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July 01, 2026
 

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Kuni Miyake
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shows off the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding in Tehran on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2026
This U.S.-Iran MOU will likely be a ‘memorandum of misunderstanding’
In conclusion, this MOU is, at best, a product of compromise, if not a failure.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on Feb. 15, shortly before the start of hostilities on Feb. 28.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 5, 2026
Is an honorable U.S. surrender to Iran inevitable?
The only path left may be what could be called an “honorable surrender” — a unilateral declaration of victory while ending the war without achieving its objectives.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping speak during a visit to Zhongnanhai, the compound that houses China’s leadership, in Beijing on May 15.  
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2026
Scoring the Trump-Xi heavyweight bout in Beijing
U.S.-China rivalry increasingly resembles a third iteration of the “Great Game” — following the 19th-century British-Russian contest and the U.S.-Soviet Cold War.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi waves as she departs a Royal Australian Air Force base in Canberra on May 5, after a three-day official visit.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 10, 2026
Was Japan’s recent Golden Week diplomatic offensive effective, let alone ‘strategic’?
Prime Ministger Takaichi risks continuing a pattern of compressed, opportunistic diplomacy — busy, but not always effective.
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 Japanese police officer stands guard at the entrance of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo in November.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 9, 2026
Should Tokyo apologize for an SDF officer’s break-in to the Chinese Embassy?
In Japanese, an apology implies forgiveness, while in other languages it often means taking responsibility.
Japan’s Cabinet approved a bill to create the National Intelligence Secretariat and Council, but unlike the U.S. intelligence model with independent oversight, placing the prime minister in charge risks conflicts that could undermine effectiveness.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 27, 2026
Will Japan’s new National Intelligence Council function properly?
The most important concept is the independence of intelligence services from policymaking.
A comparison with Japan in 1944 suggests Iran will resist fiercely and try to prolong the war to preserve its Islamic regime.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 12, 2026
Today’s Iran is like Japan in 1944
Iran, like Imperial Japan, is mounting what could be called fanatical and tenacious resistance against overwhelmingly powerful U.S. military attacks.
Two U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornets attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA-41) prepare to launch from the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Feb. 15.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 26, 2026
Memo to the Trump administration: Iran has no Maduro
A U.S. attack on Iran could create precisely that no-win outcome: To advance is hell; to retreat is hell.
Yoshihiko Noda, co-leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance, waves during a campaign event in Osaka on Feb. 3. The alliance suffered a crushing defeat in the Feb. 8 election.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2026
Nothing ‘unexpected’ about the left’s election blowout
The dominance of conservative parties reflects a longer-term shift in Japan’s political center of gravity.
Supporters of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attend an election campaign event in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 3, 2026
Where will Japan’s democracy go from here?
Many question the rationale for the snap election with some critics claiming that it is an election without a “just cause.”
The turbulence at the start of 2026 signals the opening of a third phase of the "Great Game," defined by intensifying U.S.-China rivalry, a weakening rules-based order and a growing need for smaller nations to shoulder more responsibility for their own security.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 16, 2026
The ‘Great Game’ enters uncharted territory
In its original sense, the “Great Game” referred to the 19th- and early 20th-century strategic rivalry between the British and Russian Empires for dominance in Central Asia.
Sanae Takaichi addresses reporters at a news conference in Tokyo soon after she was elected the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party in October. Recent incidents raise questions about how public discourse and democratic debate are affected when off-the-record rules are unclear or breached.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 30, 2025
What exactly does ‘off the record’ mean in Japan?
“Off the record” should be a tool for protecting sources, not a tool for maintaining cozy relations with those in power.
The Trump administration's 2025 National Security Strategy shifts focus to the Western Hemisphere and Asia while largely maintaining the underlying limits of America's security policy established under the Biden administration.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 12, 2025
How to read Trump’s National Security Strategy
What I see as the essence of NSS 2025 is that this document appears to be a product of compromise intended to bridge the differences that surfaced within the Trump administration.
Generational shifts are changing how Japanese people get the news and perceive the world, with younger generations showing different attitudes, particularly toward China, compared with older generations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 7, 2025
In Japan and elsewhere, a ‘generational shift’ is upon us
In short, how people get news — especially political and international information — is undergoing a global generational shift.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments that a Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan would constitute a threat to Japan have drawn criticism from China and even in some circles domestically.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 13, 2025
Takaichi and a shift in ‘strategic ambiguity’ over Taiwan
Takaichi’s statement points out the obvious: That if a conflict over Taiwan involves the use of force, it could become a “crisis situation” that threatens the nation’s survival.
U.S. President Donald Trump walks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday. Whether Takaichi can follow through on her promises will determine whether her relationship with Trump truly ushers in a new era for Japan-U.S. relations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 30, 2025
Takaichi earns kudos for following Trump ‘manual’
The Takaichi administration’s diplomacy toward Washington will face many trials in the months and years to come.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a plenum session of the Knesset in June.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2025
Has Japan’s Diet finally begun its ‘Knessetization’?
My focus is entirely on whether Japan’s parliament will finally begin to “Knessetize” (referring to Israel’s parliament, and by extension, unstable coalition politics.)
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (left), former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi (center) and agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi arrive at a news conference for the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Sept. 23. The three are the front-runners ahead of Saturday's vote.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 2, 2025
No matter who wins the LDP presidential race, prospects for change are dismal
The key for the LDP is whether the once-proud party can win back its traditional supporters who have abandoned it in recent elections and shifted to opposition parties.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un view a military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 4, 2025
Divide the dictators, President Trump — don’t unite them
Xi’s objectives here are clear: first, to elevate China’s national prestige; second, to strengthen alliances among authoritarian leaders; and third, to rewrite history.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
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.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
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."
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.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

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