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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (right) speaks during an Oval Office meeting on April 24 with President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store (not pictured) to discuss tariffs.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 4, 2025

A turning point in trade: The U.S. effort to reverse global imbalances

This large trade imbalance is also the primary driver of the U.S. current account deficit, largely due to the gap in goods trade.
A survey by a labor union of home care business operators and care managers found that nearly 90% of facility managers had turned down service requests at least once during the past year, citing insufficient staffing.
JAPAN
May 5, 2025

Worker shortage forcing home care providers to turn away clients, survey finds

In the survey, 19.3% of care managers said some older adults are being left without any care at all due to a worker shortage.
A public health nurse (right) teaches stretching techniques using an exercise ball to employees of Hattori, a machine tool and industrial equipment supplier in Aichi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society
May 7, 2025

Companies leverage healthy working strategies to attract talent

The approach prioritizes employee well-being as a core business objective.
Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and the U.S. president's son, looks over the proposed plan ahead of the signing ceremony with Qatar's Diar and Dar Global in Doha on April 30.
WORLD / Politics
May 11, 2025

As Trump family's Gulf empire grows, rulers seek influence, arms and tech

Ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's Gulf visit next week, his son Eric was promoting his crypto firm in Dubai, while Don Jr prepared to talk about "Monetizing MAGA" in Doha.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
May 13, 2025

Trump’s diplomatic frenzy spins big gambles as signs of success

The latest moves reveal a White House eager to show it has momentum to pivot from a volatile first 100 days.
A Warren Buffett Squishmallow is displayed during a Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, in May 2023. Buffett’s $25 billion bet on five Japanese trading houses reflects his belief that the country’s overlooked market rewards patient investors who embrace its unique business culture.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 13, 2025

Buffett’s little Japan handbook — and other lessons

The legendary investor recently revealed what inspired his interest in Tokyo’s trading houses — and offered a host of tips for would-be followers.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference with Cabinet members after a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2025

Carney unveils new Cabinet, aiming to redefine U.S.-Canada relationship

The new prime minister says Canada must shift the economy's focus away from the United States, end barriers to internal trade and cut public spending.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and French President Emmanuel Macron at the AI Action Summit in Paris in February. The mood at the event was largely optimistic despite growing evidence that chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT are being used by malicious actors.
COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2025

How much will we risk in the name of AI?

AI safety breaches are a very present danger. Evidence shows that leading chatbots are perpetuating Kremlin talking points, while many leaders tout optimism rather than concern.
The U.S. economy has shifted from strong growth to heightened recession risk and uncertainty due to President Trump’s aggressive trade tariffs and budget cuts, leaving Congress to reclaim control over policy to avoid worsening economic disruption and global instability.
COMMENTARY / World
May 6, 2025

Only the U.S. Congress can end Trump's economic uncertainty

There is no chance of reining in the disruption and destruction unless the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress reclaims its constitutional authority over trade policy.
Supporters of far-right Portuguese party Chega celebrate general election results at its party headquarters in Lisbon on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
May 19, 2025

Ruling party tops Portugal polls marked by far-right surge

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro's Democratic Alliance remains short of a parliamentary majority.
Shipping containers in Oakland, California, on May 12
WORLD
May 20, 2025

Even on nontariff issues G7 finance leaders may still face U.S. pushback

A source briefed on U.S. positions in the talks in Canada has said that any consensus needs to align with Trump administration priorities.
A once-famous Filipino actor (Carlo Aquino, left) joins forces with a struggling Japanese businessman (Takehiro Hira) to track down a serial killer in “Crosspoint."
CULTURE / Film
May 22, 2025

‘Crosspoint’ can’t quite find its target

Donie Ordiales’ dark comedy about a washed-up Filipino actor and a broke Japanese businessman teaming up has thrills and social commentary but loses momentum along the way.
U.S. President Donald Trump hands papers to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 22, 2025

Trump accuses South Africa of white genocide in Oval Office meeting

The carefully choreographed onslaught against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was reminiscent of his February ambush of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A Qatari Boeing 747 sits on the tarmac of Palm Beach International airport after U.S. President Donald Trump toured the aircraft on Feb. 15
WORLD / Politics
May 22, 2025

U.S. accepts Qatar luxury jet as Trump’s new Air Force One

Politicians from both parties have questioned the president’s decision, raising ethical and security concerns.
A broker in the city of Osaka displays a sign for religious corporation deals.
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Jun 9, 2025

Religious corporation sales rising in Japan amid tax evasion concerns

There are increasing concerns that buyers may exploit the tax privileges granted to religious corporations.
Otakukon, an anime, manga and cosplay meet in Harare, Zimbabwe, last August. Japan should take advantage of decades worth of hugely popular cultural content by taking the big swings in bringing its own stories to global audiences.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 1, 2025

Japan can ride the anime wave to become the new soft superpower

It's time for Japan to better leverage anime's global popularity, reaching international audiences via streaming platforms while opening the door to other cultural exports.
Voters take part in early voting for the upcoming presidential election at a polling station at the Incheon International Airport, South Korea, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 2, 2025

Wave of anger could sweep liberals to victory in South Korea election

The months of chaos that followed former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration in December remain fresh on the minds of voters.
Tokyo police declared that Japanese young men and women were simply "not accustomed to one another’s society" due to their cultural upbringing — and thus freewheeling dance venues and foreign customs needed to be reined in.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Jun 4, 2025

Japan Times 1925: Tokyo police impose curfew on ‘social dances’

In June 1925, concern over “the moral effects of the Western dancing” on Japanese youth led to restrictions on social venues.
Former House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono (left) speaks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 4, 2025

Chinese Premier Li Qiang urges Japan to stand with China against Trump's tariffs

A Japanese delegation of around 100 members headed by former House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono is visiting China for seven days until Sunday.
Elon Musk looks on during a news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Saturday. Musk has dubbed Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill as a "disgusting abomination."
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2025

Trump's 'big, beautiful bill?' Musk calls it a 'disgusting abomination.'

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO says the U.S. president's sweeping tax and spending bill will increase the federal deficit.
The streets of Dalian, China, in 2017. A business dispute is believed to be behind the killing of two Japanese nationals in the city on May 23, according to local authorities.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 4, 2025

Suspect in Dalian murder of Japanese nationals identified

The suspect, a 42-year-old Chinese man with the surname Yuan and a long-term resident of Japan, is believed to have had a business dispute with the victims.
Takuya Haraguchi, head of ReFruits, speaks while looking at the kiwifruit vine at his farm in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on April 24. A newcomer to farming, he hopes to revive the area by growing kiwifruits in this former no-go zone.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2025

'Moving forward': the Gen Z farmer growing Fukushima kiwifruits

Fukushima is renowned for its delicious fruit, from pears to peaches, but the nuclear disaster led many people in Japan to shun produce grown there.
A Tokyo bride (Mai Fukagawa, centers) finds that marrying the heir to a traditional folding-fan shop and navigating the subtleties of Kyoto’s social etiquette isn’t as easy as she expected.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 6, 2025

‘Strangers in Kyoto’: Tea, tradition and passive-aggressive politeness

Masanori Tominaga’s comedy of manners — and missteps — centers on a newcomer from Tokyo who tests the limits of the city's social etiquette.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass visits the Northrop Grumman booth during the Defence and Security Equipment International Japan trade show at Makuhari Messe in the city of Chiba last month.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 6, 2025

U.S. envoy plays down Washington-Tokyo trade row

George Glass dismissed concerns that tensions over unilateral U.S. tariffs could lead to a repeat of the trade war between the two countries in the 1980s.
Chinese tour groups visit a waterfront promenade in Hong Kong on May 5.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 9, 2025

Can big stars bring higher-spending tourists back to Hong Kong?

Hong Kong, which once billed itself as Asia’s World City, is now seeking to brand itself as the region’s events capital.
A man ride his bike with an umbrella in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2025

Los Angeles residents reject Trump's claims of protest destruction

The U.S. president has insisted that without the extraordinary step of sending troops into the city over the weekend, "it would be burning to the ground right now."
U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement regarding the Golden Dome missile defense shield next to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on May 20.
WORLD
Jun 13, 2025

After Trump feud, role of Musk's SpaceX in Golden Dome missile shield in question

A new framework for the U.S. missile defense system is now being considered that could reduce the role of Elon Musk's SpaceX.
With people growing increasingly wary of unknown callers and not answering their doors, more and more agencies and pollsters tasked with collecting data are using online surveys, though that comes with its own set of challenges.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jun 17, 2025

Faced with dwindling response rates, pollsters turn to online surveys for data

Problems with the new wave of online surveys include fresh biases in the data, confusion over questions that a computer cannot address and gaining trust.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s reversal on the Nippon Steel deal creates a "win-win-win-win" situation benefiting both companies, the U.S. economy, and the Japan-U.S. alliance, but the golden share raises concerns about increased government control.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 17, 2025

Nippon Steel deal signals a win for the U.S. economy and Japan alliance

Last week, Trump lifted the Biden block, saying that the acquisition could go forward if the two companies signed a national security agreement with the U.S. government.
Workers pack bathroom fittings in a factory of the Taiwanese-owned LCM Group in Kunshan, China, on June 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 18, 2025

Taiwan's entrepreneurs in China feel heat from cross-strait tensions

Safety fears have led many Taiwanese manufacturers to turn to less politically sensitive locales such as Vietnam and Thailand.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.