Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has called the U.S.-Japan alliance “unshakable” after talks with U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth, but declined to offer specifics about any discussions on China during their meeting. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/16/japan/politics/hegseth-koizumi-meeting-alliance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #shinjirokoizumi #petehegseth #us #usjapanrelations #washington #china #defense #defenseministry
Japan has roughly 12 years to overhaul its postwar strategy, military posture and political mindset to preserve its autonomy and deter China as U.S. reliability fades and regional power balances shift. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/13/world/japan-cant-afford-strategic-confusion/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations #defense #china #sdf #xijinping #donaldtrump #sanaetakaichi
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi will visit the U.S. next week, with plans to meet U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington on Thursday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/09/japan/politics/koizumi-hegseth-washington/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #shinjirokoizumi #petehegseth #us #usjapanrelations #washington #defense
Japan will form a panel of experts as early as this spring to start full-scale discussions on a review of the country's three key national security-related documents, government officials have said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/09/japan/japan-security-strategy-review/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #usjapanrelations #us #usbases #okinawa #defense #defenseministry
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Wednesday met with Nago Mayor Taketoyo Toguchi to seek local understanding on relocating U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the city. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/08/japan/koizumi-local-understanding-futenma/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #shinjirokoizumi #okinawa #futenma #henoko #us #usmilitary #usbases #usjapanrelations #defense
America’s allies have offered a measured response after U.S. troops captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a raid, a move that sent shock waves around the world and highlighted divisions among governments. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/06/world/politics/us-allies-muted-response-venezuela/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #venezuela #donaldtrump #us #usmilitary #usjapanrelations #un #nicolasmaduro #sanaetakaichi
Japan has avoided direct mention of U.S. President Donald Trump’s military strikes on Venezuela and capture of the country’s president, saying only that Tokyo has "consistently emphasized respect” for international law. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/04/japan/politics/japan-us-venezuela-international-law/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #usjapanrelations #us #venezuela #donaldtrump #nicolasmaduro #defense #china #taiwan #pla
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held talks over the telephone with U.S. President Donald Trump late Friday, with the two agreeing to arrange for the Japanese leader to visit the United States in the spring. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/02/japan/politics/takaichi-trump-phone-call/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #china #taiwan #pla #uschinarelations #usjapanrelations #sanaetakaichi #donaldtrump #defense #usmilitary #us
The U.S. has urged China to halt military pressure on Taiwan — days after Japan and Western countries voiced concern over rising tensions — it's first criticism of recent large-scale military exercises around the island. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/02/asia-pacific/politics/us-china-miliary-exercises-taiwan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #china #taiwan #pla #donaldtrump #laichingte #uschinarelations #usjapanrelations #defense #usmilitary
The latest deterioration of Japan-China ties has highlighted that a dangerous new equilibrium between the two countries is emerging — one that will test each other’s resolve, especially in the year ahead. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/31/japan/politics/japan-china-relations-2026-analysis/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #china #chinajapanrelations #usjapanrelations #xijinping #sanaetakaichi #taiwan #taiwanjapanrelations #donaldtrump #defense #sdf #pla
"Security autism" isn’t a moral failing; it’s a cognitive one. Just as individuals on the autism spectrum struggle with social cues and environmental awareness, nations can lose the ability to read geopolitical signals. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/30/japan/beware-of-security-autism/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #us #china #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations #defense #sdf #northkorea #donaldtrump
U.S. military police in Okinawa Prefecture temporarily detained a civilian by mistake in the city of Okinawa on Nov. 22, a joint U.S.-Japan government panel has said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/27/japan/us-military-police-detain-civilian-okinawa/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #us #usmilitary #usbases #okinawa #usjapanrelations
As the Year of the Wood Snake promised subtlety and adaptation, the U.S., China and Japan instead delivered strategic blundering, authoritarian overreach and geopolitical instability. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/26/world/good-riddance-year-of-the-serpent/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #china #chinesezodiac #2025 #2026 #yearofthewoodsnake #yearofthefirehorse #indopacific #us #donaldtrump #xijinping #ishibashigeru #sanaetakaichi #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations #uschinarelations
The Japanese government under then-Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa faced trouble dealing with a strong U.S. request for support during the 1994 North Korea nuclear crisis, according to newly disclosed records. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/25/japan/politics/japan-diplomatic-records-north-korea-crisis/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #morihirohosokawa #foreignministry #northkorea #usjapanrelations #billclinton
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering visiting the United States in March to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, sources have said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/25/japan/politics/japan-takaichi-us-visit/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #donaldtrump #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations
The United States has informed Japan of its hope to additionally use heavy weapons, such as antitank missiles and rocket launchers, in training at Ground Self-Defense Force firing ranges. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/24/japan/us-heavy-weapons-use-gsdf/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #us #usjapanrelations #okinawa #gsdf #defense #rockets #missiles #defenseministry #hokkaido #miyagi #yamanashi #shizuoka #oita
Japan and the U.S. held a second consultation meeting on Japan’s $550 billion investment pledge, with both Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick attending. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/24/economy/550-billion-consultation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #ryoseiakazawa #tariffs #donaldtrump #trade #carmakers #us #japaneseeconomy #usjapanrelations
In a draft resolution, a bipartisan group of U.S. representatives blasted China’s coercion against Japan and urged Trump to work with Pacific allies to counter Beijing. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/23/japan/politics/us-condemnation-china-draft-resolution/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #us #china #taiwan #sanaetakaichi #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations
Japan must create strategic conditions in which the U.S. cannot abandon the Indo-Pacific without abandoning its own core interests. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/18/world/tokyos-musashi-moment/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #us #japan #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations #indopacificdefense
A U.S.-Japan consultation panel held its first meeting to consider initial projects for a $550 billion investment pledge that is a pillar of the two countries’ trade deal. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/18/us-japan-panel-investment-projects/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #usjapanrelations #investments #tariffs #donaldtrump #howardlutnick