Seth Robson

Seth Robson is a Tokyo-based reporter who has been with Stars and Stripes since 2003. He has been stationed in Japan, South Korea and Germany, with frequent assignments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Australia and the Philippines.

@SethRobson1

robson.seth@stripes.com

Veteran barber closes decades-old shop on US military base in downtown Tokyo

Harumi Aketo, a Japanese barber, finally laid down his scissors after cutting the hair of U.S. service members, American civilians and Japanese base employees for nearly two decades at the Stars and Stripes Pacific headquarters in central Tokyo.

A Marine wearing a flight helmet and hearing protection works on aircraft equipment.

Air Force reports 11,000-gallon fuel leak at fighter base in South Korea

A father and his adult son pose for a photo in front of an aircraft hangar.

Yokota-born airman is third generation to serve at airlift hub in western Tokyo

Pvt. Stallone Ealey, a member of 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, carries gear during training in Hokkaido, Japan, Jan. 22, 2026.

Several bear encounters interrupt US troops’ parachute training in northern Japan

A monk walks toward stone steps leading to the Hofu Tenmangu Shrine in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan.

Where students pray and history lingers: Visiting Hofu Tenmangu Shrine

Hofu Tenmangu, founded in the year 904, is the oldest of three large shrines in Japan dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, a scholar, poet and administrator. People come to his shrines to pray for academic success.

A U.S. military member in olive green shirt and camouflage pants stands in the back of a cargo aircraft and hands a cardboard box to a Sri Lankan military member in camouflage uniform.

Built for speed, a new quick-reaction Air Force unit delivers aid across Indo-Pacific

A relatively new Air Force logistics team out of Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo proved its mettle in recent months by responding to two natural disasters, according to a pair of its officers.

A monument featuring statues of three sailors in white uniforms and hats: one saluting, one looking through binoculars and one at a ship’s steering wheel.

Navy veterans unveil monument to Filipino-American sailors on former US base

The Filipino Shipmate Monument was unveiled this week at a former U.S. naval base in the Philippines to honor tens of thousands of Filipino-Americans who have served in the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard since 1901.

A gray-colored military fighter jet sits parked on a runway, with snow-covered grass behind it and a multi-story building in the background.

Air Force F-22 Raptors to make their New Zealand debut at Warbirds air show

The supersonic F-22 Raptor, the Air Force’s most powerful stealth fighter, will soar over New Zealand for the first time during the annual Warbirds Over Wanaka air show in April.

Two military personnel in camouflage uniforms conduct a vehicle inspection at a checkpoint, with one officer checking documents while speaking with the driver of a vehicle.

Air Force tightens base entry rules in South Korea months after government raid

Osan Air Base in South Korea has changed to a biometric security system for entry control following a July raid by South Korean officials investigating their former president’s martial law bid.

A poster in Tokyo warns residents that the metropolitan area is also home to bears, and that sightings have increased dramatically across the country.

‘Back away slowly’: On-base bear sighting spurs alert from Air Force in Japan

The U.S. Air Force is advising people on an installation in northeastern Japan to stay calm after a bear was observed on the facility.

Two Japanese service members kneel with weapons in the background during a military exercise as a black robotic dog walks in the foreground.

Robot dogs support Japanese troops during multinational training near Tokyo

Japanese soldiers showed off doglike robots during airborne training alongside troops from the United States and 13 other nations.

Workers prepare rice for making sake at the Dassai brewery in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan.

Sample out of-this-world-sake near a Marine Corps air station in Japan

A tour of the gleaming, high-tech Dassai brewery in Yamaguchi prefecture is informative and includes a sample at the end.

Masayuki Masuda, head of the National Institute for Defense Studies' China Division, speaks to reporters at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, Jan. 8, 2026.

No easy resolution to China-Japan rift over Taiwan, academics say

China and Japan have few options available to resolve increasing acrimony over the Japanese prime minister’s remarks about her country’s response to a potential attack on Taiwan, academics said.

A U.S. Air Force LC-130 Hercules aircraft with four propellers takes off using retractable skis, with a blue ocean and icebergs visible in the background.

Air National Guard collects climate data, fuels research station in Antarctica

Four LC-130 Skibirds are shuttling between Christchurch, New Zealand, and McMurdo Station and other locations in Antarctica this research season.

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