Aussies as allies
The week's news at a glance.
Tokyo
Japan this week signed a major defense treaty with Australia, pledging to cooperate on counterterrorism, maritime security, border protection, and disaster relief. Japan’s only other such pact is with the United States. Japanese and Australian leaders stressed repeatedly that the treaty was not aimed at any other country—especially not at China. “We hope what they’ve said is true,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang. “In the meantime, we are not going to invade or pose a threat to anybody.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raids
In the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classrooms
Pros and cons The devices could be major distractions