51³Ô¹ÏÍø

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July 24, 2026
 

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DEFENSE

While the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been cautious about deploying the Self-Defense Forces to conflict zones, renewed fighting could increase pressure for Japan to support post-conflict efforts, including humanitarian aid, demining and monitoring operations.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 24, 2026
What the renewed 51³Ô¹ÏÍø means for Japan
The uncertain trajectory of the U.S. war with Iran will complicate the work of officials now shaping the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s future defense policies.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi delivers an opening statement during a ministerial meeting of the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers' meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Wednesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 23, 2026
Japan and China¡¯s top diplomats hold first chat since Takaichi¡¯s Taiwan remarks
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Thursday he had spoken briefly with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, a day earlier on the sidelines of ASEAN-related meetings in Manila.
Airbus' unmanned combat aircraft U760 Ravenstorm is on display at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Hampshire, Britain, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 22, 2026
Companies race to deliver autonomous uncrewed fighter jets
The U.S. Air Force has said it expects aircraft in its ?program to cost ?a third, or less, of the cost of an F-35 fighter jet, which can cost $80 million or more.
Canadian Minister of National Defense David McGuinty, British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and Japanese defense chief Shinjiro Koizumi pose for a family photo at the Global Combat Air Program news conference at Wellington Barracks in London on Tuesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 21, 2026
Canada to join Japan-Italy-U.K. fighter project as first observer nation
The move will not entail a financial commitment or contractual obligations, but could create a pathway to deepened future cooperation in the program.
A Chinese Navy destroyer (left) conducts live-fire training inside Japan's exclusive economic zone near Okinotorishima island as a Russian warship (right) observes in this image taken Sunday and released late Monday. Below: An enlarged section of the image shows machine-gun fire from the Chinese vessel.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 21, 2026
Chinese warship holds rare live-fire exercise inside Japan¡¯s EEZ
In a first, Tokyo publicized the drill, releasing images of the destroyer firing a machine-gun near Okinotorishima island over the weekend.
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 21, 2026
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The annual economic policy guidelines referenced goals announced by NATO and two U.S. allies and pledged to ¡°transform the country¡¯s defense capabilities within five years.¡±
Taiwan is beefing up preparedness as China steps up?military pressure around the island.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2026
Taiwan to slow mobile internet in civil defense drills as China threat grows
The 30-minute slowdown will test how citizens would communicate if bandwidth became scarce in emergencies ranging from disasters to a Chinese invasion.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi invites his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, to walk after they inspected a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile interceptor unit deployed at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo last December.
WORLD
Jul 20, 2026
Boeing ramping up production of critical interceptor seekers
Japan, which also makes PAC-3 Patriot missiles, has been looking to boost production ¡ª though this has reportedly been delayed by a shortage of the Boeing-made seekers,
Two cruisers donated by the Vietnamese government to the Cambodian Navy take a delegation for a tour off a Cambodian naval base near Sihanoukville.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 19, 2026
Japan to provide patrol boats to Cambodia in first OSA
Cambodia will receive aid under the OSA program, which provides defense equipment free of charge to like-minded countries.
The X account of Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, chief of staff of the Defense Ministry's Joint Staff
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 19, 2026
Japanese officials open X accounts to counter China¡¯s cognitive warfare
In light of Russia¡¯s invasion of Ukraine, the SDF recognizes the importance of addressing cognitive warfare, which is conducted through disinformation.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in?Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan last month.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 19, 2026
Japan ¡®cannot avoid¡¯ nuclear weapons debate, defense chief Koizumi says
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi¡¯s remarks come as the government weighs revising the country¡¯s decades-old pledge not to produce, possess or host nuclear arms.
A heavily damaged bridge hit by a U.S. strike is pictured along the road connecting Roudan and Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on Saturday
WORLD
Jul 19, 2026
U.S. strikes Iran to ¡®punish¡¯ it for attack that killed two troops
The U.S. and Iran have intensified attacks since an interim ceasefire deal signed a month ago fell apart in recent weeks, raising the possibility of a return to all-out war.
Smoke rises from Gazprom Neft¡¯s Moscow oil refinery after a deep Ukrainian drone strike on June 18.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2026
As Ukraine¡¯s deep strikes mount, Putin lets his country burn
The war has become the organizing principle of Putin¡¯s regime, leaving no path to lasting peace without a fundamental political transformation.
F/A?18 Super Hornet launches from the USS Abraham Lincoln during Operation Epic Fury at an undisclosed location on April 2.
EDITORIALS
Jul 17, 2026
There is more at stake than the Strait of Hormuz
U.S.-Iran negotiations did not bear fruit. That comes as no surprise. The document was very general and subject to diverging interpretations and expectations.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 31.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 17, 2026
Don¡¯t become a casualty in Beijing¡¯s ¡®history war¡¯
Koizumi and the Takaichi administration must quickly shake off the euphoria of their Shangri-La performance and tighten their ideological defenses.
Protesters in Kyiv rally against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's defense minister, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 17, 2026
Zelenskyy taps new defense chief in bid to quell political crisis
Rare protests erupted in Ukraine over Mykhailo Fedorov being dismissed as defense minister in a surprise government reshuffle.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his counterparts in the "Quad" hold a joint news conference after attending the group's foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi on May 26.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 15, 2026
A new ¡®Quad¡¯ for an ever more complex Indo-Pacific?
The Indo-Pacific does not simply need another acronym. In practice, it needs stronger coordination among trusted partners.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a news conference at parliament in Tokyo on July 3.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 15, 2026
As Japan¡¯s security ties grow, defense chief pushes for international bureau
As a key reason for the initiative, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi cited growing responsibilities as the ministry builds up defense ties with like-minded nations.
U.S. Marines and Japanese Self-Defense Force personnel take part in a joint live-fire drill as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2026
Japan looks to Ukraine¡¯s battlefield for defense blueprint
Conflicts will be won if Japan ¡ª like many other nations, especially in the Pacific ¡ª can update its military doctrine to match the realities of modern warfare.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev speaks at a news conference in Shusha on Monday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 14, 2026
Azerbaijan¡¯s president hints at defense-sector cooperation with Japan
Citing Japanese companies constructing power plants in Azerbaijan in the past, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said he hopes Japanese investment in his country will grow again.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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