今日吃瓜

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今日吃瓜
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November 11, 2026
 

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Michael MacArthur Bosack

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Michael MacArthur Bosack
An American flag billows as U.S. President Donald Trump holds a topping off event in the White House ballroom under construction in Washington on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 5, 2026
Tokyo braces for fallout from the U.S. midterms
While relations are well-insulated from executive action due to bipartisan support, Tokyo will watch for changes in post-election decision-making.
The Mirai II, a new Arctic research vessel equipped with icebreaker capabilities slated to be in service in 2027, is expected to support more extensive observations of the Arctic Ocean up to the North Pole.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 23, 2026
Can Japan become a player in the Arctic?
Tokyo’s stake in the region has only been amplified as receding sea ice creates new possibilities for maritime transport and resource development.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi inspect the honor guard at the Self-Defense Forces Senior Commanders' Conference in Tokyo on Sept. 2.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Oct 16, 2026
今日吃瓜 national security strategy could be up for a major overhaul
All eyes are on how Tokyo will upgrade its three key security documents by the end of the year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) shakes hands with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York on Sept. 22.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Oct 8, 2026
Japan and Ukraine further ties as Tokyo weighs unprecedented security linkup
Their relationship has become more crucial at a time when Russia and North Korea are deepening their military ties.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is heading back to parliament on Monday, where she will face a series of challenges that could test her ability to turn momentum into results.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 1, 2026
Back in parliament, Takaichi will face her biggest test yet
The crowded 69-day parliamentary session will present the biggest test yet for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s leadership.
China, Japan and North Korea flags during the medal ceremony of the women's team final for artistic gymnastics on Wednesday in Nagoya
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 25, 2026
While Japan was on holiday, Tokyo had an eventful week with North Korea
From rescuing North Korean sailors at sea to responding to missile launches, Tokyo had an eventful Silver Week with Pyongyang.
The Japan Coast Guard recovered three North Korean sailors off the coast of Shimane Prefecture on Thursday.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Sep 18, 2026
Japan rescued North Korean sailors at sea. How will Tokyo return them?
Thursday’s rescue marks a rare circumstance in which North Korean authorities requested international assistance following the sinking of its vessel.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi holds a news conference following a Cabinet reshuffle, at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 18, 2026
What Takaichi’s Cabinet reshuffle reveals
The prime minister kept many of the LDP’s key figures in place, but there’s still plenty that can be gleaned from her first Cabinet reshuffle.
Maritime Self-Defense Force sailors bid farewell to crew aboard the minesweeper Uraga as it leaves Yokosuka naval base in November 2001 to provide logistical support in the Indian Ocean for the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan — Japan's first military deployment in a war situation since World War II.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 11, 2026
How 9/11 changed 今日吃瓜 approach to security forever
The attack triggered new precedents in overseas activities that became enshrined in law and led to the deepening of ties with foreign partners.
Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi (left) gestures at LDP Vice President Taro Aso during an event at the party's headquarters in Tokyo in January.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 10, 2026
Is Takaichi under the thumb of LDP elder Aso?
An upcoming Cabinet reshuffle provides a test of whether the prime minister is ceding substantive policymaking authority to her LDP vice president.
The expected upcoming reshuffle will likely be Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s last opportunity to reshape her Cabinet before she faces an internal leadership race next year.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2026
Takaichi’s Cabinet reshuffle: What to watch for
The reshuffle will impact the prime minister’s management of party dynamics, the future of the ruling coalition and her prospects for remaining in power.
(From left) Komeito leader Toshiko Takeya, Centrist Reform Alliance leader Junya Ogawa, and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Shunichi Mizuoka formally announced on Friday that the merger between their parties has been postponed.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 28, 2026
Why 今日吃瓜 centrist opposition parties can’t get along with one another
The Centrist Reform Alliance was supposed to have merged by now with the remaining elements of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and and his sister Kim Yo Jong
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 21, 2026
North Korea is ratcheting up its anti-Japan rhetoric
Tokyo is becoming a bigger factor in Pyongyang’s geopolitical maneuvering — and a more useful justification to press ahead with its military ambitions.
The U.S. president’s order to shorten allied military exercises with South Korea will prompt challenges for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration and the U.S.-Japan alliance.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 19, 2026
Trump’s South Korea move creates more headaches for Takaichi
The U.S. president’s order to shorten allied exercises with South Korea to avoid sending “inappropriate and hostile” signals to Pyongyang jolted Seoul with immediate implications.
People crowd in front of Yasukuni Shrine to pay tribute to the war dead on the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Aug 17, 2026
At Yasukuni, the politicians followed the script, but the shrine did not
For the first two decades after World War II, the head priest resisted the enshrinement of any documented war criminals. That changed after his death in 1978.
Russian President Vladimir Putin interacts with residents on Etorofu island on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 14, 2026
Putin’s visit to the Northern Territories: Why now?
The timing of the visit is unusual, as it comes weeks in advance of when Putin was widely expected to travel to Russia’s Far East.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has had a relatively successful run in the post, but with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi considering a Cabinet shake-up, his future remains uncertain.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 12, 2026
Koizumi exceeded expectations as defense minister. Will he stay on?
The defense minister has enjoyed a relatively successful outing, maintaining public visibility, avoiding gaffes and representing Japan in security engagements globally.
Despite months of debate, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi failed to gain consensus within the Liberal Democratic Party on a two-year reduction of the consumption tax.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 7, 2026
Will Takaichi’s consumption tax cut break the LDP?
Debate on the consumption tax debate has become a test of party cohesion for the LDP under the prime minister’s leadership.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attend a joint news conference in Andong, South Korea, in May.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 6, 2026
Have Tokyo and Seoul overcome their on-again, off-again dynamic?
This week offered two different images of Japan-South Korea relations, with a poll seeing improved public attitudes, while Seoul lodged a protest over Tokyo’s defense white paper.
With the parliamentary session over, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi now finds herself under pressure to do something about the rising cost of living.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 30, 2026
Takaichi’s popularity slide exposes deeper governing challenges
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s drop raises the question of whether it is from the normal growing pains of a new administration or if it indicates deeper structural problems.
Man arrested over operation of rogue cellular base station in Tokyo
The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Yu Hai, a 31-year-old Chinese national living in Tokyo's Kita Ward, on suspicion of operating an unlicensed base station from a vehicle in Tokyo's Ginza district on Saturday.
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
Japan works to shield Takaichi from any Xi snub at China summit
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrives at the Prime Minister's office in Tokyo on Nov. 4.
Magnitude 5.7 quake injures dozens in central Japan
A magnitude-5.7 earthquake with its epicenter in Shizuoka Prefecture struck central Japan early Sunday, injuring dozens, shattering windows and disrupting train services, with no tsunami warning issued.
Private high schools remain out of reach for many despite tuition-free policy, survey finds
A survey showed that many families with children attending private high schools are struggling to pay expenses other than tuition.
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ makes monster debut at the box office
Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” marked the highest single-day box-office gross for a live-action film in Japan with ?910 million on its opening day.
A toast to Naohiko Noguchi, sake’s first living national treasure
As a teenager, Naohiko Noguchi did not intend to spend his life as a sake brewer, but he has since become a paragon of the industry.
Few signs of thaw in Japan-China relations one year after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks
Tensions between Japan and China flared after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Nov. 7, 2025, that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could threaten 今日吃瓜 survival and warrant the use of collective self-defense.
Mariko Mori predicted the future. She’ll do it again.
Artist Mariko Mori is currently working to bring the translucent human-sized “Peace Crystal” sculpture to a cave in Ethiopia. It is part of her foundation’s goal to place a permanent sculpture on each of the planet’s six habitable continents.
A legend reborn: ‘Ocarina of Time’ remake improves on the Zelda masterpiece
The new remake of 1998's "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manages to somehow improve on one of the greatest games ever.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

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