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Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said Wednesday the central bank's stance is to conduct policy appropriately by carefully assessing the remaining uncertainties surrounding tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 9, 2025

BOJ's Ueda conveys wait-and-see stance on U.S. tariffs

He suggests the central bank will see how the tariff measures evolve before assessing the potential impact, and any required response.
A China Shipping cargo container at a port in Long Beach, California, on Thursday
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2025

China slaps 125% tariffs on U.S. goods but will 'ignore' further hikes

The move further deepens a trade war between the world's two largest economies.
U.S. President Donald Trump and his “madman theory” won’t get Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei to scrap his nuclear program.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2025

Why should Iran believe anything the U.S. threatens or promises?

The Iranians — like the Russians — are notoriously shifty negotiators. But so are the Americans, now that they’re led by Trump.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday in Washington.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 16, 2025

Trump calls the U.S.-Japan alliance ‘one-sided.’ Tokyo says otherwise.

Some observers believe the U.S. president’s worldview is stuck in the 1980s, a time when trade deficits with Japan captured the attention of U.S. policymakers.
Donald Trump’s punitive tariffs have dealt a blow to U.S. credibility and the greenback. It’s a bigger leap to project the currency's demise.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2025

King dollar’s reign looks secure — for now

The greenback survived Trump's first term at the pinnacle and will likely endure his second.
People walk past a banner picturing Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sevastopol, Crimea, on March 22. The banner reads: "The West doesn't need Russia, we need Russia!"
WORLD / Politics
Apr 19, 2025

U.S. open to recognizing Crimea as Russian in Ukraine deal

The signal comes as the Trump administration said it is prepared to move on from its peace-brokering efforts unless progress is made quickly.
A drone view shows charred vehicles standing in the aftermath of what Al-Masirah TV said was a U.S. strike on the Ras Issa fuel port, Al Jazirah, Yemen, in this screenshot from video released Friday.
WORLD
Apr 19, 2025

U.S. steps up Houthi campaign with deadly strikes on Red Sea oil port

The attack on the Houthi-controlled port killed dozens of people, according to the Iran-backed militants, raising the specter of a widening conflict in the Middle East.
A draft executive order circulating among U.S. diplomats proposes a radical reduction to and restructuring of the U.S. State Department, which, if implemented, would be one of the biggest reorganizations of the department since its founding.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2025

Trump draft proposes radical reshaping of U.S. State Department

The order would eliminate dozens of positions and departments, including those dealing with climate, refugees, democracy and Africa.
Next year’s FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the U.S., will test whether America — with President Donald Trump pushing tariffs and tough immigration policies — can draw global fans or drive them away.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2025

The White House just kicked a World Cup own-goal

Next year’s FIFA World Cup will test whether the U.S. — with President Donald Trump pushing tariffs and tough immigration policies — can draw global fans or drive them away.
An LNG tanker is guided by tug boats in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, on April 14, 2022. The European Union is looking at ways to make it easier for U.S. gas exports to comply with its methane emissions rules.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2025

EU explores tweaking methane rules for U.S. gas to help trade talks

The European Commission is looking at using flexibilities in how it applies the bloc's methane rules, which could benefit U.S. liquefied natural gas exporters, sources say.
Executives from U.K. self-driving startup Wayve and SoftBank attend an event in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2025

U.K. AI startup Wayve makes Japan debut after Nissan partnership

Earlier this month, Wayve said it was joining forces with Nissan Motor to help build the next generation of its ProPilot driver-assist system.
Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa last week at Haneda Airport. The chief tariff negotiator believes the gap between the United States and Japan on trade issues remains wide.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 23, 2025

Mood shifts to measured optimism in U.S.-Japan trade dispute

Japan has so far engaged in a charm offensive aimed at staying onside while politely poking holes in the president's arguments and expectations.
Katia Beeden, life coach and campaigner for white South Africans who want to apply for U.S. refugee status, speaks at her residence in Fish Hoek, Cape Town, South Africa, on Thursday.
WORLD / Society
Apr 25, 2025

U.S. eyes persecution claims as white South Africans seek resettlement

U.S. President Donald Trump issued a Feb. 7 executive order that called for the U.S. to resettle Afrikaner refugees.
A general view of Muscat, ahead of the awaited negotiations between U.S. and Iran, in Oman on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 29, 2025

Iran proposes meeting with Europeans before next talks with U.S., diplomats say

Iran is looking to build on the momentum of nuclear negotiations with the United States that resumed in Oman on Saturday.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping attend the Group of 20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires in December 2018. Instead of appeasing dictators and shredding alliances, the U.S. should beef up its network of partners. Alone, it won’t emerge victorious from the rivalry with Beijing.  
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 29, 2025

How to make America truly 'great again'

Instead of trying to go it alone, Washington should fix its internal problems and build up its external alliances if it wants to come out on top of the competition with China.
An Indian paramilitary trooper stands guard along a street in Srinagar on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 2, 2025

India renews call for ‘justice’ after U.S. urges de-escalation

Relations between India and Pakistan have rapidly deteriorated in the wake of an attack last week that India and the U.S. have called an act of terrorism.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer host a VE Day 80th Anniversary street party on Downing Street, central London, on Monday.
WORLD
May 6, 2025

U.K. kicks off party to mark 80 years since the end of World War II

Tens of thousands defied the damp weather on the Union Jack-lined Mall to watch the parade, which began with Winston Churchill's 1945 victory speech.
Smoke billows up at Sanaa Airport in Yemen after Israeli military warplanes struck the Houthi rebel-held capital on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 7, 2025

U.S. and Yemen's Houthis agree to ceasefire

The deal comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would end attacks against the Houthis after the rebels agreed to stop harassing ships.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping shake hands during a welcoming ceremony before their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
May 9, 2025

'Friends of steel': Xi and Putin pledge to stand together against U.S.

At talks in the Kremlin, the two leaders cast themselves as defenders of a new world order no longer dominated by the U.S.
Palestinians queue for a portion of hot food distributed by a charity kitchen at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD
May 9, 2025

U.S. says solution for Gaza aid is 'steps away' as aid groups raise alarm

Anticipation has built up about a new aid plan for Gaza, laid waste by 19 months of an Israeli military campaign against Hamas.
Shinzo Abe, then the Chief Cabinet Secretary, shakes hands with former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage during a symposium in Tokyo in July 2006.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 9, 2025

Remembering two titans in Japan-U.S. relations

Their good humor, unflagging optimism and commitment to building a stronger Japan-U.S. alliance continues to shape that partnership.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (second right) and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (left) meet with Japan’s economic revitalization minister, Ryosei Akazawa, in Washington on May 1. In an attempt to ease trade tensions, Bessent and Greer will meet with a Chinese team in Switzerland from Saturday. 
EDITORIALS
May 9, 2025

A moment of hope for U.S-China trade frictions

The U.S. and China will meet in Switzerland to discuss trade tensions, but deep mistrust and structural issues are hurdles they will have to overcome to make progress.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a Lower House committee meeting on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 11, 2025

Ishiba vows Japan will stand its ground, demanding U.S. lift auto tariffs

The U.S. is an important market for the Japanese automobile industry, accounting for about 20% of its total car exports in terms of volume and about 30% in terms of value.
White South Africans rally outside the U.S. embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, on Feb. 15. Dozens of Afrikaners who claim discrimination in their home country left Johannesburg on Sunday. Their departure for the U.S. comes as the Trump administration has halted virtually all refugee admissions.
WORLD / Politics
May 12, 2025

First white South Africans board plane for U.S. under Trump refugee plan

South African authorities say the Trump administration has waded into a domestic political issue it does not understand.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney finishes a news conference in Ottawa on May 2. U.S. President Donald Trump's persistent desire to annex its northern neighbor continues despite Canada's rejection the notion.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 12, 2025

Sorry, America. Canada’s just not that into you.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been tactful but firm. Yet President Donald Trump can’t seem to take no for an answer.
Palestinians struggle to receive food cooked from a charity kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on April 29.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2025

U.N. humanitarian chief slams Gaza aid plan Israel proposed and U.S. backs

No humanitarian aid has been delivered to Gaza since March 2, and a global hunger monitor has warned that half a million people face starvation.
A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is tugged toward a thermal power station in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture, in 2017.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2025

Japan under pressure from U.S. to invest in Alaska LNG pipeline

Doubts over the pipeline's profitability and viability leaves Japan's participation in the $44 billion (nearly ¥6.7 trillion) project uncertain.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's tariff czar, after the first round of talks in Washington. Media reports indicate he may be headed back to the United States next week for the third round of negotiations.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2025

Third round of U.S.-Japan tariff talks may be held next week: report

Akazawa’s two previous visits to Washington yielded no tangible results.
Over 30 years, U.S.-China trade talks have largely failed because Beijing prioritizes protecting its political system, making only symbolic concessions, while Washington struggles to win lasting changes.
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2025

The U.S. will never win a trade war with China

For sure, the 90-day truce is merely temporary relief. As long as negotiations continue as they are, the U.S. will not be able to win a trade war with China
A new U.S. citizen holds a U.S. flag after a naturalization ceremony in Boston on March 11.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2025

U.S. citizenship could soon look very different

Trump's vision tilts heavily toward the wealthy and well-to-do, with special shortcuts for them and barriers to entry for the rest.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight