As they have repeatedly done in the past, Washington and Tokyo have conspired to ensure that, should a military conflict break out with mainland China, thousands of Okinawans will be among the first to be killed.
Japan is beginning construction today, January 12, of a new base intended to be used primarily by the US military on the uninhabited island of Mageshima in Kagoshima Prefecture, despite years of resistance to the controversial plan and a questionable process by which the island was acquired by the government.
US military bases spreading cancerous substances was originally seen as an issue primarily for Okinawans to grapple with, but recent discoveries at Yokosuka and Atsugi bases are making clear that it is a nationwide problem.
Since the Myanmar coup last February, Japan has been under pressure to cut its links with the military regime. However, far more lies under the surface of this long-running bilateral relationship than many people perceive, making policy decisions quite complex.
Recent revelations regarding the Japanese government’s purchase of US military drones underlines the East Asian nation’s unwillingness to refuse the “requests” of their US allies as they relate to the acquisition of weapons systems.
The appointment of moderate Yoshimasa Hayashi as Japanese foreign minister has elicited a good deal of discussion in the Chinese news media, with voices on both sides of the Taiwan Strait trying to interpret what it means for the region in an era of heightened tensions.
The Covid-19 crisis became a dominating issue for the world, and Japan is no exception. This is a timeline of the events so far.
Throughout its nearly eight years in power, the Abe administration pressed forward with all its might to build a new US airbase at Henoko, Okinawa.
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the last half of September 2020.
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the first half of September 2020.
