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October 26, 2025
 

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Lisa Baertlein
Gantry cranes stand near shipping containers as an Evergreen Marine Corp. container ship is docked at Yangshan Port outside of Shanghai on June 17. China has started to collect special port fees on U.S.-owned, operated, built or flagged vessels.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 15, 2025
U.S. and China roll out tit-for-tat port fees, threatening more turmoil at sea
Shippers are quietly trying to improvise workarounds, with varying degrees of success.
Shipping containers are stacked on a pier at the Red Hook Terminal in Brooklyn, New York. A prolonged strike, alongside an ongoing strike by 30,000 machinists at Boeing, could put a dent in the U.S. job market next month at a critical moment.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2024
Shippers scramble for workarounds ahead of threatened U.S. port strike
A prolonged strike, alongside an ongoing strike by 30,000 machinists at Boeing, could put a dent in the U.S. job market next month at a critical moment.
Recent attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by the Iran-aligned Houthi militant group have forced shipping companies to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Suez Canal.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 20, 2023
Companies rush to avert Red Sea attacks as shipping rates rise
They are exploring alternative routes to avoid the region where the Houthi militant group is actively targeting vessels.
A bulk carrier at the Panama Canal on April 19
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 22, 2023
Historic drought and hot seas slow Panama Canal shipping
Restrictions already are sending China-U.S. spot shipping prices up as much as 36% amid soaring sea temperatures.
After enjoying robust demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, air cargo firms are now reeling from overcapacity.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Aug 19, 2023
Air travel boom creates crosswinds for air cargo
Passenger jets grounded during the pandemic are flying again and transporting goods, upping the competition with dedicated air freighters.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 12, 2021
'Containergeddon': Supply crisis drives Walmart and rivals to hire their own ships
U.S. retailers' traditional lifeline from Asia is freezing up due to a resurgence of COVID-19 in countries like Vietnam and Indonesia plus a power-supply crunch in China.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
May 24, 2021
Sea change: Global freight sails out of the digital dark ages
'The switch to digital used to be seen as a vitamin, now it's a painkiller,' says Loadsmart CEO Ricardo Salgado.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Feb 1, 2021
Personal touch: How U.S. rural communities get COVID-19 shots into arms
Many rural counties have excelled at getting injections into arms fast and efficiently, outpacing big cities despite disadvantages in health care infrastructure.
Bear kills another person in Japan in record year for fatal attacks
Police investigate the scene of a bear attack that killed one person and injured three others on Friday in the village of Higashinaruse in Akita Prefecture.
Tokyo launches English-language international school database
A screenshot of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's international schools portal site
New ‘immigration minister’ post signals Takaichi Cabinet’s priorities
Kimi Onoda, economic security minister and minister for harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals, arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Takaichi focuses on economic and security concerns in first policy speech
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first policy speech in the Lower House in Tokyo on Friday.
New tourism minister calls concentration of tourists in certain areas 'very serious'
Tourism minister Yasushi Kaneko holds a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Loss to Wallabies doesn't dampen Japan’s optimism
Japan's Michael Leitch controls the ball during the match against Australia on Saturday.
Stars align for Kim-Trump meeting — but any talks will be on N.K. leader’s terms
A South Korean soldier stands next to a TV broadcasting a news report about a possible summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, at the main railway station in Seoul on Wednesday.
New ‘immigration minister’ post signals Takaichi Cabinet’s priorities
Kimi Onoda, economic security minister and minister for harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals, arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Number of suicide cases among students in Japan hits record high in 2024
The health ministry's Suicide White Paper for 2024 has found that numbers for both men and women peak at age 21, with “concerns over future career paths” being identified as the most likely cause.
The newly formed LDP-JIP coalition may not be as solid as it seems
Ruling Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi and Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura sign a policy agreement between the two parties at the Diet in Tokyo on Monday.

Podcast

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

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.
By Thu-Huong Ha and Mike Fu

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