Search - 2025

 
 
One of the early exemplars of Chinese innovation is a cell therapy that has shown promise to potentially cure a deadly blood cancer.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 14, 2025

China biotech’s stunning advance is changing the world’s drug pipeline

The number of novel drugs in China entering into development ballooned to over 1,250 last year, far surpassing the European Union.
In a report Friday, Goldman Sachs economists noted that it’s reasonable to expect the Bank of Japan to start gradually selling ETFs in fiscal 2026 to minimize its loss and the impact on the stock market.
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2025

BOJ finishes offloading bank stocks, bringing attention to ETFs

The BOJ’s holdings of the shares purchased from banks hit zero as of July 10, falling from ¥2.5 billion ($17.4 million) 10 days ago, according to its balance sheet report.
An aerial view from north of the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant. Opposition parties are divided over whether Japan should utilize nuclear power while the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, a proponent of it, has avoided explicitly mentioning its stance in its campaign pledges.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 15, 2025

Energy policy debate falls dormant in Upper House election despite growing risk

Rising tensions in the Middle East have fueled concerns the Strait of Hormuz may be closed, dealing a blow to Japan's energy security.
Norway defender Thea Bjelde and Switzerland midfielder fight for the ball during a UEFA Women's Euro 2025 Group A match in Basel, Switzerland, on July 2.
SOCCER
Jul 15, 2025

Tactical growth on show as Women's Euros enters knockout stage

Norway midfield linchpin Vilde Boe Risa says tactics in the women's game have become much more advanced in recent years.
The new administrative body would serve as a cross-agency "control tower" to respond to issues such as crime and overtourism involving foreign nationals, according to the government.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 15, 2025

Japan launches government body to address concerns over foreign nationals

The body will serve as a cross-agency "control tower" to respond to issues such as crime and overtourism involving foreign nationals, the government said.
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.
Firefighters work to tackle a wildfire spread at Les Pennes-Mirabeau, near Marseille, southern France, on July 8
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / EXPLAINER
Jul 15, 2025

How climate change is fueling wildfires in Europe

Wildfires have burnt 227,000 hectares of land since the beginning of the year — more than double the average for this time of year over the past two decades.
The Sanseito party, led by Sohei Kamiya, is surging in the polls with anti-immigration talk, but its rise is likely just a short-lived protest vote rather than the start of lasting right-wing populism.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 15, 2025

Japan’s right-wing fringe is no MAGA or reform movement

The Sanseito party is surging in polls with anti-immigration talk, but its rise is likely just a short-lived protest vote rather than the start of lasting right-wing populism.
Then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds a news conference in Tokyo in December 2023 where he addressed the political fundraising scandal and announced plans to replace several implicated ministers.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 15, 2025

Cost of living trumps corruption as Japan heads to the polls

A recent NHK poll asked that question to prospective voters, and the majority answered “measures to deal with rising prices” and “social security and the declining birthrate.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a Victory Day parade in Moscow in May. Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of tariffs, Putin believes Russia's economy and its military are strong enough to weather any new Western measures over the war in Ukraine.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jul 15, 2025

Putin, unfazed by Trump, will fight on and could take more of Ukraine

Three Russian sources familiar with top-level Kremlin thinking said the Russian leader will not stop the war under pressure from the West.
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.
Tokyo ranks among the world's top tech talent hubs alongside Beijing, the San Francisco Bay Area, Bengaluru, Paris, New York and Dublin, according to Colliers' newly released global tech markets report.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 16, 2025

Tokyo emerges as a top market for global tech talent

As the search for tech talent intensifies, companies are deciding to invest more in regions that offer “more abundant and affordable tech talent.”
Muneo Suzuki speaks in Sapporo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2025

Prodigal Hokkaido son returns to campaign trail for last run in Upper House election

Muneo Suzuki's personality and past actions make him a divisive political figure, but he's teaming up with the Liberal Democratic Party for one final run.
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
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, delivers a campaign speech in Yokohama on July 6.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 16, 2025

Ishiba faces bad poll numbers with Upper House vote only days away

Losing a majority in the Upper House would pile pressure on Ishiba to resign and kickstart efforts by the ruling coalition to find an opposition party to join it.
Tomoko Tamura, chairperson of the Japanese Communist Party, attends a debate with other party leaders in Tokyo in October. Her party urges voters to end the LDP’s business-centered politics and U.S. dependence by supporting its social, economic and foreign-policy reforms.
COMMENTARY / Japan / From Party Leaders
Jul 16, 2025

JCP vows fairer taxes, stronger social safety net and a commitment to peaceful diplomacy

Tamura says LDP’s politics are now in a terminal and critical state with the party unable to respond to domestic and international issues or the wishes of the people.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan President Yoshihiko Noda speaks during a debate with leaders of other political parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on July 2.
COMMENTARY / Japan / From Party Leaders
Jul 16, 2025

The Constitutional Democratic Party vows fight against inflation

The CDP will work to lower surging food costs and realize fair rice prices
Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of Nippon Ishin no Kai, outlines his party’s policies during a news conference at the Diet building in Tokyo on June 30.
COMMENTARY / Japan / From Party Leaders
Jul 16, 2025

Nippon Ishin stakes its appeal on real results as Upper House vote nears

Neither the ruling coalition or other opposition parties have advanced political reform.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press briefing following phone calls with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 19.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 17, 2025

Zelenskyy aims to woo public and Trump with fresh-faced Ukraine cabinet

Zelenskyy's choice of a young economist well-known in Washington reflects the importance of repairing relations with Trump after a disastrous White House visit in February.
The Tigers' Tarik Skubal pitches for the American League during the MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 17, 2025

Tigers focused on getting back to playoffs and contending for World Series

At 59-38, Detroit owns the majors' best record and sent six All-Stars to Atlanta.
Campaign posters in Tokyo. Voters in Japan put immediate economic issues ahead of longer-term concerns about the effects of tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 17, 2025

Trump tariffs fail to register with Japanese voters ahead of key election

Only 8% of voters surveyed by NHK rated tariffs as their top priority.
Solar power more than doubled to 24% of Pakistan's energy mix in the first five months of 2025, becoming the largest source of energy production for the first time.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jul 17, 2025

Pakistan's quiet solar rush puts pressure on national grid

Solar power more than doubled to 24% of Pakistan's energy mix in the first five months of 2025, becoming the largest source of energy production for the first time.
Kiyoshi Shibata stands in front of one of the rice paddies in Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, where he produces the prefecture's signature rice brand Tsuyahime.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 17, 2025

Japan's rice farmers are confounded by Shinjiro Koizumi’s policies

Farming communities, a key base for the Liberal Democratic Party, are increasingly voicing their distress at how the rice situation is being handled.
U.S. President Donald Trump in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in 2017. Six months into his second term, Trump has softened his harsh campaign rhetoric that focused on the U.S.’ massive trade deficit with China and resulting job losses.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 17, 2025

Trump softens tone on China to secure Xi summit and a trade deal

U.S. President Donald Trump's warmer posture toward China contrasts with his threats against other trading partners to ravage their economies with crushing tariffs.
Italy's players celebrate after their quarterfinal win over Norway  at Euro 2025 in Geneva on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Jul 17, 2025

Italy celebrates after ending 28-year wait to return to Euro semifinals

The raucous Italian crowd urged their players on, with chants of "forza Italia" and the Stade de Geneve lit up when Cristiana Girelli found the net twice in the second half.
The Tokyo district has the highest number of candidates in the 2025 Upper House election with 32 people in the running for seven seats.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 18, 2025

In Upper House race, younger voters in Tokyo turn to DPP for new direction

Many younger voters, especially in the capital, are drawn to the party's idea that the working generation must be supported for the sake of everyone.
Shigeru Ishiba, prime minister and president of the Liberal Democratic Party, gives a campaign speech in Yokohama on July 6.
COMMENTARY / Japan / From Party Leaders
Jul 17, 2025

In uncertain times, Japan needs responsible leadership

As a responsible political party, the LDP is determined to consistently pursue policies that are accountable to future generations.
Since the Sino-U.S. trade conflict began in 2018, China has used it to strengthen self-reliance, sharpen its strategies and turn Donald Trump’s tariffs into fuel for its long-term global resilience. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2025

China is winning Donald Trump’s trade war

While China does not want a trade war or to decouple, it is willing to risk a trade war that the United States may lose — and it would rather decouple than kowtow to Trump.
A former company employee who posts highlight videos on YouTube prepares to livestream Shinji Ishimaru's stump speech in Tokyo in June. Jiji
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2025

Highlight videos online playing big role in Upper House election

Social media is increasingly impacting election results in Japan amid the growing popularity of YouTube and other video-sharing sites.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda said it is obvious that Japanese society could not function without the help of foreign workers in manufacturing, health care, construction and public transportation.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2025

CDP leader criticizes ‘Japanese First’ policy and calls for inclusive society

Foreign residents are critical to maintaining Japan’s economy, said Yoshihiko Noda, as he issued a call on the campaign trail for a multicultural society that respects minorities.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan