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July 03, 2026
 

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Sabine Siebold
U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, commander of the U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), in Washington on March 12
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2026
Europe and Canada told to boost NATO aircraft and ships as U.S. steps back
Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO and told its European members they will have to take over primary responsibility for the conventional defense of the continent.
A Danish soldier stands at a checkpoint in the harbor of Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 26.
WORLD
Feb 16, 2026
Europe aims to rely less on U.S. defense after Trump’s Greenland push
In another sign of the nervousness surrounding U.S. security commitments, Merz ​said he had ‌begun talks with Macron about a European nuclear deterrence.
A model of a Future Combat Air System (SCAF), a European aircraft developed by France, Germany and Spain is displayed during the 54th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris on June 19, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 26, 2025
France and Germany step up pressure on arms firms to resolve fighter impasse
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) has been mired in disputes between Airbus and France’s Dassault Aviation.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a news conference during the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2025
NATO’s Trump flattery buys time but dodges tough questions
Sooner or later, NATO will have to deal with tough topics of vital importance to it, such as the war in Ukraine, Russia strategy and a likely drawdown of U.S. troops in Europe.
Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich speaks at a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington on March 17. Grynkewich is expected to be the U.S. nominee for the positions of both Supreme Allied Commander Europe and U.S. European Command.
WORLD
Jun 1, 2025
America’s next top general in Europe will also lead NATO forces
Since taking office in January, Trump’s administration has pressured Europe to ramp up its own defense spending.
A Ukrainian serviceman in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Nov. 29
WORLD / Politics
Feb 19, 2025
European forces would struggle to guarantee Ukraine peace without U.S.
Deterrence in the form of U.S. medium-range missiles and ultimately nuclear weapons will remain crucial, experts say.
German Ambassador to the U.S. Andreas Michaelis has described U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's agenda for his second White House term as one of "maximum disruption."
WORLD / Politics
Jan 19, 2025
German ambassador warns of Trump plan to redefine constitutional order, document shows
The briefing document describes Donald Trump’s agenda for his second White House term as one of “maximum disruption.”
Members of the German Navy operate a submarine drone onboard German mine hunter FGS Weilheim during a NATO exercise led by the Finnish Navy, in the Baltic Sea in Turku, Finland, on Nov. 20
WORLD / Politics
Dec 3, 2024
As sabotage allegations swirl, NATO struggles to secure the Baltic Sea
The defense alliance conducted one of northern Europe’s largest naval exercises on Nov. 18 to step up its protection of critical infrastructure.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in an interview on Monday that the alliance will do what's necessary to make sure that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not get his way.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 15, 2024
NATO will not be intimidated by Russia’s threats, Rutte says
The NATO secretary-general made the remarks on his first visit to the alliance’s Ukraine mission in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Sailors line the deck of the German frigate F222 Baden-Wuerttemberg as it arrives in New York Harbor in New York on May 22 during a parade of ships to kick off "Fleet Week 2024.”
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 19, 2024
German warships await orders on crossing disputed Taiwan Strait
While the U.S. and other nations have sent warships through the strait in recent weeks, it would be the German navy’s first passage through it since 2002.
A German army Eurocopter Tiger helicopter flies during the Quadriga 2024 military exercises in Pabrade, Lithuania, on May 29.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 25, 2024
NATO planners count cost of hardening Europe against Russian threat
A recent analysis shows shortages in air defenses and long-range missiles, troop numbers, ammunition and secure digital communications on the battlefield.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Kyiv on April 29
WORLD / Politics
Jul 9, 2024
How the NATO summit in Washington will affect Ukraine membership
This year, many NATO countries want to state that Ukraine’s path to membership is “irreversible.“ 
Soldiers stand at attention on the day German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier attends a Bundeswehr training exercise in Munster, Germany, on April 18.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 11, 2024
Infighting over budget imperils Germany’s defense upgrade
Uncertainty is growing about how to achieve a key spending goal when topped-off funds are exhausted in 2028.
NATO forces have to navigate a variety of national regulations before ammunition can be shipped.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2023
NATO urges members to get their logistics homework done
Red tape hindering troop movements across Europe could cause major delays if a conflict with Russia erupts, logistics chief says
Lt. Col. Marco Maulbecker (left), training manager on the Leopard 1A5, in Klietz, Germany, on Thursday
WORLD
Aug 18, 2023
Offensive tactics and leadership top Kyiv’s training wish list
Western troops have trained some 6,200 Ukrainians in Germany this year in a wide range of skills.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 11, 2023
NATO head eyes ‘strong message’ on Ukraine’s membership bid at summit
Divisions among the Western military alliance’s 31 members on allowing Ukraine in mean there will not be a straightforward invitation for Kyiv to join.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 19, 2023
NATO revisits Cold War past with first major defense plans in decades
With Europe’s bloodiest war since 1945 raging just beyond its borders, the alliance is warning it must have all planning in place well before potential conflict with a peer adversary.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Nov 23, 2022
On Europe’s new front lines, red tape, politics and potholes hamper defense
Planners from the Baltics to Romania are scrutinizing potential military reinforcement routes, planning to fortify bridges and adding military transport functions to civilian airports.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 17, 2022
Stray missile hit in Poland casts spotlight on NATO air defense gaps
The incident underlines the urgent need for NATO to plug gaps in its defenses because even mistakes like this could lead to a dangerous escalation.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 12, 2022
NATO and partners aim to boost Kyiv’s air defense after Russian strikes
The talks came two days after Russian air missile strikes killed 19 people in Ukraine and knocked out power supplies across the country.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
Japan spent ¥11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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