The Taiwanese government's nearly $40 billion defense budget request is in jeopardy as the opposition pushes a much smaller proposal that omits key capabilities deemed critical to defending against a Chinese attack. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/asia-pacific/politics/taiwan-defense-budget-analysis/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #taiwan #budgets #defense #pla #china #us #kmt #dpp #donaldtrump #laichingte
Pakistan says it has fielded requests for its JF-17 fighter from five countries in recent months — a surge of interest that could overwhelm its capacity to jointly produce the jet with China. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/03/asia-pacific/politics/pakistan-china-developed-jets/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #pakistan #china #defense #aviation
The U.S. president is animated less by the prospect of deal-making than by the need for domination, less by the spirit of exchange than by the perverse pleasure of exalting himself. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/03/world/appeasing-trump-only-invites-betrayal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #us #donaldtrump #greenland #europe #nato #denmark #usdenmarkrelations #defense #trade
The expiration of New START ends the last formal limit on U.S. and Russian nuclear arms, ushering in a more dangerous era marked by destabilizing tactical weapons and growing risks of miscalculation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/01/world/hello-nuclear-anarchy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #nuclearweapons #russia #us #newstarttreaty #china #northkorea #defense #wmds
Opening a new chapter for Japan-U.S.-Europe cooperation may define the strategic legacy of the Takaichi administration. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/02/world/japans-strategic-crossroads/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #sanaetakaichi #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations #eujapanrelations #indopacific #defense #donaldtrump
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he still wants the U.K. to join the European Union’s flagship €150 billion ($178 billion) defense fund after negotiations last year ended in failure. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/02/world/politics/starmer-uk-eu-defense-fund/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #keirstarmer #uk #eu #europe #russia #ukraine #russiaukrainewar #defense
Britain and Japan agreed to strengthen defense and economic ties, visiting Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in Tokyo. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/01/japan/politics/japan-uk-leaders-defense-cooperation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ukjapanrelations #uk #china #us #trade #defense
A European crisis fund with more than €430 billion ($514 billion) of firepower could lend money to countries for defense, the head of the European Stability Mechanism said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/01/world/european-crisis-fund-defense/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #europe #eu #defense #russia #ukraine #russiaukrainewar #nato #donaldtrump #us
China's coast guard patrolled Japan-administered islands in the East China Sea almost daily last year, it said on Friday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/30/japan/china-coast-guard-patrol/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #eastchinasea #china #chinajapanrelations #sanaetakaichi #senkakus #taiwan #defense
Japan is boosting defense spending and deepening U.K. ties to strengthen deterrence and stability amid declining U.S. reliability in the Indo-Pacific, a necessary and positive development. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/29/world/revamping-japan-uk-strategic-architecture/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #ukjapanrelations #us #defense #nato #indopacific #uk #hmsprinceofwales #gcap #italy
The U.K. government is seeking to determine whether U.S. President Donald Trump can derail its plans to hand over sovereignty of a strategically vital island to Mauritius, after he reversed his stance on the plan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/29/world/politics/uk-trump-chagos-deal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #uk #defense #chagos #us #donaldtrump #mauritius #indianocean
China’s DeepSeek honed its artificial intelligence models, which were later used by the Chinese military, with the help of Nvidia, the chairman of the U.S. House Select Committee on China has revealed. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/29/tech/nvidia-deepseek-ai-china/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #nvidia #deepseek #ai #china #tech #defense #semiconductors #chipmakers
A top Pentagon official discussed strengthening the U.S.-Japan military alliance with a Japanese counterpart in Tokyo as Washington continues to put pressure on its allies in Asia to ramp up defense spending. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/29/japan/politics/japan-us-defense-alliance-talks/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #usjapanrelations #defense #defenseministry #elbridgecolby #takehirofunakoshi
Japan is eyeing nuclear-powered submarines as more neighbors in the increasingly fraught region look to the vessels. But are they worth the costs? https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/28/japan/japan-challenges-nuclear-submarines/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #defenseministry #defense
North Korea has fired off at least two apparent ballistic missiles, Japan's Defense Ministry has said, following a military drill featuring a hypersonic missile system earlier this month. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/27/asia-pacific/north-korea-missile-january-27/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #northkorea #missiles #nuclearweapons #southkorea #defense #defenseministry
NATO chief Mark Rutte warned Monday Europe cannot defend itself without the United States, in the face of calls for the continent to stand on its own feet after tensions over Greenland. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/27/world/politics/rutte-nato-europe-defense-us/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #markrutte #nato #europe #defense #us #russia #russiaukrainewar #vladimirputin
South Korea's presidential chief of staff said he was heading to Canada with Hyundai executives and shipbuilder representatives in a bid to win a major submarine contract. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/26/asia-pacific/south-korea-canada-submarine-project/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #southkorea #canada #submarines #defense #hyundai
China said Saturday that its highest-ranked uniformed military officer was under investigation for “suspected serious discipline and law violations,” a term often used to refer to corruption. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/24/asia-pacific/china-corruption-cmc-zhang-youxia/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #china #pla #corruption #xijinping #defense
India and Europe hope to strike the "mother of all deals" when EU chiefs meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi next week, as the two economic behemoths seek to forge closer ties. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/24/economy/europe-india-trade-deal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #eu #europe #india #trade #defense
In the newly released U.S. National Defense Strategy, the Pentagon takes a softer stance on China and says it will offer “more limited U.S. support” to allies and partners — a shift likely to unnerve Japan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/24/asia-pacific/us-national-defense-strategy-2026/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #us #usmilitary #budgets #defense #donaldtrump #uschinarelations #china #pla #taiwan #northkorea #southkorea