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July 13, 2025
 

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Julian Lee
Protesters, predominantly Houthi supporters, burn Israeli and U.S. flags as they demonstrate in solidarity with Palestinians and Iran, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 23, 2025
How a cornered Iran could wreak havoc on global oil trade
Iran has over the years threatened multiple times to shut the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow stretch of water through which a fifth of the world’s oil supply flows each day.
Flue gas and steam rise out of chimneys and smokestacks of an oil refinery in the Siberian city of Omsk, Russia, in 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 29, 2025
Russia set to test New Delhi by sending sanctioned oil and tankers to India
At stake is Moscow's ability to keep barrels flowing following the U.S. sanctions, something that could ultimately dictate the country's ability to maintain output levels.
Russia shipped 2.96 million barrels a day of crude in the four weeks to Jan. 12.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 20, 2025
Where the U.S. has squeezed Russia’s oil flows the hardest
The latest U.S. sanctions on oil tankers hauling Russian petroleum look set to cause severe disruption across the nation’s export machine.
Crude oil tanker NS Creation, owned by Russia's leading tanker group Sovcomflot, transits the Bosphorus shipping strait in Istanbul in May 2022.
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2024
Virtually every sanctioned Russian oil tanker is idle and empty
Since October, 40 ships involved in Russia’s oil trade have been added to the Treasury’s list of designated entities.
A ship transits the Suez Canal toward the Red Sea on Jan. 10. Insurance costs for ships whose seafarers who do brave the waterway have shot up tenfold, including a large increase since the airstrikes.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 19, 2024
Airstrikes on Yemen bring new level of chaos to Red Sea shipping
After U.S. and U.K. airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, Western navies caution ships to steer clear.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2023
Russia can’t replace the energy market Putin broke
Russia's European network of gas fields and pipelines developed at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars has been effectively thrown away due to the war in Ukraine.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 21, 2022
Russian oil flows to Europe have quietly started creeping up
Europe’s resolve to stop buying Russian crude may be starting to ebb.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 10, 2022
Russian crude keeps flowing while Europe wrangles over sanctions
Shipments of the nation's crude were little changed in the seven days to Friday compared with the previous week.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2022
Bashing Big Oil won't save the planet
Focusing on a handful of companies that pump about 10% of the crude oil produced on the planet every day isn't going to reverse the rise in global carbon dioxide emissions alone.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2021
Expect more turbulent years ahead for the oil producers
The next five years may be no smoother for oil producers than its first five have been.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2021
When energy pipelines are political, everyone suffers
The energy transition away from hydrocarbons cannot come fast enough for Europe.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2021
Russia’s 30-year vision is realized with Nord Stream 2
The direct link to Germany finally brings an end to Russia's dependence on former Soviet states for transporting oil and gas to Western export markets.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2021
Oil producers enjoy the calm before the 2022 storm
Oil producers may have to forgo future output increases, and perhaps even reimpose cuts, if they are to prevent stockpiles from rising again.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2021
India’s COVID-19 crisis threatens a global oil recovery
Stay-at-home advisories are likely to hit motor fuels, which until now had been supported by a mass switch from public transport to private cars and motorbikes.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 25, 2020
Could OPEC's house of cards collapse?
The United Arab Emirates is privately questioning the benefits of participating in OPEC and may even be considering whether to leave.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 15, 2020
COVID-19 is big oil’s asteroid strike
The world in which they thrived was changing, threatening their future health. But the outbreak's impact has accelerated that process.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jun 13, 2019
Iran has little to gain from Gulf of Oman tanker attacks
Two oil tankers have been damaged in a suspected attack in the waters between the United Arab Emirates and Iran as they were leaving the Persian Gulf. This is the second incident in four weeks, and raises the question of who gains what from them.
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.
Nissan clinches $4.5 billion bond deal after orders soar
Nissan Motor has raised $4.5 billion through a junk bond sale in U.S. dollars and euros, part of which carries a record-high coupon rate.
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.
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.
An emoji used to say it all. Now it might say too much.
Apple’s Craig Federighi shows off a set of emoji at a conference on June 13, 2016. While the small pictures have proved helpful in conveying nuance in our texts, younger people are using them less often.
‘Our ultimate goal is to save every single Japanese video game’
After nearly shuttering earlier this year, the Tokyo-based Game Preservation Society continues its work to save the early history of Japanese gaming.
Rare vintage shots and first-time shows at TOP’s 30th anniversary
The museum's curators selected a wide array of works from the archives for the milestone exhibitions. Among other photos, Nobuyoshi Araki's work from the series "Winter Journey" (1990) was included in the "Continuity and Change" exhibition that concluded in June.
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.

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

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