Japan's Biggest Fear Isn't China or North Korea. It's the US.
The US-Japan alliance has never been more important or stronger. And rarely has it faced greater uncertainties or dangers. That's the paradoxical takeaway from my trip last week to Tokyo, where I spoke to government and private-sector audiences about the state of the world.
Japan faces growing threats in its neighborhood, from a bellicose China and a potentially provocative North Korea. But the state of America was the foremost worry of nearly everyone I met.
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UPI
17 minutes ago
- UPI
North Korea raises capsized warship after failed launch
SEOUL, June 6 (UPI) -- North Korea righted a capsized 5,000-ton warship and moored it at a pier in the Chongjin Shipyard on the country's east coast, state-run media reported, two weeks after a failed launch that leader Kim Jong Un condemned as a "criminal act." "After restoring the balance of the destroyer early in June, the [restoration] team moored it at the pier by safely conducting its end launching on Thursday afternoon," the official Korean Central News Agency reported. "The team will start the next-stage restoration after the reexamination of a group of experts into the overall hull of the destroyer," KCNA said The article corresponds with commercial satellite imagery analyzed by North Korea-focused website 38 North, which reported Thursday that the North had managed to launch the ship after returning it to an upright position earlier this week. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff also confirmed the ship had been righted in a press briefing Thursday. The next phase of the repair will take place at Rajin Dockyard over the next seven to ten days, the KCNA report said. Jo Chun Ryong, a senior official from the ruling Workers' Party, was quoted as saying that the "perfect restoration of the destroyer will be completed without fail" before a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party central committee in late June. Kim Jong Un demanded that the warship be restored by the start of the party congress and warned of serious consequences for those found responsible for the launch mishap. Kim was in attendance at the destroyer's botched launch on May 21, and called it a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism which is out of the bounds of possibility and could not be tolerated." At least four officials have been arrested so far, including vice department director of the Munitions Industry Department Ri Hyong Son, according to state media. South Korea's military assessed that the North had attempted to "side-launch" the vessel by sliding it into the water sideways rather than launching it from a drydock, a technique analysts believe Pyongyang had never used before. The destroyer was the second warship introduced by North Korea in recent weeks, following the launch of its 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer at the Nampo Shipyard on April 25. That vessel is armed with a wide range of weapons, including supersonic cruise missiles and strategic cruise missiles, according to North Korean reports. Photos released by the North showed that the Choe Hyon's missile and radar systems resemble those found on Russian vessels, prompting speculation that Pyongyang received technical assistance from Moscow in its development. North Korea has deployed troops, artillery and weapons to Russia to aid in Moscow's war against Ukraine, and is believed to be receiving much-needed financial support and advanced military technology for its own weapons programs. On Thursday, Kim Jong Un told Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu that Pyongyang would continue to "unconditionally support" Moscow, according to KCNA.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Recent antisemetic attacks worry, embolden central Ohio Jewish community
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — On Sunday, a group in Boulder, Colorado, that was raising awareness for hostages in Gaza, was attacked, leaving 12 people injured. Now, local groups are upping their security measures following this latest string of attacks against Jewish people and institutions. 'It's really beautiful when people can come together for a zero tolerance of hate and to combat anti-Semitism,' Julie Tilson Stanley, JewishColumbus president and CEO, said. 'And we're seeing that in Columbus.' Many in the Jewish community see these incidents as signs of growing antisemitism in the United States. According to JewishColumbus, this uptick in violence is a dangerous reminder of the consequences of unchecked hate and antisemitism, leaving the community shaken but undeterred. 'While it is a scary time, it's also a time of resilience and hope and action,' Tilson Stanley said. There have been other high-profile, antisemitic attacks in recent weeks, including the targeted killings of Israeli embassy staff in Washington D.C. 'People are feeling uneasy and they are anxious about going about their lives and even wearing a Jewish star or some sort of semblance of showing that they are Jewish,' Tilson Stanley said. In an email sent to the local Jewish community, JewishColumbus leaders said they've increased security. 'What that means is having officers present, as well as extra patrols, just making sure they are making the rounds at different institutions to ensure safety and security,' Tilson Stanley said. She said JewishColumbus has hired a chief security officer who communicates with all of the Jewish institutions in town, alongside their security director. 'Those two have an expertise in counterterrorism and what it means to really secure a community and do so across central Ohio,' Tilson Stanley said. JewishColumbus is also working closely with local, state and federal law enforcement. Bexley Police Chief Gary Lewis shared a statement on his department's efforts: 'The Bexley Police Department is committed to public safety and in response to the recent incidents which have occurred in our nation targeting the Jewish community we have increased our presence and efforts geared towards keeping everyone safe. We continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners such as the FBI JTTF and leadership with JewishColumbus.' 'When we are in a moment of fear, we know that how we can get through this is making sure we communicate, because a safe Jewish Columbus is a safe Columbus,' Tilson Stanley said. The recent attacks have shaken the community, but also brought them together, she said. 'Our Jewish clergy across Columbus work hard to ensure the safety of their populations, and also working with superintendents across central Ohio, of public schools and interfaith clergy of different, you know, of every religion, really trying to understand and educate,' Tilson Stanley said. JewishColumbus encourages the community to increase their situational awareness and contact police if something seems suspicious. They said if what you see is threatening physical harm, run until you're in a safe place, hide by denying the attacker access to and awareness of yourself, or, if needed, fight to save your life or the lives of those near you. Individuals can reach out to their security team with any concerns. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
39 minutes ago
- CNN
North Korea refloats destroyer that capsized during launch, surprising naval analysts
North Korea says it has successfully refloated a new destroyer that capsized upon launch last month, with state media reporting the damaged vessel will be moved to a dry dock in a different shipyard for repairs. 'After restoring the balance of the destroyer early in June, the team moored it at the pier by safely conducting its end launching on Thursday afternoon,' a report from the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. A satellite photo taken by Planet Labs on June 5 showed the formerly stricken vessel righted and seemingly floating in water away from the pier where the disastrous launch took place. The 5,000-ton destroyer is the country's newest warship and was meant to be a triumph of North Korea's ambitious naval modernization effort. Instead, a malfunction in the launch mechanism on May 21 caused the stern to slide prematurely into the water, crushing parts of the hull and leaving the bow stranded on the shipway, KCNA reported at the time. A day later, state media reported the damage was not as bad as initially feared. Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who witnessed the failed launch in the northeastern city of Chongjin, called it a 'criminal act,' and the government quickly said it arrested four people it claims are responsible for the launch accident. Kim ordered officials to swiftly repair the as-yet-unnamed ship before the late-June plenary session of the ruling Workers' Party, calling it a matter of national honor. KCNA reported Friday that Kim's goal will be met. 'The next-stage elaborate restoration is to be carried out at the dry dock of the Rajin Dockyard for the period of 7-10 days,' KCNA reported, adding that Central Committee Secretary Jo Chun Ryong, who is leading the repair effort, said 'the perfect restoration of the destroyer will be completed without fail' before the plenary meeting. The quick action to refloat the ship surprised analysts, who, based on satellite images of the accident, thought the process would take much longer. 'Sheer manpower and – let's face it – an innovative approach to righting the ship, delivered a solution in two weeks that people like me didn't expect for four to six,' said analyst Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain. The innovative approach apparently was using aerostatic balloons attached to the ship's hull to help balance and refloat it, satellite imagery showed. Damage to the hull was less severe than analysts expected when they saw what happened on May 21. During the sideways launch, in which the ship was supposed to slide into the water laterally, the stern of the warship slipped into the water while the bow remained on land. Analysts thought the stresses placed on the hull and keel during such an accident could have potentially led to its scrapping. But 'the hull damage must have been significantly less than estimated,' Schuster said. Schuster said if North Korea can devote the same effort to internal repairs to the warship as it did to refloating it, it could be made ready for sea trials much sooner that he would have thought after the accident. Internal spaces of the ship, as well as machinery and electronics, will have to be purged of sea water and dried salt in the repair process, he said. 'Nearly everything is doable if you are willing to commit the resources and have the human talent to employ it,' Schuster said.
