This is excellent and valuable reporting, Edward. I wish The New York Times carried articles like this about Japan. I am annoyed with Biden for lumping Japan in with Russia, India and China. And I’m tickled to read Senator* Umemura’s remarks!

* I don’t know whether “senator” is the appropriate title for a member of the House of Councillors. I used it only because the HofC is the upper house in the Diet, which made me associate it with the U.S. Senate.