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July 12, 2026
 

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PACIFIC OCEAN

U.S. Marines and Japanese and Australian soldiers prepare to take part in Exercise Southern Jackaroo in northeast Australia on May 29. The U.S. military's participation falls under the recently renamed U.S. Pacific Command.
EDITORIALS
Jun 26, 2026
Indo-Pacific name change unnerves many
Names reveal strategic priorities. Even if the area of responsibility has not been altered.
The coastline of Funafuti Atoll, Tuvalu. A trust fund set up to help a South Pacific nation gravely threatened by climate change has invested in coal mining, gas exploration and the world's largest crude oil refinery.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 28, 2026
Fund for climate-exposed Pacific nation invests in fossil fuels
A trust fund set up to help a South Pacific nation gravely threatened by climate change has invested in coal mining, gas exploration and the world’s largest crude oil refinery.
A drone view shows crew members aboard a squid jigger vessel operating outside Argentina's exclusive economic zone, where foreign fishing vessels, mostly Chinese, operate just beyond the boundary, in the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina on Jan. 18.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 13, 2026
China’s fishing fleet raises concerns off Argentina
The size of the flotilla has increased by nearly 50% over the last decade, sparking a fear of overfishing and suspicion of intelligence gathering.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a news conference on parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 29, 2026
Japan to establish new Defense Ministry office to bolster Pacific defenses
The ministry will launch the office next month to tackle the challenge of how best to defend Japan’s vulnerable eastern flank, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.
The Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia. The use of the military by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump in its counter-narcotics campaign has been expanding.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 23, 2025
U.S. military strikes suspected drug vessel in the Pacific
The strike is the first known U.S. military operation in the Pacific since Trump started a new military offensive against the drug trade.
Artificial intelligence avatar Una will appear at the U.N. pavilion at Osaka Expo later this month as part of initiatives to combat climate change.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2025
Japan-backed AI avatar to promote climate action at expo
The anime-inspired female character, Una, was developed as part of climate initiatives supported by the Japanese government.
Flags from the Pacific Islands countries wave on the breeze in Yaren, Nauru, on the last day of the 2018 Pacific Islands Forum.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 12, 2025
China, U.S. pledge funds for Pacific Islands ahead of meet they are barred from
The Solomon Islands, which hosts an annual leaders meeting for the region blocked 21 donor countries from attending after pressure from Beijing to exclude Taiwan.
Waves slam into a sea wall off Waikiki Beach after authorities downgraded earlier tsunami warnings following an earthquake off Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Wedenesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 31, 2025
Tsunami danger has Chile to U.S. on alert after Russia quake
Aftershocks will likely continue for months and there is no way to predict if there will be another massive shake.
A Chinese J-15 fighter jet flies just to the side of a Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C surveillance plane over the high seas in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2025
Chinese fighter jets in close encounters with MSDF patrol planes over Pacific
Chinese fighters made “abnormal approaches” to MSDF patrol aircraft over the Pacific Ocean in recent days that risked collisions, the Defense Ministry said.
Visitors look at replicas of the Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong at the People's Liberation Navy Naval Museum on the 75th founding anniversary of the navy in Qingdao, China, in April last year.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2025
Two Chinese aircraft carriers conduct simultaneous drills in Pacific for first time
The moves highlight the Chinese Navy’s growing ability to punch through the “second island chain,” officials say.
A Chinese Coast Guard vessel on screen in Beijing. The coast guard demonstrated the capabilities of one of its largest ships to Pacific Island ministers last week.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 7, 2025
China demonstrates coast guard capability with move toward high seas patrols
The Chinese Coast Guard demonstrated the capabilities of one of its largest ships to Pacific Island ministers last week.
Smoke rises from a fire aboard the cargo vessel Morning Midas as seen from a U.S. Coast Guard C-130J Super Hercules, approximately 480 kilometers south of Adak, Alaska, on Tuesday. The ship's cargo consists of around 3,000 cars, including 800 electric vehicles.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 5, 2025
Ship carrying EVs abandoned in Pacific after catching fire
The Morning Midas’ cargo consists of about 3,000 cars, including 800 electric vehicles.
Rainmaker Mountain in Pago Pago, American Samoa
BUSINESS
May 21, 2025
Trump sets stage to sell ocean mining rights off American Samoa
There’s growing appetite in Washington for new domestic sources of critical minerals, following China’s decision to curb exports of rare-earth materials.
A view of Koror, Palau’s main town, on April 10
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 1, 2025
Inside the U.S. battle with China over a Pacific island paradise
Palau is again on the frontline as China and the United States and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control.
The Maersk Launcher, a ship chartered by The Metals Company, carries seabed samples from the remote Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean on June 7, 2021.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Jul 30, 2024
The future of deep sea mining hinges on a contentious election
The vote will determine whether companies can begin strip-mining the world’s oceans for critical metals despite concerns about the impacts.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 11, 2021
Islands, rocks and tuna: Pacific nations draw new battle lines against rising seas
As global warming pushes waters higher, nations fear their islands could be swamped, shrinking their EEZs and rights to fishing and mining within their boundaries.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 29, 2019
Saving Pacific Islanders from geoengineering
For Pacific islanders, the persistently selfish and short-sighted approach of the world’s major emitters has gone from disappointing to frustrating to infuriating.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2018
Ben Lecomte ends bid to swim from Japan across Pacific after support boat suffers damage
On June 5 Ben Lecomte entered the ocean off Chiba Prefecture to begin his attempt at a record-breaking swim across the Pacific, with the aim of shining a light on ocean pollution and plastic contamination.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2018
French swimmer departs from Japan and begins Pacific Ocean crossing attempt
Long distance swimmer Ben Lecomte set off from Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, on Tuesday in his bid to become the first person to swim across the Pacific Ocean.
EDITORIALS
Jun 3, 2018
What’s in a name? Understanding the ‘Indo-Pacific’
An idea first broached by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the term ‘Indo-Pacific’ recognizes the increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific oceans.
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.

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