Hanako Montgomery - International Correspondent
Hanako Montgomery
International Correspondent
Latest
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Missing American student found dead in Japan after dayslong searchJun 7, 2026Search-and-rescue volunteers in Japan have found the body of an Auburn University student who went missing during a family vacation, marking a tragic end to a frantic dayslong search across forested mountains. -
The US college student missing in Japan has been found dead. Here’s a timeline of key moments in the caseJun 7, 2026An American college student who went missing during a family vacation in Japan has been found dead by search-and-rescue volunteers, marking a tragic end to a frantic dayslong search across forested mountains.
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Japanese citizens join in arduous search for a missing American who vanished in a mountainous forestJun 6, 2026One stranger from Tokyo is shutting down his business for a week to help. Another volunteer dropped everything to provide transportation and translations for American parents desperate to find their son. -
Alabama family pleads for return of son missing on family trip in JapanJun 5, 2026A dayslong search is underway for James “Weston” Higginbotham, a 20-year-old American student who disappeared during a family vacation in Japan.
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• Video 2:27Video ‘This war is choking us,’ Myanmar’s farmers crushed by prolonged war in Iran 2:27May 22, 2026Myanmar’s farmers need fuel and fertilizer to nourish their crops, but ships carrying that lifeline are trapped 2,000 miles away in the Strait of Hormuz. CNN’s Hanako Montgomery reports on how that stranglehold is deepening a food crisis already pushing 12.5 million people in Myanmar closer to famine. -
The world sends its fast fashion to this Indian city. Its residents pay a priceMay 9, 2026On paper, it looks like a circular solution to fast fashion’s waste problem. But in reality, each step carries its own devastating cost on the Panipat’s people and its environment. -
• Video 10:30Video India steps into the AI spotlight 10:30May 5, 2026CNN’s Hanako Montgomery visited New Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit 2026 where world leaders, tech giants, and experts gathered to discuss the future of AI. -
• Video 1:29Video Is AI too English‑centric? 1:29Apr 21, 2026Too often, western AI overlooks diverse voices and contexts. By building inclusive AI models, Indian innovators raise a bold question: can innovation in the global south surpass Silicon Valley’s one‑size‑fits‑all approach? CNN’s Hanako Montgomery explains. -
• Video 1:22Video BTS back on stage 1:22Mar 21, 2026BTS, the global K-pop sensation, performed their first concert in almost four years to a massive audience. CNN’s Hanako Montgomery went to the group’s iconic comeback in Seoul, South Korea. -
‘Comeback of the century’: K-pop phenomenon BTS returns with first concert in yearsMar 21, 2026After a nearly four-year hiatus, the world’s biggest boy band is back with a comeback that includes a new album, world tour and Netflix documentary. But first, it begins with a free, public concert in Seoul, expected to draw as many as 260,000 fans. -
• Video 1:07Video K-pop sensation BTS is back 1:07Mar 20, 2026K-pop powerhouse BTS has made their comeback as a group with a highly anticipated album “Arirang” following nearly four years of hiatus. CNN’s Hanako Montgomery describes the atmosphere from Seoul, where BTS fans, known as Army, celebrate the major moment. -
Trump and Takaichi are close. Iran puts their relationship to the testMar 19, 2026A White House meeting between Japan’s Prime Minster Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump was meant to be a routine show of unity – not a stress test, as it’s now become. -
• Video 0:42Video Why Japan’s iconic vending machines could vanish 0:42Mar 19, 2026Big name companies behind Japan’s iconic vending machines are struggling. CNN’s Hanako Montgomery takes a look at the possible reasons behind the industry’s decline. -
• Video 1:21Video Will Asia-Pacific nations help the US reopen the Strait of Hormuz? 1:21Mar 16, 2026President Donald Trump is urging several countries, including three in East Asia, to assist in reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz. CNN’s Hanako Montgomery explains why leaders of ally nations are hesitant to get involved, and how this all affects its biggest competition in the region, China. -
Punch the monkey is finally making friends and fitting inMar 14, 2026Images of him being bullied by his enclosure-mates, retreating to safety and clinging to a plushie look-alike for comfort won hearts around the world. But finally, Punch the monkey is fitting in. -
• Video 1:28Video India opens ‘world’s biggest’ AI summit, but what’s next? 1:28Feb 20, 2026India opened the “world’s biggest” AI summit with world leaders and powerful AI figures in attendance. CNN’s Hanako Montgomery reports from the summit and shares how India has become increasingly attractive to tech giants and is on its way to becoming a global AI powerhouse.
About
Hanako Montgomery is an award-winning international correspondent for CNN, based in Tokyo.
Montgomery helms CNN’s Japan coverage, reporting on breaking news, politics, society, and the economy. Her work spans major stories including the election of Japan’s first woman prime minister, the Noto Earthquake, Japan’s demographic crisis, regional tensions with China, U.S.-Japan relations, and immigration. She also secured an exclusive interview with former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Specializing in human rights reporting, she has led the network’s Asia-focused coverage on topics ranging from India’s textile recycling industry and the country’s air pollution crisis affecting children, to the political battle over adolescent pregnancies in the Philippines.
A versatile, digitally savvy journalist, Montgomery translates complex international reporting into compelling multimedia content, consistently driving engagement across CNN’s various online and social platforms.
Before joining CNN, she was an East Asia reporter for VICE, helping lead coverage on key regional stories across TV, digital video, text, Instagram, TikTok, and more.
In 2026, Montgomery won the Emmy® for Outstanding Emerging News Journalist. In 2023, she won a National News & Documentary Emmy Award and a Front Page Award for her reporting on legal child abuse manga in Japan. She and her team gained rare access to examine the issue, interviewing artists who created the works, offenders who consumed them and government officials responsible for regulation.
She also won “Best Factual Presenter in Japan” at the Asian Academy Creative Awards for her documentary on Okinawa’s hidden poverty in 2022.
Montgomery graduated summa cum laude from Binghamton University and studied Japanese politics and literature for a year at Sophia University in Tokyo. She is also a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
Born in London, raised in New York City, and now living in Tokyo, she is fluent in English and Japanese.
