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August 17, 2025
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August 17, 2025
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U.S. President Donald Trump greets Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the tarmac after they arrived for a meeting on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump’s push for peace shifts to Zelenskyy in Oval Office again
The meeting comes after U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned his push for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and Russian leader Vladimir Putin insisted that Kyiv give up land.

More coverage

Putin wins Ukraine concessions in Alaska but did not get all he wanted
Outline emerges of Putin's offer to end his war in Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the tarmac after they arrived for a meeting on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
Australia’s decision to select Japan's upgraded Mogami-class warship, seen in this computer-generated image, has been “well received across Japanese industry," a Defense Ministry official said.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Winning warship bid gives Japan confidence boost as Tokyo eyes more exports
By Gabriel Dominguez
Japan’s successful offer of state-of-the-art warships to Australia is seen as a "model" case for the future export of entire military systems, including to Southeast Asia.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
JAPAN / Politics
On anniversary of WWII's end, China urges Japan to make the 'right choice'
"Only by remembering the past can straying onto the wrong path again be avoided," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was quoted as saying.
U.S. President Donald Trump greeets Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka in June 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Trump says Xi told him he wouldn’t invade Taiwan while U.S. leader is in office
By Jesse Johnson
But the U.S. president said Xi had also delivered an implicit warning about Taiwan’s future, telling him that he is “very patient, and China is very patient.”
In a region more associated with art, Keirin Hotel 10 takes a decidedly more athletic approach to attracting tourists.
LIFE / Travel
A seaside hotel built on competitive Japanese cycling
By Jessica Kozuka
Naoshima is known for art, but this coastal hotel in Tamano, Okayama Prefecture, focuses on Japan’s competitive cycling scene.
In a region more associated with art, Keirin Hotel 10 takes a decidedly more athletic approach to attracting tourists.

JAPAN

Dried cannabis confiscated by police shown to media in Tokyo on Wednesday
Japan makes its biggest drug bust ever
Authorities have seized roughly a metric ton of dried cannabis smuggled by ship from Vietnam worth around ¥5.2 billion ($35.2 million).
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba holds a news conference in Tokyo last month.
Japan to accelerate development of logistics network in Africa
The planned corridor, which will link the inland African country of Zambia and a port in Mozambique, is aimed at enhancing supply chains for mineral resources.
Hiroshima hibakusha calls for nuclear abolition in Australia
Concerns rising over lack of Okinawa backers in LDP
Trump releases message on WWII victory over Japan
Taiwan foreign minister's visit puts damper on Japan-China relations

BUSINESS

One of Swiss startup Enerdrape’s energy-harvesting panels is seen in this screenshot taken from video posted to the firm's YouTube account.
A startup is tapping underground parking garages for clean energy
Globally, heating accounts for nearly half of all energy consumption. That could make decarbonizing it a half-trillion-dollar market.
Striking Air Canada workers walk the picket line at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Saturday.
Canada moves to end Air Canada strike, seeks binding arbitration
Thousands of Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job for the first time since 1985 on Saturday.
Banking’s ailing climate coalition loses ground in Europe
By Alastair Marsh
Listed Japan firms log 11% quarterly profit drop
Trump's attack on Goldman could prompt watering down of Wall Street's independent analysis
By Suzanne McGee and Saeed Azhar
Modi slams ‘economic selfishness’ in defiance of U.S. tariffs
By Swati Gupta

WORLD

Russian leader Vladimir Putin listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a joint news conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
Outline emerges of Putin's offer to end his war in Ukraine
It was not immediately clear if the proposals by Putin were an opening gambit to serve as a starting point for negotiations or more like a final offer.
An Israeli tank maneuvers near Gaza City as seen from Israeli side of the border on Saturday.
Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza
Gaza residents will be provided with tents and other gear as they are moved from combat zones to the south of the enclave "to ensure their safety," the Israeli military said.
Hurricane Erin intensifies offshore, lashes Caribbean with rain
Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza
U.S. suspends visas for Gazans after far-right influencer posts
Trump shifts stance on road to Ukraine peace after meeting Putin in Alaska

Sports

Athletes compete in the final of the women's 100 meter hurdles at the Paris Olympics in August last year.
New gene testing system in disarray ahead of world championships in Tokyo
With the world championships in Tokyo looming, athletics federations are struggling to comply with new rules concerning gene tests for female athletes.
Alcaraz to face defending champ Sinner in Cincinnati ATP final
Guardiola says one win does not signal that 'City are back'
ESPN will not air Spike Lee's docuseries on Colin Kaepernick, citing 'creative differences'
Thompson beats Lyles in Olympic final rematch in Silesia
By Trevor Stynes

Opinion

The HMS Prince of Wales arrives at the Port of Darwin, Australia, in July during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.
Operation Highmast reinforces claims that ‘security is indivisible’
European governments recognize that developments in the Indo-Pacific have a profound impact on their national interests.
The AI talent war is the stuff of Steve Jobs’ nightmares
By David Lee
Why Ishiba shouldn’t issue a WWII 80th anniversary statement
By Kuni Miyake
Precautionary Osprey landings signal safety, not alarm
By Robert D. Eldridge
The real nuclear moonshot is here on Earth
By Liam Denning

ENVIRONMENT

Plastic bottles and other refuse collected from Border Field State Park Beach in San Diego in May
Tough U.S. stance casts gloom over plastics pollution deal after Geneva flop
By Olivia Le Poidevin and Emma Farge
Many states and campaigners blamed the failure on oil-producers including the U.S, which they said urged others to reject caps on new plastic production.
'Bad actors' blamed as plastic pollution treaty talks end again without deal
By Robin Millard
With waters at 32 C, Mediterranean tropicalization shifts into high gear
By Remi BANET
Climate heat extremes driving tropical bird decline: study
By Julien MIVIELLE
The airline industry's dirty secret: Clean jet fuel failures
By Joanna Plucinska, Joe Brock, Marleen Kaesebier and Paul Carsten

CULTURE

The inverted cone, one of Atsushi Kitagawara’s six signature elements in architecture, is a key feature of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection museum building.
Atsushi Kitagawara’s exhibition finds poetry in architecture
By Gendel Gento
Award-winning architect Kitagawara's work is displayed at the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection museum he designed, making it both a venue and a centerpiece of the exhibition.
Sho Miyake's 'Tabi to Hibi' wins top prize at Locarno Film Festival
Osaka Asian Film Festival gets an expo boost
By Matt Schley
‘Yukikaze’ turns fabled warship into floating snoozefest
By James Hadfield
The early bird gets the bangers at this year’s Summer Sonic
By Patrick St. Michel

LIFE

Beniya Mukayu, a traditional "ryokan" inn located in Ishikawa Prefecture, considers itself at "the heart of onsen towns, local residents, farmers, fishermen, sake brewers and artisans" — all of which need new, sustainable methods of serving visitors to survive into the future.
In preserving Japanese hospitality, ‘details are everything’
By Melinda Joe
As part of a new UNESCO initiative, the elite Relais & Chateau hospitality group will empower its Japan-based members to preserve the country’s “omotenashi” culture.
From a piquant paste to a crisp crust, sesame shines in many forms
By Simon Daly
In Paris, chefs Chizuko Kimura and Kei Kobayashi make their mark
By Kyoko Nakayama
In a coffee-mad neighborhood, a gin distillery is a clear alternative
By Melinda Joe
A walk through Kokura, the city spared nuclear destruction
By Edward J. Taylor

COMMUNITY

Francisco Villarreal moved to Japan in 2014 to attend a teacher training program and has forged deep ties to the kindergarten in Tokyo's Asakusa district where he has worked since 2018.
Kindred spirits, kindergarten connections: From Buenos Aires to east Tokyo
By Francisco J. Villarreal
An Argentinian teacher finds echoes of his hometown in the working-class neighborhoods of eastern Tokyo.
A campaign to preserve Hiroshima’s historic trees for another 1,000 years
By Patrick Parr
Briton brings artistic view to Japanese buildings
By Louise George Kittaka
The international artists supporting Japan’s craft legacy
By Laura Pollacco
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio

Editors' Picks

LIFE
In preserving Japanese hospitality, ‘details are everything’
By Melinda Joe
Beniya Mukayu, a traditional "ryokan" inn located in Ishikawa Prefecture, considers itself at "the heart of onsen towns, local residents, farmers, fishermen, sake brewers and artisans" — all of which need new, sustainable methods of serving visitors to survive into the future.
LIFE
Reading the Japanese clock: Are times a-changin'?
By Peter Backhaus
People walk past a time board at Hakata Station in Fukuoka. Luckily for those trying to catch a train, reading a clock is universal.
CULTURE
Samansa bets on commuter cinema
By Ryne Hisada
Filmmakers interview the general manager of a Bald Men's club for an upcoming Flix Oven documentary that will be available via the streaming platform Samansa.
MORE SPORTS
Recent deaths of Japanese boxers underline importance of emergency action plans
By Mai Yoshikawa
The Japan Boxing Commission's safety protocols have been thrust into the spotlight following the deaths of Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa, who suffered fatal brain injuries while fighting on the same card on Aug. 2.
JAPAN
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
By Tomoko Otake
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
By Tomoko Otake

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Hiker missing in Hokkaido after bear attack found dead
The Rausu mountain range at Hokkaido's Shiretoko National Park. A man in his 20s who went missing after being attacked by a bear while hiking on Mount Rausu has been found dead.
JAPAN
As Japan marks 80 years since WWII surrender, Ishiba expresses remorse
By Himari Semans
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba lays a flower during the memorial service at the Nippon Budokan on Friday.
WORLD
Trump shifts stance on road to Ukraine peace after meeting Putin in Alaska
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on next to Russian leader Vladimir Putin during a news conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
JAPAN
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
By Tomoko Otake
Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
JAPAN
War must never be repeated, says WWII guerrilla commander
Former teacher Satoshi Ito speaks during an interview in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, in June. Ito underwent training for guerrilla warfare at a secret school to prepare for a possible battle in mainland Japan during World War II.