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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.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning against Andrey Rublev during their men's singles fourth-round tennis match at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in Wimbledon, London, on Sunday.
TENNIS
Jul 7, 2025

Alcaraz finds magic touch at Wimbledon as Sabalenka heads to quarterfinals

Women's world No. 1 Sabalenka has yet to drop a set in four rounds at the All England Club as every other top-six seed has fallen.
Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 7. Starovoit, who was fired after barely a year in the job on Monday, was found dead with a gunshot wound hours later in his car outside Moscow.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 8, 2025

Sacked Russian transport minister found dead in his car with gunshot wound

Roman Starovoit, 53, was fired after barely a year in the job, purportedly in connection with a corruption probe in the region he once ran.
A satellite image shows an overview of new rare-earth mines in Myanmar's Shan state on May 6.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 8, 2025

China risks global heavy rare-earth supply to stop Myanmar rebel victory

China has threatened to halt buying the minerals mined in KIA-controlled territory unless the Kachin Independence Army stops trying to seize full control of a key town.
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends the EU-Japan summit in Brussels in July 2023. Economic cooperation between the EU, Japan and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is showing promise but faces political and structural hurdles that could limit progress.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2025

EU-CPTPP talks highlight shared goals and stubborn obstacles

EU economic cooperation with Japan and the CPTPP shows promise but could face political and structural hurdles that limit progress.
Search and rescue teams work along the shoreline as another passes by on a boat in the Guadalupe River in Center Point, Texas, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jul 9, 2025

More than 160 people still missing days after deadly Texas floods

The death toll includes at least 27 girls and counselors from a nearby youth summer camp, with more still missing.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embrace at the G20 Leaders' Summit In Rio De Janeiro in 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 9, 2025

Brazil’s Lula hosts Modi in bid to turn India into a major trade partner

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is desperate to finally crack the code on a relationship that has never fully taken off thanks to a litany of incompatibilities.
The U.S. Supreme Court said the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was "likely to succeed" in its argument that his directives were legally within his power.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 9, 2025

Supreme Court clears the way for Trump to pursue mass federal layoffs

The decision is the latest win for U.S. President Donald Trump's broader efforts to consolidate power in the executive branch.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as Attorney General Pam Bondi (left) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (center) look on during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 9, 2025

Trump signals continuing trade-defense link as tariff talks drag on

The U.S. leader has again alleged that Seoul is taking advantage of Washington on defense spending and burden-sharing — a worrying sign that may also have implications for Tokyo.
The European Parliament's censure vote against Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlights backlash over her rightward shift and, if passed, could force a choice between centrists and nationalists.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 9, 2025

Ursula Von der Leyen faces a moment of truth

Von der Leyen’s ongoing political ambiguity has become a strategic liability at a time when Europe’s allies need clarity.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years