Thoughtful discussion here of consequences of a Japanese nuclear breakout. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/toky...
Tokyo’s Nuclear Dilemma
Would a nuclear-armed Japan be a deterrence shortcut or a source of instability?
lawfaremedia.org
Dick Samuels
@rjsamuels.bsky.social
Political Science prof @MIT practicing history w/o a license. Teach about Japan, Asian Security, wargaming. Wrote books on local gov't, energy policy, tech and nat'l security, leadership, Japanese grand strategy, 3.11, & Japan's intelligence community
Thoughtful discussion here of consequences of a Japanese nuclear breakout. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/toky...
Tokyo’s Nuclear Dilemma
Would a nuclear-armed Japan be a deterrence shortcut or a source of instability?
lawfaremedia.org
Some thoughts about Japan's new intelligence initiatives. NPR interview: one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5895...
🔊 Listen Now: Japan seeks to form new centralized spy agency
All Things Considered on NPR One | 5:56
one.npr.org
Some thoughts about Japan's new intelligence initiatives. NPR interview: one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5895...
🔊 Listen Now: Japan seeks to form new centralized spy agency
All Things Considered on NPR One | 5:56
one.npr.org
And China's response? Wait for it... www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/05...
Japan to send SDF officers to NATO Ukraine command for first time
Tokyo will send four officers to the NATO Security Assistance and Training Organization for Ukraine to help coordinate planning and arrange the delivery of security assistance.
japantimes.co.jp
And the alliance managers' responses? www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/05...
Japanese favorability toward U.S. falls below 30%, survey finds
Negative views of the Trump administration might have contributed to the decline, particularly following its military strikes on Iran and the resulting energy crisis.
japantimes.co.jp
Hard to be sure what Xi thought he might accomplish with a "diatribe" here. For a sense of how very much the world has changed, compare Trump's reply to Xi's reported "diatribe" with Nixon's "cap in the bottle" response to Mao and Zhou back in the day. www.ft.com/content/70e9...
Xi Jinping railed against Japan’s ‘remilitarisation’ at Donald Trump summit
Chinese president became heated when criticising US ally for its increased defence spending
ft.com
No time wasted after Japan changed its export laws. Big deal, this: Massive frigate buy from Japan jolts Australian warship program www.defensenews.com/global/asia-...
Massive frigate buy from Japan jolts Australian warship program
Hughes explained the aim is to have as few Australianized changes as possible, because that “would delay the delivery of the ship.”
defensenews.com
A training tragedy that could have an outsized impact in Japan as security debates intensify. www.voiceofemirates.com/en/news/2026...
Tragic accident during military training in Japan: 3 soldiers killed by friendly fire
Learn about the details of the tragic incident in Japan, where three soldiers were killed during a military exercise using live ammunition.
voiceofemirates.com
All ten of our articles are freely available now: @ejisbisa.bsky.social. All new work on politicized captivity from @toddhall.bsky.social @daniellegilbert.bsky.social @minseonku.bsky.social @rogerpetersen1.bsky.social @profgustafsson.bsky.social Jade McGlynn, Simon Koschut, Barak Kushner,
European Journal of International Security@ejisbisa.bsky.social · 5mo ago🌎 NEW: "Kidnapping politics: The sorcerer’s apprentice effect", from Nick Ackert and @rjsamuels.bsky.social, looks at how leaders manipulate public emotions during kidnapping crises to advance political goals - and how it can become a trap. 📚👉 Read more here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Recall when France was the "go to" comparison for Japan among comparativists who seized upon their shared preference for a "strong state?" It was a theory. Now, their common concern about wobbly US global leadership may be driving them closer as a matter of fact. asia.nikkei.com/politics/int...
Japan's Takaichi, France's Macron to strike rare-earths deal
Leaders to agree on joint procurement to ease reliance on China
asia.nikkei.com
Pleased to speak with @financialtimes.com regarding Iran's threat to the Strait of Hormuz www.ft.com/content/8e45...
Military briefing: How mines could tighten Iran’s Gulf chokehold
US navy appears ill-prepared for potential use of relatively cheap and plentiful weapon in narrow Strait of Hormuz
ft.com
www.ft.com/content/f21a... Perhaps PM Takaichi’s new supermajority and the absence of any looming national election will see her through to a “yes” that Trump will embrace. Still, a hell of a test looms for Japan’s relatively inexperienced leadership. (Looking at you, Shinjirō-sensei)
Trump puts Japan’s Takaichi under pressure with call to send warships
US president’s request to deploy navy to the Strait of Hormuz comes as Japanese leader prepares to visit White House
ft.com
#OpenAccess from @ejisbisa.bsky.social - Kidnapping politics: The sorcerer’s apprentice effect - https://cup.org/3PA4zn1 - Nick Ackert & @rjsamuels.bsky.social #FirstView
Very hard to believe that today is the fifteenth anniversary of the triple catastrophe in northeastern Japan. A shocking, awful moment.
Here's news of a proposal that one might have not thought wise to introduce to the national conversation just a week before a national election... www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
Coalition pushes revival of ranks from imperial military days | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
The ruling coalition aims to restore Japanese military ranks used in World War II for members of the Self-Defense Forces, a plan that has drawn concern and bewilderment in the Defense Ministry.
asahi.com
Japan exporting air defense radars to Philippines: www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
Japan moves to export defense command system to Philippines | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Japan is preparing to export a command and control system to the Philippines, marking a significant boost in defense equipment cooperation between the two countries.
asahi.com
Japan getting serious about "sectionalism" (縦割行政) in its intelligence community. Not a trivial matter anywhere, but long overdue in Japan's case. www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/...
Japan's LDP calls for strengthening national intelligence capability | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party has convened the first meeting of a newly established headquarters in charge of national intelligence strategy.
www3.nhk.or.jp
My colleague, Eric Heginbotham, weighs in here about the USAF's slow approach to hardening bases in an age when fighters won't be fighting fighters in the air, but deploying missiles from great distance to eliminate adversary's planes on the ground. Worth a read: www.foxnews.com/politics/ski...
Skies at stake: Inside the US-China race for air dominance
China's missile strategy targets U.S. air bases while America bets on stealth technology. Pacific air dominance no longer guaranteed as military gap narrows rapidly.
foxnews.com
I hope that late stage grad students in the social sciences working with Japanese language materials will consider applying for this award. The purpose is to draw attention to your scholarship and to give the field a boost: us-jf.org/en/news/usjf...
USJF Now Taking Nominations for Second Annual PhD Dissertation Award in Japanese Studies
USJF is accepting nominations for the 2026 Richard J. Samuels Dissertation Award in Japanese Studies, honoring excellence in social sciences research on Japan.
us-jf.org
I hope that late stage grad students in the social sciences working with Japanese language materials will consider applying for this award. The purpose is to draw attention to your scholarship and to give the field a boost: us-jf.org/en/news/usjf...
USJF Now Taking Nominations for Second Annual PhD Dissertation Award in Japanese Studies
USJF is accepting nominations for the 2026 Richard J. Samuels Dissertation Award in Japanese Studies, honoring excellence in social sciences research on Japan.
us-jf.org
Overview of Japanese Government defense budget request FY2026 here: news.usni.org/2025/11/06/o...
Overview of Japan's Defense Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2026 - USNI News
The following is an overview of Japan’s defense budget request for Fiscal Year 2026, issued by Japan’s Ministry of Defense. From the Report Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request Basic Concept In the FY2026 ...
news.usni.org
The Economist takes stock of the Takaichi victory and what lies ahead for her, and for Japan. www.economist.com/asia/2025/10...
Victory for Japan’s polarising Iron Lady, Takaichi Sanae
A hardline right-winger is set to become prime minister
economist.com
One wonders why GOJ is attracted to state-owned defense production-- the hoary "state arsenals." Are firms really so reluctant to get into the defense business at this point? www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/202...
「次世代の動力」潜水艦や国営工廠など提言…防衛力強化の有識者会議が防衛相に報告書
【読売新聞】 防衛省が設置した「防衛力の抜本的強化に関する有識者会議」は１９日、政策提言をまとめた報告書を中谷防衛相に提出した。ロシアのウクライナ侵略を教訓に「防衛産業戦略」を新たに策定し、装備品の国内生産や継戦能力の確保に官民一体
yomiuri.co.jp
Just reviewed an interesting book by Stephen Mercado on the Imperial Japanese Army's secret weapons laboratory, Noborito. Access it here if interested: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/ZT67U...
Japanese spy gear and special weapons: How Noborito’s scientists and technicians served in the Second World War and the Cold War
Published in Intelligence and National Security (Ahead of Print, 2025)
tandfonline.com
Impressive move by PM Ishiba-- especially at this moment: www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
Ishiba seeks to restore redacted ‘anti-military’ speech from 1940 | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is trying to cement a legacy for his short leadership tenure by restoring the full transcript of a Japanese politician’s “anti-military speech” in 1940.
asahi.com
Just reviewed an interesting book by Stephen Mercado on the Imperial Japanese Army's secret weapons laboratory, Noborito. Access it here if interested: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/ZT67U...
Japanese spy gear and special weapons: How Noborito’s scientists and technicians served in the Second World War and the Cold War
Published in Intelligence and National Security (Ahead of Print, 2025)
tandfonline.com