Japan's defense minister heads to Baghdad ahead of a surprise visit to Tokyo by Iraq's prime minister and Japan's highly anticipated decision on expanding its SDF non-combat troop deployment in Samawah.
Japan-China tensions in East China Sea certain to rise another notch with announcement of major expansion of Japan's Coast Guard flotilla in disputed waters.
A former senior U.S. official says some 40 percent of North Korea's economy derives from international crime, as court proceedings in Australia, Northern Ireland, and the United States shed new light on the issue.