshi Tokuno (left) at an exchange center for the Northern Territories issue in Nemuro, Hokkaido, on Dec. 27.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Mar 2, 2026
Okinawa students visit Hokkaido to learn about disputed islands
Over 80 years after Soviet forces seized four islands from Japan, former Japanese residents remain unable to return to their hometowns.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela gestures beside Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros during a visit to Philippine-occupied Thitu Island in the disputed South China Sea on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 23, 2026
‘Welcome to CHINA’ greets Philippine officials on trip to disputed South China Sea
As the Philippine Coast Guard plane descended toward the country's most strategically important outpost in the disputed South China Sea, passengers' phones lit up with a roaming alert: “Welcome to CHINA.”
Seoul has repeatedly ​objected to Japan's territorial claims over the tiny islets known as Takeshima in Japan ⁠and Dokdo in South Korea, which controls them.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 22, 2026
South Korea protests Japanese event over disputed islands
The tiny islets, known as Takeshima in Japan ⁠and Dokdo in South Korea, which controls them, have long been ⁠a source of tension between the neighboring countries.
A set of remote islands called Takeshima in Japanese and Dokdo in Korean are seen in this picture taken from a helicopter in August 2012.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 21, 2026
Japan to send parliamentary vice minister to Takeshima Day ceremony
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shifted gears on sending a higher-ranked official in light of improving ties between Japan and South Korea.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russia's relations with Japan "have ‌been reduced to zero" over what he cast as Tokyo's "unfriendly stance" toward Moscow.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 21, 2026
Russia says no peace dialogue ongoing with Japan over territorial dispute
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia’s relations with Japan “have ‌been reduced to zero” due to its “unfriendly stance” toward Moscow.
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.
Japanese-language education is at a turning point
The country is gradually transforming Japanese-language education from a volunteer-driven system into a professional, government-supported network to better serve its growing foreign population. 
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.

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