Fumio Kishida

Stories

Japan arms itself with long-range missiles for the first time since World War II

Left office; his security strategy continues to shape policy

For eight decades, Japan's military existed under a constitutional leash: no offensive weapons, no power projection, no ability to strike an enemy beyond its own shores. That era ended on March 9, 2026, when trucks carrying upgraded Type-12 missiles rolled into Camp Kengun in Kumamoto under cover of darkness. Built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the missiles can hit targets roughly 1,000 kilometers away, enough to reach mainland China, and are Japan's first domestically developed long-range strike weapons.

Updated May 30

Japan sentences Abe's assassin to life, closing a trial that reshaped church-state relations

Rule Changes

Oversaw government response to scandal

Tetsuya Yamagami shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a campaign rally in July 2022 with a homemade gun. He built it after his mother's donations to the Unification Church—totaling $720,000—destroyed his family. On January 21, 2026, a Nara court sentenced him to life in prison, rejecting defense arguments that his traumatic upbringing warranted leniency.

Updated May 22