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Consumer prices excluding fresh food quickened for a third month to 3.7% from a year earlier in May.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 20, 2025

Japan’s prices climb by most in two years ahead of Upper House election

Consumer prices excluding fresh food quickened for a third month to 3.7% from a year earlier in May, according to an internal affairs ministry's release Friday.
Iyogin Holdings is ready to jump back into buying Japanese government bonds once a rise in yields runs its course.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 20, 2025

Rural bank plans its return to Japan bonds after winning on Nvidia

Once yields become attractive enough, Japanese government bonds could make up as much as half of the bank's portfolio.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani attend the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 31.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025

Pentagon says Japan must meet ‘global standard’ and spend 5% of GDP on defense

Both allies had been mum on whether the U.S. would press Japan specifically to hit the 5% target amid political sensitivities over the issue.
The HMS Spey, a patrol vessel for Britain's Royal Navy, conducted a routine navigation through the Taiwan Strait that was part of a long-planned deployment and took place in full compliance with international law, the Royal Navy said.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 20, 2025

China calls British warship's Taiwan Strait transit an attempt to 'cause trouble'

Britain's Royal Navy said the patrol vessel conducted a routine navigation through the narrow waterway that was in full compliance with international law.
Katsuya Toji looks at Jizo statues, which his father Kentaro had installed in his garden to honor the men he had executed, on May 13. The statues have been moved to a different location in the city of Fukuoka.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025

Diaries of a Japanese war criminal reveal 'how irrational war truly is,' son says

“It felt like I was sinking quietly into the bottom of a deep sea,” the convicted war criminal wrote after hearing of his death sentence.
Japan’s governance reforms launched in 2015 sparked a surge in M&A and investor activism, but critics warn the resulting foreign takeovers and short-term focus may come at a cost.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 20, 2025

Has Japan's corporate revolution worked too well?

From private equity to activist investors to consolidation among companies fearful they’ll be targeted next, no acquisition seems beyond the pale.
Members of an inspection team check the apparent remains of a ballistic missile in northern Israel on Wednesday following the attacks by Iran.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2025

It will take democracy and regime change to end Iran’s nuclear threat

Thanks to Khamenei, Iran has spent almost four decades on a path to war with Israel, which he calls a “cancer” in the region that must be annihilated.
A helicopter takes off from China's Shandong aircraft carrier in waters south of Okinawa Prefecture in April 2023.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025

Chinese aircraft carriers conducted over 1,000 sorties during Pacific training

Japan says the takeoffs and landings highlight the Chinese Navy’s growing ability to operate in distant seas and airspace.
A model of a next-generation fighter jet that is being developed by Japan, Italy and the U.K. is displayed at the DSEI Japan defense exhibition in Chiba in May.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025

GCAP industry partners launch joint venture for trilateral fighter project

Named Edgewing, the new firm will be responsible for the fighter’s design and development and will remain the design authority for the life of the product.
Candles and flowers adorn a memorial outside the Minnesota State Capitol following the killing of Democratic state assemblywoman Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, in St. Paul on Wednesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 21, 2025

Two days of terror: How the Minnesota shooter evaded police and got caught

The suspect had an imperfect disguise, but it was enough to evade police for two days in the state's largest-ever manhunt.
Protesters hold a banner with a message and images of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a rally in New York on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 22, 2025

Trump’s ‘two weeks’ pause on Iran strikes comes with high stakes

Because by now the world knows that Trump’s "two weeks” could mean two days, two months or never, his delay this time only fed the uncertainty.
An American Airlines plane lands at Reagan National Airport in Virginia on Sunday. The airline suspended flights to Qatar in the days before the U.S. strikes on Iran.
WORLD
Jun 23, 2025

Israel starts 'rescue' flights as airlines reroute across Middle East

With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed due to war, the Middle East has become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia.
Former boy soldier Yoshimitsu Zukeyama speaks of his wartime experience during an interview in May in Ogimi, Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2025

Battle of Okinawa turned child into a 'ghost soldier' still haunted by memories

Emotionally and physically depleted, the boy began to unravel after the war ended, with locals calling him a “ghost soldier.”
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 23, 2025

Ishiba to skip key NATO summit following Iran strikes

Two other invitees — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung — have also decided not to attend the gathering.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte addresses a press conference a day prior to a meeting of The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in The Hague on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 24, 2025

Flatterer-in-chief: How NATO's Rutte worked to win over Trump

Diplomats say Rutte is one of only a handful of European leaders Trump willingly picks up the phone to and that the two text each other.
AI is not only transforming the applications we use; it is also reshaping the very process of software development, threatening to render much of today’s tech sector obsolete.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2025

How artificial intelligence will disrupt Big Tech

AI is already starting to cannibalize established giants and also to reshape the profession of software engineering.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for an address to the nation, as Vice President JD Vance (from left) Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth trail him in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jun 24, 2025

Trump’s Middle East moves raise questions over Indo-Pacific focus

The U.S. military strikes on Iran are being seen as a bad omen for Washington placing its attention more on the Indo-Pacific.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte holds a news conference ahead of a NATO summit, in The Hague on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 24, 2025

NATO’s Indo-Pacific ties risk losing momentum as leaders skip key summit

Analysts say U.S. President Donald Trump’s moves mark a visible shift away from his predecessor's approach to the alliance and the IP4 grouping.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects nuclear warheads at an undisclosed location. Events in Iran are likely to reinforce Pyongyang's belief that nuclear weapons ensure regime survival, with Pakistan and Libya providing lessons on how to get them and why giving them up can be fatal.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2025

Kim Jong Un’s nuclear lessons should trouble the rest of us

Operation Rising Lion has reaffirmed the belief that nuclear weapons are essential to protect a nation from attack.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stands next to U.S. President Donald Trump as alliance leaders pose for a group photo during a NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 25, 2025

NATO lines up ‘big success’ for Trump with new defense spending target

The new target for NATO member nations could give more ammunition to the U.S. in its calls for Japan to spend more money on defense.
Bags of food aid are prepared for distribution by the World Food Program, part of the EU- and U.S.-backed "Grain from Ukraine" initiative, at a warehouse in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on Nov. 19, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2025

Ukraine turns to Africa in its struggle against Russia

By showing countries in Africa that it is a major alternative to Russian food supplies, Ukraine hopes many will begin to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
Five crew members re-create a log boat voyage from Taiwan to Yonaguni island, Okinawa Prefecture, in July 2019.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2025

Rowing from Taiwan to Japan was possible 30,000 years ago, says team

The voyage in a log boat, with no sails, was possible if all the rowers were highly skilled and adjusted their course with the fast Kuroshio current in mind.
Emma Raducanu serves to Maya Joint during their match in  Eastbourne, England, on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jun 26, 2025

Emma Raducanu suffers setback at Eastbourne ahead of Wimbledon

After a difficult year marred by poor form and back problems, Raducanu had hoped for a morale-boosting run at Eastbourne before Wimbledon starts on Monday.
Following domestic economic instability after the real estate market’s 2020 collapse, and global geopolitical uncertainty, wealthy Chinese have sought to establish bases in other countries, including Japan.
BUSINESS
Jun 26, 2025

Japan among most attractive Asian nations for uber-wealthy

The standard of living, health care, and safety and security make Japan attractive to wealthy Chinese expatriates, with Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe their main destinations.
The Xiaomi YU7 electric SUV
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 26, 2025

China’s Xiaomi to launch first SUV as shares near record high

Now valued at $187 billion, Xiaomi is worth more than Chinese EV leader BYD as it grows its footprint in the world’s largest car market.
The United Nations Security Council holds a vote during a meeting on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the bodies headquarters in New York on Feb. 24.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 26, 2025

Democracy shouldn’t be used as an ideological weapon

The democracy-vs-autocracy framing has widened the divide between democratic countries — “us” — and Russia and its allies — “them.”
The U.S. dollar was back at multiyear lows against a basket of other major currencies on Thursday, erasing a brief respite provided by safe-haven flows related to Middle East tensions earlier in the week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025

No love for the dollar as markets fret about Fed independence

Respect for independent institutions such as central banks has long been viewed as a key attraction of major economies, helping anchor economic stability.
Japan is mad about pets, and the Interpets trade fair showed to what lengths some owners will go for their furry friends.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 28, 2025

Cats, dogs, meerkats, goats: Interpets trade fair draws furry hordes

From June 19 to 21, a veritable animal kingdom (and their owners) descended on the Intex Osaka convention center to try new foods and meet new friends.
Australian singer Donna Burke in Tokyo on May 29. People comment on how familiar her voice is when footage of Burke performing shinkansen announcements go viral online.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 27, 2025

A trained star: The Australian singer who became the voice of the shinkansen

The “JR voice” has built a career that encompasses voice work for prominent game franchises including Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy.
Investigators say the group chat members were using pseudonyms to hide their identities, suggesting they were largely unaware of each other’s true backgrounds.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 27, 2025

Teachers sharing indecent photos of girls in a group chat elicits outrage in Japan

The coordinated voyeurism of the teachers came as a strong shock, undermining people's confidence in those in the role.

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