Japan in January 2026: the most important developments in security
Japan in January 2026 saw a run of arrests in fraud and sexual exploitation cases, alongside North Korean missile launches and closer defense ties with the United States. On 15 January an alleged broker was arrested in a case involving a Thai girl forced to work at a Tokyo massage parlor. On 29 January Tokyo police arrested a man in connection with a blog about child prostitution in Laos, and on 30 January a host was arrested for using a dating app to lure women to a club in Tokyo. Thirteen Japanese who returned from Cambodia were arrested in mid-January over a phone scam ring, and a yakuza executive was arrested in the Philippines over a fraud scheme.
North Korea fired two ballistic missiles on 4 January, with no damage reported, and suspected ballistic missiles into the sea on 27 January, as South Korea and Japan said. On 6 January North Korea accused Japan of plotting reinvasion over its record-high defense budget.
Japanese and US defense chiefs held talks in Washington on 15 January and agreed the next day to enhance deterrence and response capabilities and to expand cooperation on missiles and military drills. Japan and the Philippines signed a military logistics pact on 15 January. On 21 January Japan said it would offer refueling support to South Korean military aircraft for the first time, and it plans to develop a defense industry strategy next fiscal year.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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