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The Meteorological Agency said on Tuesday Japan experienced its hottest June on record.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2025

Japan had hottest June on record, says weather agency

With strong high-pressure systems in June staying in the region, the average monthly temperature was 2.34 degrees Celsius higher than the standard value.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, leaves for Washington on Thursday for his seventh round of trade talks with the United States.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2025

Japan-U.S. trade negotiations stall as Trump fumes 

The two sides remain far apart, and no new talks are scheduled.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 2, 2025

Trump doubles down on Japan again by threatening 35% tariff

Japan is currently subject to 25% auto tariffs and a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum, as well as a 10% reciprocal tariff that could return to 24% if no deal is struck by July 9.
F-35 aircraft on the deck of Britain's Prince of Wales aircraft carrier as it arrives at Marina Bay Cruise Center in Singapore on June 23
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2025

British F-35B fighters could soon land on a Japanese carrier

The latest British carrier deployment could see jets from the Prince of Wales vessel touch down on one of Japan's own de facto aircraft carriers.
Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Jul 7, 2025

A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan

Owning a dog in Japan may seem daunting, but having these tools and tips in mind can ease your journey and bring you lots of joy.
Toyota only lifted prices on some models by a few hundred dollars in the U.S. market in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2025

Japan’s carmakers absorbing tariffs may bolster Trump's position

Just three of Japan’s six major automakers have raised prices in the U.S., and only Subaru’s hike has come close to the 25% tariff imposed on imported vehicles.
A container is loaded onto a cargo ship at Hai Phong port in Vietnam. A trade deal secured by Vietnam with the U.S. sets a high bar for Japan's tariff talks.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 3, 2025

Vietnam steals a march and leaves Japan in a tough spot on U.S. tariffs

The deal sets a high bar for Japan and other countries still negotiating with the United States.
The Maruti Suzuki India e-Vitara during the Bharat Mobility Global Expo in New Delhi in January
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 4, 2025

Suzuki is becoming a top Japan importer with made-in-India cars

Suzuki beat out Mercedes-Benz to become Japan’s top car importer in June, thanks to the Jimny Nomad and another popular small SUV assembled in India.
Despite trade pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has held firm, constrained by upcoming elections, mistrust of U.S. intentions and growing public opposition to concessions.
EDITORIALS
Jul 4, 2025

As trade deadline approaches, Japan must draw lines

Most worrisome now is a growing sense among the Japanese public that the U.S. is no longer a reliable partner.
A voter casts a ballot for the Upper House election at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 4, 2025

Overseas voting for Upper House election begins

This marks the first time that Japanese living in Taiwan could vote at polling stations on the self-governed island.
Farmers spray herbicide at Kazuhachi Hosaka's rice farm in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, on June 19.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2025

In reversal, Japan now wants rice farmers to produce more. Will it work?

The new direction has taken on an unexpected urgency as Japan grapples with a shortage of the all-important staple.
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2025

Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype

Authorities on Friday evacuated some residents from remote islands close to the epicenter of the 5.5 magnitude quake.
Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, speaks to the press upon his arrival at Tokyo's Haneda Airport in April.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 6, 2025

Japan's top trade negotiator holds two phone meetings with U.S. commerce chief

Ryosei Akazawa held "in-depth exchanges" over the phone with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday and Saturday.
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2025

Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave

Included among the alerts were the first of the year for central Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 7, 2025

Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll

In their campaign promises, parties are offering different solutions to problems caused by the record number here to visit, work and invest in real estate.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a trade letter sent by the White House to Japan during a news conference at the White House in Washington on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2025

Trump announces new tariff rate on Japan — and extension of deadline to Aug. 1

The United States will raise its “reciprocal tariff” on Japan to 25% effective Aug. 1, President Donald Trump said in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday.
Despite months of negotiations and Japan’s key role as a U.S. ally and investor, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces frustration as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats persist — damaging trust and complicating relations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2025

Donald Trump’s ‘copy-and-paste’ tariffs will no doubt rile ‘Mr. Japan’

Trump's copy-and-paste wording sent to world leaders was virtually identical, including telling Tokyo to open its "heretofore closed trading markets” — whatever that means.
U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at Morristown Airport, New Jersey, on Sunday. Trump on Monday sent letters to 12 countries notifying them of new "reciprocal" tariff rates effective Aug. 1.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2025

Japan stands its ground after Trump letter delivers 25% U.S. tariff shock

Tokyo holds the line on its negotiating position, especially when it comes to auto exports.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as Attorney General Pam Bondi (left) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (center) look on during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 9, 2025

Trump signals continuing trade-defense link as tariff talks drag on

The U.S. leader has again alleged that Seoul is taking advantage of Washington on defense spending and burden-sharing — a worrying sign that may also have implications for Tokyo.
Tetsuro Kamata (second from left), deputy superintendent-general of Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department, and Hirohide Mori (left), head of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office's public security division, apologize to former Ohkawara Kakohki executive Junji Shimada (second from right) and company President Masaaki Okawara on June 20 in Yokohama.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Jul 10, 2025

Improper law-enforcement interrogations persist in Japan

The Japan Federation of Bar Associations has emphasized the urgent need for further reforms in interrogation procedures.
The yen-dollar exchange rate is displayed outside a securities firm in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 10, 2025

Japan unlikely to face U.S. pressure to strengthen yen, ex-top FX diplomat says

Masatsugu Asakawa was deeply involved in Japan's trade and currency negotiations with the U.S. when he was vice finance minister for international affairs.
Takeshi Niinami, Suntory Holdings CEO and chairperson of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 10, 2025

Japan's united front on tariffs begins to crack as doubts raised

A senior business leader has questioned the effectiveness of the government in negotiating with the U.S.
A Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber flies close to an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB intelligence-gathering surveillance aircraft over the high seas in the East China Sea on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2025

China says Japanese ‘harassment’ behind close encounter with ASDF spy plane

The Defense Ministry in Beijing said “close-in reconnaissance and harassment” by the Japanese side was “the root cause” of the latest incidents.
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2025

Taiwanese rocket fails to achieve Japan's first foreign launch

The rocket lifted off at 11:40 a.m., but within a minute its trajectory turned wobbly and it went into free fall.
After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
COMMUNITY / Issues / Longform
Jul 14, 2025

How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan

Remote work is reshaping how Indian professionals navigate life, family and identity in a post-pandemic Japan.
Kunashiri, one of the four islands seized by Russia in the last days of World War II, is visible from the Shiretoko Peninsula in northeastern Hokkaido.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jul 22, 2025

Ex-residents of Russian-controlled islands off Hokkaido want grave-site visits resumed

Now in their advanced years, the former residents want the visits to be restored for them to honor their ancestors whose grave sites are located on the four islands.
Yahoo News was Japan’s fourth-most visited website overall.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 15, 2025

Yahoo News Japan beats NYT and BBC as most popular news website worldwide

While traditional media are still viewed as the most trustworthy sources, news aggregation site Yahoo New Japan nets the most eyeballs in Japan and abroad.
Only two months into his role as agriculture minister, Shinjiro Koizumi has become the face of a risky political bet by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2025

Japan’s ‘rice minister’ is ruling party’s biggest election gamble

Shinjiro Koizumi’s reformist drive is testing the loyalty of Japan's rural population — the LDP’s most dependable voter bloc.
U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum (left) and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 16, 2025

Trump signals the end of the road for Japan tariff negotiations

U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% "reciprocal" rate might simply be allowed to go into effect on Aug. 1
The United Nations Command-Rear, which operates from Yokota Air Base, plays a critical role in maintaining peace and stability in Asia.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 17, 2025

Little-known U.N. Command bases in Japan play a critical security role in Asia

The United Nations Command-Rear is a small multinational team that works quietly to ensure peace and stability in the region.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes