Japan plans to massively increase its defense budget over the next four years, climbing into the ranks of the highest-funded national militaries. Depending on developments–and future currency exchange rates–there is even the possibility that Japan could soon rank as the No. 3 military in the world as measured by its budget.
In recent years there has developed a shadowy competition for influence between Russia and France on the African continent, and Moscow seems to be winning.
France and the United Kingdom have ceased support for the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, the deadliest currently in operation. These withdrawals followed a decade of fruitless attempts to end hostilities between the West African nation’s government and its rebel Islamists.
The Horniman Museum and Gardens, based in London, has recently agreed to return all 72 of its artifacts that were forcibly taken from Benin City, now part of Nigeria, during a British military operation in 1897.
Since 2008, I have always devoted my end-year columns to counting down the Top Ten human rights issues as they pertain to Non-Japanese residents of Japan. This year I’m moving this feature to the Shingetsu News Agency.
Eric Blanc of Jacobin magazine fears a US corporate Democrat repeat of the 2000 elections when Al Gore refused to fight once the Supreme Court gave the election to George W. Bush.
Dateline Tokyo, our series of short reports on major news developments in Japan, for August 2020
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the last half of January 2020.
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on April 30, 2019.
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on January 31, 2019.
