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Takahashi Kosuke

Takahashi Kosuke is Tokyo Correspondent for The Diplomat.

Takahashi Kosuke is former Tokyo Correspondent for Janes Defence Weekly and former editor-in-chief of HuffPost Japan. He also was a former staff writer at The Asahi Shimbun and Bloomberg.

Takahashi graduated from Keio University with a B.A. in economics in 1993. After working for The Asahi Shimbun and Dow Jones, he studied at Columbia University’s Journalism School and School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and graduated with Master of Science in Journalism and Master of International Affairs in 2004. Prior to joining the Asahi as a reporter in 1993, he worked for Baltimore Economic Development Corporation as an exchange trainee to a sister city program of Kawasaki City, and researched trade issues between the United States and Japan. He was awarded an Honorary citizenship of Baltimore for his work in 1988.

Posts by Takahashi Kosuke

December 24, 2022

Japan Approves 26.3% Increase in Defense Spending for Fiscal Year 2023

By Takahashi Kosuke

For the ninth year in a row, the budget draft set a new record for Japan’s national defense budget.

December 17, 2022

Japan’s Major Turning Point on Defense Policy

By Takahashi Kosuke

Three new security documents prepared by the Kishida administration mark a new era in Japan’s post-war security strategy.

December 09, 2022

Why Japan Chose Britain and Italy for Its F-X Fighter Program

By Takahashi Kosuke

5 reasons why Japan decided to jointly develop a next-generation fighter with the U.K. and Italy, not the U.S.

November 23, 2022

Blue-ribbon Panel Urges Japan to Develop Counterstrike Capabilities

By Takahashi Kosuke

The Japanese defense ministry estimates that Tokyo will need to spend 48 trillion yen on defense over the next five years if it wants to achieve its security goals.

November 08, 2022

3 Takeaways From International Fleet Review 2022 in Japan

By Takahashi Kosuke

From strong representation among Asian navies to a “coincidence” involving a U.S. aircraft carrier.

November 03, 2022

China’s Navy Sets Record Pace for Intrusions Into Japan’s Territorial Sea

By Takahashi Kosuke

PLAN vessels have entered Japanese territorial waters eight times since 2004 – and five of those have occurred since October 2021.

October 26, 2022

Will South Korea Join Japan’s International Fleet Review?

By Kosuke Takahashi

Japan’s upcoming naval fleet review will be a litmus test for South Korea’s Yoon administration to improve bilateral ties.

October 14, 2022

Japan Sees Rise in Fighter Scrambles Against Chinese Aircraft

By Kosuke Takahashi

In the first half of 2022, Japan witnessed a 14 percent increase in scrambles triggered by foreign military aircraft approaches.

October 12, 2022

Japan Launches Third Taigei-Class Submarine for JMSDF

By Kosuke Takahashi

The newly launched Jingei SSK is expected to enter service in March 2024.

October 06, 2022

US Air Force Will Deploy MQ-9 Reapers to Japan for the First Time

By Kosuke Takahashi

Starting in late October, the USAF will station the UAVs on Kyushu, a move designed to strengthen Japan’s maritime surveillance.

September 29, 2022

History Overshadows Japan-South Korea Rapprochement

By Kosuke Takahashi

Why are Japan and South Korea, both U.S. allies and East Asian democracies, continuously at odds over everything from their territorial dispute to wartime labor compensation?

September 19, 2022

Japan Needs a Cyber Ministry: Former JGSDF Major General

By Kosuke Takahashi

Tokyo needs to establish a cyber ministry to oversee and defend the nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure against threats, says Major General Tanaka Tatsuhiro, a former commanding general of the GSDF’s Signal School.