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China, North Korea and Russia represent biggest security challenge since World War II, Japan says

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Seoul, South Korea
CNN
 — 

Japan is facing its most severe security environment since World War II as three potential adversaries in East Asia – China, Russia and North Korea – ramp up military activities in the region, the country’s defense minister said Tuesday.

“The existing order of world peace is being seriously challenged, and Japan finds itself in the most severe and complex security environment of the post-war era,” Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said in an introduction to the ministry’s annual defense white paper.

China’s military activities present “an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge” to Japan, the report said.

Beijing is “rapidly enhancing its military capability in a qualitative and quantitative manner” while “intensifying” activities around the region, Nakatani said, specifically mentioning the Senkaku Islands, a chain in the East China Sea that Tokyo controls but which is also claimed by Beijing, which calls them the Diaoyus.

An aerial photo shows Chinese marine surveillance ship Haijian No. 66 (top) trying to approach a Japanese fishing boat (bottom) as Japan Coast Guard vessel Ishigaki cruises next to the Chinese ship, in the East China Sea, near what are known as the Senkaku isles in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China, in this photo taken on April 23, 2013.

The 34-page document gives a dire outlook on the future of the region, especially on the rivalry between China and the United States, Tokyo’s most important ally.

“The global balance of power is shifting dramatically and competition among states continues. In particular, the inter-state competition between the United States and China is likely to intensify even further in future,” the white paper says.

The paper says escalating Chinese military activity around the democratically controlled island of Taiwan poses a threat.

“China seeks to create a fait accompli where the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is operating, and improve its actual combat capabilities,” it says.

It cites a similar situation in the South China Sea and says PLA actions there are a legitimate Japanese concern because Tokyo has major sea lanes running through the waterway.

Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for China’s Defense Ministry, said Wednesday that Japan was “hyping up the ‘China threat,’ and grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs.”

“The Japanese side is fabricating false narratives to find excuses for loosening its military constraints,” Jiang said, referring to Japan’s strict post-war constitution, which limits its military forces to self-defense only.

And Japan’s invocation of World War II is controversial in a region where fissures over Tokyo’s devastating militarism during the period sour relations with many of its neighbors to this day.

“We urge the Japanese side to deeply learn from history, cease slandering and accusing China,” Jiang said.

But the Japanese paper didn’t only focus on Beijing’s unilateral actions.

A group of disputed islands, Uotsuri island (top), Minamikojima (bottom) and Kitakojima, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China is seen in the East China Sea, in this photo taken on September 2012.

Russia and North Korea

As part of its expanded activities, the PLA is increasing cooperation with Russian armed forces, including joint bomber flights and naval patrols near Japan, the paper says.

“These repeated joint activities are clearly intended for demonstration of force against Japan,” it says.

The report says that in the past fiscal year Japanese fighter jets scrambled 704 times, including 464 times in response to approaching Chinese aircraft and 237 times for Russian aircraft, a rate of almost two scrambles a day.

Russia’s three-and-a-half-year-old invasion of Ukraine, along with the buildup in the Russian military that has come with it, is a worry for Japan, especially because of its status as a key US ally, the report says.

“The security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific is inseparable,” it says, and warns that a Ukraine-like war is possible in the region – without specifically mentioning where that might occur.

The report says some of Russia’s newest military hardware has been deployed to the Pacific.

Moscow has added troops, missiles and warplanes to islands north of Japan, which the Soviet Union took toward the end of World War II, but which Japan says are sovereign Japanese territory illegally occupied now by Russia.

North Korea, meanwhile, is further developing nuclear weapons and the ballistic missiles to deliver them, the report says.

Pyongyang’s ballistic missiles, believed to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads, can cover the entirety of the Japanese archipelago, it says.

“North Korea’s military activities are posing an even more grave and imminent threat to Japan’s security than ever before,” the paper says.

The Japanese paper echoed many of the concerns the head of the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Paparo, voiced in a posture paper in April.

“China continues to pursue unprecedented military modernization and increasingly aggressive behavior that threatens the U.S. homeland, our allies, and our partners,” Paparo said.

The US commander also said the deepening cooperation between China and Russia as well as North Korea presents an increasing threat in the Pacific.

“Together, these countries’ growing ties create a complex, interconnected challenge to U.S. national security and regional stability,” Paparo said.

CNN’s Joyce Jiang contributed to this report.



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Europe

UK to lower national voting age to 16 under government proposals

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CNN
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The United Kingdom could become one of the first European countries to lower the voting age to 16 in all national elections, in what the government is calling a landmark effort to “future-proof” its democracy.

If passed by the parliament, the proposed reforms, unveiled Thursday, would bring national votes in line with elections in Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, where younger voters already cast ballots.

“Young people deserve to have a stake and to have a say in the future of our democracy,” said Rushanara Ali, parliamentary under-secretary for local government in the House of Commons on Thursday.

“When we came into power just over a year ago, the government committed through its manifesto to bring forward measures to strengthen our precious democracy and uphold the integrity of our elections.”

The UK’s move, which could be in place for the next general election, follows a growing global trend toward younger enfranchisement.

Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, welcomed the proposed reforms, telling CNN that lowering the voting age would “help more young people to cast that all-important, habit-forming vote at a point when they can be supported with civic education.”

“Participation is a vital sign of the health of our democracy. If fewer people vote, our democracy becomes weaker,” he added.

In 2008, Austria became the first European country to lower its national voting age to 16, with Malta adopting the change a decade later. In South America, countries including Brazil, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Argentina have permitted voting from age 16 for years.

Across much of the world, however, 18 remains the standard minimum voting age. In Asia, countries such as Indonesia and East Timor have set the threshold at 17, while Singapore, Lebanon, and Oman require citizens to wait until 21 to cast a ballot.

Within the UK, the government’s intentions have drawn scrutiny.

James Yucel, head of campaigns at the center-right thinktank Onward, told CNN that the proposal was “not some noble push for democracy” but instead “political engineering aimed at boosting (Labour’s) support.”

In both opinion polls and votes, younger voters tend to skew more heavily towards Labour than the main opposition Conservatives.

The proposed reforms drew criticism from the Conservative Party on Thursday, with lawmaker and shadow cabinet member Paul Holmes saying in the House of Commons: “Why does this government think a 16-year-old can vote, but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they are voting in?”

The reforms would also expand acceptable voter ID to include digital formats of existing IDs, such as driving licenses and armed forces’ veterans’ cards. UK-issued bank cards would also be accepted.



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UK plans to lower voting age to 16 in landmark electoral reform

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Reuters
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The British government said on Thursday it planned to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all UK elections in a major overhaul of the country’s democratic system.

The government said the proposed changes, which are subject to parliament approvals, would align voting rights across the UK with Scotland and Wales, where younger voters already participate in devolved elections.

“We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy,” Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said in a statement.

Turnout at the 2024 general election was 59.7%, the lowest at a general election since 2001, according to a parliamentary report.

According to the House of Commons library, research from countries that have lowered the voting age to 16 shows it has had no impact on election outcomes, and that 16-year-olds were more likely to vote than those first eligible at 18.

Labour, whose popularity has fallen sharply in government after being elected by a landslide a year ago, had said it would lower the voting age if elected.

The reforms would also expand acceptable voter ID to include UK-issued bank cards and digital formats of existing IDs, such as driving licences and Veteran Cards.

To tackle foreign interference, the government said it also planned to tighten rules on political donations, including checks on contributions over £500 ($670) from unincorporated associations and closing loopholes used by shell companies.



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Ukrainian military leaders stress it would be ‘nearly impossible’ to fight Russia without drones

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Wiesbaden, Germany
CNN
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Ukraine’s military commander in charge of the country’s drone warfare program urged the US and NATO countries alike on Wednesday to learn from Kyiv’s use of the technology on the battlefield so in the future there are not “hard questions from your children [about] when [their] father will come back.”

“We paid with lives to get this expertise,” Maj. Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine, said during a panel discussion at the Association of the US Army’s meeting in Wiesbaden, Germany. “But you can get this expertise out of us, and we will support you the same way you’ve supported us during this war.”

Brovdi spoke at the AUSA conference alongside Brig. Gen. Volodymyr Horbatiuk, the deputy chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They repeatedly emphasized the importance of using drones in warfare. Horabiuk said it is “nearly impossible” to conduct the majority of their warfighting functions without drones, listing off examples of their use including for logistics on the battlefield and intercepting aerial threats, as well as striking assets deep inside Russia — something the world watched in June when Ukraine conducted a large-scale drone attack on Russian airbases thousands of miles from the front lines.

Brovdi and Horbatiuk’s comments come just two days after President Donald Trump vowed to send more air defenses to Ukraine, making a stark shift in his approach to the war as he has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid efforts to reach a peace agreement. They also came hours after Russia launched a barrage of hundreds of drones towards four key regions in Ukraine, hitting multiple cities including the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Asked Wednesday what the audience at the conference should know about fighting against the Russians, Horbatiuk answered bluntly, “Don’t trust Russia.” The packed ballroom, full of NATO military and civilian defense industry officials, broke into laughter and applause. “Remember that any agreement with them doesn’t cost even the paper.”

Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, left, speaks on a panel at the Association of the US Army’s meeting in Wiesbaden, Germany, on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.

Brovdi elaborated further on Wednesday, telling CNN that putting faith in Putin is “not respectful to yourself.”

Brovdi, who has a background in business, was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine in May this year. Speaking on Wednesday through a translator, he told the story of visiting a “huge” NATO military base in Europe roughly a year ago and being asked by his hosts what he thought about the base and its defenses.

“I answered the following, that four of my battle crews standing only 10km away from this base can destroy it fully in 15 minutes, it would look like Pearl Harbor during the second World War,” Brovdi said through his translator, adding that he didn’t mean it as a threat but as a warning about what could happen if drones were taken into the hands of terrorists.

According to an official release by the office of the president of Ukraine, Brovdi founded his drone reconnaissance team known as “Magyar’s Birds” in the spring of 2022, which has since grown to a full brigade. Brovdi told CNN on Wednesday that he began using drones because he and his troops, an infantry unit, were fired upon by tanks, artillery, “and we [could] not see anything, who was trying to kill us.” They began using drones for reconnaissance, to see who was firing on their position, and then began buying drones used typically for sports and gaming.

“We understood we could put a bit of ammunition on board, and we can deliver it with it,” he said through his translator. “And this is how it starts. It was 27 people, nowadays it’s much more than 2,000.”

According to the release from the office of the president, Brovdi and his unit — 95% of which he said were civilians before the war began, including DJs and artists — had destroyed more than 5,000 enemy targets, and hit more than 10,000 more. A Ukrainian military official later clarified the unit has detected 116,976 enemy targets and destroyed more than 54,500 of them, and killed more than 18,400 enemy personnel.

Brovdi told the audience at AUSA that this was only his second time leaving the country since the war began in 2022, and that he would be back on the battlefield by Thursday. He dryly quipped that “Putin’s propaganda named me as the most wanted enemy, so it [could] be the last time you see me, here.”

The two commanders thanked the countries present at the conference for their support of Ukraine and urged allies and partners to learn from Ukraine’s efforts. Horbatiuk expressed “from the bottom of [his] heart” the appreciation for support to Ukraine and dedication.

“I would like to ask you,” he said in a parting line, “to be more decisive.”

This story has been updated with additional details.



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