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Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa enters the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 8, 2025

Japan and U.S. appoint tariff negotiators after Ishiba-Trump phone call

Ryosei Akazawa, minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy, will spearhead talks with the U.S.
Ofunato Mayor Kiyoshi Fuchigami speaks during a news conference on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2025

Ofunato forest fire declared extinguished

Officials said Monday that there was no longer a risk of the fire breaking out again.
Toyota is considering transferring some production in the key Tokai region, which is expected to be hit hard in a Nankai Trough earthquake, to the Tohoku and Kyushu regions.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 8, 2025

Japanese makers rush to mitigate possible Nankai Trough earthquake damage

The government is calling on manufacturers to diversify their production bases and suppliers to mitigate the risks.
Japan posted a surplus in the current account balance for the first time in two months, mainly as the trade balance turned into a surplus.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 8, 2025

Japan's current account surplus hits record high in February

The country posted a surplus in the current account balance, mainly as the trade balance turned into a surplus.
A person walks past a logo of Samsung Electronics displayed outside a shop in Seoul on Tuesday. Shares in Samsung jumped after its profit for the first three months of 2025 handily beat expectations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2025

Samsung shares jump after profit gets boost from new Galaxy S25

Inventory stockpiling by Chinese buyers who hurried to secure supply of electronics before U.S. President Donald Trump unleashed new tariffs also provided support.
People walk past an NBA fan store in New York on July 8. The NBA has said it is "exploring" the creation of a professional basketball league in Europe.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Apr 8, 2025

Why is the NBA eyeing Europe?

For several years now, the NBA has wanted to plant its flag on European soil.
Japan is facing challenges with Donald Trump's new tariffs and is considering increased purchases of U.S. goods, negotiating tariff reductions and expanding auto production in the U.S. to reduce the trade deficit and avoid further economic tension.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 8, 2025

What is Japan's play on Trump's tariffs?

Japan had expected some consideration for being the largest source of foreign direct investment in the U.S. from 2019 to 2024, with total investment of around $860 billion.
Donald Trump’s complaints about Japan’s auto market are based on misconceptions, as Japan has not imposed car tariffs since 1978 and American cars fail to meet local preferences.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 8, 2025

The Japan tariff myth that just won’t die

The belief that unfair trade practices are at fault isn’t only false, but also one of those enduring myths that refuses to die.
Brine pools at the Atacama salt flat in Antofagasta region, Chile, in 2023. Local Chilean Indigenous communities are pushing for greater control over lithium extraction in the country just as the government plans to raise production.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 8, 2025

As Chile revs up lithium plans, Indigenous people demand more control

Mining companies describe a potential system as "unprecedented" in Chile, adding that it would comply with international treaties on Indigenous rights.
Rohingya refugees wait at the World Food Program (WFP) distribution center to purchase grocery items at the refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on March 15.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 8, 2025

Trump administration food aid cuts put millions at risk, aid sources say

The U.N. World Food Programme warned that the termination of U.S. funding for emergency food assistance "could amount to a death sentence" for millions.
It’s unclear how much weight Yuichiro Tamaki’s Democratic Party of the People will carry on the path of monetary policy.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 8, 2025

DPP leader floats BOJ rate cut if tariffs throttle economy

Tamaki’s remarks come as the market view regarding the Bank of Japan’s rate trajectory has shifted sharply.
A chemical plant in Mie Prefecture. The number of business failures linked to soaring labor costs and labor shortages increased 1.6 times to 309, the highest since fiscal 2013.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2025

Japan bankruptcies in fiscal 2024 hit 11-year high

The result reflected a surge in the number of bankruptcies due to labor shortages, particularly among small and midsize companies, and rising prices.
George Glass, U.S. President Donald Trump's pick to be ambassador to Japan, attends a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington on March 13.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 9, 2025

Japan gets a new U.S. ambassador — and he has his work cut out for him

The U.S. Senate has voted to confirm George Glass, whose top agenda items include resolving the tariff row and getting Tokyo to spend more on defense.
Shipping containers on the outskirts of Houston on Tuesday. China has vowed to "fight to the end" after Donald Trump further ramped up tariffs.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 9, 2025

Trump tariffs take effect, hiking trade levies to a 100-year high

The latest tariffs push levies imposed on China this year to as high as 104%, along with import taxes on roughly 60 trading partners that run trade surpluses with the U.S.
While AI-generated simulations of deceased loved ones may offer comfort, they raise ethical concerns about consent, reality distortion and the human experience of grief.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2025

AI resurrecting the dead threatens our grasp on reality

Experts warn that AI-driven digital immortality could distort reality and emotional well-being, requiring safeguards against unhealthy dependence.
A National Rally demonstration in Paris on Sunday following party head Marine Le Pen's conviction for embezzlement. The far-right leader and her supporters have decried the ruling as political.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2025

Le Pen ruling unleashes wave of hypocrisy on populist right

Across the globe, far-right populists have gained popularity as protectors of law and order, but Le Pen's conviction in France reveals the shaky foundations of this commitment.
A research team found that brown fat, which encourages the body to burn fat, tended to be more active among those conceived during the colder months, meaning they are less likely to gain weight.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 9, 2025

Japanese team finds people conceived in winter less likely to be overweight

The team analyzed the brown fat of 356 men between the ages of 18 and 29.
Bento boxes and other food items attract visitors at the Sera roadside station in Hiroshima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Apr 21, 2025

10 years on, Hiroshima-Shimane highway boosts logistics and tourism

The Chugoku Yamanami Highway has played a crucial role in regional development since its full opening in 2015.
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.
Hon Hai Precision Industry's chief strategy officer for electric vehicles, Jun Seki, speaks during an interview.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 9, 2025

Hon Hai makes case to build EVs for Japan’s automobile industry

Electrified cars and buses made by Foxconn, as the Taiwanese company is known, will appear on roads in Japan over the next few years, its EV strategy chief says.
Yumi Watanabe (right), head of the residents' association of the Tsubamesawa public housing complex in Sendai, delivers a meal to a resident.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Apr 21, 2025

Disaster public housing complexes in Sendai work to boost interactions

Residents are working with volunteers to organize a children’s cafeteria and other events.
Takayasu during the one-day Annual Sumo Tournament at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Feb 9, 2020
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Apr 9, 2025

Takayasu’s latest heartbreak makes sumo history

The former ozeki now has more second-place finishes without winning a championship than any other wrestler.
Chiharu Shida of Japan in action during the bronze medal match with Nami Matsuyama against Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah of Malaysia at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France on Aug. 03, 2024
MORE SPORTS / Badminton
Apr 9, 2025

Japanese badminton ace Shida blasts 'stalker' Chinese fans

Shida, who won women's doubles bronze at the Paris Olympics, has a strong following in China partly because of her engagement with the local culture.
The Kanagawa branch of the transportation company Maruhari in the city of Atsugi, Hokkaido in May 2024
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 9, 2025

Ex-company president referred to prosecutors over 2024 truck accident

The former president is suspected of forcing an ill driver to drive the truck involved in the accident on the Metropolitan Expressway's Ikebukuro Line.
Noriko Shakti has been living in Goa, India, since 2020 and specializes in the tabla, a traditional hand drum from the Indian subcontinent.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 12, 2025

Noriko Shakti: ‘Music reflects my journey and learnings’

The India-based DJ and producer talks about bridging Indian and Japanese traditions in electronic music and advocating for women’s representation in the industry.
The Nikkei stock index jumped on Thursday morning following U.S. President Donald Trump's pause on reciprocal tariffs.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 10, 2025

Japan stocks rebound more than 9% after Trump's tariff reversal

The Nikkei 225 index closed up 9.12% on Thursday after the U.S. president announced a 90-day pause on the most onerous new tariffs on imports.
A screen displays the Dow Jones Industrial Average and other final trading numbers after the closing bell on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 10, 2025

'Magnificent Seven' stocks ride again as Trump pauses tariffs

The stocks amassed more than $1.5 trillion in market value on Wednesday, easing pressure on tech giants that had tumbled in recent sessions.
A Buddha statue is surrounded by debris on the outskirts of Mandalay, Myanmar, following the devastating March 28 earthquake. A lack of internet access is severely impeding disaster response in the country.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 10, 2025

In Myanmar, internet shutdowns hinder earthquake aid response

Communications have been under control of the military junta since it violently seized power from a democratic government in 2021.
Liverpool's Wataru Endo controls the ball during a match against Newcastle in Liverpool on Feb. 26.
SOCCER
Apr 10, 2025

Liverpool to face Marinos as part of preseason tour of Asia

Liverpool is embarking on a Asian tour in July that will also take the club to Hong Kong.
U.S. Steel shares tumbled as much as 16% Wednesday after President Donald Trump made a fresh remark signaling his opposition to a buyout by Nippon Steel.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 10, 2025

Trump says he does not want to see U.S. Steel go to Japan

Trump told White House reporters that U.S. Steel is a special company, throwing cold water on expectations that Nippon Steel's buyout efforts might start to make progress.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past