Sanae Takaichi is often compared to Margaret Thatcher, but the analogy fails because Japan today is not 1980s Britain and her success depends on pragmatism, not ideology. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/10/10/ideology-must-not-guide-takaichi/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #sanaetakaichi #ldp #chinajapanrelations #usjapanrelations #southkoreajapanrelations #defense #china #southkorea #us
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth advocate a more militaristic approach to military preparedness with an inward-looking defense strategy focused on domestic issues while sidelining global threats and alliances. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/10/03/trump-and-hegseth-address-to-military-officers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #us #usmilitary #defense #donaldtrump #china #petehegseth #indopacific
Despite its limitations and frequent criticism, the United Nations remains a vital global institution that, while rarely solving crises outright, plays an essential role in exposing problems. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/09/26/the-painful-display-at-the-united-nations/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #unitednations #ungeneralassembly #donaldtrump #shigeruishiba
Political violence in the U.S. is rising, driven by extreme rhetoric, mental illness and easy access to guns, as shown by Charlie Kirk’s assassination and other attacks. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/09/12/american-politics-turns-bloody/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #charliekirk #us #donaldtrump #guns #democrats #republicans #freespeech
China’s massive Beijing parade showcased military power, historical revisionism and calls for a new world order, signaling Xi Jinping’s ambition to elevate China’s global leadership. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/09/05/china-looks-the-past-to-signal-its-future/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #china #northkorea #russia #xijinping #us #donaldtrump #kimjongun #vladimirputin #pla #defense #usmilitary #wwii
The peace process is fragile. Putin is betting on division, but unity among allies can preserve the rules-based order that has kept the world secure for decades. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/08/22/trump-ukraine-peace-process/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials#ukrainerussiawar #donaldtrump #vladimirputin#volodymyrzelenskyy #shigeruishiba
There is no clearer sign of the vitality of Japan-U.K. security cooperation than the visit to Japan this month of the British aircraft carrier Prince of Wales and its multinational carrier strike group, CSG25. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/08/15/operation-highmast/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #japan #uk #japanukties#hmsprinceofwales #operationhighmast #sdf #keirstarmer
Australia’s purchase of Japanese frigates marks a historic deal that boosts Japan’s defense industry and deepens shared strategic ties. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/08/08/the-japan-and-australia-defense-deal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #australia #australiajapanrelations #defense#mogami #sdf #msdf #defenseministry
A massive earthquake off Russia’s eastern coast triggered Pacific-wide tsunami warnings, minimal damage, and renewed warnings that Japan and the region remain dangerously underprepared for the next major disaster. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/08/01/japans-vulnerability-to-natural-disaster/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #earthquakes #tsunami #russia #nankaitrough
Japan’s ruling LDP-Komeito bloc lost big, smaller parties gained ground and the country now faces a more fractured, uncertain political future. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/07/25/shellacking-leaves-japanese-politics-in-limbo/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #shigeruishiba #ldp #komeito #dpp #2025upperhouseelection #sanseito #ishinnokai #cdp
Japan’s latest Defense White Paper warns of growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea, highlights worries about Donald Trump’s reliability and urges stronger defense spending and alliances. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/07/18/japan-and-an-increasingly-dangerous-world/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #defense #usjapanrelations #china #northkorea #russia
U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalating tariffs, erratic trade threats and linkage of economic and defense issues are undermining trust in America and pushing allies like Japan to rethink their dependence on Washington. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/07/11/trump-war-on-global-economic-order/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #donaldtrump #tariffs #trade #globaleconomy #japaneseeconomy #defense
Despite U.S. President Trump’s trade pressure, Prime Minister Ishiba has held firm, constrained by politics and growing Japanese distrust of the U.S. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/07/04/japan-must-draw-trade-deadline/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #shigeruishiba #donaldtrump #usjapanrelations #useconomy #japaneseeconomy #trade
Donald Trump’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites may have delayed, but not destroyed, its program — and only diplomacy, not force, offers a sustainable path to prevent a wider war. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/06/27/iran-diplomacy-begins/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #donaldtrump #iran #us #nuclearweapons #internationalatomicenergyagency #defense #israel