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Takeshi Yamaguchi, a professor at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa Prefecture, speaks during an online interview on June 3.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025

Okinawa remains at mercy of armed forces, says expert

The prefecture hosts many U.S. military bases, following its occupation by U.S. armed forces after Japan's defeat in the Battle of Okinawa in the closing days of World War II.
Katsuya Toji looks at Jizo statues, which his father Kentaro had installed in his garden to honor the men he had executed, on May 13. The statues have been moved to a different location in the city of Fukuoka.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025

Diaries of a Japanese war criminal reveal 'how irrational war truly is,' son says

“It felt like I was sinking quietly into the bottom of a deep sea,” the convicted war criminal wrote after hearing of his death sentence.
Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil speaks to reporters after being released from immigration custody in Jena, Louisiana, on Friday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 21, 2025

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil walks free after U.S. judge orders release

President Donald Trump has called protests against Israel's Gaza war antisemitic and vowed to deport foreign students who took part. Khalil became the first target of this policy.
A White House official said the United States is  "just laying the groundwork" for possibly revoking authorizations granted in recent years to global chipmakers Samsung, SK Hynix and TSMC to receive U.S. goods and technology at their plants in China, in case the trade truce reached between the two countries falls apart.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 21, 2025

U.S. may target Samsung, Hynix and TSMC operations in China

Revoking authorizations to receive U.S. goods and tech would make it difficult for foreign chipmakers to operate in China.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would have little choice but to provide military support to the U.S. should it decide to strike Iran, security experts say.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 21, 2025

Why a remote U.K. base makes the U.S.-Iran standoff so difficult for Starmer

The standoff drew a fresh spotlight on a remote Indian Ocean base controlled by Britain that has long provided a key staging point for American bombers.
Protesters hold a banner with a message and images of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a rally in New York on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 22, 2025

Trump’s ‘two weeks’ pause on Iran strikes comes with high stakes

Because by now the world knows that Trump’s "two weeks” could mean two days, two months or never, his delay this time only fed the uncertainty.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation alongside U.S. Vice President JD Vance (left), U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (second right) and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the White House in Washington on Saturday, following U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 22, 2025

U.S. attacks three nuclear sites in Iran, widening Mideast conflict

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened more attacks if Tehran doesn’t capitulate, pulling the U.S. directly into the conflict despite promises to avoid new wars.
An Iraqi woman walks past a portrait of Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani (left), and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during protest march in the Kadhimiya district of Baghdad on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 23, 2025

Iran stands alone against Trump and Israel, stripped of allies

Following the U.S. bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities, its partners in Russia and China are sitting on the sidelines, while its proxies are unable or unwilling to join the fray.
A security guard in Tehran stands during a ceasefire early Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jun 24, 2025

Explosions ring out in Tehran despite Trump's order to Israel to stop strikes

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel had carried out no further strikes after Netanyahu spoke to Trump.
Tokio Marine has made a string of big acquisitions in the U.S. in recent years to make up for limited growth prospects at home.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 24, 2025

Tokio Marine hunts for deals abroad and sees room for growth in U.S.

The insurer has the capacity for more deals overseas after generating record profits by selling shareholdings worth tens of billions of dollars.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for an address to the nation, as Vice President JD Vance (from left) Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth trail him in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jun 24, 2025

Trump’s Middle East moves raise questions over Indo-Pacific focus

The U.S. military strikes on Iran are being seen as a bad omen for Washington placing its attention more on the Indo-Pacific.
A teller sorts U.S. banknotes inside the cashier's booth at a foreign exchange bureau in downtown Nairobi in 2024.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 24, 2025

Under shadow of Trump warning, Africa pioneers non-dollar payment systems

The move by Africa to create payments systems that do not rely on the greenback mirrors a push by China to develop financial systems independent of Western institutions.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and his OpenAI counterpart, Sam Altman, attend an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo in early February. The SoftBank founder is now proposing his most ambitious venture yet — a $1 trillion AI and robotics hub in Arizona.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 24, 2025

The magical thinking of Masa Son

The race to lead the world in AI-enabled robots is still in the early stages, but many signs point to China coming out on top.
According to the indictment, U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton assaulted a woman in Okinawa Prefecture for sexual purposes.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 25, 2025

U.S. Marine sentenced to seven years for sexual assault in Okinawa

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton asserted his innocence during his trial, saying he did not try to have sex with the woman or commit violence.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 25, 2025

Trump baffles with sudden U-turn on China buying Iranian oil

U.S. Treasury and State department officials handling Iranian oil sanctions were surprised by Trump’s statement and uncertain how to immediately interpret it.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a news conference during the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2025

NATO's Trump flattery buys time but dodges tough questions

Sooner or later, NATO will have to deal with tough topics of vital importance to it, such as the war in Ukraine, Russia strategy and a likely drawdown of U.S. troops in Europe.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at a news conference Monday that there are "various arguments from the viewpoint of international law" regarding U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 26, 2025

U.S. strikes against Iran create dilemma for Japan

After criticizing Israel's attacks on Iran, Japan would have been accused of adopting a double standard if it did not decry the U.S.' actions.
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.
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.
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.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (left), Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (second from left), Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (second from right) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand together at the start of a meeting of "the Quad" at the U.S. State Department in Washington on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2025

‘Quad’ nations announce critical minerals initiative amid China concerns

A joint statement was carefully crafted not to directly mention China, but the four Indo-Pacific countries made clear a goal of reducing dependence on Beijing.
A Self-Defense Forces tank unit takes part in parade at Camp Asaka, near Tokyo, in October 2018. The percentage of GDP spent on defense is a politically convenient but flawed metric that oversimplifies the complex realities of alliance management.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 2, 2025

In the Trump era, how much should countries really be spending on defense?

In truth, the “percentage of GDP” approach is a political one, not a practical one
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speak as they stand with Mayor of Hiroshima Kazumi Matsui in front of the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima in May 2023.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2025

Hiroshima mayor urges Trump to visit after atomic bomb comments

U.S. President Donald Trump should visit Hiroshima to see the effects of nuclear weapons, the city's mayor said.
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.
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.
Despite trade pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has held firm, constrained by upcoming elections, mistrust of U.S. intentions and growing public opposition to concessions.
EDITORIALS
Jul 4, 2025

As trade deadline approaches, Japan must draw lines

Most worrisome now is a growing sense among the Japanese public that the U.S. is no longer a reliable partner.
A disturbing factor that may ultimately defeat the all-volunteer military force is the growing political division across the U.S., which is diminishing the young people's faith in America.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 24, 2023

U.S. military’s recruiting woes are a national-security crisis

The U.S. military's struggle to entice even the most surefire candidates — the children of veterans — puts the future of the all-volunteer force in doubt.
A man sits on his own at a taco stand on Kokusai Street in Naha.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jul 2, 2023

Peacemaking of a different sort in Okinawa

Through therapy and community outreach, counseling service TELL draws on the personal experiences of its clinicians and support workers to help various communities in Okinawa.
The expansionist era is over for Taiwan's life insurance industry.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2023

U.S. interest rate hikes haunt Taiwan’s $1 trillion life insurance industry

Over the past year, local regulators have repeatedly loosened operating rules after a cocktail of unrealized investment losses.

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