Tokyo announced on Tuesday that it will remove restrictions on arms exports to countries with which it already has defense agreements, including the US, the United Kingdom, other NATO members, and the Philippines. Japan’s arms exports had previously been restricted to defense-only equipment, but now Tokyo will sell lethal weapons too. It’s a big shift for Japan, which has held to a policy of pacifism since the end of World War II, and it comes as tensions rise with old foe China, which has condemned the move. Japan isn’t the only defeated former Axis power looking to remilitarize after decades of avoiding war: Germany also voted last year to loosen limits on defense and security spending, and is aiming to be the main arms factory for a rearming Europe.
Peter Magyar, the incoming prime minister of Hungary, has history on his mind. In his first phone call Slovak PM Robert Fico, he demanded the repeal of Slovak laws that outlaw criticism of “Beneš Decrees.” Those were a set of orders issued in postwar Czechoslovakia, which permitted the expulsion and expropriation of Germans and Hungarians who were held collectively guilty for the crimes of Nazi Germany and its Hungarian allies. That history remains sore for Slovakia’s sizable Hungarian minority today. So while Fico reportedly wanted to talk about energy cooperation, Magyar said he won’t discuss anything until Slovakia makes it acceptable to question the Beneš Decrees again. The episode is a reminder that while Magyar is certainly more pro-EU and pro-NATO than outgoing PM Viktor Orbán, he still has a strong nationalist streak that could jostle relations with neighboring countries where large Hungarian minorities live.
It’s been a tough few weeks for friends of Donald Trump in Europe. MAGA idol Viktor Orbán lost the Hungarian election after 16 years in power, despite direct intervention on his behalf by the White House. Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, once seen as Trump’s closest ally among major European powers, split with the US president over the Iran war. Trump was “shocked,” he toldCorriere Della Serra, adding, “she wasn’t the same person.” With Orbán gone and Meloni estranged, who will be the chief Trump whisperer in Europe? Poland’s Karol Nawrocki and Czech Republic’s Andrej Babiš are ideological allies and admirers for sure, but they lack Meloni’s influence or Orbán’s willingness to challenge the EU directly. Is it really going to be up to King Charles III, whom Trump has praised,to tend the US-Europe relationship when he visits the States next week?
It's been a busy year for SCOTUS, and some major Court rulings are still looming. Yale legal scholar Emily Bazelon previews the cases that could reshape presidential power.
South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party is poised to win 11 of 16 municipal races, a reversal from four years ago when the now-disgraced PPP dominated. But Lee’s surging popularity has foreign policy ramifications.
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Bank of America is investing in the legacy of leadership — committing $5M to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and conserving 110 presidential portraits at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, so the history of leaders who defined our nation is preserved for generations to come. Learn more here.
Chris, an Army veteran, started his Walmart journey over 25 years ago as an hourly associate. Today, he manages a Distribution Center and serves as a mentor, helping others navigate their own paths to success. At Walmart, associates have the opportunity to take advantage of the pathways, perks, and pay that come with the job — with or without a college degree. In fact, more than 75% of Walmart management started as hourly associates. Learn more about how over 130,000 associates were promoted into roles of greater responsibility and higher pay in FY25.