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Defense Minister Gen Nakatani U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo on March 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 21, 2025

Japan scraps ‘two-plus-two’ meeting with U.S. over defense spending demand, report says

The talks’ cancellation reportedly came after the U.S. asked Japan to hike its defense budget to 3.5% of gross domestic product.
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.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press as workers install a large flag pole on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 21, 2025

Deal, not bombs, seen as only way to end Iranian nuclear threat

For U.S. President Donald Trump, a deal would avoid dragging the U.S. into another regional war or driving up inflation-generating oil prices.
A group of scientists have found an astonishing diversity of microorganisms in tiny pools of melted ice in Antarctica, suggesting that life could have ridden out several ice ages in similar ponds.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 21, 2025

How did life survive 'Snowball Earth'? In ponds, study suggests.

A group of scientists have found an astonishing diversity of microorganisms in tiny pools of melted ice in Antarctica.
Lexus GX 550 SUV is displayed at the New York International Auto Show in New York in March last year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 21, 2025

Toyota to raise U.S. auto prices by more than $200 from July

Some Toyota- and Lexus-branded models will see their prices raised by an average of $270 and $208, respectively.
Military personnel secure the perimeter around the World Forum hosting the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 21, 2025

Can NATO keep Trump on-message about Russia threat?

When leaders from NATO's 32 countries gather for a summit in The Hague, most want to send a clear message: Russia is the main threat to their alliance.
A demonstrator holds a poster depicting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in solidarity with Tehran, in Sidon, Lebanon, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 21, 2025

If Iran's supreme leader falls, what would replace him?

Analysts say Israel is taking a gamble given there is no guarantee new rulers would be any less hard-line.
Flamengo defender Danilo celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Brazilian club's win over Chelsea on Friday in Philadelphia.
SOCCER
Jun 21, 2025

Flamengo fightback stuns Chelsea at Club World Cup

The win built on an impressive record for South American teams so far at the competition.
Tsutomu Uchida has experimented with various cultivation techniques since he started growing avocados in Shizuoka Prefecture in October 2020.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Jun 22, 2025

As Japan warms, avocados emerge as an unlikely savior for farmers

In traditional mikan strongholds like Shizuoka, farmers are growing increasingly concerned about future production and seeing opportunities with avocados.
Canelo Alvarez (left) and Terence Crawford during a news conference in Riyadh on Friday to promote their bout in September in Las Vegas.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Jun 21, 2025

Canelo Alvarez promises Terence Crawford bout will be one of his 'best'

Alvarez, whose record is an impressive 63-2-2 with 39 knockouts, has been a world champion at four different weights, as has Crawford.
An Air India passenger plane on approach at Heathrow Airport in London in January
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 21, 2025

Aviation regulator orders Air India to remove officials

The directive did not detail whether it was linked to the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad, which killed all but one of the 242 people on board.
U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist as boards Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 22, 2025

Israel tells U.S. it could attack key Iran nuke site before Trump deadline

Israel communicated their concerns to Trump administration officials on Thursday in what sources described as a tense phone call.
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.
A person who contracted HIV after losing access to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, works out at a gym in Awka, Nigeria, on June 1.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 22, 2025

Trump aid cuts deal a blow to HIV prevention in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the epicenter of the AIDS pandemic.
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee attends an interview on June 17 in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 22, 2025

South Korean envoy calls ties with Japan best ever

The ambassador called for closer relations in the face of deepening cooperation between North Korea and Russia and pressure from China and the current U.S. administration.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a meeting in the Situation Room at the White House in Washington on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 22, 2025

Strikes on Iran mark Trump's biggest, and riskiest, foreign policy gamble

U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to deliver military strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites is fraught with risks and unknowns.
An under-construction container ship sits at the Daewoo DSME shipyard in Okpo, South Korea, in December 2014.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jun 22, 2025

South Korea counts on shipbuilding to ease U.S. tariff woes

Already hit by sector levies on steel and car exports, Seoul is laser-focused on negotiations over a 25% country-specific tariff.
A banner announcing the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election is displayed at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 23, 2025

Koike-backed party gains seats as LDP dealt setback in Tokyo assembly poll

Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First), supported by Koike as a special adviser, remained the biggest party, taking 31 seats, up from 26.
Arisa Trew competes in the women's vert event at X Games Osaka on Saturday. Trew won the title for her first of two gold medals over the weekend.
MORE SPORTS / Action sports
Jun 22, 2025

Australian Arisa Trew sets new mark at X Games Osaka as Japan athletes shine

Trew, whose mother is Japanese, electrified the crowd at Kyocera Dome with two monster runs in the park final to put her ahead of Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Sakura Yosozumi.
Israeli and U.S. air strikes on Iranian targets have heightened regional tensions, leading airlines to avoid Middle Eastern airspace and suspend flights across multiple countries.
WORLD
Jun 22, 2025

Airlines avoid Middle East airspace after U.S. attack on Iran

Japan's foreign ministry said on Sunday it had evacuated 21 people, including 16 Japanese nationals, from Iran overland to Azerbaijan
A worker checks sunscreen products during the final manufacturing process at a factory for the Japanese chemical and cosmetics company Kao in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 23, 2025

Why Japanese sunscreen is going viral — and selling out

Japanese skincare is getting its moment in the sun thanks to the help of beauty influencers on YouTube and other social media platforms.
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 U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bomber is flanked by four F-22 fighter jets during a flyover of military aircraft down the Hudson River and New York Harbor past New York City in July 2020.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 23, 2025

Decoy stealth bombers and Tomahawk missiles: How the U.S. hit Iran

As one group of U.S. B-2 bombers flew west across the Pacific Ocean, more B-2s flew east — literally under the radar — to attack Iranian nuclear sites.
The Suns agreed to trade Kevin Durant to the Rockets in a blockbuster deal on Sunday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jun 23, 2025

Suns to send Kevin Durant to Rockets in blockbuster trade

"Being part of the Houston Rockets, I'm looking forward to it," Durant said. "Crazy, crazy last couple weeks, but I'm glad it's over with."
Satellite image shows the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, in Bushehr Province, Iran, on May 26.
WORLD
Jun 23, 2025

What are the nuclear contamination risks from attacks on Iran?

President Donald Trump said Iran's main nuclear sites had been "obliterated" in military strikes overnight, including on the deeply buried Fordo facility.
An electric motor, jointly developed by Honda and Daido Steel, for hybrid cars that uses no heavy rare earth metals  is displayed at an unveiling in Tokyo in July 2016.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2025

Honda supplier rethinks China relationship as trade war bites

For Daido Steel, the trade war has meant renewing a push to build rare earth supply routes outside of China.
A person holding U.S. and LGBTQ+ flags stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial, ahead of the presidential inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, in Washington on Jan. 18.
WORLD
Jun 23, 2025

Pride and prejudice: Trump casts shadow on 10 years of gay marriage

At least two sitting Supreme Court justices have indicated they want to revisit Obergefell, which legalized same-sex marriage in the U.S., among other cases.
Malaysian military personnel take part in a seven-day training program in Japan focused on the operation and maintenance of drones, which are set to be provided to Malaysia through Japan's official security assistance program.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2025

Japan aims to double number of military aid recipients this year

Tokyo is looking to add five new countries to its official security assistance (OSA) program, which is intended to help maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Manchester City's Claudio Echeverri celebrates with his teammates after scoring against Al-Ain during their match at the Club World Cup in Atlanta on Sunday.
SOCCER
Jun 23, 2025

Manchester City routs Al-Ain to reach Club World Cup knockout stage

City and Juventus meet in their final group match in Orlando on Thursday to decide which progresses to the round of 16 as the group winner.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’