TOKYO (AP) — Japan 's prime minister inaugurated a panel on Monday tasked with reviewing her country's security and defense policies as tensions escalate with China, North Korea and Russia ramping up their military footprint in the region.
It's part of a push by Sanae Takaichi, who took office in October, to accelerate Japan's military buildup as a deterrence against regional threats. She argues that Japan needs to prioritize its defense strategy to further strengthen its military capability to better protect itself and survive prolonged, new forms of warfare.
Last week, Takaichi's Cabinet scrapped restrictions on Japanese lethal weapons exports, a move welcomed by the United States and other defense partners as a step to deepen their military and industry cooperation.
However, it was criticized by pacifists at home and China for deviating from Japan’s postwar self-defense only principle.
“The international situation has completely changed," Takaichi told a meeting at her office. "The relatively stable post-Cold War international order has become a thing of the past.”
Japan needs to “learn the lesson” from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war in the Middle East and adapt to new forms of warfare, including the use of drones, and be prepared for a long-term conflict, Takaichi said.
“As the world enters an era of turbulence and Japan faces many challenges, the upcoming revision ... is a crucial effort that affects Japan's fate," she said.
The 15-member panel of experts in diplomacy, defense and economy will review security and defense policies in light of possible emergency scenarios, and also look at the defense budget and funding before compiling their recommendations for changes in the coming months.
According to existing policies, adopted in December 2022, Japan aims to double its defense spending to 2% of the country’s gross domestic product — an amount of about 43 trillion yen ($270 billion) — through 2027.
Takaichi’s government has already reached that spending target and the panel is expected to discuss possible further increases in military spending.
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to the media at the prime minister's office in Tokyo Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Philip Fong/Pool Photo via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The man who authorities say tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives was charged Monday with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump and will remain at least temporarily behind bars as the case moves forward.
Cole Tomas Allen appeared in court Monday to face federal charges in a chaotic encounter that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being rushed off the stage and guests ducking for cover underneath their tables. He was taken into custody after the shooting on Saturday night and sat beside his lawyers in a brief appearance Monday in Washington's federal court.
Besides being charged with attempting to assassinate the Republican president, Allen also faces two firearms charges. He did not enter a plea.
A judge granted a prosecutor's request Monday to keep Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, detained pending additional hearings. One of Allen's lawyers, Tezira Abe, asked for a detention hearing and noted Allen has no criminal record.
“He also is presumed innocent at this time," she said.
The Associated Press called multiple phone numbers listed for Allen and relatives in public records, and there was no answer when a reporter knocked on the door of his home.
Prosecutors have not revealed a motive, but in a message reviewed by the AP that authorities say was sent by Allen to family members minutes before the attack, Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin,” made repeated references to the Republican president without naming him and alluded to grievances over a range of Trump administration actions.
Investigators are treating the writings, along with a trail of social media posts and interviews with family members, as some of the clearest evidence of the suspect’s mindset and possible motives.
Allen is believed to have traveled by train from California to Chicago and then onto Washington, where he checked himself in as a guest at the hotel where the gala dinner was held with its typically tight security, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
Video posted by Trump shows a man, who authorities say was armed with guns and knives, running past a security barricade as Secret Service agents run toward him. Authorities say an officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot in the vest but is expected to recover.
Records show Allen is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer. A social media profile for a man with the same name and a photo that appears to match that of the suspect show he worked part-time for the last six years at a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students.
Associated Press writer Gary Fields contributed to this report.
Law enforcement respond to an incident at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Secret service agents respond during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
Pedestrians walk past the home, middle back, connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting, as members of the media stage, in Torrance, Calif., Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Members of law enforcement control shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ADDITION: Adds name of shooting suspect after name shared by law enforcement officials
Attendees and hotel workers evacuate after an incident at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
