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South Korea has reportedly fired a ballistic missile towards North Korea in response to the hermit state's earlier strike. North Korea fired a missile in an eastern direction, over the island of Hokkaido, from its capital Pyongyang. South Korea has responded by firing a ballistic missile into waters off its eastern coast, it has been reported. The North Korean missile was fired early on Friday from the Sunan district in its capital, Pyongyang, toward the eastern direction, which is heading towards Japan, South Korea's military said. Japan has issued a national warning and told people to take shelter. _______________________ Conservazilla...

Russia offers a bridge across history to connect Tokyo to the Trans-Siberian railway By The Siberian Times reporter 07 September 2017 Scheme would allow epic journeys from London to the Japanese capital with major international crossing between Sakhalin and Hokkaido. Project of the bridge between mainland and Sakhalin. Picture: Giprostroymost The ambitious plan gave a welcome dose of optimism to a region engulfed by tension over the North Korean nuclear tests. Such a road and rail bridge would tie together two countries - Russia and Japan - that have not signed a formal peace agreement ending the Second World War...

Russia and Japan discuss bridge across 28 miles of sea Tom Parfitt, Moscow September 6 2017, 5:00pm, The Times Russia and Japan are in “serious discussions” to link the two countries via a bridge that could allow rail travel all the way from London to Tokyo. The proposed 28-mile bridge would join Cape Crillon on the Russian island of Sakhalin to Cape Sōya at the northern tip of Japan’s Hokkaido island. A shorter bridge or tunnel that has been mooted from Khabarovsk region on the Russian mainland to Sakhalin would eventually allow an uninterrupted rail journey of about 6,000 miles...

Marvin Strombo, who had taken the calligraphy-covered Japanese flag from a dead soldier at World War II island battlefield 73 years ago, returned it Tuesday to the family of Sadao Yasue. They had never gotten his body or — until that moment — anything else of his. Yasue and Tatsuya’s sister Sayoko Furuta, 93...covered her face with both hands and wept silently as Tatsuya placed the flag on her lap. ... The flag’s white background is filled with signatures of 180 friends and neighbors in this tea-growing mountain village of Higashishirakawa, wishing Yasue’s safe return. The signatures helped Strombo find...

The U.S. will allow Japan and South Korea to purchase a "substantially increased" amount of advanced military armaments, President Donald Trump said Tuesday. The announcement follows North Korea's detonation on Sunday of its largest ever nuclear bomb, which it claims to have been a long-feared hydrogen bomb capable of being placed on a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile. "I am allowing Japan South Korea to buy a substantially increased amount of highly sophisticated military equipment from the United States," the American president said on Twitter. A White House provided readout of Trump's call with South Korean President Moon Jae-In hinted that...

What is the best way to deal with North Korea? Diplomacy Pre-emptive strike Economic embargo I'm not sure

After Kim Jong-un tested his hydrogen bomb, everything in the world went just as we could expect. Someone started saber-rattling, and someone insisted that the problem of nuclear North Korea cannot be solved by military means under any circumstances. Both use very serious arguments. Those who support appeasement of Kim quite reasonably note that the capital of South Korea, with its 25 million-strong population, is at an artillery salvo distance from the border with North Korea. Even a limited volley from the north will lead to hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties. Supporters of a massive blow to North Korea...

TOKYO -- As tensions on the Korean Peninsula reach new heights with Pyongyang's latest nuclear test, Japan is planning for a possible mass evacuation of the nearly 60,000 Japanese citizens currently living in or visiting South Korea. "There is a possibility of further provocations," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a Monday meeting with ruling coalition lawmakers. "We need to remain extremely vigilant and do everything we can to ensure the safety of our people."

TOKYO -- As tensions on the Korean Peninsula reach new heights with Pyongyang's latest nuclear test, Japan is planning for a possible mass evacuation of the nearly 60,000 Japanese citizens currently living in or visiting South Korea.

TOKYO — Japanese Emperor Akihito's oldest grandchild, Princess Mako, says she is getting married to her university classmate who won her heart with bright smiles and sincerity. Mako and her fiancé Kei Komuro told a joint news conference Sunday their relationship started when Mako sat behind him at a campus meeting five years ago at Tokyo's International Christian University, where they graduated from. Palace officials say their wedding is expected next year. Mako says she fell in love with his "smiles like the sun," sincerity and a big heart. Mako's 83-year-old grandfather, Emperor Akihito, is expected to abdicate in late...

North Korea's launch of a missile over Japan was a prelude to more military operations directed at the American territory of Guam, North Korean state media warned Wednesday. The country's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported leader Kim Jong Un presided over the dawn launch Tuesday of the "ultra-modern rocket system," the first missile ever fired from the capital Pyongyang. North Korean officials told CNN in Pyongyang that Kim was "very satisfied with the performance of the missile." The intermediate-range missile, identified by the North Koreans as the Hwasong-12, flew over Japan, further fueling tensions between North Korea and the...

Japan’s finance minister, Taro Aso, has courted fresh controversy after expressing admiration for the Nazis, describing Adolf Hitler as “having the right motives”. “Hitler, who killed millions of people, was no good even if his motive was right,” Aso told a meeting of his faction of the governing Liberal Democratic party, according to Jiji Press.

North Korea said on Wednesday it had conducted a test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) to counter U.S. and South Korean military drills and as a first step in military action in the Pacific to "contain" the U.S. territory of Guam. The North's leader Kim Jong Un ordered the missile drill to be conducted for the first time from its capital, Pyongyang, and said it was necessary to undertake more exercises with the Pacific as the target, the North's KCNA news agency said. "The current ballistic rocket launching drill like a real war is the first step of the...

North Korea launched at least one missile (and possibly more) over North Japan, specifically, the island of Hokkaido. Here, in red, is Hokkaido, a very populated island (5+ million) almost directly connected to mainland Japan:This is a belligerent Act of War. To put it in more relatable terms, it is if I pulled a pistol, aimed it in the general direction of your head, and fired -- purposefully missing by twelve inches.There are rumors that FatBody Jong-un is having some internal power struggles, and is purging his capitol city of people.But whatever the situation in Pyongyang, the truth of the...

TOKYO -- Japan could be on the verge of exporting its first piece of finished defense equipment. The government is considering sales of the Air Self-Defense Force's latest transport aircraft, the C-2, to the United Arab Emirates, The Nikkei learned on Saturday. Government ministries are already providing specifications and other related information about the vehicle to the UAE. Now the two countries have to conclude a treaty regarding the transfer of defense equipment and technology -- an essential step before the C-2 can be sent to the UAE. The C-2, developed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, has a cruising range of...

Russian Tupolev-95MS bombers flew over neutral waters accompanied by Sukhoi-35S fighter jets and an A-50 early warning and control aircraft, its defence ministry has said. It gave no details about the overall number of aircraft that had taken part in what it called a pre-arranged flight - or why the mission took place. The flight, which also included planes with advanced intelligence gathering capabilities, was announced on the same day as Moscow complained about the US-South Korean war games. Russia, which shares a border with North Korea, has repeatedly voiced concerns about rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula following Pyongyang's...

Doklam India-China standoff: Japan throws weight behind India and Bhutan, says no side should try to change status quo by force Doklam standoff: On China’s claim about India’s role in the dispute, Japan has also conveyed that India is “involved” in this incident “based on bilateral agreements” with Bhutan. Written by Shubhajit Roy | New Delhi | Updated: August 18, 2017 10:35 am Two months into the Doklam border standoff between Indian and Chinese soldiers, Japan has conveyed its unequivocal support to India and Bhutan through diplomatic channels — a first by a major country, which is China’s neighbour, top...

Japan just sent a strong message to the rest of the world. That despite the liberal media’s attempts to sow chaos all is well and good, and they support President Trump and America. And are ready to take action to prove it. 14 SHARES SHARE THIS STORY Japan just sent a strong message to the rest of the world. That despite the liberal media’s attempts to sow chaos all is well and good, and they support President Trump and America. And are ready to take action to prove it. Advertisement Allies are important as President Trump knows and if you...

In the event of a North Korean nuclear attack on Guam, Japan’s new defense minister said Thursday that his country’s military could shoot down the missiles before they reach the U.S. territory. In such a scenario, Japan has the right to activate its Aegis destroyer missile defense system, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said during a session of the National Diet, Japan’s parliament. Any attack against Guam would be considered an existential threat to Japan, the defense minister said, also citing a mutual defense agreement with the United States.....

1. Ahmad Abu Adass In 2005, the last year of his life, Ahmad Abu Adass was 22 and still living with his parents in Beirut, Lebanon. He was kind and liked people, his friends later told investigators, but none of them thought he was very sophisticated. The best way to describe him was simple, one said. He was generous and a little naïve. He was very weak, physically. A Sunni Muslim of Palestinian descent, Adass had become interested in religion and now spent many hours at the Arab University Mosque near his home. It was there, after a prayer session,...