I’d be interested to know what role Japan’s MoFA had in facilitating Abe Akie’s meeting with Putin on 29 May. Officially Japan’s govt warns citizens against all travel to Russia. As well as meeting Putin & Ushakov, Akie went to the Bolshoi in Putin’s limo. https://t.co/ZEsvmsfey0

— James D.J. Brown (@JamesDJBrown) May 30, 2025

Ishiba is looking for room to maneuver

PM Ishiba reiterated his desire to examine Japan's wartime actions on the 80th anniversary since the end of WWII, stating that "painful memories of suffering and lessons of history must be actively learned."https://t.co/Dq2J2wTKBe

— Rintaro Nishimura | 西村凜太郎 (@RinNishimura) May 30, 2025

But...

Japan’s Defence Minister Nakatani at Shangri-La Dialogue: international law ‘bedrock of an and stable world’, calls out China’s activities in South China Sea, but without naming a China. Cites erosion of trust in international order as a cause of current volatility. Call out too… pic.twitter.com/5c0U6NLdvH

— Robert Ward (@RobertAlanWard) May 31, 2025

Here is my latest for The Diplomat. Please read it when you have you time.
Chinese Aircraft Carrier Conducts Takeoffs and Landings Near Disputed Islands in the East China Sea
Japan must step up its response level to avoid becoming a “boiled frog.”https://t.co/yWlFeqnM7I

— Takahashi Kosuke（高橋 浩祐） (@TakahashiKosuke) May 30, 2025

I think from the headlines, the Diplomat report is exaggerated but they won't let me read it, says I'm over my free monthly limit. I haven't been there in months.

I think the Naval Institute's report is pretty good:

Chinese Aircraft Carrier Liaoning Operating Near Taiwan

On Wednesday, the MND’s Military News Agency reported that Colonel Hu Chung-hua, an officer at the MND’s Office of Deputy Chief of General Staff for Intelligence, stated in a press conference that day that CNS Liaoning (16) was currently operating in the waters off Taiwan’s southeast and that the Taiwanese military was monitoring the CSG along with deploying forces in response.

MNA also reported that during the news conference, Taiwanese media had asked if China planned to conduct military drills around Taiwan during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday from Friday to Sunday. MND officials at the press conference stated that Taiwan’s military would evaluate the situation and respond appropriately.

China’s Ministry of National Defense and the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command have yet to make any statement on the Liaoning CSG’s deployment at the time of writing. The Eastern Theater Command oversees PLA operations around Taiwan. On Wednesday, when asked on the JSO reporting that Liaoning sailed through Japan’s southwest region, China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the question should be directed to China’s Ministry of Defense but PLAN ships operated fully in compliance with international law.

“I’d refer you to competent authorities for specifics. What I can tell you is that China’s military vessels’ activities in relevant waters are fully consistent with international law and international practice. We hope Japan will view this from an objective and reasonable perspective,” said Mao according to an official transcript.

LOL. This is similar to the US boilerplate it always uses, "freedom of navigation," and "we will go anywhere international law allows."

Newsweek has an article with its typical spin, reporting that China now has two carriers at sea.

Speaking of "salami slicing" I heard a recent report that the US now has 500 troops on Taiwan's territory.

US’ 500 military personnel in Taiwan an ‘open test’ of Beijing’s red lines

Montgomery told lawmakers that the US military involvement was essential to training Taiwan to become a credible “counter-intervention force” capable of real combat or complicating Beijing’s military options.

“If we’re going to give them billions of dollars in assistance, sell them tens of billions of dollars’ worth of US gear, it makes sense that we’d be over there training and working,” he said.

Days after the hearing, mainland Chinese state broadcaster CCTV took the rare step of airing commentary on Montgomery’s remarks about the American military presence on the island.

The broadcast did not outline specific plans for a response by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), but it featured residents of the island criticizing US actions as “pushing Taiwan towards the danger of war”.

I learned recently on S.Korean news videos that Japan has released stores of older rice surplus to selected retailers at discount prices to alleviate inflation on food prices affecting ordinary Japanese. It is felt not to be of the best quality, but people stand in line for hours when a retailer publishes that a limited number of 10 kilo bags are available at what is about half price of rice from current harvests.

South Korea presidential candidates rally ahead of June 3 vote

There is an AFP report circulating widely on the latest presidential campaign in South Korea. I'll note it starts off with a picture of a pro-Lee rally with lots of placards held up that say "let's not forget the attempted coup (insurrection)." Yes it does say that, but it leaves out "punish the insurrection group." It also discusses security measures taken for Lee Jae-myung, bullet proof vest, and bullet proof shields at the podium for speeches. I'll also note that he has a bullet proof armored car. Then AFP quotes Kim Man-soo's ridiculous proposition that this means Lee will be a dictator. The article leaves out that on the previous assassination attempt of Lee which almost succeeded, a stab to the neck with a dagger, the would be assassin was a follower of the Sincheonji cult. That cult and its followers are tools of the far right in South Korea. They actively campaign for the conservative PPP candidates. The Sincheonji cult in South Korea, plays a similar role on the far right that the Unification Church played in Japan up to the Abe assassination, supporting the ruling LDP party. AFP also fails to note the instrumental role of the Sincheonji members in bringing covid 19 to South Korea, from Wuhan, and intentionally spreading it throughout the country, by deliberately failing to cooperate with the public health service. This damaged the South Korean economy and in effect, brought Yoon to power. I've written on this elsewhere. It also leaves out that Lee's security was upgraded because law enforcement had received reports and intelligence indications of specific threats being made recently to assassinate Lee with long range sniper fire.

The New York Times article on the same subject is almost exclusively focused on the relationship with China. I'll note it's not behind a paywall, which means it's part of a propaganda effort.

South Korea’s Election Likely to Reset Ties With China

Key misleading concept in US public policy on Korea presented in the article:

During the campaign, Mr. Kim tried to tap into widespread sentiments against North Korea, and especially against China, among older South Koreans and young male voters​. He called Mr. Lee ​an irresponsible fence-sitter in the geopolitical competition between Washington and Beijing​, while describing himself as staunchly pro-American.

“China was our enemy, whose Communist Party invaded our country during the Korean War,” Mr. Kim said during a TV debate last month. “Then how can we treat China at the same level with the United States?”

Lee's approach to relations with the US and China, is a nuanced approach which does not take a cold war snapshot approach focusing on only what happened during the Korea War, when China invaded Korea, with North Korean cooperation, to protect its legitimate national security interests. In fact, Chinese invasions of the Korean peninsula in the last two millennia were limited to that purpose, and never involved conquest of Korea or permanent occupation. The Korean policy toward China evolved over the centuries to a nuanced balancing approach respectful of the realities of Chinese power and international behavior. This is why to this date, Korea still maintains a national identity, and some semblance of sovereignty despite US and Japanese efforts to colonize and permanently occupy it for well over a century.

To its credit, the Times does discuss far right candidate Kim Man-soo's position as a potential nuclear weapons proliferator, desiring nuclear weapons for South Korea. As I've said many times, this would result in Japan deploying nuclear weapons as well, both of which are extremely undesirable and dangerous outcomes.

It doesn't mention that Kim Man-soo's followers around the country have been systematically defacing and tearing down Lee's election posters and banners, which is a criminal violation of election laws. It also doesn't mention the phony international US June 3 election inspection team interfering in South Korea's internal affairs.

A BBC article on the election emphasizes the women's movement and the relative low profile gender issues play in the Lee campaign. This is a tactical decision by the democratic campaign, after the 2021 mayoral elections In Seoul, in which Oh Se-hoon of the conservative People Power Party defeated his Democratic opponent by 57.5 percent to 39.2 percent, according to the National Election Commission, winning all the city’s 25 districts. His opponent Park Young-sun, a woman, ran a campaign emphasizing women's issues which was disastrous. The previous democratic mayor of Seoul, who had been enormously popular, was destroyed by an orchestrated sex scandal that was allegedly engineered by Oh Se-hoon, (the current mayor of Seoul) and the conservative media which ultimately resulted in Park Won-soon's tragic suicide.

Credit to Jeffrey Hall's twitter thread on his links to some of these news items. He is a good source of information particularly on Japan.