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Japan
Japan, Italy Agree to Further Strengthen Bilateral Defense Ties
By Takahashi Kosuke
Meeting in Tokyo, Prime Ministers Kishida Fumio and Giorgia Meloni discussed naval port calls, enlarged joint exercises, and expanded cooperation.
Japan’s Nuclear Follies
By Jeff Kingston
Nuclear energy may make sense in places where reactors can be operated safely, but Japan is a seismically active archipelago.
Leo Bosner on Japan’s Disaster Management
By Takahashi Kosuke
“Japan’s biggest problem in disaster response is not a lack of hardware, it’s a lack of planning, organizing, and interagency coordination.”
Admiral Yamamoto’s Practice for Pearl Harbor: Truth and Fiction
By Ronald Drabkin
Ahead of the surprise attack, Japanese pilots openly practiced torpedo bombing above a major Japanese city. How did it go unnoticed?
Kishida’s Unfinished Business: Political Economy of Wage Increases in Japan
By Hironori Sasada and Tadashi Iwami
The battle against wage stagnation, a key goal of Kishida’s Cabinet, cannot be won without empowering labor unions.
Jingu Gaien Redevelopment Sparks Outrage in Tokyo. Is the Backlash Too Little, Too Late?
By Paul Christensen
The Jingu Gaien construction project has sparked outcry over the loss of green space and historical sites. But other projects that operate with similar intentions passed nearly unopposed.
Japan’s First Moon Rover Resumes Operations After Landing Upside Down
By Thisanka Siripala
After technical setbacks, Japan has reestablished communication with the dormant spacecraft, putting the lunar mission back on track.
Japan’s Aging Population Will Increase Disaster Vulnerability
By Maxime Polleri
As the Noto earthquake showed, the elderly are among the most impacted by natural disasters.
Relitigating the Past: How to Overcome Recent Court Cases and Strengthen the Japan-South Korea Relationship
By Cornelius Cornelssen
Two recent legal rulings in South Korea are once again threatening to unravel the relationship.
How Earthquakes Shake Japan’s Political Landscape
By Makoto Takahashi
The earthquake that struck Japan on New Year’s Day caused a grave tragedy but a political crisis, like that seen in 2011, seems to have been dodged.
US Forces Japan Join JSDF Earthquake Relief Efforts
By Takahashi Kosuke
This is the first time that the U.S. military will provide assistance to an earthquake-affected area in Japan since 2016.
Japan’s Crisis of Confidence
By Yann Messager
Scandal after scandal has plagued the country since the late Abe era, each one further eroding public trust (and even interest) in government.