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U.S. President Donald Trump takes part in the NATO summit on June 24. Trump's unilateral strike on Iran without consulting NATO allies has deepened divisions within the alliance, raising doubts about its relevance and collective security framework.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2025

NATO leaders’ price for supporting Ukraine is their self-respect

Last week’s summit in The Hague focused more on appeasing Trump than serious strategy.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick met with Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2025

Japan-U.S. trade negotiations deadlocked after months of fruitless talks

Trump's comments on Sunday suggest he is in no mood to compromise on tariffs.
Orix shares gained as much as 3.6% in Tokyo on Monday, their biggest intraday gain since April 10.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2025

Orix to sell $1.3 billion stake in Greenko to founders

Tokyo-based Orix agreed to transfer a 17.5% holding in Greenko, out of its total ownership of 20%, to AM Green Power.
Nissan will begin talks this week to seek job cuts at its Sunderland plant in Britain.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2025

Nissan says it will seek voluntary job cuts at U.K. plant

Nissan said the move was aimed at increasing the efficiency of the Sunderland plant in northeastern England to make it a "leaner, more flexible" operation.
A crop field in Oxnard, California, on June 18
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 1, 2025

Immigration raids leave crops unharvested and California farms at risk

In the vast agricultural lands north of Los Angeles, farmers and field supervisors have said that ICE raids have led a majority of workers to stop showing up.
Apple Intelligence would rely more heavily on outside technology under a plan being considered by the company.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 1, 2025

Apple weighs using Anthropic or OpenAI to power Siri in major reversal

A switch to Anthropic’s Claude or OpenAI’s ChatGPT models for Siri would be an acknowledgment that Apple is struggling to compete in generative AI.
A wind turbine at CS Wind in Pueblo, Colorado, in 2023
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 1, 2025

Solar and wind industries see existential threat in U.S. tax bill

The moves by the Senate, as it seeks to cut spending to offset trillions of dollars in tax cuts, "came out of left field” and shocked the industry.
Members of the Taiwanese military take part in the annual Han Kuang exercises in Taoyuan, Taiwan, in July 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 1, 2025

Taiwan to simulate Chinese invasion in major drill

The annual Han Kuang exercises will last for 10 days and mobilize more than 22,000 reservists, both unprecedented in length and scale.
Softbank Corp. is offering $1 billion of dollar bonds in the unit’s first U.S. high-grade deal.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2025

SoftBank unit set to raise $1 billion from its first dollar bond

SoftBank Corp.’s five- and 10-year notes are set to respectively price 0.9 and 1.10 percentage points above Treasuries.
This digital visualization shows the small modular nuclear reactor being developed by Rolls-Royce SMR, which is set to be the first in the U.K. A widely cited IEA report says global data center electricity demand will more than double by 2030 to 945 TWh — more than Japan’s current total usage.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2025

Data centers and small reactors could change Asia’s nuclear dynamic

An estimated 402.74 million terabytes of data are created each day and storing and processing all that information creates virtual volcanoes.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, leaves for Washington on Thursday for his seventh round of trade talks with the United States.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2025

Japan-U.S. trade negotiations stall as Trump fumes 

The two sides remain far apart, and no new talks are scheduled.
The Federal Trade Commission has opened an in-depth investigation of SoftBank Group's acquisition of semiconductor designer Ampere Computing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2025

SoftBank’s Ampere deal now faces a more in-depth review by FTC

SoftBank’s acquisition of semiconductor designer Ampere Computing is facing a potentially lengthy probe by the U.S. government.
A 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander at the Chicago Auto Show in 2023. Last month, Toyota sold 11,577 Grand Highlander SUVs, which its head of brand sales in the U.S. said was the "fastest-turning product in the lineup.”
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2025

Toyota delays EV plans to boost gas-fueled SUV output

The postponement comes amid softening demand for EVs in the U.S.
Qantas Airlines Boeing 737 planes sit at the Sydney airport domestic terminal on Tuesday. Qantas said on Wednesday that 6 million customer accounts were accessed in a cyber hack.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2025

Australia's Qantas says 6 million customer accounts accessed in cyber hack

The breach, Australia's biggest in years, is a setback for an airline looking to rebuild trust after a reputational crisis.
The Central Disaster Prevention Council adopted a revised disaster-prevention plan that will encourage municipalities and logistics business associations to ensure there will be an emergency transportation system should a Nankai Trough earthquake occur, at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2025

Japan adopts target of reducing death toll by 80% in Nankai Trough quake

According to the latest estimate disclosed in March, the death toll from a Nankai Trough megaquake is expected to reach up to about 298,000.
For non-native speakers of the language, diving into Japanese books on a whim might just broaden your horizons and offer a fresh perspective on any topic imaginable.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jun 30, 2025

Japanese language is your gateway to seeing the world anew

Whether you want to learn about regional geopolitics or the history of cheese, reading Japanese books can offer a whole world of new perspectives for non-native speakers.
An oil tanker unloads imported crude oil at Qingdao port in China in 2022.
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2025

Major Chinese ports keep Iranian oil flowing despite sanctions

From January to June, terminals in the port clusters around Qingdao, Dalian and Zhoushan have helped China purchase almost 1.4 million barrels a day of Iranian crude.
Opposition parties are proposing a consumption tax cut as inflation, especially food inflation, remains high.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 2, 2025

Consumption tax cut enters political conversation ahead of Upper House election

The Liberal Democratic Party opposes a reduction in the tax, but opposition parties are in favor of a cut.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in June.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 2, 2025

Japan’s record tax haul leaves questions over Ishiba’s handout pledge

Ishiba’s plan to distribute cash handouts of ¥20,000 per adult is expected to cost around ¥3.5 trillion, according to his Liberal Democratic Party.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday
WORLD
Jul 3, 2025

Swiss say foreign spying threat high, citing Russia and China

The global context has direct implications for Switzerland, a militarily neutral country which hosts multiple international organizations.
Data compiled by the Japan Department Stores Association shows that tax-free inbound sales at over 80 department stores across the country fell by 41% in May from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 3, 2025

Japan’s department store shares lag as tourist splurge slows

Tax-free inbound sales at over 80 department stores across the country fell by 41% in May from a year earlier.
Toyota only lifted prices on some models by a few hundred dollars in the U.S. market in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2025

Japan’s carmakers absorbing tariffs may bolster Trump's position

Just three of Japan’s six major automakers have raised prices in the U.S., and only Subaru’s hike has come close to the 25% tariff imposed on imported vehicles.
Recent preprint research suggests students who use ChatGPT to write essays engage in less critical thinking, with different areas of their brains connecting less often.
WORLD / Society
Jul 3, 2025

'Writing is thinking': Brain study prompts debate on ChatGPT use in education

The recent preprint research suggests students who use ChatGPT to write essays engage in less critical thinking, with different areas of their brains connecting less often.
An event to promote Japan-India cooperation on supply chains for minerals was held at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025

New Delhi event highlights Japan's bid to deepen India ties on critical minerals

The event brought together a total of some 70 companies from both countries, including members of the Battery Association for Supply Chain, a Japanese industry group.
Workers at 5,162 companies affiliated with Rengo secured an average wage increase of 5.25% in this year’s negotiations, according to the final update of pay deals announced Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2025

Japan’s 2025 wage talks conclude with highest gain in 34 years

Workers at 5,162 companies affiliated with Rengo secured an average wage increase of 5.25% in this year’s negotiations.
A container is loaded onto a cargo ship at Hai Phong port in Vietnam. A trade deal secured by Vietnam with the U.S. sets a high bar for Japan's tariff talks.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 3, 2025

Vietnam steals a march and leaves Japan in a tough spot on U.S. tariffs

The deal sets a high bar for Japan and other countries still negotiating with the United States.
Foreign investors bought Japanese stocks for 13 straight weeks to June 27, their longest buying spree since 2013, data from Japan Exchange Group showed.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2025

Foreign buying of Japan stocks hits longest spell since 2013

The persistent buying — despite lingering concerns over U.S. tariffs and still sluggish domestic consumption — likely points to diversification away from U.S. equities.
Japan's deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu is seen anchored at a pier in Shimizu port, Shizuoka Prefecture, in 2013.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025

Japan plans 'world first' deep-sea mineral extraction

Earlier this week the country pledged to work with the United States, India and Australia to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals.

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