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A government minister has said the acquisition of 7-Eleven by foreign capital is majorly related to economic security.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 10, 2025

Japan to consider 'economic security' in 7-Eleven takeover

Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa highlighted the role Japan's convenience stores can play in times of crisis, such as after major earthquakes.
Incoming Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Nov. 11 after lawmakers voted in parliament to reappoint Shigeru Ishiba as the country's prime minister.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 11, 2025

Japan foreign minister to attend Trump Jan. 20 inauguration

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya would be the first Japanese Cabinet member to attend the swearing-in of a U.S. president.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping shake hands ahead of their bilateral meeting during the Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka in June 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 11, 2025

China's Xi to send top-level envoy to Trump's inauguration, report says

Beijing has told Trump’s transition team that the official would attend instead of Xi, whom Trump had invited to attend.
Toyota is one of many large employers in the U.S. ordering workers to their desks in recent months, ending policies implemented during the COVID pandemic.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 14, 2025

Toyota wants salaried staff back in office four days a week

Toyota denied the move is designed to reduce headcount but warned failure to comply could lead to "termination of employment.”
People watch a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 14, 2025

North Korea fires suspected short-range ballistic missiles

The launches on Tuesday morning came a day after the foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan held talks to reaffirm ties.
Bank of Japan Deputy Gov. Ryozo Himino has said that the central bank will raise rates if its outlook continues to be realized.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2025

BOJ deputy chief signals chance of rate hike next week

Most BOJ watchers see an interest rate hike coming in either January or March.
Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on houses in Gaza City on Jan. 4
WORLD / Politics / EXPLAINER
Jan 16, 2025

How many Palestinians has Israel's Gaza offensive killed?

The official Palestinian Health Ministry count of more than 46,600 Palestinian dead is disputed by Israeli officials but is seen by the U.N. as an undercount.
The U.S. Supreme Court has signaled it's likely to uphold a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it isn't sold by its Chinese parent company by Jan. 19. U.S. politicians in both major parties, however, are seeking ways to keep the video-sharing app accessible for Americans.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2025

TikTok allies close to Trump and Biden race to delay ban

The app, owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd., faces a deadline of Jan. 19 to find a U.S. buyer in order to continue operating in the country.
Komeito Secretary-General Makoto Nishida (left) and Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama (center) hold talks with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 17, 2025

A moment of opportunity for Japan-China relations

While the outcome of the Japan-China meeting is important, it must not compromise Japan's national interests.
Reporters listen as President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 7
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 18, 2025

Once an interloper, Trump returns to White House more powerful than before

The former real-estate developer now plausibly stands as the defining political figure of the early 21st century.
Woodworkers check phones during a blackout at an industrial complex in Tehran on Dec. 18.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 20, 2025

Blackouts in Iran leave industry in tatters

The regime is bracing for a harder road ahead, with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump pledging pressure and preparing sanctions.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden and former first lady Jill Biden wave as they board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, during a farewell ceremony on Monday following Donald Trump's inauguration.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 21, 2025

Biden issues preemptive pardons for family and targets of Trump ire

Trump has repeatedly called for the prosecution of his perceived enemies since winning the White House in November.
#AfghanEvac founder Shawn VanDiver speaks during a memorandum of understanding signing as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on at the National Museum for American Diplomacy in the Department of State in Washington, on June 12, 2023. VanDiver's organization is the main coalition that has been working with the U.S. government to evacuate and resettle Afghans in the U.S.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 21, 2025

Trump administration canceling flights for nearly 1,660 Afghan refugees

The group includes minors awaiting reunification with their families in the U.S. and Afghans at risk of Taliban retribution, a U.S official and a refugee resettlement advocate say.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a meeting at the White House in 2018
WORLD / Politics
Jan 21, 2025

Saudi Arabia ready to fill power void left by Iran in region reshaped by war

The 15-month conflict in Gaza has tilted the balance of power in the Middle East against the Saudi Arabian kingdom's longtime rival Iran.
Musashi Winery is known for its 'shōkōshi' wines.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 26, 2025

Where to begin when it comes to Japanese wine

Buying your first Japanese wine? Let your own palate lead the way.
Mark Zuckerberg’s push to loosen moderation policies at Meta puts the company on a collision course with regulations in Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2025

Zuckerberg's newfound libertarianism is worrying Brazil

Meta's loosened moderation policy puts it on a collision course with regulations in Latin America’s largest economy.
Fuji Television's poor handling of sexual misconduct allegations against celebrity Masahiro Nakai has led to an exodus of sponsors from the broadcaster.
JAPAN / Media / FOCUS
Jan 24, 2025

What are the real issues behind the Fuji TV scandal?

Fuji TV's handling of sexual misconduct allegations against TV personality Masahiro Nakai led to a firestorm of public disapproval. Where did it go wrong?
An oil drilling rig in Midland, Texas, on March 2, 2023
WORLD / Politics
Jan 27, 2025

Trump seizes wartime powers in battle for more fossil fuels

By invoking the country’s national and economic security, the plan lays the foundation for energy projects to move forward with unprecedented speed.
China's DeepSeek carries far-reaching implications for the global tech industry and supply chain.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 27, 2025

Why is the AI world freaking out over China's DeepSeek?

DeepSeek has far-reaching implications for the global tech industry, upending the widespread belief that the future of AI will require ever-increasing amounts of power.
The Tiffany & Co. store on Fifth Avenue in New York in 2023
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 28, 2025

Tiffany workers mock forced 'joy' that exacerbated staff exits

When Tiffany & Co. executives were looking for ways to boost staff morale, they rolled out an internal social app called "Tiffany Joy.” It didn’t take long to turn into a chore.
The preserved Atomic Bomb Dome is seen behind the Cenotaph for the victims of the atomic bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park last October.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 28, 2025

Hiroshima and Nagasaki mayors invite Trump to visit on 80th anniversary of atomic bombing

The mayors emphasized Washington’s key role in reining in the proliferation of nuclear weapons as “tensions continue to worsen” across the globe.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits one of his country's nuclear material production facilities at an undisclosed location in this photo released Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 29, 2025

North Korea's Kim vows to 'indefinitely' bolster nuke program

Kim used a rare reported visit to two of his countries' secretive nuclear facilities to highlight Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities.
Brian Hutto runs Craft Sake Shoten, a Yokohama shop he calls a hangout for 'real sake enthusiasts.'
LIFE / Food & Drink / Kanpai Culture
Feb 2, 2025

Sipping down the rabbit hole at Craft Sake Shoten

A chance encounter with sake evangelist John Gauntner led Brian Hutto to reinvent himself with sake as his new focus.
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as his defense chief, Pete Hegseth, speaks about the midair crash between a passenger jet and U.S. Army helicopter on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 1, 2025

Trump’s Pentagon sheds no-politics image in a major reversal

In a break with his predecessors, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has become a major driver in Trump’s agenda.
In addition to the commercial benefits from Ginza Sony Park's music-centered exhibition — such as promoting Sony's artists and products — there is a real effort to put music in focus.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 1, 2025

At the new Ginza Sony Park, listening is an art form

“Sony Park Exhibition 2025” features installations created in collaboration with six music artists: Vaundy, Yoasobi, Hitsujibungaku, Creepy Nuts, Babymonster and Kensuke Ushio.
Olaf Scholz beside a Lockheed Martin F-35 jet.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 1, 2025

Germany rethinks separation of civilian and military research

The debate centers on civil clauses — widely used policies at major research institutions that restrict collaboration with the defense industry.
Trucks wait in line at the Zaragoza-Ysleta border crossing into the U.S. on Friday in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, a day ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's order to impose tariffs on Mexican imports.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 2, 2025

Trump launches trade war with tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports and 10% on goods from China starting Tuesday.
Supply ships that service the offshore oil rigs on Canada's east coast load cargo in in St. John's, Newfoundland, on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 2, 2025

To Trump, tariffs are not a means but an end

What makes U.S. President Donald Trump’s move against Mexico, Canada and China different compared with past uses of tariffs is that he seems uninterested in pursuing deals.
Philippines Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo poses for a photo at the Foreign Ministry in Manila during a recent interview with The Japan Times.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 2, 2025

Manila expects continuity in critical ties with Washington, top Philippine diplomat says

Washington’s backing remains crucial, particularly as tensions with Beijing over territorial and maritime disputes remain high.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato holds a virtual meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 2, 2025

Japan to closely monitor impact on yen of Trump tariffs, Kato says

Kato spoke as the world braces for first salvo in Trump's tariff war, with general levies of 25% on Canada and Mexico and 10% on China.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.