author

 
Menu
Search
 
October 21, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Ellen Milligan
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) at the G20 summit in Brazil in 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 19, 2025
Starmer’s China woes mean an ‘unwieldy mess’ just got messier
The collapse of a high-profile espionage trial has thrust U.K.-China relations firmly into the spotlight.
European allies are nearing an agreement to provide loans that would help the Ukraine purchase weapons, including from the U.S.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 15, 2025
U.K. and Canada to join EU plan to tap Russian assets for Ukraine
U.K. sanctions have frozen more than £25 billion of Russian assets, according to the latest Foreign Office data from March, while the EU holds around €200 billion.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers his keynote speech at the Labour party's annual conference in Liverpool, England, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 1, 2025
U.K.’s Starmer buys himself time by punching back at Farage
Keir Starmer's barnstorming speech at his party's annual conference in Liverpool left his internal rivals humbled and the party unified behind him — for now.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks on the opening day of the U.K. Labour Party annual conference on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 30, 2025
Starmer seeks political redemption by taking on Farage threat
Labour’s gathering is a chance for the British prime minister to test-drive a new strategy of going on the attack against an insurgent Reform U.K. party led by Farage.
Migrants wade into the sea to try to board smugglers' boats in an attempt to cross the English Channel off the beach of Gravelines, northern France, on Saturday.
WORLD
Sep 29, 2025
U.K. sees biggest-ever migrant arrival as boats get bigger
A boat carrying 125 people crossed to England from France on Saturday, breaking a previous record from August when 107 people arrived in a "mega-dinghy.”
U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer shake hands as they hold a news conference at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit Thursday in Aylesbury, Britain.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 19, 2025
Trump flattery pays off for Starmer with major pitfalls averted
While the British concluded the trip without any open conflict, they failed to score any obvious diplomatic breakthroughs.
German soldiers unload the U.S.-made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system in Jasionka, Poland, in January 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 7, 2025
Europe’s military limits show why it’s desperate for U.S. help
The U.S. provides most of NATO’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, including satellites.
Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant in 2019. The U.K., Germany and France on Thursday triggered a 30-day "snapback” process that would lead to a resumption of sanctions originally lifted as part of a 2015 deal.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 29, 2025
European powers pull trigger to slap Iran with U.N. sanctions
The move will likely raise tensions between Tehran and the West amid a standoff over Iran’s atomic activities following Israeli and U.S. airstrikes on nuclear sites in June.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would have little choice but to provide military support to the U.S. should it decide to strike Iran, security experts say.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 21, 2025
Why a remote U.K. base makes the U.S.-Iran standoff so difficult for Starmer
The standoff drew a fresh spotlight on a remote Indian Ocean base controlled by Britain that has long provided a key staging point for American bombers.
America's reluctance to provide air defenses sought by its European partners highlights how the western allies are at odds over how to deal with Russian aggression in Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 5, 2025
U.S. said to deny air cover to Europe force in postwar Ukraine
The U.S. reluctance to provide the backup sought by its European partners highlights how the allies are at odds over the way to deal with Russia.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer passes a Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine at a shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, England, on March 20.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 3, 2025
Welfare demands put pressure on Starmer's commitment to defense overhaul
Labour lawmakers want to prioritize domestic issues blowing back on the left-leaning party at the ballot box, such as controversial benefit cuts.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a statement on defense spending at Downing Street in London on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 27, 2025
Starmer tries to buy Ukraine time with Trump security pitch
The British prime minister's main objective is to secure an American "backstop” for any truce between Russia and Ukraine.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a statement on defense spending on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 26, 2025
Trump’s threats push U.K.'s Starmer into a more global, military agenda
U.S. President Donald Trump's apparent refusal for the U.S. to be the final guarantor of security in Europe has prompted the prime minister to act.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses military personnel onboard HMS Iron Duke on Dec. 17, 2024 in Tallinn, Estonia.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 23, 2025
Starmer faces defining moment in campaign to sway Trump
The trip has taken on new urgency after Trump officials berated European leaders over security while conceding to some of Moscow's demands regarding Ukraine.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland (center of three) looks dejected after Thomas Partey scores Arsenal's second goal on Sunday.
SOCCER
Feb 6, 2025
Manchester City’s troubles spread from Premier League to politics
After years of dominance, this season Man City is regularly losing matches. But it is events off the pitch that risk undoing one of the world's biggest soccer clubs.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer
WORLD / Politics
Dec 17, 2024
Starmer’s China reset plans get undercut by royal access scandal
It has emerged in court documents that a Chinese man who acted as a business adviser to the Duke of York was banned from Britain on national security grounds in 2023.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump listens as Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a joint press conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, in July 2018.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 8, 2024
Zelenskyy and Putin vie for edge with Trump ahead of Ukraine pivot
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that a swift end to hostilities could force his country into a defeat.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the opening day of the U.K. Labour Party annual conference in Liverpool on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Sep 23, 2024
Starmer struggles to reclaim ‘change’ narrative after missteps
Labour is facing backlash for cutting winter energy aid for millions of pensioners in an effort to fix national finances amid donor scandals.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and British Ambassador to Germany Jill Gallard walk near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 28, 2024
U.K. pushes for new pact with Germany as Starmer rebuilds EU ties
The U.K. and Germany are also looking within the next few months to forge a narrower agreement on defense and security.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks in Widnes, England, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 28, 2024
Keir Starmer’s clash with Labour left sets up wider fight on tax rises
Making the numbers add up while keeping her tax promises is the unenviable task that’s been top of U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves’ mind.
Why I chose Japanese citizenship over permanent residency
Jon Heese (second left) takes part in a 2024 New Year's nihonshu barrel opening ceremony.
Path clears for Takaichi to become PM as LDP and JIP agree to form coalition
Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi (right) reaches out to shake hands with Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura after signing a coalition deal Monday evening in Tokyo.
EV battery race heats up among Japanese automakers
Japanese EV production is focusing on batteries as automakers compete for the lightest, most durable models and the longest driving range.
LDP and Nippon Ishin no Kai to form coalition government, report says
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai have agreed to form a coalition, paving the way for the country's first female prime minister, Kyodo reports.
Suntory and Sapporo to halt gift beer sales after cyberattack against Asahi
Suntory will gradually suspend the sale of 13 beer sets for winter gifts, including a set of Chinese zodiac-themed cans of The Premium Malt's.
What does Jimbocho think of its unexpected ‘cool’ status?
Tokyo's Jimbocho neighborhood is a haven for book lovers, its rows of secondhand bookstores spilling over with printed materials.
What you need to see at this year's Tokyo film festival
Chloe Zhao’s "Hamnet"
New film explores how Japan and the U.S. found common ground through baseball
Masanori Murakami became the first MLB player from Japan when he made his debut with the Giants on Sept 1, 1964.
As they wrestle for power, Japan’s political parties must remember their base
Rengo's head Tomoko Yoshino speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Oct. 8.
Sumo is about to hit London and the West with a force previously unseen
Preparations advance on Monday for the Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Podcast

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

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building
By Patrick St. Michel

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons
Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER