The Diplomat | Author
Jon Letman
Jon Letman is an independent freelance journalist in Hawaii.
Jon writes about politics, the environment, and the impact of militarism and arms in the Asia-Pacific region. His reporting examines how human rights and the environment are affected by military bases, testing, training, and U.S. foreign policy with a focus on Pacific islands and East Asia. He has written for The Diplomat, The Guardian, Al Jazeera English, The Daily Beast, National Geographic, and others.
Follow him on Twitter at @jonletman.
June 01, 2024
Banning the Bomb in Asia and the Pacific
By Jon Letman
Countries in Asia and the Pacific bore the brunt of nuclear trauma. Now they are leading the charge to prohibit nuclear weapons.
May 18, 2023
How Japanese Civilians Are Supporting Ukraine
By Jon Letman
As the need for humanitarian aid grew, Japanese citizens continued to send Bogdan Parkhomenko – a Ukrainian with strong ties to Japan – goods and money, asking him to share with those in need.
March 01, 2023
In the Face of Climate Change, the Pacific Leads Boldly
By Jon Letman
Seven years after the Paris Agreement, Pacific Islanders demonstrate leadership and resolve in the face of the climate crisis.
March 11, 2022
Telling Ukraine’s Story to Japan
By Jon Letman
As Ukraine is burned and bombed, one family builds a bridge from Kyiv to Japan.
July 01, 2021
Nuclear Justice for the Marshall Islands
By Jon Letman
Seventy-five years after the U.S. began testing nuclear weapons in the Pacific, the Marshall Islands stand at a new crossroads.
August 03, 2020
Hiroshima at 75: A Painful Legacy Tempered by Hope and a Treaty
By Jon Letman
75 years later, Japan’s atomic bomb survivors – the hibakusha – still remember the day in devastating detail.
July 16, 2020
75 Years After Trinity: The Human Cost of Nuclear Tests
By Jon Letman
Talk of new U.S. testing deeply concerns those who have first-hand knowledge of nuclear devastation.
April 09, 2020
Guam’s Growing Coronavirus Challenge
By Jon Letman
On Guam, an already complex relationship to the U.S. mainland (and military) is complicated by a pandemic.
March 17, 2020
As the Coronavirus Spreads, RIMPAC Planners Face Grim Facts
By Jon Letman
The world’s largest international maritime exercise is scheduled to take place this summer. For now, it’s still on.
January 23, 2020
Countdown to Doomsday: The Asia Factor
By Jon Letman
We’re now 100 seconds to midnight. How can the Asia-Pacific contribute to (or counter) doomsday?
July 30, 2019
Military Build-up in the Asia-Pacific: An Interview With Hawaii’s Sen. Brian Schatz
By Jon Letman
Hawaii’s senior senator discusses missile defense, prospects for peace on the Korean peninsula, and more.
July 25, 2018
RIMPAC Makes Its Mark in Hawaii
By Jon Letman
For some the international military exercises are a highlight; for others they’re a stain on the islands.
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