September 17, 2025

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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attends a news conference to mark 100 days in office at the Blue House in Seoul on Thursday.

BUSINESS / Economy

Sep 16, 2025

South Korean Presidential Office says tariff talks with U.S. stalled

The countries have been struggling to overcome obstacles to finalize a trade deal agreed in July, especially the details of a $350 billion investment fund.

A university student delivers a speech during protests in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sept. 4. Gig workers joined students and laborers in protests that forced lawmakers to scale back official perks and oust some politicians from parliament.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Sep 16, 2025

More protests planned as anger sweeps Indonesia’s gig drivers

Poorly paid and largely uninsured, gig workers are increasingly angry at the government over its failure to create enough jobs for the country’s workforce.

Sweden's Armand Duplantis competes in the men's pole fault final during the World Athletics Championships at National Stadium in Tokyo on Monday.

MORE SPORTS / Athletics

Sep 16, 2025

Pole vault rivals in awe after Duplantis has another historic night in Tokyo

With fans and his fellow competitors looking on, Duplantis once again proved he has no equal — past or present — on Monday at Tokyo's National Stadium.

Astroscale Holdings forecasts defense-related revenue from the U.K., U.S. and Japan to grow this fiscal year, alongside government missions with the U.K., Japan and the European Space Agency.

BUSINESS / Companies

Sep 16, 2025

Astroscale anticipates more satellite orders from U.K. and Japan

New space-defense guidelines from the countries could generate "up to double-digit satellite orders,” signaling a stronger pipeline, Astroscale's chief financial officer said.

Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, speaks on Tuesday about the implementation of the Japan-U.S. trade deal.

BUSINESS / Markets

Sep 16, 2025

U.S. tariffs on Japanese autos formally cut to 15% from 27.5%

The reduction is a long-awaited implementation of the terms of a July 22 agreement.

Industry minister Yoji Muto speaks during a news conference on Monday in Osaka.

JAPAN

Sep 16, 2025

Countries vow to quadruple the use of sustainable fuels by 2035

Biofuels are expected to contribute to carbon reductions as plants used as their raw materials absorb carbon dioxide while growing.

Bedouins, many of whom were displaced by fighting in the Sweida region, receive donated bread in the village of Umm Walad, Syria, on July 28.

WORLD / Politics

Sep 16, 2025

Sectarian violence risks dividing Syria despite al-Sharaa's diplomacy

The country's Alawite, Christian and Druze minorities have voiced anger at the president's Islamist administration following outbreaks of sectarian violence.

A soldier stands guard near Singha Durbar, the main administrative building for the Nepal government, after it was set ablaze by protesters, in Kathmandu on Sept. 12.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Sep 16, 2025

'No regrets': wounded Nepali protesters proud of changes

One 22-year-old who ended up with bullet fragments lodged in his arm and stomach during protests said he would do it again "if there is no change."

U.S. President Donald Trump aboard Marine One on Friday. On Saturday, Trump set conditions for imposing new sanctions on Russia, saying he would do so only if all NATO member nations did the same as well as stopped buying Russian oil and imposed steep tariffs on China.

WORLD / Politics

Sep 16, 2025

Europe stumped by Trump demands over Russia sanctions

Diplomats fear it could be a ploy by the U.S. president to again stall on taking a tough stance against Moscow himself.

Members of the Danish armed forces perform a military drill on a Danish navy vessel after being lowered from a helicopter, as Danish and French armed forces perform military drills off the coast of Nuuk, Greenland, on Monday.

WORLD / Politics

Sep 16, 2025

Nordic ministers attend Greenland war games without U.S.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the United States needs the strategically located, resource-rich island for security reasons, sparking diplomatic tensions with Denmark.

Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook attends a Federal Reserve Board open meeting discussing proposed revisions to the board's supplementary leverage ratio standards, in Washington in June.

BUSINESS / Economy

Sep 16, 2025

U.S. appeals court rejects Trump bid to oust Fed's Lisa Cook

The attempt to fire the Federal Reserve governor was the first by a president since the central bank's founding in 1913.

Workers at a site of a new Amazon data center that is under construction in western Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 5

BUSINESS / Tech

Sep 16, 2025

In Australia, a data center boom is built on vague water plans

Concerns have emerged that the sector's rapid growth will leave residents competing for the resource.

CVC Capital Partners has joined the race for KKR's stake in Avendus Capital.

BUSINESS / Companies

Sep 16, 2025

CVC in talks to buy KKR’s Avendus stake after Mizuho deal falters

Mizuho had been close to finalizing a deal to buy out Avendus in a transaction that valued the business at about $800 million.

The estimated number of people age 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, accounting for record 29.4% of the country's total population, according to the internal affairs ministry.

JAPAN / Society

Sep 16, 2025

Japan's elderly population down at around 36.2 million

The estimate, released ahead of Respect for the Aged Day on Monday, decreased for the first time in two years.

Drawn by reforms and growing shareholder focus, activist investors are ramping up buying Japanese stocks.

BUSINESS / Companies

Sep 16, 2025

Activist funds ramp up Japan bets after record bids last year

The 10 largest activist investors in Japan put an estimated ¥890 billion into Japanese stocks in the first half of this year.

Menstrual cups are seen as the next growth engine for auto-parts maker GomunoInaki.

BUSINESS

Sep 16, 2025

Toyota supplier shifts gears with menstrual cups in Asian markets

GomunoInaki plans to debut the cups in Singapore and Vietnam by year-end.

Stephen Miran, one of U.S. President Donald Trump's top economic advisers, attends a Senate hearing on his nomination to join the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, in Washington on Sept. 4.

BUSINESS / Markets

Sep 16, 2025

U.S. Senate confirms Trump aide to Fed as politics loom over rate meeting

A U.S. federal appeals court also ruled that Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook can remain in her position while challenging President Donald Trump's attempt to remove her.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani (center) chairs the 2025 Arab-Islamic emergency summit in Doha on Monday.

WORLD / Politics

Sep 16, 2025

Arab and Muslim leaders urge review of Israel ties after Qatar attack

The Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation want members to take firm action after Israel's attack on Qatar-hosted Hamas officials last week.

JAPAN

Sep 16, 2025

Japan-backed AI avatar to promote climate action at expo

The anime-inspired female character, Una, was developed as part of climate initiatives supported by the Japanese government.

High school baseball players line up during the opening ceremony of Summer Koshien last month.

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball

Sep 16, 2025

Japanese baseball grapples with shrinking player base

Behind the buzz created by Shohei Ohtani lies a troubling reality: The number of young players in Japan has fallen sharply in recent years.

Pro-Palestinian protesters wave flags and banners during the final stage of the Vuelta a Espana in Madrid on Sunday.

MORE SPORTS / Cycling

Sep 16, 2025

Cycling fears spread of race-halting protests after Vuelta chaos

The three-week stage race was repeatedly disrupted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators fired up by the presence in the race of the Israel Premier Tech team.

Japan head coach Eddie Jones ahead of a match against England in June last year.

MORE SPORTS / Rugby

Sep 16, 2025

Japan and Fiji cruise into Pacific Nations Cup rugby final rematch

Fiji rolled over Japan 41-17 in last year's final, and Japan coach Eddie Jones admitted his side has plenty of work to do to flip the script this year.

Alibaba Group co-founder Jack Ma attends the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in 2018. The billionaire entrepreneur recently returned to a hands-on role at Alibaba after spending years out of the public eye.

BUSINESS / Tech

Sep 16, 2025

Jack Ma returns with a vengeance to ‘Make Alibaba Great Again’

Ma resigned as chairman of Alibaba in 2019 and largely disappeared from the public eye in 2020 amid the Chinese government's crackdown on the tech sector.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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international-reports

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.

Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’

By Alex K.T. Martin