Defense & Security

Japan and Australia signed the New FFM joint development contract, worth up to AUD 20 billion. We unpack the quasi-alliance behind this de facto warship export, and the Takaichi government's push to scrap the 'Five Categories' and allow lethal weapon exports.

Japan's National Intelligence Council Bill marks the country's biggest postwar intelligence reform. But similar PM-led intelligence bodies overseas have produced both spectacular successes (foiling the 2006 transatlantic bombing plot) and deep abuses: Korea's KCIA election interference, NSA mass surveillance, GCHQ's legal loopholes, BND monitoring German politicians for the NSA. What lessons should Tokyo draw?

Nine months after the Japan-EU BRT proposal, the rare earth landscape has transformed: 55-nation pricing agreements, an EU center modeled on Japan's JOGMEC, and $1.3B US funding. But can the West truly break China's grip?

China's carrier Liaoning conducted flight operations near Minamitorishima — Japan's remote rare earth island. With Beijing tightening export controls in retaliation for PM Takaichi's Taiwan remarks, and a US-Japan rare earth partnership signed at the March 2026 summit, this is no longer just about minerals. It's a geopolitical power game with South China Sea parallels.

In March 2026, Japan and the US signed an MOC on deep-sea mineral development. But overseas coverage missed the real story: Japan's successful 6,000m rare-earth mud retrieval, China's dual-use export ban, and 14 years of research that made this moment possible.

The shutdown of Qatar's LNG facilities due to Middle East conflict has wiped out 30% of global helium supply. Without helium, dry etching, essential for all advanced chips, physically cannot function. South Korea's memory makers face a 5-month countdown, and the U.S. no longer has a strategic reserve to cushion the blow.

The Bank of Japan's April 2026 Sakura Report kept economic assessments unchanged across all 9 regions. With the Hormuz Strait effectively blocked, energy prices soaring, and 10-year bond yields hitting 2.425% — a 27-year high — all eyes turn to the April 27-28 policy meeting.

As drone warfare extends to the seas, Japan leads the world in autonomous ship technology. From the MEGURI 2040 project to combat-support USV development and lessons from Ukraine, explore the future of maritime security.

Trump told nations to 'go get your own oil.' Japan imports 93% of its crude from the Middle East — so what would a serious Japanese oil retrieval fleet actually look like? From helicopter carriers to world-class minesweepers, we assemble a fantasy task force, explore the legal hurdles, and see how the internet reacted to this wild thought experiment.