Anthropic's Head of Global Affairs Michael Sellitto arrived in Tokyo May 15 and confirmed the company is weighing participation in the cyber defense corporate alliance proposed by Japan's ruling LDP. Modeled on US Project Glasswing, the framework will test Japan's distinctive 'middle path': an AI Promotion Law with no penalties, sitting between the EU AI Act's hard regulation and the deregulatory turn under the Trump administration.
On the afternoon of May 14, Japan's 10-year government bond yield hit 2.625%, the highest since 1997. OIS markets now price a 74% probability of a rate hike at the June 15-16 BOJ meeting. BOJ board member Kazuyuki Masu, previously considered cautious, said in a Kagoshima speech that 'early rate hikes are desirable.' With US PPI surprise, USD/JPY near 158, and 'long rates at 3% in sight,' we map where Japan's FX, bond, and rate-hike expectations stand right now.
PM Sanae Takaichi pledged to effectively double research funding and build a 'new technological nation' targeting AI, semiconductors and quantum, and the Japan Growth Strategy carrying those measures was adopted by cabinet on July 21, 2026. We look at the 17 strategic fields and 62 priority technologies against the reality of Japan's 3.44% R&D-to-GDP ratio and its falling PhD numbers.
Japan's ruling LDP has asked the government to build a dedicated rare earth mining vessel for ~100 billion yen ($640M) at Minamitorishima, handing the proposal to Prime Minister Takaichi on June 12, 2026. Why JAMSTEC's Chikyu isn't enough, the roadmap from the February 2027 demonstration test to FY2028 industrialization, and how Japan's approach compares with the US, EU and Australia.
About 283,000 barrels of Azerbaijani crude procured by ENEOS arrive at Negishi Refinery in Yokohama on May 12 — the first Central Asian crude ever to reach Japan. We unpack the type of oil, Azerbaijan's production capacity, and the wider patchwork now stitched together from the US, Mexico, Russia (Sakhalin-2), and beyond — plus the paint-thinner shortage that won't go away.
On May 8, 2026, the US Department of War launched war.gov/UFO and released 162 UAP files in one go—including a football-shaped object filmed near Japan by Indo-Pacific Command in January 2023, Apollo 12 and 17 lunar surface photos, and orange orbs agents compared to the 'Eye of Sauron'. We break down what is actually in the release and how Japan is reacting, from yakisoba puns to distraction-theory skepticism.
On April 13, 2029, the 450m asteroid Apophis will pass just 32,000 km above Earth. Japan and Europe are joining forces on RAMSES, the next planetary defense mission after NASA's DART. JAXA provides the infrared imager, solar panels, and H3 rocket launch as a rideshare with DESTINY+, stepping up as US budget cuts threaten its own Apophis mission.
Reuters reported that Japan conducted multiple yen-buying interventions during the May Golden Week, exploiting thin holiday liquidity. Market estimates put the total at roughly 10 trillion yen including the April 30 operation; the Ministry of Finance later confirmed 11.7349 trillion yen, a record for a yen-buying episode. Vice Finance Minister Mimura said IMF rules do not constrain intervention frequency. Within a month the effect had faded and the yen was back at 161 to the dollar.
The BOJ released its March 18-19 meeting minutes on May 7. The deliberation sections are anonymous, but votes and dissenting opinions are published with names attached. The 8-1 split? Hajime Takata alone dissented. We trace the 9 members behind the March meeting, the shift to a 6-3 split in April, and the rebalancing coming when Nakagawa's term ends in late June.
On May 5, 2026, Defense Ministers Koizumi and Teodoro met in Manila to launch a working group for transferring used Abukuma-class destroyer escorts to the Philippines: the first concrete test of Japan's new lethal weapons export rules.
On May 4 in Canberra, PM Takaichi and PM Albanese signed five joint documents including the Economic Security Joint Declaration. Six critical mineral projects backed by $1.2B. How Japan's approach differs from the US IRA and EU CRMA, and what it means for global supply chains.
