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U.S. President Donald Trump has lauded as a major victory a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a case involving birthright citizenship that curbs the ability of judges to impede his policies nationwide.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 28, 2025

U.S. top court in birthright case limits judges' power to block Trump policies

Federal judges have taken steps including issuing numerous nationwide orders impeding Trump's aggressive use of executive action to advance his agenda.
Security personnel keep watch outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology during the visit by the World Health Organization team tasked with investigating the origins of COVID-19, in Wuhan, China, in February 2021.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 28, 2025

WHO says all COVID-19 origin theories still open, after inconclusive study

The global catastrophe killed an estimated 20 million people, according to the WHO, while shredding economies and crippling health systems.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a news conference at the White House on Friday in Washington.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 28, 2025

Trump says he will 'get the conflict solved with North Korea'

Trump also appeared to spotlight fears among U.S. allies that his administration could put their security in jeopardy by not adhering to alliance commitments.
The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has made it a priority to contest court orders that block policies on a nationwide, or universal, basis.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 28, 2025

Trump’s court win opens a path to clear hurdles to his agenda

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has made it a priority to contest court orders that block policies on a nationwide, or universal, basis.
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.
Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, in Washington on June 24. The question of how to handle the fallout from White House decisions may loom large as Powell is set to speak on a panel with peers from the euro zone, Japan, South Korea and the U.K.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 30, 2025

Powell and Lagarde count cost of Trump’s turbulence

At the halfway point of 2025, global policy is almost paralyzed by the need to navigate risks posed both to inflation and growth in the wake of Trump’s actions.
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.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a news conference at the White House on Feb. 7. Trade disputes, defense disagreements and diverging views on the Middle East have strained U.S.-Japan relations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 1, 2025

Is the shine coming off the U.S.-Japan ‘Golden Age’?

Trade talks between the two countries, initially expected to yield a quick agreement, have become a slog with the July 9 deadline fast approaching.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 2, 2025

Trump doubles down on Japan again by threatening 35% tariff

Japan is currently subject to 25% auto tariffs and a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum, as well as a 10% reciprocal tariff that could return to 24% if no deal is struck by July 9.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine "as soon as possible" as the two held their first known phone talks since 2022 on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 2, 2025

Macron and Putin discuss Iran and Ukraine in first talks since 2022

The two leaders also discussed Tehran's nuclear program, with French President Emmanuel Macron suggesting Moscow and Paris work together to de-escalate tensions.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore recently announced a hard deadline of June 30 for cryptocurrency firms incorporated in Singapore and offering services offshore to cease activities.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 2, 2025

Binance to keep hundreds of staff in Singapore despite crypto crackdown

More than 400 Binance workers label themselves as based in Singapore on LinkedIn.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra waves after Thailand's Constitutional Court suspended her from duty pending a case seeking her dismissal, at the Government House in Bangkok on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 2, 2025

Thai leader’s suspension deals new blow to battered economy

Thailand is mired in slow growth, with households burdened by debt, a budget bill outstanding and the threat of U.S. tariffs weighing down expectations.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 2, 2025

Trump hammers away at Japan for a third day, threatening 35% duties 

The U.S. president said he might simply end negotiations and set a tariff rate for Japanese products.
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Jul 2, 2025

Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings

Onosato is listed as yozokuna-ōzeki on the latest banzuke, the first time since 1981 that a new yokozuna has been given such a designation.
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.
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.
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 2, 2025

A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend

The Japan Meteorological Agency has taken to social media to caution that "any such predictions should be considered unreliable.”
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.
The U.S. Commerce Department has told the world’s top semiconductor design software companies that government license requirements for business in China are no longer in place.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 3, 2025

U.S. lifts chip design software curbs on China in trade deal

The move is a sign that an accord reached by both countries in London is indeed being implemented.
Satoshi Kirishima (Katsuya Maiguma) goes into hiding after becoming a wanted man for his alleged involvement in bomb attacks in “I Am Kirishima.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 3, 2025

‘I Am Kirishima’ peels back the mystery of a fugitive radical

Banmei Takahashi's drama gives shape to a man whose face appeared on wanted posters in police stations across Japan — and who stayed hidden for decades.
A Japan day ceremony at the Osaka Expo featuring Myaku-myaku on Thursday in the city of Osaka
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025

Best-selling singer Misia and Hello Kitty celebrate Japanese culture at Osaka Expo

The expo’s national day celebrating its host country spanned culture from contemporary to ancient, in a ceremony featuring calligraphy and gagaku and more.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event hosted by America250 in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 4, 2025

Trump extends his political power with 'big, beautiful' win in U.S. Congress

With its narrow passage of U.S. President Donald Trump's self-styled "big, beautiful bill," Congress has delivered a victory that will further extend his power.
Ubu (Saki Miyashita) is a bounty hunter who takes down cyborg criminals in "Virgin Punk: Clockwork Girl."
CULTURE / Film
Jul 4, 2025

‘Virgin Punk: Clockwork Girl’: Beautiful, brutal and bringing back ’90s anime energy

The first chapter of Yasuomi Umetsu's new "Virgin Punk" project delivers old-school action and animation in a cyberpunk future.
UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogacar rides during the team presentation ahead of the Tour de France in Lille, France, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Cycling
Jul 4, 2025

Tadej Pogacar expresses respect for Tour de France rival Jonas Vingegaard

The 26-year-old Slovenian won the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and world title in 2024 and is the hot favorite again.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during the opening segment of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, in Seville, Spain, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 4, 2025

Blistering heat and empty chairs mar U.N.'s flagship development event

Two key ingredients were in less abundance at the once-a-decade International Conference on Financing for Development: money and power.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to just decide tariff rates himself and send out letters.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 4, 2025

Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations enter uncharted territory

A deal seems impossible as both sides refuse to budge just days ahead of the deadline.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes part in a debate with leaders of seven other political parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 4, 2025

Sizing up the forthcoming Upper House election

Given all that is taking place, this is shaping up to be one of the most unusual Upper House elections in decades.
The exhibition of Fujimoto’s architecture surveys his career to date, as well as looks ahead as shown in his proposal of a future floating city designed in collaboration with data scientist Hiroaki Miyata.
CULTURE / Art
Jul 4, 2025

The future is bright inside the visionary mind of architect Sou Fujimoto

From a model of the Grand Ring you can walk through to a futuristic city design, the architect’s exhibition at Mori Art Museum is an invitation to engage with architecture.
The flooded Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, on Friday.
WORLD
Jul 5, 2025

At least 24 dead in Texas flash flooding, with two dozen young campers missing

Among the missing were 23 to 25 people listed as unaccounted for at an all-girls Christian summer camp located on the banks of the rain-engorged Guadalupe River.
Donald Trump addresses the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in July last year.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 6, 2025

Cashing in on his comeback, Trump rescues frail finances

Contrary to the president’s assertions, records filed in a fraud case against him suggest that his riches were not the product of a steady and strong empire.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan