Japan ends its decades-long ban on lethal arms exports, marking a major shift in postwar pacifist policy amid regional security concerns.

https://worldbriefly.news/japan-lifts-decades-long-ban-on-lethal-arms-exports-in-historic-policy-reversal

#Japan #Defense #PolicyChange

Trump abruptly cancels Kushner-Witkoff Pakistan trip

The president on Saturday scrapped planned Iran peace talks, citing “too much time wasted” and confusion in Tehran’s leadership.

Politico
Meet the US Navy divers who welcomed the Artemis 2 astronauts home from the moon. Via @spacedotcom #Space #Astrophysics #OrbitalMechanics #Astronomy #RocketScience #Artemis 🌕 #NASA 🚀 🌌 ☄️ 🛰️ #Defense 🫡

Meet the US Navy divers who we...
Meet the US Navy divers who welcomed the Artemis 2 astronauts home from the moon

"It is the honor of a lifetime to stand here today, ready to provide the absolute best care to the Artemis 2 crew."

Space
British jets scrambled as Russian drone debris crashes on Romanian territory

The U.K. fighter jets were tracking the drones as they were flying over the Ukrainian port city of Reni, 1.5 kilometers from the Romanian border.

POLITICO
Paris and Athens exchange mutual defense pledges amid geopolitical turmoil

The two governments signed nine bilateral deals, including the extension of an overarching defense pact.

POLITICO
France and Greece call for delaying Covid debt repayment and for more EU bonds

“It is idiotic” to immediately pay back post-pandemic loans, French President Emmanuel Macron says on visit to Athens.

POLITICO

"Trump has made clear:
The US will not be loyal to its allies in case of a Russian attack on any NATO country.
The rest of NATO can no longer wait.
They need to start preparing a full-fledged defense strategy without the unreliable US.
Trump has made himself an irrelevant crybaby."
‪- Anders Åslund‬

#Trump #NATO #Russia #USA #EU #Europe #defense

The Japanese government and ruling parties have begun seriously studying the feasibility of sending Maritime Self-Defense Force minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/04/25/japan/sdf-consider-minesweepers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sdf #sanaetakaichi #middleeast #iran #us #takayukikobayashi #defense
Japan assesses feasibility of sending minesweepers to Strait of Hormuz

Kobayashi said that sending minesweepers after the war is one option for securing Japan's national interests within legal constraints.

The Japan Times
The aerospace and defense trade is taking investors deeper into space, and more ETFs are up for the mission
https://atlas.whatip.xyz/post.php?slug=the-aerospace-and-defense-trade-is-taking-investors-deeper-into-space-and-more-etfs-are-up-for-the-mission
<p>VettaFi&#039;s Cinthia Murphy finds more exchange-traded funds are tackling the space theme more
#investors #defense #mission #taking
The aerospace and defense trade is taking investors deeper into space, and more ETFs are up for the mission

VettaFi's Cinthia Murphy finds more exchange-traded funds are tackling the space theme more directly as excitement over the SpaceX IPO grows.