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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2025

Support for Ishiba slips ahead of key national vote, NHK survey shows

Support for Ishiba's government stands at 34%, down from 39% in the previous poll three weeks ago, according to the poll conducted by public broadcaster NHK.
The average income of the prefectural governors rose by over 4 million yen from the previous year owing to an increase in revenue from real estate rentals, as well as stock disposals and increased bonuses.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2025

Japanese prefectural governors earned average of ¥24.13 million in 2024

Okayama Gov. Ryuta Ibaragi recorded the highest total income, at ¥122.22 million.
The Bank of Japan's latest <i>tankan</i> survey beat consensus forecasts as the economy held up better than expected.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2025

Large Japanese companies surprisingly optimistic as U.S. tariffs bite 

In the tankan survey, automakers and smaller companies were relatively pessimistic.
The Meteorological Agency said on Tuesday Japan experienced its hottest June on record.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2025

Japan had hottest June on record, says weather agency

With strong high-pressure systems in June staying in the region, the average monthly temperature was 2.34 degrees Celsius higher than the standard value.
The Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm are seen in the Strait of Hormuz on Dec. 10, 2023. Two U.S. officials said Tehran was gearing up to blockade the strait following Israel's strikes on sites across Iran last month.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 2, 2025

Iran made preparations to deploy mines in Strait of Hormuz, U.S. sources say

About one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments pass through the strait, and a blockage would likely have spiked world energy prices.
Norway's Ada Hegerberg reacts after scoring against Switzerland during Euro 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Jul 3, 2025

Norway rallies for win over Switzerland in first match at Euro 2025

Ada Hegerberg's close-range header and a Julia Stierli own goal, both in the second half, gave Norway all three points.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after his victory over Oliver Tarvet at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jul 3, 2025

Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka sidestep rash of upsets at Wimbledon

Alcaraz has won his past 20 matches, a blistering streak that has brought him titles at the Rome Masters, the French Open and Queen's Club.
The share of households with children in Japan slid 1.5 points from the year before to a record low of 16.6%.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 5, 2025

Record 80% of Japanese mothers are employed

The latest survey also found that 58.9% of households felt they were struggling to make ends meet, almost unchanged from the year before.
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2025

Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave

Included among the alerts were the first of the year for central Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture.
China announces new restrictions on government purchases and imports of high-value EU medical devices in retaliation for Brussels' procurement curbs and EV tariffs, as trade tensions escalate.
WORLD
Jul 6, 2025

China retaliates to EU ban with import restrictions on medical devices

Tensions have been rising, with the European Union imposing tariffs on China-built electric vehicles and Beijing slapping duties on imported brandy from the bloc.
A drone view shows part of a fence, put in place by Israeli authorities, in Sinjil, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on May 5.
WORLD
Jul 7, 2025

West Bank town becomes 'big prison' as Israel fences it in

The fence around Sinjil, a Palestinian town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is a stark example of barriers that have become an overwhelming feature of daily life.
Japanese households are struggling to keep up with price increases as salary growth lags.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2025

Real wages fall for fifth straight month in May

The 2.9% decline was the biggest fall in inflation-adjusted pay in Japan in almost two years.
Jannik Sinner (left) speaks with Grigor Dimitrov after the latter suffered an injury during their men's single's fourth-round match at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in Wimbledon, London, on Monday.
TENNIS
Jul 8, 2025

Sinner wins Wimbledon reprieve as Djokovic survives

World No. 1 Sinner and seven-time champion Djokovic remain on course for a mouthwatering semifinal clash.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning his Wimbledon quarterfinal match against Cameron Norrie on Tuesday in London.
TENNIS
Jul 9, 2025

Alcaraz and Sabalenka take contrasting routes into Wimbledon semis

The Spanish second seed dropped four sets in a series of scrappy displays during his run to the last eight, but was at his best on Tuesday.
Defense lawyers countered in final arguments that Mai Nishitaka, who was dating Shuhei Iwaki at the time of the killing, had orchestrated the crime and manipulated him and her father into carrying it out.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 11, 2025

Two found guilty of killing man found in suitcase dumped in river near Tokyo

The duo — the father of the victim’s former girlfriend and a man who was dating the woman at the time of the incident — were jailed 13 years and 15 years, respectively.
Osaka Prefectural Police headquarters
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 12, 2025

Osaka police crack down on crime ring over underage prostitution

The group, made up of roughly 70 members, is suspected of recruiting about 130 underage girls for prostitution through social media.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin attend a Group of 20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 15, 2025

Trump sours on Putin, but bromance may not be over

With his announcement Monday of new arms for Ukraine via Europe and tariff threats on Russia, Trump's bromance with Putin has hit a new low — but it may not have run its course.
At the Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025 awards ceremony, 20 new entries were added to the list, reflecting the increasing diversity and creativity of Asia's bar scene.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 17, 2025

Tokyo nabs four spots on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list

Two of the city’s bars, Bar Benfiddich and Virtu, drop ranks while this year’s list showcases a wider diversity with several new entries from places like Jakarta and Bengaluru.
Misa Kimura is the main producer for Kawaii Lab, a project by entertainment agency Asobisystem whose groups have found success by pairing a social media-first strategy with a fresh perspective on traditional idol-pop tropes.
CULTURE
Jul 17, 2025

Kawaii Lab redefines idol pop for the TikTok generation

The idol-pop project's main producer, Misa Kimura — a former idol herself — is giving her performers more control over their image and sound.
Connor O'Leary comes in an event in California in 2019. O'Leary won the title at the Corona Open J-Bay in South Africa on Friday, his first World Surf League Championship Tour.
MORE SPORTS / Surfing
Jul 19, 2025

Japan's O'Leary beats world No. 1 Dora to take first surfing tour win

World No. 2 Gabriela Bryan won the women's event with a hard-fought victory over Australian world No. 1 Molly Picklum.
A salesperson livestreams inside a BYD showroom in Shanghai on June 22.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 21, 2025

Life atop China’s car market is starting to look shaky for BYD

BYD’s monthly sales have stagnated of late and with the summer months being a traditionally slower time, that trajectory isn’t expected to reverse any time soon.
A U.S. flag is reflected in the windows of the shuttered former offices of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington on Tuesday. Washington does not want any USAID-branded supplies to be rerouted elsewhere.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 24, 2025

U.S.-funded contraceptives for poor nations to be burned in France: sources

Washington has rejected offers from the United Nations and family planning organizations to buy or ship the supplies.
In recent years, Fuji Rock has had fewer blockbuster performers and showcased more top-selling Japanese acts and international musicians' first-time performances in Japan.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 24, 2025

Behind the scenes: Inside Fuji Rock’s strategy for staying on top

With younger fans, more diverse acts and rising global interest, Fuji Rock — one of Asia’s biggest music festivals — is seeing its strongest turnout in years.
A boy and his father walk through the toy section of Walmart in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 29, 2019.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 24, 2025

Toy makers nix batteries and other materials to save costs amid tariff war

The duties imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are particularly painful for companies like Hasbro and Mattel, as 80% of toys sold in the U.S. come from China.
While the pace of gains in consumer prices in the capital slowed in July from a year earlier, the data send a fresh reminder that households are still coping with higher living costs overall.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 25, 2025

Tokyo inflation slows while staying well above BOJ’s target

A decline in utility costs helped slow the overall gauge, but households are still coping with higher living costs overall.
"Simit," a Turkish bagel, is one of the Turkish-style breads found at Pide, a small bakery that also specializes in sourdough.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 27, 2025

Communal knead: A Turkish baker in Kamakura draws queues

Encouraged by the warmth of the local community, Burcu Alkurt opened Pide, a bakery that specializes in sourdough and a variety of Turkish and Nordic-style breads.
Among elderly people age 65 and over, the share of single-person households jumped from 5.0% to 12.1% between 1995 to 2020.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 27, 2025

Use of deceased's person's savings for cremation allowed without heirs' consent

The move is aimed at reducing the financial burden on municipalities, which have often shouldered burial or cremation costs.
The National Personnel Authority in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. The authority, , which makes recommendations for wage changes for national public servants, is expected to recommend pay hikes of at least 3% for central government workers next month.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2025

Central government workers to get a pay bump of at least 3%, sources say

The National Personnel Authority is looking to bridge the wage gap between public servants and private-sector workers.
The Atomic Bomb Dome in the city of Hiroshima. This August marks the 80th anniversaries of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 29, 2025

U.S. public opinion divided over atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

A recent survey, released Monday, was conducted on more than 5,000 U.S. adults ahead of the 80th anniversaries of the bombings.
A fireworks display in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, on Aug. 4 last year. The show has been one of the return gifts for hometown tax donations to the city.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2025

Furusato nо̄zei hometown tax donations hit record ¥1.3 trillion in 2024

Of Japan's 47 prefectures, only Fukuoka, Saga and Kagoshima received lower donations than in fiscal 2023.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person