Gavin Blair

Gavin Blair in Tokyo Relations between Tokyo and Beijing have ebbed and flowed in the decades since the second world war, but hit an undeniable low this week.

China has denounced Japan’s ‘reckless new militarism’, while Tokyo has protested what it claims are Beijing’s defensive incursions, as relations sour

Read this exciting story from The Guardian July 02, 2026 issue. Perched dramatically on a hilltop in western Japan, Himeji Castle’s striking white tiered roofs earned it the moniker White Heron Castle.

Gavin Blair in Tokyo After eight decades as arguably the most welcoming environment for foreign spies in the democratic world, Japan – where

Postwar rules limit state collection of intelligence and prosecution of illegal operatives, but the government of Sanae Takaichi is beefing up its capabilities

Gavin Blair in Japan Authorities are searching for a bear that sneaked into the home of an elderly couple and raided their fridge amid concerns it may be behind 14 break-ins across a Japanese town in the past fortnight.

Officials set up traps and electric fences after 14 break-ins recored in one town in two weeks, amid fears of a repeat offender

First episode of its kind in Japan comes as Chinese Navy and Philippine sailors clash in the South China Sea

Gavin Blair in Tokyo A Chinese missile destroyer fired live rounds for the first time inside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) during

Gavin Blair in Tokyo Japan logged its first official kokushobi or “cruelly hot day” on Tuesday since the new term for when temperatures top 40 degrees Celsius was introduced in April.