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A customer buys a Nintendo Switch 2 in Tokyo on June 5. Online outrage over the gaming console’s price, terms and features was loud but meaningless, as record-breaking sales showed once again that internet backlash rarely reflects real consumer behavior.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 25, 2025

The 'internet' hated Switch 2 — consumers bought it anyway

The internet gives consumers a voice they once didn’t have. But separating signal from noise is a challenge — just look at the Switch 2.
Mexican designer Italia Segovia, 26, known as "Kumiko," poses for a picture wearing clothes from her brand Chicanjuku.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 26, 2025

Mexican designer blends Chicano and Harajuku styles

Designer Italia "Kumiko" Segovia says experimentation is great as long as it's from a place of knowledge and respect.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sideline of the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2025

Trump considers more Patriots for Ukraine, saying Putin 'has to end' the war

The U.S. president added that Russian President Vladimir Putin "really has to end that war."
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.
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury during Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jun 26, 2025

Adam Silver says NBA taking serious look at increase in Achilles injuries

Silver said there was no convincing evidence that the length of the season was a factor.
Bags of food aid are prepared for distribution by the World Food Program, part of the EU- and U.S.-backed "Grain from Ukraine" initiative, at a warehouse in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on Nov. 19, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2025

Ukraine turns to Africa in its struggle against Russia

By showing countries in Africa that it is a major alternative to Russian food supplies, Ukraine hopes many will begin to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
A clip of fans getting rowdy to see J-pop outfit Fruits Zipper prompted criticism about the idol fandom’s dark side.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jun 26, 2025

Why are idol fans throwing hands at the racetrack?

A recent Fruits Zipper fan frenzy stirred online criticism, raising questions about the line between passion and obsession in J-pop idol culture.
A banner calling for the resolution of the issue of abductions by North Korea is displayed near the Diet building in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on June 10.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2025

Families of Japanese abductees race against time

Negotiations between Japan and North Korea have remained at a standstill since October 2002, when five victims were repatriated.
It is believed that Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings cannot reactivate the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant's No. 7 reactor until August 2029, when an antiterror measure is scheduled to be in place.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2025

Tepco changes Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear reactor restart plan

The firm has decided to put the No. 6 reactor back online ahead of the No. 7 unit, which is ready to be restarted.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani arrives for a news conference at Astoria Park in New York on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 26, 2025

Wealthy fear ‘hot commie summer’ after Democrat outsider wins mayoral primary

Voters across racially and economically diverse neighborhoods embraced Zohran Mamdani, shocking the Democratic establishment.
Apartment rents in the capital climbed 1.3% from a year earlier in April and May for the largest gains since 1994, government data shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 26, 2025

Tokyo rents rising at fastest pace in 30 years backs case for BOJ rate hikes

Bigger outlays for accommodation are likely to further fuel a change in inflation expectations and behavior among households of all sizes.
Softbank has invested $15 million in a startup's climate monitoring stations that are designed to capture real-time data on wildfires, flooding and greenhouse gases.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2025

SoftBank backs startup building giant floating climate stations

The massive, bullet-shaped helium balloons will monitor climate data and bring connectivity to hard-to-reach areas.
Britain's Competition and Markets Authority spent years setting up a regime to intervene in the operations of tech giants such as Google, only for the Labour government to say its need to grow the economy meant tough regulation was now out.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 26, 2025

U.K. politics blunts antitrust action against Google

Britain's Competition and Markets Authority spent years setting up a regime to intervene in tech giants' operations, only for the Labour government to say tough regulation was out.
Fever guard Caitlin Clark is seen during the second have of a game against the Aces in Las Vegas on Sunday.
BASKETBALL
Jun 26, 2025

WNBA players push for better pay as league soars to new heights

The league's recent $2.2 billion media rights deal, spanning 11 years, pales in comparison to the NBA's $76 billion package.
Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Mei Semones incorporates Japanese lyrics into her music, which blends jazz and indie rock with bossa nova, math rock and a dash of early-1990s grunge, among other genres.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 26, 2025

Mei Semones is the rookie to remember at Fuji Rock

The singer-songwriter delivers her bilingual lyrics and artful blend of jazz and indie pop with quiet confidence.
Tokyo Gas is in talks with at least four U.S. liquefied natural gas suppliers to secure a purchase deal, according to sources.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2025

Tokyo gas in talks to seal long-term U.S. LNG purchase deals

Japan’s largest gas distributor is in talks with at least four companies over supply from projects dotting the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to sources.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and his counterparts pose for a group photo before the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defense Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao, Shandong province in China on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 26, 2025

China hosts Iran and Russia's defense ministers amid 'momentous change'

The Qingdao meeting of the SCO's top defense officials comes as a fledgling ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds after 12 days of fighting between the arch-foes.
The United Nations Security Council holds a vote during a meeting on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the bodies headquarters in New York on Feb. 24.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 26, 2025

Democracy shouldn’t be used as an ideological weapon

The democracy-vs-autocracy framing has widened the divide between democratic countries — “us” — and Russia and its allies — “them.”
The doctoral aid program has recently come under fire from some members of parliament, who point out that nearly 40% of those receiving the support are international students despite the fact the fund aims to foster future human resources in Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 26, 2025

Japan mulls cuts to financial aid for Ph.D. students from abroad

The program, aimed at fostering human resources in Japan, has come under fire amid claims nearly 40% of those receiving the support are international students.
Junko Mihara, minister for children-related policies, said at the start of the meeting that "the government will work as one to advance efforts" to tackle sex crimes against children.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 26, 2025

Japan holds first preparatory panel meeting on sex crime background checks

Junko Mihara, minister for children-related policies, said that "the government will work as one to advance efforts" to tackle sex crimes against children.
Human encounters with bears have reached record levels in Japan, with 219 people attacked and six deaths in the 12 months to April 2024.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2025

Bear roaming runway halts flights at Japanese airport

The black bear appeared at northern Japan's Yamagata Airport early morning, immediately prompting the closure of its runway.
The U.S. dollar was back at multiyear lows against a basket of other major currencies on Thursday, erasing a brief respite provided by safe-haven flows related to Middle East tensions earlier in the week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025

No love for the dollar as markets fret about Fed independence

Respect for independent institutions such as central banks has long been viewed as a key attraction of major economies, helping anchor economic stability.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a televised message, after the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, in Tehran on Thursday.
WORLD
Jun 27, 2025

Iran would strike back if attacked, supreme leader says

In his prerecorded remarks, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised that Iran would not surrender despite U.S. President Donald Trump's calls.
The Justice Ministry in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. Takahiro Shiraishi, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing nine people in the space of two months, was executed on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 27, 2025

Japan executes ‘Twitter killer’ in first hanging since 2022

Takahiro Shiraishi was on death row for killing nine people he met on social media in 2017.
Japan is mad about pets, and the Interpets trade fair showed to what lengths some owners will go for their furry friends.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 28, 2025

Cats, dogs, meerkats, goats: Interpets trade fair draws furry hordes

From June 19 to 21, a veritable animal kingdom (and their owners) descended on the Intex Osaka convention center to try new foods and meet new friends.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Minsk, Belarus, on Thursday. The lack of a common understanding between U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about Putin's goals is seen complicating future diplomatic plans to wind down the war in Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 27, 2025

Following NATO summit, Trump and Europe still at odds over Putin's ambitions

The NATO summit highlighted the widening gap between how the U.S. and Europe see the military ambitions of Russia, the bloc's main foil.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick attends an event at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025

Lutnick says U.S.-China truce signed and 10 trade deals imminent

The move includes a commitment from China to deliver rare earths used in everything from wind turbines to jet planes.
Visitors at Shibuya Station, one of the busiest railway stations in the world. Tokyo ranks second only to London and above Paris, which landed third on online travel booking site Kayak’s list of most popular destinations this summer.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025

U.S. trips to Japan surpass Paris for hot summer vacation destinations

A multiday stay in Japan has become much more affordable for those in the U.S. thanks to lower airfares and a favorable foreign exchange market.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry holds the first meeting of the executive commission since taking over the presidency  from Thomas Bach.
OLYMPICS
Jun 27, 2025

Kirsty Coventry says IOC will take lead regarding gender eligibility in sports

Coventry announced the formation of a working group to lead these discussions.
People demonstrate against Immigration and Customs Enforcement immigration raids and the Los Angeles Dodgers for not offering more support, in Los Angeles on June 21.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 27, 2025

Marine veteran decries father's detention in immigration raid in U.S.

"These are not the standards of the United States government," U.S. Marine veteran Alejandro Barranco said of his father's detention.

Longform

"Shake hands with Lima-chan," a statue that shares the name of the Peruvian capital looks in the direction of Peru, where a sister statue, "Sakura-chan," is located. Erected in Yokohama's Rinko Park in 1999, it commemorates Peruvian-Japanese friendship.
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan