Japan's additional Aegis ships could encourage further arms buildup
On Friday, the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga approved deployment of the ships and possible installment of interceptor missiles capable of countering various aerial threats, including cruise missiles.
Japan has been concerned about the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region amid a deterioration in U.S.-China relations, seeing Beijing as seeking to change the strategic status quo in the East and South China seas through force and coercion with its increasing military capability. It has been also threatened by North Korea’s missile development.
With Japan deploying additional ships with the capability to counter airborne threats, “It can be expected to have a certain effect in raising the psychological hurdle for China and North Korea to launch missile attacks,” said Tetsuo Kotani, an expert on international security at Meikai University.
But he also said such a deployment will allow China and Russia to “justify further military expansion, as they will likely criticize Japan by saying it will undermine strategic stability,” he said in an email interview.
- Japan Times

Nikkei - Aug 14
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Japan Today - Aug 11
Unification Church followers in Japan and their families have faced harassment and death threats since the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the organization's Japanese branch said Wednesday.

Nikkei - Aug 11
As Japan faces a myriad of challenges from the coronavirus to an increasingly complex security landscape, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has packed his cabinet with seasoned lawmakers who he hopes can tackle them head-on.

theguardian.com - Aug 10
Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has removed ministers associated with the Unification church in a cabinet reshuffle aimed at reviving his fortunes amid a public outcry over his party’s ties to the religious movement.

NHK - Aug 09
People in Japan are remembering the victims of one of history's most catastrophic wartime attacks. Tuesday marks 77 years since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki during World War Two.

brecorder.com - Aug 09
Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida slid to the lowest level since he took office last October, with voters questioning his decision to hold a state funeral for former premier Shinzo Abe, public broadcaster NHK said on Monday.

NPR - Aug 06
YONAGUNI ISLAND, Japan — For years it was known as the "Two Gun" island – one gun for each of the two policemen stationed here.

NHK - Aug 06
A Japanese Cabinet minister has denied that politics played any role in a decision by the government to certify the then-Unification Church's name change in 2015.

Kyodo - Aug 06
The Japanese government plans to roll out a new type of COVID-19 vaccine considered effective for the Omicron variant as early as October, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.

FRANCE 24 English - Aug 06
Japan's prime minister on Friday condemned China's firing of ballistic missiles during military drills around Taiwan, calling them a "serious problem that impacts our national security and the safety of our citizens."

South China Morning Post - Aug 05
Japan’s minister for gender equality and children’s issues, Seiko Noda, said that the country’s male-dominated parliament has treated its dramatic population decline with “indifference and ignorance”.

NHK - Aug 04
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indiatimes.com - Aug 04
A Japanese journalist detained in Myanmar has been charged with breaching immigration law and encouraging dissent against the military, the junta said Thursday.

NHK - Aug 03
Japan's Upper House has dismissed a plan by a newly-elected opposition lawmaker to stay overseas during the extraordinary session that will open on Wednesday.

ABC News (Australia) - Aug 03
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taiwannews.com.tw - Aug 02
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