Tokyo cherry blossoms 🌸 the rain washed away a lot of the leaves just after peak bloom, but they were beautiful while they lasted.

Allies and partners of the U.S. in Asia are steeling themselves for what they see as the nightmare scenario of a long American war in the Middle East that would distract from their own security concerns about China. By @rebtanhs.bsky.social & Huiyee Chiew in Taipei, gift link: wapo.st/3NwcKjV

Iran is escalating attacks on its neighbors, betting it can ratchet up global economic pain faster than the Trump administration can relieve it with military force, according to an Iranian diplomat, two European diplomats and a senior Arab official.

finally, japan answers america’s call to help open the strait of hormuz

BTS is back, and the K-pop boy band’s fans have taken over Seoul. Tens of thousands attended a free comeback concert by the K-pop sensation. Restaurants, bars, coffee shops celebrated their return with specialty items. Seoul’s landmarks were lit, red like their album. Gift link: wapo.st/4lFrd9C

President Donald Trump joked about Pearl Harbor in a meeting Thursday with the Japanese prime minister, invoking the surprise attack on the U.S. on Dec. 7, 1941, to explain his decision not to notify American allies ahead of strikes on Iran. Gift link: wapo.st/41mav5H

The U.S.-Japan summit today was supposed to be a feel-good event with cherry trees and investments. Tokyo was happy to get face time with Trump before he meets with Xi. But with the war in Iran, the mood has completely shifted, and now it’s become a tricky endeavor for Takaichi. wapo.st/4cUO92l

As the U.S. wages war with no clear endgame, large swaths of the globe -- Europe and Asia in particular -- are suffering worse than Americans from the economic fallout, weathering gasoline shortages, falling currencies and more severe energy shocks. Gift link to our story: wapo.st/3PdTdFn

Japan’s prime minister’s visit to D.C. was supposed to celebrate friendship, with a gift of 250 cherry trees to mark America’s birthday. Instead, she’ll be greeted by a president looking for a different gift: Military assistance in the Middle East.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is heading to Washington for her second summit with President Trump. It was supposed to be a triumphant celebration of the U.S.-Japan alliance. Now, the war in Iran looms large and Takaichi is walking a tight rope. Gift link: wapo.st/4cUO92l

My latest in @foreignpolicy.com: with a war in the Middle East, the world appears to have missed that North Korea is now officially getting into the space weapons game (with strong incentives to put nukes in space). My analysis: foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/09/n...

Two ships owned by an Iranian company that the U.S. has accused of supplying material to Tehran’s ballistic missile program departed a Chinese chemical-storage port this week laden with cargo and headed for Iran, according to a Washington Post analysis. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

Why is the U.S. at war with Iran? Trump: “They would have had a nuclear weapon within two weeks” Vance: “I think the president was looking for the long haul” Rubio: “We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action” Trump: “If anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand” wapo.st/4bAOdCj

Capt. Robert A. Lewis, the co-pilot of the Enola Gay, scribbled thoughts in a notebook — including the phrase, “My God what have we done.” His journal is now for sale. www.washingtonpost.com/history/2026...

New @myhlee.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com article on DPRK positioning on nuclear deterrence and potential US engagement cites @apln.network event yesterday with Joel Wit - watch here! www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DjH...

Former Washington Post editor now at The Athletic announces hiring of former Washington Post sports desk staff to The Athletic www.nytco.com/press/the-at...

Incredible front-page story from Ukraine by a reporter and photojournalist that the Post just laid off wapo.st/4rKFape

Offering “peaceful coexistence or eternal confrontation,” North Korea’s emboldened leader Kim Jong Un said he would only restart talks if the U.S. ends “hostile” policies and accepts Pyongyang’s nuclear status. wapo.st/4kRRp0g

I will be moderating this book talk on Wednesday evening EST. Register and join us here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

LOVE THIS 💗

Big news day in Seoul: South Korea's former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law on the democratic nation in late 2024, has been sentenced to life in prison and convicted of leading an insurrection. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

Ousted South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to life in prison for insurrection www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

BREAKING: Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been convicted of insurrection for declaring martial law in December 2024, and has been sentenced to life in prison.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has entered the courtroom for the verdict in his insurrection trial, the most consequential of the criminal charges he faces tied to martial law.

2026 basically

A South Korean court is set to issue its verdict Thursday in the insurrection case against the country’s impeached president, who declared martial law in an alleged power grab in late 2024, and now faces the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

A deeply good human and a dear friend. We will miss you so much. www.azcentral.com/story/news/a...

UPDATE: you can help cover rent, legal guidance, relocation to a new or safer country, storage for belongings left behind, and other urgent transition needs for former Washington Post international employees — correspondents, editors, researchers, translators, office staff, and drivers — below.

❤️‍🩹 gofund.me/7d6f0dc18

We have launched a new fundraiser to support The Washington Post's courageous international employees and local staff who were laid off, who are not eligible for Guild protections, and who face additional logistical challenges and security risks. Please give & share widely: gofund.me/e765aab9f

Please contribute to this GoFundMe to support the hundreds of my talented Washington Post colleagues laid off today. I am heartbroken. I stand with them in their fight for fair treatment through the layoffs. I am honored to have worked alongside them. www.gofundme.com/f/standing-t...

For nearly a century, the @washingtonpost’s foreign correspondents have been on the ground for the world’s most pressing stories. Now, our desk is facing potential steep cuts. Washington needs us. The world needs us. If you read us and need us, please watch this video and share.

The former president of South Korea’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, was sentenced Wednesday to one year and eight months in prison for accepting a Chanel handbag, tea and a diamond necklace from an influential church, in what the court found amounted to bribery. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

Once a fringe candidate, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has enjoyed an unusually long honeymoon period since October — thanks in large part to support from younger Japanese. Now she's making a risky bet on her popularity. Gift link to our latest from Tokyo: wapo.st/3LR7SVD

hey guys, just to confirm this is my fundraiser. i didn't want to ask for help, but i do need it. my cancer is back. i am going through a lobectomy next week, the same surgery Walter White undergoes. i can't express how grateful i am. thank you so much everyone. www.gofundme.com/f/support-ge...

The extraordinary search of a reporter’s home “flouts the First Amendment and ignores federal statutory safeguards for journalists,” The Washington Post told the court. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

[Breaking] Ex-PM gets 23 years in prison as court calls 2024 martial law an insurrection www.koreaherald.com/article/1066...

A South Korean court has found former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo guilty of insurrection and criminal conduct. www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR2026...

The man who fatally shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday, nearly four years after the assassination that stunned world leaders and upended Japanese politics. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

Our annual ski trip to Niseko. ふわふわ snow. Amazing views. Delicious hairy crab. Love this place.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is finding himself the center of attention in the region. As relations between China and Japan deteriorate, and the Trump administration remains unpredictable, Lee must strike a delicate balance. Gift link to my latest: wapo.st/4pBHhcR

WBNG condemns the FBI search of @postguild.bsky.social member Hannah Natanson's home & seizure of her electronics by federal agents Such actions represent a dangerous escalation that threatens press freedom & the fundamental role of journalists in holding power accountable wbng.org/2026/01/14/w...

The Post Guild stands with Hannah, and will continue to fight for our members’ safety and independence so that they can continue their critical work. (3/3)

in understanding the impact of the Trump administration’s policies. The extraordinary decision to execute a search warrant at a journalist’s home should shock and dismay everyone who cares about a free and independent press. (2/3)

The Washington Post Guild is alarmed and appalled by federal law enforcement’s search and seizure of reporter Hannah Natanson’s property and personal devices. Hannah is a valued member of our union whose work covering the federal workforce has been essential (1/3)

I saw this photo right before bed and thought it was AI. But this morning, the South Korean presidential office released video and it is definitely real. They jammed to BTS and “Golden”

South Korea’s special counsel in former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s insurrection case over his December 2024 martial law declaration has recommended the death sentence. The sentencing will be next month. www.chosun.com/english/nati...

This is really a work of public service. Amazing audio editing too. @npr.org reporters spent months going through footage of the Jan 6 rioters, parsing the legacy of that day and how it is being rewritten by the current administration. one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5666...

One thing different about South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is that he tells reporters they don't have to clap for him after he gives remarks before Q&A. I remember my jaw dropped the first time I saw reporters clap for Yoon Suk Yeol - the spokeswoman actually asked them to. It was so wild. 1/

these dance moves seem like a decade old even in North Korea, but here's their latest example of NK-Pop boy band/girl band dancing for the people at the NYE concert