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July 12, 2025
 

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Michael Nienaber
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz takes part in a discussion during the opening of the 'Re:publica 25' digital conference in Berlin on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 27, 2025
Ukraine's key allies no longer limiting range of weapons, Germany's Merz says
Kyiv has long pleaded for authorization to hit targets within Russian territory — and to hit weaponry used in attacks on Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt U-turn on his tariff measures has been met with a mix of relief and bewilderment.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 11, 2025
U.S. allies greet Trump’s tariff U-turn with relief and defiance
As governments try to divine what would convince Trump to grant permanent waivers, his new willingness to reverse course inserts another layer of uncertainty.
An attendee records a virtual address by U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 23.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 30, 2025
Trump threats risk stretching Europe's fragile unity to breaking point
The European Commission urged member states in a private meeting last week to remain united, with some comparing the situation to the Brexit negotiations.
Olaf Scholz, Germany's chancellor, during the SPD party congress in Berlin on Saturday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 12, 2025
Scholz steps up criticism of Trump’s expansionist rhetoric
In power since 2021, Scholz’s SPD party has slumped as an early election looms for Europe’s largest economy on Feb. 23.
Billionaire Elon Musk speaks during an election rally for then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 9, 2025
Musk takes slash-and-burn style to Europe after bolstering Trump
The billionaire has honed in on Germany and the U.K., criticizing their governments, questioning their laws and casting doubt on their economic competence.
Elon Musk has waded into German politics twice in recent days on X.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 23, 2024
Germany’s SPD calls for antitrust act to clip Elon Musk’s power
While Wiese's comments will likely intensify the war of words with the world’s richest person, it’s unclear whether regulators in the U.S. will agree with his proposal.
Kim Jong Un shakes hands with Vladimir Putin in 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 18, 2024
North Korea may end up sending Putin 100,000 troops for war
North Korea sending troops to join Russia’s fight against Ukraine has alarmed Kyiv’s allies, who say it risks exacerbating Europe’s largest conflict since World War II.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends a wreath-laying ceremony for the victims of a knife attack that killed three people last week, in Solingen, Germany, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 2, 2024
Germany's Scholz alliance humbled as populists surge in regional votes
The regional election results highlight the risk Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his deeply unpopular government face ahead of the next national election.
U.S. President Joe Biden waves as he boards Air Force One prior to departure from Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin, o Friday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 6, 2024
Biden allies abroad think it’s untenable for him to stay on
Some officials are now saying that Biden should step aside for someone with a better shot at beating rival Donald Trump.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (left) and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk shake hands as they attend a press conference in Warsaw on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2024
Scholz bets on closer Poland ties with France's future uncertain
The two will seek to maintain strong ties with France’s Emmanuel Macron irrespective of the parliamentary election results.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a joint press conference with Chile's president after talks at the Chancellery in Berlin on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 11, 2024
Scholz heading for another election rout in eastern Germany
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his allies in government have little choice now but to go into survival mode.
French President Emmanuel Macron during U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to the Elysee Palace in Paris on Saturday
WORLD / Politics
Jun 10, 2024
Macron and Scholz get trounced by far-right in EU elections
Far-right parties made gains that could sway the European Parliament to take a harder line on migration and upset work to protect the environment.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint press conference with Slovak President Zuzana Caputova (not pictured) in Kyiv on May 10.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2024
Ukraine peace plan summit eyes minimal goals to woo Global South
China’s presence, in particular, is seen as important for the success of the summit, given the influence diplomats say Beijing has on Moscow.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 12, 2024
Scholz meets with ASEAN leaders, looking to reduce China dependency
China still dominates the supply of raw materials needed to make electric-vehicle batteries, solar panels and other high-tech products.
A chip taken from a smartphone. The U.S. is urging the Netherlands to stop ASML from servicing and repairing sensitive chipmaking equipment that Chinese clients purchased before limits on sales of those devices were put into place this year.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 7, 2024
U.S. urges allies to squeeze China further on chip technology
Washington's latest push is partly aimed at plugging holes in export controls it has levied over the past two years.
A vigil is held for Russian activist Alexei Navalny in Munich on Feb. 16.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 27, 2024
Prisoner swap deal for Alexei Navalny was in works when he died
The U.S. State Department said in early December it made a "new and significant” proposal to Russia, but Moscow had rejected the offer.
Kites are flown over Rafah as smoke billows following Israeli bombardment on Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 21, 2024
Israel-Hamas war splits G20, risking paralysis at meeting
The group is so split on the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine that they may be forced to reduce the forum’s scope and avoid geopolitical issues.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. As the European Union’s biggest economy wrestles with a persistent slump and a surge in immigration, the specter of German nationalism has returned, leaving citizens more conflicted over their country’s direction than at any point since World War II.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 6, 2023
The far right is on the rise in Germany and Scholz is at a loss
Amidst economic challenges and surging immigration, German nationalism has reemerged.
The far-right Confederation Liberty and Independence party rally against measures imposed by the Polish government to stem the spread of COVID-19, in Warsaw in October 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 18, 2023
The far right is advancing in a vulnerable Europe again
Disruptors in far-right political parties are taking advantage of resentment born out of COVID-19, a cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 5, 2023
Far-right resurgence limits Olaf Scholz’s room for action in Germany
Once viewed as a radical fringe group, the Alternative for Germany is now attracting frustrated supporters of established parties.
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
Air India crash report to offer peek into last seconds
Members of the Indian Army's engineering arm prepare to remove the wreckage of an Air India aircraft in Ahmedabad on June 14.
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.
NGOs condemn rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of Upper House vote
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya holds a board that reads "Japanese First" in Tokyo on July 2. In a joint statement on Tuesday, eight human rights nongovernmental organizations described the far-right party's stance as "hate speech."
Japanese dancers find a home abroad at Houston Ballet
“Giselle” lead Yuriko Kajiya (center), performing with Connor Walsh as Albrecht, is one of six Japanese dancers at Houston Ballet.
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

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