Tag - wwii

 
 

WWII

Palestinian mourners carry the body of Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Wishah, killed in an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on June 21.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2026
When killing the messenger becomes a strategy of war
Record journalist deaths in Gaza raise urgent questions about war, accountability and the targeting of reporters.
A man holding a Polish national flag lights a candle at the site of a mass burial of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II in the former Polish village of Puznyky, Ukraine, in September.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2026
Ukraine can’t afford a breakup with Poland over history
This is reckless statecraft at the service of domestic politics on both sides — only Poland isn’t at war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Kyiv in February
WORLD
Jun 25, 2026
Poland and Ukraine’s difficult history creates political minefield for Tusk
Polish sentiment toward Ukraine has grown increasingly negative in recent years due ⁠to weariness with refugees, grain import disputes and the legacy of World War II killings.
Okinawa war survivor Yasuko Onaga speaks about her experiences, in Naha on June 9.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2026
81 years on, ex-Okinawa wartime student nurse urges no more war
With Okinawa marking the 81st anniversary of the end of the ground battle, Onaga, a resident of Naha, is making a powerful appeal for peace amid rising international tensions.
Participants lay flowers during the Okinawa Memorial Day ceremony honoring all war dead at Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / History
Jun 23, 2026
Victims of Battle of Okinawa mourned 81 years on
The Battle of Okinawa was the most savage ground battle staged in Japan during the war, and Mabuni was the site of the last fierce fighting.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako lay a wreath at the National Monument at Dam Square in Amsterdam on June 17, as part of a three-day visit to the Netherlands.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2026
Nagasaki hibakusha recalls wartime conversations with Dutch prisoner of war
Contact with foreigners was prohibited at the time, but Shohei Tsuiki wanted to try out the English he had started learning.
A general meeting of the suprapartisan group of lawmakers on air raid victims held Monday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2026
Lawmakers plan bill to provide aid to civilian victims of World War II
Submission of the bill to parliament will be the first such move in 38 years.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk attends a summit of European Union leaders at the bloc's headquarters in Brussels, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 22, 2026
Poland’s Tusk warns of ‘strategic mistake’ in spat with Ukraine
Tensions have grown with Poland over Ukraine’s commemoration of controversial World War II fighters Warsaw has accused of genocide.
Nihon Hidankyo co-chair Terumi Tanaka (center) speaks during the group's annual meeting in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2026
As hibakusha numbers dwindle, Nihon Hidankyo to vote on group’s future in 2027
Over the past few years, the group has discussed its own future, with some saying that the organization “will cease to exist if hibakusha are no longer here with us.”
Emperor Naruhito (left) gives a speech as the Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander listens during a state banquet at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2026
Emperor makes wish for peace at banquet hosted by Dutch king and queen
Reflecting on World War II, when Japan and the Netherlands were on opposing sides, the emperor expressed hopes that both countries continue to walk together for peace.
Former Liberal Democratic Party President Yohei Kono, who had also served as Lower House speaker, during an interview in Tokyo in 2015. Kono was known as a dove in the party, and staunchly opposed revising the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 11, 2026
Late LDP dove Yohei Kono widely known for landmark apology over ‘comfort women’
As chief cabinet secretary in 1993, he issued a statement expressing Japan’s “sincere apologies and remorse,” which sparked a domestic and international controversy.
Yohei Kono (center), head of the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade, shares a light moment with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, as they head to a meeting in Beijing in July 2023.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2026
Former Lower House speaker Yohei Kono dies at 89
Kono was a leading dove within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and championed stable ties with neighbors of Japan, including China and South Korea.
A man holding a Polish national flag lights a candle at the site of a mass burial of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II in the former Polish village of Puznyky, in Ternopil region, Ukraine, in September
WORLD / Politics
Jun 9, 2026
Why are Poland and Ukraine at odds about their history?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named a combat unit after the Ukrainian ​Insurgent Army, which allied with Nazi Germany for a time and massacred Poles during World War II.
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.
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.
A guestroom at an APA Hotel in Tokyo. APA built its name in Japan on a standardized formula: a long list of amenities packed into tight rooms engineered for efficiency.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 1, 2026
Billionaire behind Japan’s tiny-room hotel empire bets on U.S.
APA Hotels has grown into one of Japan’s most recognizable hotel operators, with more than 1,100 hotels and nearly 150,000 rooms across its global network.
The wrecked Shiden Kai aircraft salvaged from the ocean lies by the shore in Izumi, Kagoshima Prefecture, on April 16.
JAPAN
May 28, 2026
Shiden Kai WWII fighter recovered from ocean off Kagoshima after 81 years
Developed as a state-of-the-art successor to the AM6 Zero fighter in the later stages of the war, the Shiden Kai boasted high combat power and maneuverability.
Visitors queue outside the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
JAPAN
May 26, 2026
Hiroshima atomic bomb museum to be reservation-only from Aug. 8 to 16
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which documents the world’s first atomic bombing in August 1945, will start accepting online reservations as early as this month.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi lays flowers during a ceremony for Japanese war dead at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
May 25, 2026
Remains of 193 Japanese war dead added to National Cemetery
The addition brought the total number of people laid to rest at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward to 371,167.
Masao Tomonaga (far right), an 82-year-old doctor who was exposed to the atomic bomb in Nagasaki, and others speak to reporters in the city on Saturday.
JAPAN
May 24, 2026
Hidankyo voices disappointment as nuclear nonproliferation talks fail
The NPT review conference failed to adopt a final document for the third consecutive meeting due chiefly to differences over Iran’s nuclear development program.

Longform

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