US Defenseless Against Ballistic Missiles as Trump Threatens to Destroy N Korea

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if Pyongyang does not stop its nuclear and missile tests. In fact, the US missile defense system is incapable of shooting down North Korean missiles, according to American expert on nuclear weapons Joe Cirincione.

US F-35s, B-1B Lancers Conduct Flybys to Show ‘Military Options' to Pyongyang

The US has “pretty much exhausted all the things that we can do at the [UN] Security Council at this point,” Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN, said Sunday regarding North Korea’s continued missile tests, adding she would be “perfectly happy” to pass the situation onto Pentagon chief James Mattis who has “plenty of military options.”

Nagasaki mayor marks 72nd anniversary of atomic bombing

Nagasaki's mayor marked the 72nd anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing in his city Wednesday by demanding Japan join a recently adopted U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons.

North Korea test-fires improved ballistic missile

North Korea launched an improved ballistic missile with intercontinental range late Friday, South Korea's military said, a provocation seen as Pyongyang's answer to Seoul's recent dialogue offer and the international community's move to toughen sanctions.

Japan says no to THAAD battery as China announces drills

Japan's defense ministry has ruled out the deployment of a U.S. THAAD battery on Japanese soil, two months after the U.S. military installed the missile defense system in central South Korea.

Shinzo Abe vows to defend Japan against North Korea 'threats'

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to reassure his country as tough talk from U.S. President Donald Trump on North Korea and Pyongyang's escalating threats draw concerns of a possible military conflict.

China Promises ‘Firm Response’ if Japan Interferes in South China Sea

China pledged to have a “firm response” if Japan further fans regional tensions and “threatens China’s sovereignty and security.” The statement comes after a Reuters report that Japan will send its largest warship to the disputed South China Sea.

Yasukuni Shrine : Abe sends ritual offering, 2 Cabinet ministers visit war-linked shrine

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering on Monday to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo while two Cabinet ministers visited there on the 71st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, immediately drawing criticism from South Korea, one of the Asian neighbors that suffered from Japanese wartime aggression.

China urges Japan not to distort facts about Diaoyu Islands

China's defense ministry on Friday urged Japan not to distort the facts about the Diaoyu Islands issue.

Hiroshima marks bombing anniversary

Tens of thousands gathered in Hiroshima Thursday to mark 70 years since the dropping of the first atomic bomb, with opinion still divided over whether its deadly destruction was justified.

Japan urges Russian prime minister not to visit disputed isles

Japan has urged Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev not to visit Japan-claimed islands off Hokkaido, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday, calling the planned trip to the isles at the center of a long-standing bilateral dispute “unacceptable.”

Abe: Japan in 'Race Against Time' to Free Hostages Held by IS

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his country is in a "race against time" to free two hostages being held by the Islamic State group for a $200 million ransom.

Fukushima rice tests ‘radiation free’ first time since disaster

For the first time since the 2011 disaster, all of the rice harvested in Fukushima Prefecture this year has passed radiation tests and now can be deemed safe for consumption, according to local officials.

China, Japan take steps to bury hatchet after 3 years of dispute

China and Japan have reached an agreement on maintaining peace in the disputed chain of islands in the East China Sea after three years of war mongering. The agreement was reached in Beijing between China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi and the visiting National Security Advisor of Japan, Shotaro Yachi.

The new move may also pave the way for the first ever meeting between Chinese president Xi Jinping and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Cooperation summit next week.

China, Japan restart maritime talks. (Chinese FM)

China and Japan have restarted high-level consultations on maritime affairs, according to a press release issued by the Chinese foreign ministry on Wednesday.

A meeting was held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, with Yi Xianliang, deputy director-general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Makita Shimokawa, deputy director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, as the chief representatives from both sides.

Japan, Russia could reach compromise over territorial row (Vladimir Putin)

Russia seeks to resolve the South Kurile Islands issue, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has said.

Answering a Japanese journalist’s question on the South Kurile problem, Putin said, “Both Russia and Japan sincerely wish the problem be solved.”

At the same time, he said this problem should not encroach upon the interests of each other.

An acceptable compromise should be reached so that no party felt lost, Putin said.

Peking begleitet „feindliche“ Flugzeuge im Luftraum./Chinese jets shadowed US and Japanese planes in new air defense zone.-

Während das Außenministerium in Peking versucht, die internationalen Sorgen um eine Eskalation im Inselstreit mit Japan zu zerstreuen, haben chinesische Kampfjets „feindliche“ Flugzeuge „begleitet“.

Die chinesische Regierung gibt weiterhin widersprüchliche Hinweise darauf, wie sie ihre neue „Luftverteidigungszone“ durchsetzen will. Angesichts internationaler Kritik an der vor einer Woche erklärten Zone zeigte sich das Außenministerium am Freitag bemüht, Sorgen über eine Eskalation der Lage zu zerstreuen.

China Expands Defense Zone to Include Islands Claimed by Japan...

China's defense ministry has released an air defense zone map for the East China Sea that includes islands controlled by Japan, but claimed by China.

In a statement on its website Saturday, the ministry said that under a new set of rules, all aircraft entering the zone must notify Chinese authorities and are subject to emergency military measures if they do not identify themselves or obey orders from Beijing. The statement said the rules went into effect on Saturday.

There was no immediate response from Japan, but earlier this month, Japan scrambled fighter jets in the East China Sea after it spotted what it said was an unmanned aircraft flying toward Japan.

China Intensifies Press on Japan in East China Sea Dispute...

China is stepping up pressure on Japan in a long-running maritime dispute, deploying Chinese vessels near contested East China Sea islands and accusing Japanese leaders of making provocative statements.

Japan said four Chinese coast guard patrol ships entered the disputed waters on Monday morning, prompting Japanese authorities to warn the vessels to leave the area, which they did a short time later.

Chinese ships have sailed near the islets on dozens of occasions in the past year. Such incidents typically end within several hours, with the Chinese vessels leaving the area after trading warnings and sovereignty claims with the Japanese.

Chinesische Kampfjets erneut in der Nähe japanischen Luftraums registriert. -Senkaku/Diaoyu issue.

Zwei Kampfjets Xian H-6 und zwei Militärtransportflugzeuge Shaanxi Y-8 der chinesischen Fliegerkräfte haben am Freitag und am Samstag Flüge zwischen den südjapanischen Inseln Miyakojima und Okinawa unternommen.

 Wie der Vereinigte Stab der Selbstverteidigungskräfte Japans mitteilte, wurde zwar der japanische Luftraum nicht verletzt, dennoch mussten japanische Jagdflugzeuge in die Luft steigen.

Erstmals waren Flüge chinesischer Militärflugzeuge zwischen den japanischen Inseln im Juli registriert. 

Japan fasst diese Aktionen als eine Demonstration der wachsenden Militärmacht Chinas und dessen militärischer Präsenz in der Region.