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July 12, 2026
 

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NORTH KOREA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observes an assessment of the newly built naval destroyer Kang Kon's combat systems, including the test firing of a strategic cruise missile, at an unknown location in the country on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 5, 2026
North Korea’s Kim oversees latest naval weapons tests
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw weapons tests last week of the 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon, including cruise missile launches and “electronic warfare means,” state media reported Sunday.
A visitor takes a selfie in front of a view of North Korea while holding a Starbucks cup on an observation deck at Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo, South Korea, on Wednesday. The number of visitors to thepark has more than doubled since the Starbucks opened, according to figures provided by park management.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 2, 2026
Kilometers apart but a world away: the Starbucks with a view of North Korea
Perched on a hilltop beneath the Aegibong Peace Ecopark observatory, the shop has drawn tens of thousands from South Korea and beyond since opening in November 2024.
Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora and North Korea's Land and Environment Protection Minister Kim Kyong Jun attend a ground-breaking ceremony for a road bridge that will link North Korea to Russia, in Rason Municipality, North Korea, on April 30 last year.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 1, 2026
North Korea-Russia bridge opening likely delayed, think tank says
The 850-meter bridge, which will connect to Russia’s highway system, was agreed to during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit ​to Pyongyang in June 2024.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un salutes the new Choe Hyon destroyer following its commissioning ceremony at Nampo port in North Korea on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 24, 2026
North Korea’s Kim unveils plans for new warships and nuclear-armed navy
Kim Jong Un has vowed to modernize his navy, but questions remain whether the investment will ultimately prove worthwhile for the strongman.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a meeting in Pyongyang, in a picture released Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 23, 2026
North Korea’s Kim says country will exercise its position as nuclear state
The leader says his position is the only way to cope with an unpredictable and complicated global security situation.
A Ground Self-Defense Force uncrewed ground vehicle takes part in a live-fire military exercise at the Higashi Fuji Training Field in Shizuoka Prefecture on May 7.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 21, 2026
Can automation offset Japan’s military workforce shortage?
Japan is building a 21st-century military, but it is running out of 21st-century citizens to staff it.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders prepare for a family photograph during the Group of Seven summit in Evian, eastern France, on Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2026
An absence of drama means the G7 summit was a success
This year, the G7 once again muddled through. It avoided the worst outcome — a public display of disarray
A visitor looks toward the Imjin River, close to the Civilian Control Line, at the Imjingak pavilion near the demilitarized zone which separates the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, Oct. 16, 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 17, 2026
South Korea to ease civilian curbs along border with North Korea
Residents welcomed the move, saying it would allow freer farming activities in the area and boost development and tourism.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung arrive before a family photo prior to a gala dinner as part of the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 17, 2026
South Korea’s Lee asks Trump to lead peaceful diplomacy with North Korea
South ​Korean leader Lee Jae Myung asked U.S. President Donald Trump to lead ⁠efforts to resolve the North Korea issue peacefully, as he had done with the war in the Middle East.
Ground Self-Defense Force troops lower the Japanese flag at the end of the day at their camp on Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture, in April 2022. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 15, 2026
Who’s afraid of ‘Japanese neo-militarism’? Nobody
More countries see a stronger Japan not as a danger, but a counterweight to China’s actions and growing U.S. untrustworthiness.
A Cyber Force would centralize military cybersecurity, building a cadre of elite tech warriors akin to the Green Berets in cyber space.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2026
The Pentagon needs to create the green berets of tech
America’s current cyber defenses are a patchwork of governmental and private-sector efforts.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greets Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang on Monday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 12, 2026
China-North Korea ties: New heights and new realities
While China is perhaps more powerful than at any time in its modern history, its leverage over North Korea is considerably diminished.
Manga artist Akiko Tomita speaks at an event on her work depicting North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals, in the city of Musashino in western Tokyo on April 10.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 11, 2026
Manga on North Korean abductions published amid little progress over issue
The work, which mixes fiction with facts and actual tactics used by North Korea to kidnap Japanese nationals, seeks to draw attention to the decades-old issue.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung next to European Council President Antonio Costa on the day of an EU-South Korea summit in Brussels on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 11, 2026
North Korea will ‘never’ get nuclear recognition, EU and South Korea say
The announcement comes after Chinese leader Xi Jinping skipped any public mention of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula during his visit to Pyongyang this week.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sees off Chinese President Xi Jinping at Pyongyang International Airport following Xi’s two-day visit to North Korea from Monday. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2026
Why China finds it hard to keep North Korea in line
Despite closer links with Moscow, Beijing is still Pyongyang’s main diplomatic partner and an important buffer against international sanctions.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2026
Japan wary of closer China-North Korea military ties after Xi visit
The government is scrambling to collect and analyze intelligence on possible discussions regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons development.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watch a welcome performance at Pyongyang Gymnasium on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 9, 2026
What was left unsaid may be biggest takeaway from Xi-Kim summit
The lack of any public reference to North Korea’s nuclear program during the talks has reinforced the perception that China no longer views denuclearization as a viable option.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Jan. 5.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 9, 2026
South Korea hit the China reset button. Or did it?
Seoul seeks balance as it hedges against the rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
Le Vigilant is one of France's four Le Triomphant-class ballistic missile submarines and is equipped with M51 nuclear warheads.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2026
Europe weighs its nuclear future as U.S. certainty fades
Just a few nuclear weapons may be enough to transform a regional crisis into a global one.
The nuclear-powered submarine USS Annapolis is greeted by South Korean Navy sailors upon its arrival at a naval base on Jeju Island, South Korea, in July 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jun 9, 2026
South Korea’s nuclear sub ambitions to intensify Indo-Pacific naval competition
Seoul insists its plan to build the ships is aimed at countering North Korea. But the decision carries implications far beyond this, with China watching particularly closely.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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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