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July 02, 2026
 

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Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. shake hands after a bilateral meeting in Manila on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 5, 2026
Japan eyes ‘early transfer’ of used warships and aircraft to Philippines
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro reached a wide-ranging deal to further promote defense equipment and technology cooperation.
Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander U.S. Forces Korea, delivers remarks at a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington on Apr. 22.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 30, 2026
A vision for the peninsula: Our interview with the head of the U.S. military in South Korea
A transcript of The Japan Times’ interview with U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson.
A ceremony is held at Misawa Air Base to mark the arrival of the first operational F-35A Lightning II to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s 3rd Air Wing in February 2018. The SDF is already one of the world's best equipped militaries.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 28, 2026
Japan’s constitutional theater: Revising Article 9 would be a mistake.
The distance between constitutional language and security practice is not a mistake that needs correcting.
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 28, 2026
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ‘kill web’ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson said the strategy seeks to fuse the strengths of Washington’s regional treaty allies into a single, networked system capable of coordinated actions.
Volunteer firefighter Ryota Haga carries a fire hose to battle a wildfire in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 27, 2026
Tsunami survivor battles wildfire to protect hometown in Iwate Prefecture
Volunteer firefighter Ryota Haga is working to contain a wildfire raging for a sixth ​day that is threatening his community 15 years after it was devastated by a tsunami.
A helicopter conducts firefighting operations as wildfires continue in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2026
Firefighters in Iwate struggle to contain blazes as over 3,000 people evacuated
The area is already scarred by the memory of March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, when the town of Otsuchi lost nearly a tenth of its population.
Takayuki Kobayashi, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council, presents the party's recommendations to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2026
Japan assesses feasibility of sending minesweepers to Strait of Hormuz
Kobayashi said that sending minesweepers after the war is one option for securing Japan’s national interests within legal constraints.
Two helicopters doing water drops fly over smoke from a forest fire on a hillside near the town of Otsuchi, in Iwate Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2026
Over 3,200 forced to evacuate as crews battle Iwate wildfires
As of Saturday morning, blazes in the mountainous areas of Iwate region had burned about 700 hectares since breaking out three days ago.
Head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr., speaks during the opening ceremony of the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercises, at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 25, 2026
China holds live-fire drills in waters near Luzon as Japan joins military exercises in Philippines
The Chinese drills included live-fire shooting, sea-air coordination, rapid maneuvers and ⁠maritime replenishments to test integrated joint combat capabilities.
A Type-88 missile is test-fired near Shinhidaka, Hokkaido, in June. Japan’s easing of arms export restrictions is intended to strengthen security cooperation and defense capabilities while adapting to a more unstable global environment.
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2026
Japan’s new arms export stance and changing security realities
This new policy responds to the new security reality, recognizing that dangers are mounting and every nation must do more.
A Self-Defense Forces armored unit takes part in an annual parade and ceremony at the Asaka Base, north of Tokyo, in October 2018.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 22, 2026
Revising Japan’s arms export ban isn’t ‘militarism’
Japan’s militarism ended with World War II more than eight decades ago. Today’s Japan is free, democratic and open.
A medical vehicle enters the Ground Self-Defense Force's Hijudai maneuver area in Kusu, Oita Prefecture, on Tuesday after three GSDF members died and one other was seriously injured in an explosion involving a tank during training.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2026
Three GSDF members die after tank explosion during training in Oita Prefecture
The incident occurred at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s tank unit at the Hijudai maneuver area in Kusu, Oita Prefecture.
The Ground Self-Defense Force's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade takes part in exercises in Tokunoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, in November 2023. The Japanese government moved Tuesday to allow the sale of more weapons abroad as it grapples with rising security threats from China and a rapidly changing global order.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 21, 2026
In major policy shift, Japan scraps limits on lethal arms exports
The changes come amid intensifying geopolitical rivalries and Japan’s growing engagement in international defense-industrial projects.
Japan’s role as a steadfast U.S. partner is reflected in its Indian Ocean support for Afghanistan‑related naval operations and its reconstruction work in Iraq during the U.S.-led interventions.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 21, 2026
Tell the U.S. that Japan is America’s indispensable ally
Japan in recent decades has proven itself to be a reliable U.S. ally, ready to assist when needed without being overly obtrusive.
Chinese naval vessels participate in a drill in the East China Sea in August 2016.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2026
Chinese military warships train in western Pacific after MSDF Taiwan Strait transit
China has dispatched naval vessels led by one of its most advanced warships through a waterway near Amami Oshima off Kagoshima Prefecture for training in the western Pacific.
Chinese naval vessels participate in a drill in the East China Sea in August 2016.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 18, 2026
Chinese military holds joint drills in East China Sea after MSDF’s Taiwan Strait transit
Beijing said the exercises were “a routine arrangement organized in accordance with the annual plan, aiming at testing the joint operations capabilities.”
Japan Innovation Party head Hirofumi Yoshimura meets with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at parliament on March 17.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2026
LDP and JIP remain divided over revision of Constitution’s Article 9
The Liberal Democratic Party is worried the Japan Innovation Party’s hawkish approach to revising the pacifist clause won’t sit well with the public.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a news conference at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on April 8.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2026
Japan’s defense spending to reach 1.9% of GDP this fiscal year
Defense-related spending in the fiscal year through March 2027 would total ¥10.6 billion, approaching the gold standard 2% of GDP level.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi pose for a photo after the signing of the contract for Japan to deliver the first three Mogami-class warships to Australia, in Melbourne on Saturday.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2026
Japan seals largest-ever defense contract with frigate sale to Australia
Tokyo will supply Australia with the first three of a planned fleet of 11 new warships in a deal that highlights the progress of Japan’s defense industry over the past decade.
Self-Defense Forces members stands guard at the entrance of the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on April 6.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2026
China says Japan stirs ‘trouble’ with vessel in Taiwan Strait
China is firmly opposed to the vessel’s presence and has protested to Tokyo, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
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.
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.
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.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
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’

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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