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The factory of Asahi Tekko, which produces parts for Toyota vehicles, in Hekinan, Japan, on Aug. 18
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 28, 2025

The backbone of the global auto supply chain is at risk from Trump’s tariffs

Industry experts expect a devastating effect on the dense networks of auto parts suppliers that make everything from pistons to wiring.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right) and his daughter Kim Ju Ae attend a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, in Wonsan, in North Korea, on June 24.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 28, 2025

How North Korea promotes Kim’s ‘Dear Daughter’ as a worthy heir

Kim Jong Un introduced his daughter to the world in November 2022 with a show of affection and menace, holding her hand in front of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Some 93.1% of Japanese teenagers who struggle with school life said they felt like they “wanted to disappear from the world" at the end of summer vacation ahead of the start of a new term, according to a recent survey released by Yokohama-based nonprofit Daisan Kazoku.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 28, 2025

Most Japanese teens struggling with school find end of summer ‘painful’

In a recent survey, 93.1% of respondents said they felt they “wanted to disappear from the world.”
Many schools in Japan show "Grave of the Fireflies" as educational material to tell the emotionally grueling story of a boy who has no means to prevent his sister from starving to death.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Aug 28, 2025

Can anime carry the memories of World War II?

The medium could serve as a doorway to exploring the complexities behind the war and the horrors associated with it.
A worker wearing protective equipment walks near the Electric Arc Furnace at the 7 Steel facility in Cardiff, Wales, on July 18.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Aug 28, 2025

Sky-high electricity costs hindering the U.K.'s progress toward net zero

Energy bills have stripped firms of money to improve efficiency, deterred the shift to lower-carbon power sources and made wind-farm, pylon and battery production less competitive.
Sakurazaka46, the idol pop outfit formerly known as Keyakizaka46, wrapped up an an 11-night nationwide tour this month.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 29, 2025

Sakurazaka46 wants the world to dance along

The 33-member idol group takes its spectacle-heavy performances on the road — and abroad.
Japan faces a strategic dilemma between an unreliable U.S. security alliance and an assertive China, requiring it to pursue flexible, resilient and multilayered partnerships while avoiding dependence on either power.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 28, 2025

Japan must prepare for a post-American Indo-Pacific

Tokyo must confront an uncomfortable truth: The U.S.-led order that enabled Japan’s postwar success is dead and no one knows what comes next.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends a news conference at the State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Thursday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 29, 2025

RFK Jr. says CDC must more closely align with Trump’s agenda

The comments come a day after the White House fired the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's director following an intense clash over vaccines.
Naomi Osaka celebrates after her win over Hailey Baptiste in the second round of the U.S. Open in New York on Thursday.
TENNIS
Aug 29, 2025

Naomi Osaka shines on way to third round at U.S. Open

Osaka needed just 70 minutes to complete a lopsided win over Hailey Baptiste.
Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
LIFE / Style & Design
Aug 30, 2025

Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones

Tokyo’s tattoo artists say natural dyes and ‘made-to-fade’ inks are helping to push back on the long-held stigma against body art.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a reception at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 9.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2025

Russia eyes China trade revival as Putin prepares for Xi summit, sources say

"Ahead of the visit, officials on both sides are looking into ways to increase trade because the current numbers do not look good," one source said.
The lawsuit accused U.S. President Donald Trump of violating Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook's right to due process under the Constitution by firing her without notice or a hearing.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 29, 2025

Fed Gov. Lisa Cook sues Trump over his attempt to fire her

The case is likely headed to the Supreme Court, where a conservative majority has at least tentatively allowed Trump to fire officials from other agencies.
The Moscow City business center during sunset in Moscow on Thursday
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2025

Russia’s economy poised to grow slower than even tepid estimates

GDP expanded by just 1.1% over the first seven months of the year, according to data from the Economy Ministry.
Despite political uncertainty in Japan, investors in the stock market are banking on an economy that is finally gaining momentum after years of stagnation.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 29, 2025

Japanese stocks tipped to extend record rally after trade deal

The Nikkei Stock Average is projected to rise an average of 10% over the next 12 months from its most recent record high of 43,714.31.
Jesse Kirkwood is part of a vibrant field of translators who have nurtured what might be called a “post-Murakami era of Japanese literature and translation,” one book at a time.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Aug 29, 2025

Jesse Kirkwood: ‘Languages are entire cultural universes with all sorts of baggage’

The Japanese-English literary translator reflects on catching the recent wave of “post-Murakami” fiction and how he balances reading for work versus pleasure.
Emergency service workers at the site a Russian airstrike on a residential building in Kyiv on Thursday
WORLD
Aug 29, 2025

Russian missiles pound Ukraine, damaging EU and British offices

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strike was Moscow's answer to diplomatic efforts to end its war.
Mourners visit a memorial near the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis on Thursday, where a shooting took place the day before.
WORLD
Aug 29, 2025

Minneapolis children revealed courage, absorbed fear during church shooting

The shooter killed two children and wounded 18 teachers and children, including a child taken to hospital in critical condition.
Members of the national guard patrol the Washington's Union Station on Aug. 20. U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S. military might deploy to Chicago.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 29, 2025

In Chicago, locals prepare for Trump's possible deployment of national guard

The state attorney general says he is developing a legal strategy to execute if troops arrived and immigrant advocates are stepping up legal training.
The Ming Yang OceanX in the Qingzhou IV offshore wind farm near Yangjiang, China, on Aug. 8.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 29, 2025

China is running the world's most powerful floating wind turbine

The OceanX is an eloquent symbol of the ambitions of Chinese green technology companies.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe stands on the track at the Diamond League Final in Zurich on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Aug 29, 2025

Sebastian Coe confident gene testing will be completed for Tokyo worlds

Athletes who arrive at the global event without being tested can complete the process in the Japanese capital.
A cargo ship full of containers is seen at the Port of Oakland, California.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2025

U.S. low-value package tariff exemption ends, raising costs for shippers and consumers

The move broadens the Trump administration's cancellation of the de minimis exemption for packages from China and Hong Kong in May.
The Justice Ministry has drafted an ordinance proposing a legally mandated post-divorce child support amount of ¥20,000 per child per month, sources said.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2025

Statutory post-divorce child support to be set at ¥20,000 a month

According to a 2021 welfare ministry survey, only 28.1% of single-mother households and 8.7% of single-father households had actually received child support from the other parents.
Headlining the second day of YouTube Music Weekend is Vocaloid artist Kikuo, who, with 1.46 million YouTube subscribers, is one of the most popular artists in the genre.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 29, 2025

YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global

YouTube's three-day weekend of online performances features a medley of Vocaloid, hyperpop, rock and pop artists in a supportive, cultural festival atmosphere.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 2.3% in July, down 0.2 points from the previous month, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2025

Japan's unemployment rate falls to 2.3% in July

The number of jobless people decreased 4.7% to 1.64 million as more people found new jobs after leaving their previous positions for better opportunities.
A Ukrainian soldier fires a howitzer toward Russian troops in Ukraine's Kherson region in March.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 29, 2025

The 'land swap' that wasn't: Inside Trump's frantic dash for Ukraine peace

A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and a high ranking U.S. official set off a flurry of diplomatic activity.
Japan's chief tariffs negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, expects to visit the U.S. at least once more before the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump issues an executive order to formally lower tariffs on Japanese imports.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2025

Akazawa expects to make another trip to U.S. ahead of executive order

Various consultations need to be completed before the agreement can be implemented, Japan's chief tariff negotiator says.
“Sympathy Tower Tokyo” is centered around Sara Machina, a star architect designing  a new experimental prison in central Tokyo.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 30, 2025

ChatGPT controversy is the least interesting part of 'Sympathy Tower Tokyo'

In Rie Qudan’s futuristic Tokyo, AI and architects take on the prison system.
Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber hits a two-run home run against the Braves during the fourth inning in Philadelphia on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 29, 2025

Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber blasts 4 home runs in win over Braves

Schwarber is the 21st player in big league history to hit four home runs in a game.
A group of Ground Self-Defense Force service members discuss drone operations and capabilities at a joint static display during the Orient Shield 24 opening ceremony at the Yausubetsu Training Area in Hokkaido in July last year.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2025

Japan looks to build drone ‘shield’ in record defense budget request

The Defense Ministry is seeking a budget exceeding ¥8.8 trillion that includes a ¥128.7 billion plan to build a multilayered coastal defense system.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses a ministerial meeting on nuclear power policy held at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2025

Japan to give aid to more municipalities near nuclear plants

The move will make around 150 municipalities in 22 prefectures eligible for the aid.

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’