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August 18, 2025
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August 18, 2025
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint news conference with the European Commission president in Brussels on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump’s peace-deal demands leave Ukraine's Zelenskyy with only bad options
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces an existential dilemma as he travels to Washington for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday.

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
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint news conference with the European Commission president in Brussels on Sunday.
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.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers a speech at a graduation ceremony of the National Defense Academy in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in March 2020.
JAPAN / Politics
Internal battle pits LDP's conservatives against liberals
Some in the party —mainly ex-members of the now-defunct Abe faction — are calling for it to more actively advertise conservative policies.
Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto (left) and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Walter Mondale during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo in April 1996 announcing the decision to return to Japan the site for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN / Politics
Okinawa’s backers in LDP dwindle, prompting concern
At present, not many lawmakers are putting priority on Okinawa after measures taken by the government in the past for the development of the prefecture produced certain results.
Chef Kei Kobayashi is France's only Japanese chef with three Michelin stars.
LIFE / Food & Drink
In Paris, chefs Chizuko Kimura and Kei Kobayashi make their mark
By Kyoko Nakayama
One is the world’s first Michelin-starred female sushi chef, while the other is France’s only three-Michelin-starred Japanese chef.
Chef Kei Kobayashi is France's only Japanese chef with three Michelin stars.

JAPAN

Myanmar's democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi (right) serves tea to Sen Genshitsu, former grand master of Urasenke, in the city of Kyoto in April 2013.
Sen Genshitsu, Japanese tea ceremony master, dies at 102
Sen, a native of the city of Kyoto who became grand master in 1964, received the Japanese Order of Culture in 1997 for his efforts to deepen and modernize the ceremony.
Atomic bomb survivor Keiko Ogura (left) speaks with students in Sydney on Saturday.
Hiroshima hibakusha calls for nuclear abolition in Australia
Ogura has been talking about the devastation from the nuclear attack in about 50 countries.
Japan to accelerate development of logistics network in Africa
Trump releases message on WWII victory over Japan
Taiwan foreign minister's visit puts damper on Japan-China relations
On anniversary of WWII's end, China urges Japan to make the 'right choice'

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, seeking 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

Protesters shout slogans and hold photos of hostages during a demonstration calling for a hostages deal on Sunday in Tel Aviv.
Anti-war protests erupt in Israel ahead of Gaza City operation
By Galit Altstein and Dan Williams
Organizers said that as many as half a million people attended the main rally at Tel Aviv’s "hostage square” in the evening, a massive turnout by Israeli standards.
National Guard personnel patrol the National Mall in Washington on Saturday.
Three Republican-led states to deploy National Guard troops to U.S. capital
The Republican governors of West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio OK'd the request by the Trump administration, which has portrayed the city as awash in crime.
Hong Kong democracy activist Hui granted asylum in Australia
By Edward Johnson
European leaders to join Zelenskyy for key meeting with Trump
Erin downgraded to formidable Category 4 hurricane
Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza

Sports

Rintaro Sasaki hits a home run during a game against Duke at Stanford's Sunken Diamond on March 16.
Top MLB prospect Rintaro Sasaki is committed to doing it 'the hard way'
By geoff koch
The Stanford slugger could have taken an easier path with a quicker payday. Instead he's determined to blaze his own unique trail to the top of the sport.
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.
A new trade agenda for climate-resilient development
By Saliem Fakir
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

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
Samansa bets on commuter cinema
By Ryne Hisada
‘Yukikaze’ turns fabled warship into floating snoozefest
By James Hadfield

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 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
At Himawari Shokudo 2, Italian food with a Japanese soul
By Robbie Swinnerton

COMMUNITY

Kinga Skiers (left) co-founded the Tokyo chapter of Food Not Bombs in 2023. The organization aims to provide the capital’s homeless population with food and other essentials.
Solidarity with Tokyo’s homeless residents, one day at a time
By Shyam Bhardwa
Since 2023, the Tokyo chapter of Food Not Bombs has been supplying vegetarian meals and everyday goods to homeless people across the city.
Kindred spirits, kindergarten connections: From Buenos Aires to east Tokyo
By Francisco J. Villarreal
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

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.
BASEBALL
Top MLB prospect Rintaro Sasaki is committed to doing it 'the hard way'
By geoff koch
Rintaro Sasaki hits a home run during a game against Duke at Stanford's Sunken Diamond on March 16.
LIFE
A seaside hotel built on competitive Japanese cycling
By Jessica Kozuka
In a region more associated with art, Keirin Hotel 10 takes a decidedly more athletic approach to attracting tourists.
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.
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

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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
Winning warship bid gives Japan confidence boost as Tokyo eyes more exports
By Gabriel Dominguez
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.
WORLD
European leaders to join Zelenskyy for key meeting with Trump
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.
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
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.
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.