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The Trump administration, in a desperate bid to cushion trade war inflation, is pushing for cheap oil, but $50-a-barrel will ultimately widen the very trade deficit the U.S. president wants to reduce.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2025

$50-a-barrel oil is a problem for the U.S. trade deficit

If oil prices fall to $50, under that scenario, total petroleum production in America will probably decline by 1 million barrels a day by the end of 2025.
Sachiko Ishizuka, who was born via artificial insemination by donor (AID), tells her story to lawmakers from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on April 9.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 15, 2025

Privacy and transparency clash in debate over bill on artificial insemination

At stake is the thorny question of when children conceived through artificial insemination by donor can access information on their biological parents, and to what extent.
Rory McIlroy celebrates with his green jacket and the trophy after winning the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Apr 15, 2025

Rory McIlroy’s Masters win is most-watched since 2018 tournament

McIlroy’s road to his first Masters title was dramatic and likely gave a much-needed boost to the tournament’s ratings.
Iranian missiles are displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran on Nov. 15, 2024
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2025

Would military strikes kill Iran's nuclear program? Probably not

Rather than destroying the nuclear program, an attack could prompt Iran to kick out United Nations nuclear inspectors and drive their program fully underground.
A Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) logo is displayed on a wall in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Tuesday. A recent rout saw TSMC’s forward price-to-earnings ratio hit a two-year low at one point.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 16, 2025

TSMC and ASML outlooks to reveal depth of tariff pain and AI angst

Both have borne the brunt of a broader market selloff, weighed down by both U.S. tariff threats and doubts over future AI demand.
A Bank of Kyoto branch in the city of Kyoto. Kyoto Financial Group has been a symbol of Japan’s old guard holding out against selling the stakes, given its historic ties to exporters based in the city including Nintendo, Nidec and Kyocera.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 16, 2025

Kyoto bank shifts stance on mergers and cuts to cross-shareholdings

Kyoto Financial has been a symbol of Japan’s old guard holding out against selling the stakes, given its historic ties to exporters based in the city.
The start of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah on March 9 last year.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 16, 2025

Team ownership could be next F1 step for Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia first hosted Formula One in 2021, while energy giant Aramco is a global partner of the sport and also the title sponsor of the Aston Martin team.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, his partner Jodie Haydon and chairman and Board President of Tennis Australia, Jayne Hrdlicka, in the stands before the Australian Open final on Jan, 28, 2024
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2025

Australian politicians gifted sports tickets while weighing betting ban

Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had promised a crackdown on gambling advertising following a 2023 report by his government.
India's Akash missiles are displayed during a Republic Day parade in New Delhi in 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2025

India carving niche as budget-friendly arms maker for Russia's past buyers

The effort aims to capitalize on a sourcing scramble since the outbreak of war in Ukraine by nations that had historically relied on Washington and Moscow for weapons.
Tokyo-based Keyaki Capital plans to introduce more private capital funds, including private equity, private credit, real estate and venture capital funds in the future.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 16, 2025

Keyaki Capital starts first Japan online private asset platform

The platform features an open-ended private credit fund currently distributed by Keyaki Capital.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg departs after attending a Federal Trade Commission trial at a U.S. District Court in Washington on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 16, 2025

Zuckerberg defends strategy behind Instagram, WhatsApp deals

The Federal Trade Commission alleges the acquisitions of the two apps give Meta Platforms a social media monopoly, and is fighting to break up the company.
BayStars pitcher Andre Jackson throws during Game 1 of the Japan Series on Oct. 26 last year.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 16, 2025

Baystars pitcher Jackson 'honored' to wear No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day

The stars almost aligned perfectly on Tuesday night for the American, who pitched six strong innings on the day that the baseball world celebrates the Dodgers legend.
The trade war is ratcheting up tensions between Beijing and Washington. Taipei needs to be more prepared. 
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 15, 2025

Taiwan is under siege with or without tariffs

Taiwan must urgently strengthen defenses and unite politically to counter rising threats from China, despite Trump’s trade war.
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.
Under the Economic Security Promotion Act, the government implements a range of measures to secure vital supply chains, from providing subsidies and low-interest loans to coordinating regulations, stockpiling essential goods and protecting advanced technologies.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 16, 2025

METI may list undersea cables and satellites as critical for economic security

The move comes amid an increasingly uncertain geo-economic climate, with global powers becoming more protectionist.
Ilia Malinin skates during an exhibition in Boston on March 30.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 16, 2025

Skating 'Quad God' Malinin ready for Olympic favorite tag

The American, known as the "Quad God," for his dazzling arsenal of quadruple jumps, will be competing in Tokyo this week for the World Team Trophy.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, speaks to reporters in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 17, 2025

Japan and the U.S. begin tariff talks on good terms, but without breakthroughs

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said there are still gaps between the respective stances of Japan and the U.S.
A U.S. security report cites DeepSeek’s ties to Chinese government interests as "significant.”
WORLD / Politics
Apr 17, 2025

DeepSeek poses ‘profound’ security threat, U.S. house panel claims

The committee urged Nvidia to hand over information on sales of chips that the Chinese startup may have used to develop its breakthrough chatbot model.
A handout artist's impression released on Thursday by N. Madhusudhan/University of Cambridge shows the K2-18b super-Earth, a hycean world, in which astronomers say they have found the strongest yet “hints” of life outside our solar system.
WORLD
Apr 17, 2025

Scientists find strongest evidence yet of life on an alien planet

The scientists stressed they are not announcing the discovery of actual living organisms and that the findings should be viewed cautiously.
Students practice dance during a project activity at Hotei Junior High School in Konan, Aichi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 28, 2025

'Voluntary' school clubs face reform amid excessive burdens

Club activities have long been a standard part of junior high and high school life in Japan, but some schools now struggle to form teams.
Sections of the outer loop of Tokyo's Yamanote Line and the Keihin-Tohoku Line will be shut down all day Saturday, and from the start of service through around noon on Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2025

Parts of Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines to be suspended over weekend

The suspensions come as JR East pushes ahead with its Haneda Airport Access Line project.
Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Hanoi on Tuesday. Xi is also visiting Malaysia and Cambodia as part of a charm offensive related to recent U.S. tariffs.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 17, 2025

Cambodia seeking China's financial support as Xi visits amid U.S. tariffs

Phnom Penh is a close partner of China, which has invested billions of dollars in projects including roads and airports and is the country's largest creditor.
A police car enters Insein prison before the release of prisoners to commemorate the Buddhist New Year in Yangon on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 17, 2025

Myanmar junta to free nearly 5,000 prisoners in amnesty

The junta said 13 foreign nationals would also be pardoned and deported, without giving details of their identities or crimes.
ASEAN should use the 90-day pause on Donald Trump’s punishingly high tariffs to develop a unified position and broaden its membership by admitting East Timor and opening accession talks with Sri Lanka.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 16, 2025

ASEAN should expand to counter Trump’s tariffs

It came as no surprise that China would be the hardest hit, but the punishing duties imposed on most Asian countries were a profound shock.
The most common reason for disapproving of the Ishiba Cabinet was that it is not promising, given by 28.9%, followed by distrust of the prime minister at 21.3% and a lack of leadership at 19.8%.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 17, 2025

Ishiba Cabinet approval sinks to 23.1% in new poll

The figure was down 4.8 percentage points from the previous month.
Workers iron items of clothing at a Thai Son S.P. Co. garment factory in Binh Thuan province, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on April 10.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 17, 2025

Vietnam’s factory-based growth model at risk in global trade war

For factory owners, what happens beyond a 90-day pause in tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump is a big question mark.
Foreign tourists gather on a platform at Kyoto Station on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 17, 2025

Tokyo hotel operators face possible warnings over suspected price cartel

It is believed that information sharing among the hotels, such as occupancy rates and average room prices, may have influenced pricing.
Japan coach Eddie Jones (right) shakes hands with France coach Fabien Galthie before a match in Saint-Denis, France, on Nov. 9, 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Apr 17, 2025

Japan coach Eddie Jones at peace after messy exit from Australia

Jones oversaw Australia's worst Rugby World Cup performance at the 2023 tournament in France.
Participants experience para powerlifting during an event in Yokohama or March 22.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 17, 2025

P. United continues mission as para sports groups unite to face shared challenges

P. United remains optimistic about its mission in Year 3.
Marriage proposals in Japan look a lot like those in other countries, but there are traditions that are specific to the country that some people still adhere to.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 18, 2025

Voicing intentions and a peek into a traditional Japanese engagement ceremony

While the basics of a marriage proposal are similar to what happens in most countries, an extra ceremony requires specific gifts.

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