Michelle Ye Hee Lee

Washington D.C.

Tokyo bureau chief for The Washington Post, covering Japan and the Koreas

Education: Emory University, BA in international studies and English

Michelle Ye Hee Lee is The Washington Post's Tokyo bureau chief, covering Japan and the Koreas. She is based in Tokyo. Previously, she covered money and influence in politics and voting access on the national political enterprise and accountability team and was a reporter for The Post's Fact Checker. Prior to joining The Post in 2014, she was a government accountability reporter at the Arizona Republic in Phoenix. She is serving her second term as the president of the Asian American Journalists Association, a non-profit founded in 1981 with more than 2,000 journalists across the U.S. and in As
Latest from Michelle Ye Hee Lee

Zelensky says destroyed Bakhmut now lives ‘only in our hearts’

The Ukrainian leader met with President Biden, who promised a $375 million tranche of military assistance on the last day of the Group of Seven gathering.

May 21, 2023

Japan’s unlikely venue for G-7 discussions: A website beloved by anime fans

Users on the livestreaming site Niconico are closely following the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima. Many were moved by a tribute to the city's dark history.

May 21, 2023

Ukraine live briefing: Russia claims victory in Bakhmut, but Ukraine says fight is still on

Russia said Saturday that its Wagner mercenary group had taken Bakhmut in Ukraine's east, and President Biden plans to meet with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday.

May 20, 2023

Zelensky makes dramatic G-7 visit as Biden mobilizes allies over China

The Ukrainian president's arrival at the summit in Japan threatened to overshadow G-7 leaders’ efforts to focus attention on issues beyond the war in Ukraine.

May 20, 2023

At G-7 summit, leaders call for international standards on AI

New technologies should be governed by democratic values, G-7 leaders said, adding that international guidelines have not kept pace with AI's rapid growth.

May 20, 2023

Ukraine live briefing: U.S. won’t block transfer of F-16s to Kyiv, officials say

President Biden has ruled out U.S. deliveries of F-16s to Ukraine. But U.S. officials say that Washington will not stop allies from exporting the jets.

May 19, 2023

Ukraine’s Zelensky to join Biden and other G-7 leaders in Hiroshima

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is one of the top items on the agenda at the G-7 summit, where leaders on Friday announced new sanctions on Moscow.

May 19, 2023

At Hiroshima summit, Japan to push against nukes — but world disagrees

As Biden prepares for a G-7 meeting in a city once devastated by an atomic weapon, a nuclear tide rises again

May 17, 2023

As G-7 approaches, Japan remains an outlier on LGBTQ rights

Japanese lawmakers have introduced a watered-down bill that would merely “promote the understanding” of LGBTQ communities, with no additional legal protection.

May 17, 2023

From Rahmbo to Rahm-bassador: How an unlikely diplomat has wooed Japan

He's hard-charging and sweary even by Washington standards, but super-polite Japan has taken a surprising shine to Ambassador Rahm Emanuel.

May 14, 2023