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Fever guard Caitlin Clark is seen during the second have of a game against the Aces in Las Vegas on Sunday.
BASKETBALL
Jun 26, 2025

WNBA players push for better pay as league soars to new heights

The league's recent $2.2 billion media rights deal, spanning 11 years, pales in comparison to the NBA's $76 billion package.
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.
Tokyo Gas is in talks with at least four U.S. liquefied natural gas suppliers to secure a purchase deal, according to sources.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2025

Tokyo gas in talks to seal long-term U.S. LNG purchase deals

Japan’s largest gas distributor is in talks with at least four companies over supply from projects dotting the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to sources.
The National Police Agency has drafted stricter identification rules for secondhand metal dealers in order to prevent the resale of stolen goods.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2025

NPA to toughen ID rules for metal dealers amid surge in stolen AC units

The National Police Agency drafted amendments that would require metal dealers to verify sellers’ identities and keep transaction records for three years.
Two mobile phones show different viral AI-generated videos of people voicing their opinions on the impeachment of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 26, 2025

AI fakes duel over Sara Duterte impeachment in Philippines

Two interviews with Filipinos arguing for and against Vice President Duterte's impeachment have gone viral. Neither are real.
Governments seeking agreements to whittle down country-by-country tariffs U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 2, and then suspended until July 9, have no idea where additional levies will land.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025

Trump’s threat of more tariffs makes U.S. trade partners wary of signing deals

The U.S. might apply levies under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act on a range of foreign-made products in certain industries.
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.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.1% in the capital in June from a year earlier, lower than the median economist forecast but still well above the Bank of Japan’s price goal of 2%.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025

Tokyo inflation eases as energy costs cool ahead of election

Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.1% in the capital in June from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
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.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick attends an event at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025

Lutnick says U.S.-China truce signed and 10 trade deals imminent

The move includes a commitment from China to deliver rare earths used in everything from wind turbines to jet planes.
Visitors at Shibuya Station, one of the busiest railway stations in the world. Tokyo ranks second only to London and above Paris, which landed third on online travel booking site Kayak’s list of most popular destinations this summer.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025

U.S. trips to Japan surpass Paris for hot summer vacation destinations

A multiday stay in Japan has become much more affordable for those in the U.S. thanks to lower airfares and a favorable foreign exchange market.
A monitor in Tokyo on Friday shows the 225-issue Nikkei average exceeding 40,000 for the first time since January.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 27, 2025

Nikkei hits 40,000 level as trade hopes fuel Japan stock rally

Exporters such as carmakers were among the biggest contributors to gains.
Toyota’s global sales that include subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hino reached 955,532 vehicles last month, up 8% from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 27, 2025

Toyota sales hit third monthly record on Japan and U.S. demand

Toyota’s global sales — including subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hino — rose 8% from a year earlier to reach 955,532 vehicles in May.
Maria Seiren, known for winning the first-ever “Japan’s Got Talent” with her opera voice, has also been training in traditional noh theater, creating productions that combine opera, noh and even pop music.
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 28, 2025

Diva of dualities: Maria Seiren sings opera and noh in both a female and male voice

The first-ever winner of talent show competition “Japan’s Got Talent” is having a stacked year with two noh and opera productions and her 10th anniversary album release.
SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son speaks during the company's annual general meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 27, 2025

Masayoshi Son hints at succession plan while chasing AI ambition

Son said he plans to hold SoftBank’s reins another 10 years, but added he has several candidates for its next chief in mind.
Government-stockpiled rice aiming at resolving persisting price rises displayed at a supermarket in Tokyo on May 31
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2025

Japan private-sector rice imports soar in May

Restaurants and consumers are increasingly turning to U.S. brands in search of cheaper prices.
Japan's chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, speaks to reporters at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Thursday, before departing for talks on U.S. tariffs in Washington.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 28, 2025

Japan and U.S. to continue tariff talks as July deadline looms

One focus of the bilateral negotiations is whether the suspension of additional "reciprocal" tariffs on Japan will be extended.
Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda's foreign minister (left), U.S. Vice President JD Vance, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, Democratic Republic of the Congo foreign minister, at the White House in Washington on Friday
WORLD / Politics
Jun 28, 2025

Rwanda and Congo sign peace deal in U.S. after rebel sweep

The two countries pledged to pull back support for guerrillas while U.S. President Donald Trump boasted of securing mineral wealth.
Recent incidents by the world's most advanced artificial intelligence models of lying, scheming and even threatening their creators highlight a sobering reality: more than two years after ChatGPT shook the world, AI researchers still don't fully understand how their own creations work.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2025

AI is learning to lie, scheme and threaten its creators

More than two years after ChatGPT shook the world, AI researchers still don't fully understand how their own creations work.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the entrance of the White House in Washington in April.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 29, 2025

Trump says 'not going to stand' for Netanyahu's continued prosecution

An Israeli court has rejected Netanyahu's request to postpone testimony in his corruption trial, citing inadequate justification to delay the proceeding.
Workers build a scaffolding platform during construction at the Yamal LNG plant, operated by Novatek, in Sabetta, Russia, in August 2018.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2025

Russia tries again to expand LNG exports upended by sanctions

Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian gas pipeline exports to Europe have dwindled, and shipping more fuel via seaborne LNG tankers provides an attractive revenue stream.
The U.S. Capitol in Washington on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 29, 2025

Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill clears first U.S. Senate hurdle

The Senate voted Saturday to begin debate on the legislation just hours after party leaders unveiled the latest version of the massive tax and spending package.
In a world rocked by war and shifting power, Pope Leo XIV steps into the global spotlight, seeking unity and moral authority for a diverse and wounded flock — not with force, but through tradition, saints and patience.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2025

How many saints can Pope Leo add to his army?

When the world goes off kilter, words from the Vatican can seem toothless. But don’t underestimate the power of the Church’s long game.
A Trump hat on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 18
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 30, 2025

Trump deals poised to fall short of sweeping global trade reform

Trump and his advisers have left investors on edge ahead of July 9, offering cryptic signals about which countries were close to agreements and which were off track.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2025

U.K. considers envoy for Britons held abroad

Cases like jailed Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah and imprisoned Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai have highlighted the issue.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg's controlling interest in the tech titan frees him to have the company invest heavily in artificial intelligence efforts.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 30, 2025

Meta spending big on AI talent but will it pay off?

OpenAI boss Sam Altman recently lamented that Meta has offered $100 million bonuses to engineers who jump to Zuckerberg's ship, where hefty salaries await.
Japan's factory output in May fell 1.8% from a year earlier, missing expectations of a 1.6% rise.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2025

Japan’s factory output misses expectations as U.S. tariffs hit

Industrial production increased 0.5% from the previous month, the industry ministry reported Monday.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda announces the start of the circulation of new banknotes on July 3, 2024.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2025

Japan’s new banknotes see slow adoption one year after launch

Roughly 5 billion new banknotes were in circulation as of the end of May, accounting for just 28.8% of all notes in use.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a news conference during a NATO summit in The Hague last Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2025

Canada rescinds digital services tax to advance stalled U.S. trade talks

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump will resume trade negotiations in order to agree on a deal by July 21, Ottawa said.
Food price hikes in July are especially being set for confectionery items such as potato chips and chocolate.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2025

Japan to see markups for 2,105 food items in July

Higher raw material, energy and labor costs are primary factors behind the expected price hikes in July.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji