A missing F-22 and a spy satellite
White House officials are not saying why they replaced a F-22 fighter jet with the older F-15 as the backdrop to a speech President Barack Obama gave in Alaska. Obama was en route to Japan, where plans to sell the F-22 have been scrapped. The incident coincided with Tokyo's unusually secretive launch of a spy satellite, and this while China's defense minister was being given a lecture on transparency. - Peter J Brown (Dec 8, '09)

Capital rules weigh on Japan stocks
Concern that Japan's megabanks, such as Mizuho Financial and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, may have to sell shares to meet new international capital-adequacy standards are helping to prevent Japanese stocks from demonstrating the stellar recovery seen in other markets. - Kosuke Takahashi (Nov 20, '09)

Loss-hit JAL too big to fail
Japan Airlines, or JAL, is on the verge of bankruptcy after huge first-half losses, but the government is only too aware that JAL flights account for 60% of the country's total and play a vital role in serving the economy. United States carriers, meanwhile, are circling the near-corpse with interest, as are local unions and pensioners. - Todd Crowell (Nov 19, '09)

Japan doomsday fears premature
Prophecies that Japan is heading for a fiscal doomsday are so prolific they could almost be accurate. Yet, the fact that the government finances its debt from savings in its own currency renders irrelevant many comparisons with other countries, while restructuring promised by the new government, not to mention the population's immense creativity, suggest reports on Japan's imminent death are greatly exaggerated. - R Taggart Murphy (Nov 17, '09)

Japan: A new battle over Okinawa
United States President Barack Obama's visit to Japan comes as rifts deepen between Washington and the new government in Tokyo over US troops in Okinawa. Tokyo still sees the US's strike capabilities as crucial for ensuring Japan's security, but it is gradually shifting its axis of cooperation towards Asian nations. - Kosuke Takahashi (Nov 13, '09)

Clouds over Tokyo and Seoul
Disagreements over a United States army base in Japan and a free-trade agreement with South Korea are likely to figure prominently in President Barack Obama's visit to Northeast Asia. Nonetheless, Obama is expected to grasp this opportunity to reaffirm the US's longstanding relationship with its two closest allies in the region. (Nov 11, '09)

US frets over Tokyo drift
The United States-Japan alliance remains a cornerstone of US security in the Pacific, but Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's pledges to create more independence for Japan and a viable East Asian community have led to uncertainty in Washington. Domestically, Hatoyama faces a delicate balancing act as he attempts to satisfy the demands of the public, pacifist coalition members, and an ever-more assertive Japanese military. - Peter J Brown (Nov 4, '09)

Gates gets grumpy in Tokyo
United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates expected to leave Japan with a firm agreement in place for the relocation of the US Marine Corps base from Okinawa to Guam. But the recently elected Democratic Party of Japan played hardball, leaving Gates empty-handed. This and other disputes are a sign that Tokyo and Washington may be drifting apart after decades of close alliance. - Peter J Brown (Oct 27, '09)

COMMENT
Why an East Asian Community matters
Historical feuds, territorial disputes and centuries of neighborly mistrust have kept the concept of an East Asian Community on the drawing board for decades. Some critics have called the bloc's formation a "mission impossible", but nothing will be achieved until a first step is taken. - Jian Junbo (Oct 21, '09)

Confusion is currency of the day
The prospect of Japan's new government inducing domestic growth is the only factor behind the yen's recent strength, and if market forces play out, it may strengthen further, despite the country's downward economic spiral. Policymakers in Tokyo will do their best to keep everyone confused, including themselves. - Axel Merk (Oct 2, '09)

Japan trusts in change
The handling of four issues - the Indian Ocean refueling mission, troop and base relocation, accounting of a tacit nuclear agreement and the legal status of United States forces in Japan - will determine whether the new Democratic Party of Japan government manages to "build trust" with the US as promised, or whether it undermines the alliance. (Sep 28, '09)

Hatoyama sets global marker
Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio has set Japan once more to be a leader in tackling global warming with his pledge to cut deeply his country's greenhouse gas emissions. Having made a notable break from previous government policy, all that is required now is new laws, new targets, new taxes, bureaucratic backing, public support, innovation ... - Iida Tetsunari and Andrew DeWit (Sep 24, '09)

Cautious welcome for Japan's Asia drive
Plans by the new Japanese government to drift away from its alliance with the United States in favor of deeper ties with Asia may be met with suspicion in both Washington and China. The US will not want to lose a cornerstone of its East-Asian strategy, while Beijing fears Tokyo's gambit could disrupt the regional balance of power. - Jian Junbo (Sep 23, '09)

Sushi lovers tense in Tokyo
European Union concerns over the declining numbers of bluefin tuna may result in a ban on imports into Japan, which has an enormous and very expensive appetite for the fish. Heated debate on the topic is focusing attention on statistics, where the numbers in terms of total catches and their value in dollars do not add up. - Peter J Brown (Sep 15, '09)

Back to earth with the DPJ
Fears that an ambitious Democratic Party of Japan government would rock United States-Japan ties appear unfounded, as security and political concerns are likely to ensure the alliance remains a cornerstone of Tokyo's foreign policy. Beset with economic woes, the new government's goal of improved ties with China and the rest of Asia may be a bigger challenge. - Brad Glosserman (Sep 14, '09)

'Princess Corps' cracks the glass ceiling
The soon-to-be ruling Democratic Party of Japan shunned the traditional old boys’ club by bringing in more women candidates - dubbed the "Princess Corps". Kuniko Tanioka was responsible for managing the successful campaigns of these women - though they aren't ready to hold major ministerial positions just yet. - Catherine Makino (Sep 10, '09)

Bhutan tells Japan how to be happy
Newly elected Prime Minister Jigme Y Thinley of the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan was at no loss for words during a recent visit to Tokyo. Among the advice he gave Japan, the world's second-biggest economy, was that it "rethink its growth model". Bhutan, he pledged, would be more than happy to teach Tokyo how to lighten up. - Catherine Makino (Sep 9, '09)

Japan's next chapter in space begins
With Yukio Hatoyama preparing to become Japan's next prime minister, the nation's space sector knows that help is on the way. Due to his engineering background and involvement in reviews of Japan's space options, Hatoyama has a good grasp of space-related issues. - Peter J Brown (Sep 8, '09)

SINOGRAPH
A rising sun sets
Just as Japan's momentous elections signify the dusk of an era in which it dominated Asia, the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China represents the dawn of its ascendancy. For decades, Tokyo was America's great ally in the region, enjoying unparalleled access to Washington. Now, with China's rise, it will have to play second fiddle. - Francesco Sisci (Sep 2, '09)

Something completely different in Japan
The Democratic Party of Japan's radical pledges to boost social welfare and streamline the notoriously obstructionist bureaucracy may signal the end of post-war politics, but there are doubts the promises can be fulfilled, even if prime-minister designate Yukio Hatoyama can tame fractious elements in his party. - Axel Berkofsky (Sep 1, '09)

China sees chance of Japanese remorse
With the dramatic change of power in Japan, China hopes the new government's friendlier stance towards Beijing will help overcome the largest obstacle to strong Sino-Japanese ties - regular attempts in Japan to whitewash the history of its invasion of China. - Jian Junbo (Aug 31, '09)

Voters skeptical about change
Yukio Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan is tipped to win Sunday's polls not so much for its manifesto, but due to mass disillusionment with the ruling party. Doubts over the opposition's promises to tame the bureaucracy and heal the economy stem from a more general disenchantment with the political elite. - Catherine Makino (Aug 28, '09)

Japan on the brink of a new era
Japan's election this weekend pits Prime Minister Taro Aso against Yukio Hatoyama, a battle of blue-bloods replicating a struggle between their grandfathers. Hatoyama's anticipated thumping victory will end the one-party domination of the Liberal Democratic Party. Hatoyama, described as "stubborn, decisive and bold", will need these traits and more to deliver on his promises of change through his mantra of fraternity - Kosuke Takahashi (Aug 28, '09)

Japan's elite misses emotional deficit
Japan's workers have the vote, but often little else, after years of rising unemployment, growth in "irregular", poorly paid jobs, and little hope of escaping a limiting patriarchal domestic system. As industrialists focus on profit and efficiency, the country's politicians could gain by recognizing the emotional value of labor. - Scott North (Aug 25, '09)

Japan's bureaucrats face the firing line
The Democratic Party of Japan, expected to knock the ruling Liberal Democratic Party out of power, is holding nothing back in the run-up to the August 30 elections. In addition to economic promises, the party's most radical plan involves eliminating the long-standing influence of bureaucrats on policy formulation. It will be a very tough battle.  - Purnendra Jain (Aug 24, '09)

The horror of Hiroshima lives on
As the 64th anniversary approaches of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, too few recall the grainy, black-and-white images of ruined bodies and cities that so shocked the world, and too few realize that a nuclear holocaust is still a reality. - Frida Berrigan (Aug 4, '09)