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May 05, 2025
 

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U.S. President Donald Trump and his “madman theory” won’t get Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei to scrap his nuclear program.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2025

Why should Iran believe anything the U.S. threatens or promises?

The Iranians — like the Russians — are notoriously shifty negotiators. But so are the Americans, now that they’re led by Trump.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the European Union summit in Brussels on March 20
WORLD / Politics
Apr 14, 2025

Hungary set to restrict constitutional rights in 'Easter cleanup'

Hungary's parliament on Monday is expected to approve constitutional changes further clamping down on rights for LGBTQ+ people and other groups, part of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's "Easter cleanup" against his domestic opponents.
Vehicles wait in line to cross into the United States at the Canada-U.S. border in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, Canada.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2025

Avoid U.S. travel or take burner devices, Canadian organizations tell staff

Employees have also been given advice on how to minimize information that can be accessed by border agents.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hold a news conference at the White House in Washington on Feb. 7. Tokyo's focus on economic strength to promote security contrasts with Washington's current era of unpredictability.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 15, 2025

For real national security, try a Japanese perspective

Genuine national security starts from a strong economy, one that provides for its citizens, incentivizes growth, production and wealth, and invites foreign participation.
The Trump administration, in a desperate bid to cushion trade war inflation, is pushing for cheap oil, but $50-a-barrel will ultimately widen the very trade deficit the U.S. president wants to reduce.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2025

$50-a-barrel oil is a problem for the U.S. trade deficit

If oil prices fall to $50, under that scenario, total petroleum production in America will probably decline by 1 million barrels a day by the end of 2025.
Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects an honour guard during an official welcoming ceremony at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 16, 2025

China's Xi meets Malaysian leaders in diplomatic charm offensive

Xi was welcomed by Malaysia's king, Sultan Ibrahim, in a colorful ceremony at the golden-domed Istana palace.
Facing a new round of U.S. tariffs, China may devalue the yuan — possibly by as much as 20% — if fiscal stimulus falls short, risking a global currency war as it fights to meet its growth target.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 16, 2025

When will China start to devalue the yuan?

One way to think about China’s currency policy is its fiscal stance. Unless Beijing brings out the stimulus bazooka, devaluing the yuan might be the most expedient option.
The trade war is ratcheting up tensions between Beijing and Washington. Taipei needs to be more prepared. 
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 15, 2025

Taiwan is under siege with or without tariffs

Taiwan must urgently strengthen defenses and unite politically to counter rising threats from China, despite Trump’s trade war.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has sent a delegation to Washington for high-stakes tariff talks, as other nations watch to see if Tokyo can secure favorable terms from the Trump administration.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 16, 2025

If Japan can’t get a good trade deal, can anyone?

The Asian nation is the canary in the tariff coal mine. If it can’t secure a good deal, there’s little hope for others.
Donald Trump’s punitive tariffs have dealt a blow to U.S. credibility and the greenback. It’s a bigger leap to project the currency's demise.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2025

King dollar’s reign looks secure — for now

The greenback survived Trump's first term at the pinnacle and will likely endure his second.
The most common reason for disapproving of the Ishiba Cabinet was that it is not promising, given by 28.9%, followed by distrust of the prime minister at 21.3% and a lack of leadership at 19.8%.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 17, 2025

Ishiba Cabinet approval sinks to 23.1% in new poll

The figure was down 4.8 percentage points from the previous month.
The U.S. Justice Department and a group of states sued Google in 2023, arguing the company illegally monopolized three separate markets related to the technology used for online display advertising: ad servers, exchanges and networks.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 18, 2025

Google loses key antitrust case over ad tech practices

Google has lost a key antitrust case over its ad tech dominance, as a judge found it used exclusionary tactics that hurt rivals, publishers, and consumers.
A 2024 survey by a think tank in Tokyo found that Japanese adults are exercising less, with 69.8% of respondents saying they engaged in some kind of physical activity at least once a year, the first reading below 70% since 2006.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 18, 2025

Japanese people are exercising less, survey shows

The proportion of people exercising at least once a year peaked at 76% in 2010 before a gradual downtrend started, a Tokyo-based think tank that did the survey found.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks on before a luncheon with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Washington Thursday. Hegseth shared information on forthcoming U.S. airstrikes on Yemen in a private Signal chat group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, The New York Times reported Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2025

Pentagon chief shared sensitive Yemen war plans in second Signal chat

A U.S. official at the Pentagon questioned how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could keep his job after the latest news.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (third from left) flanked by several members of his Cabinet in Magelang, Central Java, on Oct. 25, 2024. Prabowo's first six months in power have triggered alarm bells for activists worried about a return to the country's authoritarian roots.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 21, 2025

'Pandora's box': Alarm bells ring in Indonesia over rising military role

The developments have critics anxious that the country could hark back to the days of dictator Suharto, who ruled Indonesia with an iron fist for decades.
More than half of Japan's population may suffer from pollen allergies, with hay fever dubbed the nation’s "national disease" and blamed for being a drag on the economy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 21, 2025

Did I fall victim to Japan’s stealth productivity killer?

Hay fever has been dubbed Japan’s "national disease” and blamed as a major drag on productivity.
Next year’s FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the U.S., will test whether America — with President Donald Trump pushing tariffs and tough immigration policies — can draw global fans or drive them away.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2025

The White House just kicked a World Cup own-goal

Next year’s FIFA World Cup will test whether the U.S. — with President Donald Trump pushing tariffs and tough immigration policies — can draw global fans or drive them away.
A U.S. judge’s ruling against Google’s ad tech business marks a rare antitrust case with a clear remedy, threatening a key revenue stream and signaling a potential shift in the digital advertising landscape.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2025

Google’s money-printing machine can be easily dismantled

On Thursday, a district court judge handed down a ruling that threatens to dismantle part of that money-printing machine.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to reporters during the 2025 White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 22, 2025

'Disruptor' Hegseth's unsettled Pentagon starts turning against him

U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth accused former advisers of turning against him following news he texted sensitive U.S. military plans to his wife, brother, attorney and others.
Members of the clergy celebrate Mass in memory of Pope Francis, following the death of the pontiff, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, in La Paz, Bolivia, on Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2025

A conclave to test Pope Francis’ legacy

Francis unraveled many knots after his elevation in March 2013, leaving the question of whether he did enough to secure his legacy now that he’s passed.
People walk past the venue for the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China, on April 15.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 22, 2025

China ramps up charm offensive toward Taiwan alongside pressure, study shows

The number of Taiwanese attending state-supported business events in China last year is 3% higher than 2023, a Taiwan-based nongovernmental organization says.
A protest against Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Hong Kong in 2019. Beijing's United Front Work Department is charged with managing relations with overseas Chinese, including in Hong Kong, with the aim of mobilizing society to achieve the government's goals.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 23, 2025

China’s catch-22: Rapid growth with tight social control

The Chinese government is locked in the contradictory goals of pursuing economic growth while maintaining strong social control through its United Front Work Department.
Amid trade war uncertainty, central bankers, including Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda, are leaning toward cautious policies, with some signaling potential rate cuts while awaiting the fallout from U.S. tariffs.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2025

Rate cuts anyone? Anyone? Ferris Bueller’s tariff lesson

The collective sense of "we don't know” will give way to either hiking or easing. In Asia, the bias appears to favor the latter.
Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward is expected to be the top pick in the NFL draft on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Apr 24, 2025

Titans expected to take QB Cam Ward with top pick of NFL draft

Ward threw for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns for Miami last season.
A worker labors on a spinning machine at a factory in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia in September 2019. For Indonesia, China’s trade power means lost jobs and hard choices.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2025

Asia would welcome trade deals that exclude China

The real cost to developing countries of China’s trade practices runs deeper: lost jobs can be counted, but missed opportunities can’t.
South Korea's former President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Friday
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 25, 2025

Former South Korean leader Moon says bribery indictment is 'political'

South Korean prosecutors indicted Moon for alleged bribery on Thursday, making him the latest former leader of the country to face legal troubles.
Trumpism is attacking America's core institutions to gain unchecked power, and only a united civic uprising that defends and reforms these institutions can stop it and build a better future.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2025

Time for a civic uprising

What’s happening is not normal. America needs an uprising that is not normal.
U.S. President Donald Trump's foreign policy efforts, including negotiations with Ukraine, Iran and others face failure due to unrealistic expectations and an apparent failure to fully understand the complexities of the conflicts.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 23, 2025

U.S. diplomacy confronts reality in Ukraine and Iran

Trump loyalists must recognize that his approach may well fail in ways that leave the world in immeasurably worse shape.
An artist's impression of the K2-18b super-Earth, the only super-Earth exoplanet known to host both water and temperatures that could support life
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2025

In a galaxy far, far away ... did we find life?

K2-18b, which has eight times the mass of Earth, just might be covered with a massive ocean and blanketed by an atmosphere complete with water vapor and rain clouds.
Stopping superpollutants like methane, which is the most potent short-lived climate pollutant, offers a fast-track opportunity to slow warming and improve public health, yet global climate plans have only recently begun to target them explicitly.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2025

The world is waking up to the dangers of superpollutants

Cutting superpollutants like methane offers a fast way to slow warming and boost public health, but climate plans have only recently begun to target them.
Britain responds after Expo 2025 afternoon tea brews outrage
The café space at the Osaka Expo's British pavilion
Woman says archbishop of Tokyo ignored her pleas after priest allegedly raped her
In a news conference in Tokyo on Friday, Tokie Tanaka, 64, details her allegations of sexual abuse against a Catholic priest.
Israel protests after Kyoto inn seeks war crime declaration from tourist
A street in Kyoto in March 2023. An Israeli tourist was asked to sign a document stating that he had not committed war crimes when he checked in at a Kyoto guesthouse in April, prompting a response from Israel's ambassador.
Second round of U.S.-Japan tariff talks ends inconclusively in Washington
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (far left), U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (left) and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator. The second round of tariff negotiations between Japan and the United States were held on Thursday in Washington.
Inflation and high hotel prices curtail Golden Week travels
Travelers in front of a flight information panel in a departure hall at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on April 26
Japan’s ‘tabi’ sock mecca runs on thread and memories
A seamstress at Kineya Tabi sews together split-toe "tabi" socks, once a major industry for the town of Gyoda, Saitama Prefecture.
Despite shifts in Japan's political landscape, constitutional revision still far off
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has been a staunch advocate for constitutional reform.
'Ukiyo-e in Play' showcases traditional art carved anew
The Adachi Institute has been working on creating brand new ukiyo-e prints in collaboration with contemporary artists such as Yayoi Kusama, whose “Mt. Fuji in Seven Colours: When life boundlessly flares up to the universe” (2014) can be seen on display at “Ukiyo-e in Play.”
Ishiba hears advice from across the aisle on how Japan should handle Trump
Prime Minister Shigaru Ishiba and CDP head Yoshihiko Noda at a parliamentary session in Tokyo on April 23.
Don't send in the clones: AI event nixed as Alt accounts get reality check
A screenshot from the website for Alt's AI conference, which was canceled after the company disclosed an investigation into its sales figures.

Podcast

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

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A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
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