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A front-page article from July 1950 reported that Kyoto's historic Kinkakuji had been "totally razed" in a fire.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Jul 5, 2025

Japan Times 1950: Kyoto’s ‘Golden Temple’ burns to the ground

The historic Kinkakuji was destroyed in an act of arson in July 1950, a shocking event that would serve as the inspiration for a novel by Yukio Mishima.
A Self-Defense Forces tank unit takes part in parade at Camp Asaka, near Tokyo, in October 2018. The percentage of GDP spent on defense is a politically convenient but flawed metric that oversimplifies the complex realities of alliance management.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 2, 2025

In the Trump era, how much should countries really be spending on defense?

In truth, the “percentage of GDP” approach is a political one, not a practical one
“Fani Mani” marks Kom_I’s return to music, after leaving the genre-bending J-pop outfit Suiyoubi no Campanella in 2021.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 4, 2025

‘Try first, figure it out later’: Kom_I and Foodman’s beautiful mess

Part philosophy and part performance, the musicians' “Fani Mani” is all party.
Karuizawa Distillers, which runs Komoro Distillery in Nagano Prefecture, has teamed up with the city of Furano and real estate developer Seibu Group to open a whisky distillery in Furano.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 4, 2025

Beyond the lavender fields in Furano, a whisky distillery emerges

The region has teamed up with Karuizawa Distillers and property developer Seibu Group to build a state-of-the-art facility to make single malts.
The U.S. Capitol in Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump’s tax bill largely benefits business investors and wealthy Americans.
WORLD / Politics / EXPLAINER
Jul 4, 2025

Who won and lost in Trump’s tax bill

Those hit the hardest by the sweeping package include elite universities and immigrants.
A Xiaomi SU7 sedan in Beijing. Regulators have been finalizing new safety rules for driver-assistance systems as Beijing sharpens scrutiny of the technology following an accident involving a Xiaomi SU7 sedan in March.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Jul 5, 2025

China urges caution — and speed — on assisted-driving technology

Driver-assistance systems are seen by industry analysts as the next big battleground in China's hypercompetitive car market.
Donald Trump addresses the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in July last year.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 6, 2025

Cashing in on his comeback, Trump rescues frail finances

Contrary to the president’s assertions, records filed in a fraud case against him suggest that his riches were not the product of a steady and strong empire.
A pastry chef prepares croissants for sale at a Bakehouse bakery in the Causeway Bay area of Hong Kong on July 25, 2024.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 7, 2025

Butter’s global price surge hits croissants and kitchens alike

Around 70% of the butter exported around the world comes from Europe and New Zealand, and each began 2025 with historically low stockpiles.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been recruiting top artificial intelligence engineers for the company’s new superintelligence division.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 8, 2025

Apple loses top AI models executive to Meta’s hiring spree

The departure of Ruoming Pang marks another setback in the iPhone maker’s struggling efforts in the emerging space.
Anti-government protesters display Bangladesh's national flag as they storm Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's palace in Dhaka on Aug. 5, 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 8, 2025

After the revolution, Bangladesh warms to China as India fumes

One year since protests ousted Bangladesh's PM, a geopolitical realignment risks intensifying polarization — and fears of external interference — ahead of elections next year.
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends the EU-Japan summit in Brussels in July 2023. Economic cooperation between the EU, Japan and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is showing promise but faces political and structural hurdles that could limit progress.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2025

EU-CPTPP talks highlight shared goals and stubborn obstacles

EU economic cooperation with Japan and the CPTPP shows promise but could face political and structural hurdles that limit progress.
U.S. President Donald Trump (center) with Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the White House on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 9, 2025

Trump vows no tariff extension and hardens threats on copper and drugs

The U.S. president stresses he would not offer additional extensions on country-specific levies set to now hit in early August.
A screen displays news on Nvidia achieving a $4 trillion market capitalization on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 10, 2025

AI giant Nvidia becomes first company to reach $4 trillion milestone

The achievement marks new milestone in Wall Street's bet that artificial intelligence will transform the economy.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speak at the Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on June 16.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 12, 2025

Canada just can't win in trade war with Trump

The giant North American neighbors are rushing to conclude a new trade accord by July 21 but the process is proving painful for Canada.
One of the early exemplars of Chinese innovation is a cell therapy that has shown promise to potentially cure a deadly blood cancer.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 14, 2025

China biotech’s stunning advance is changing the world’s drug pipeline

The number of novel drugs in China entering into development ballooned to over 1,250 last year, far surpassing the European Union.
Chelsea players celebrate with the FIFA Club World Cup trophy alongside U.S. President Donald Trump in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday.
SOCCER
Jul 15, 2025

Chelsea's Club World Cup triumph a 'statement,' but what might be the cost?

The side has pocketed a stunning $115 million in prize money from the Club World Cup, but its offseason has been drastically reduced.
A municipal library in Fujikawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, that opened in July 2023, has become a community hub.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2025

Work to consolidate public facilities gains traction across Japan

Municipal facilities such as libraries are increasingly being constructed within government office complexes in a bid to streamline public services.
Nidec CEO Mitsuya Kishida with lion dance performers during the opening ceremony of the company’s Qingdao Industrial Park on July 9
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 16, 2025

Nidec builds made-in-China EV motor to help Toyota catch rivals

About 99% of the materials and parts in the new E-axle motor are from China, said Nidec president Mitsuya Kishida.
The No. 2 (left) and No. 1 reactor buildings stand at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Ohi nuclear power station in Ohi Town, Fukui Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 19, 2025

Kansai Electric eyes next-generation reactor at plant in Fukui Prefecture

This is the first concrete move toward building a new reactor in the country since the March 2011 disaster.
Delta Air Lines last week reported a 5% year-on-year jump in its second-quarter premium ticket revenue, compared to a 5% decline in main cabin revenue.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2025

U.S. airlines reap rewards from premium travel strategy amid demand slump

Strong demand from affluent travelers is helping airlines offset a pullback in spending by price-sensitive customers.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a drone demonstration at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on July 10.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jul 21, 2025

Pentagon looks to unleash ‘military drone dominance’

U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to fast-track the adoption of a boosted number of small drones deployed across the force.
Ichiro Suzuki will soon become the first Japanese player to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
BASEBALL
Jul 22, 2025

Induction of Ichiro has Cooperstown fretfully preparing

The star's entry into baseball's Hall of Fame could bring an influx of fans from far away.
The Maritime Transport Group's medium-size 3,500-ton Yoko-class landing support vessel will be used for rapid transportation of personnel and supplies.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 22, 2025

SDF maritime transport group boosts mobility in contingencies

China's ongoing maritime expansion has heightened regional tensions and increased concerns about a potential crisis involving Taiwan.
The Dragon Bravo Fire burns on the northern rim of the Grand Canyon as seen from Grandeur Point on the southern rim, in Arizona, on July 14.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 22, 2025

Trump staff cuts force firefighters to clean toilets, critics say

The U.S. is grappling with decade-high wildfire numbers this year.
In an era of fierce technological and geopolitical competition, especially in AI, true scale combining size, efficiency and cooperation with allies has become an urgent strategic necessity the U.S. and the West must master to counter China’s growing advantages.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 22, 2025

The AI arms race with China demands scale. The West must think bigger.

The race to create scale is critical amid the sizzling geopolitical competition over leadership in new technologies.
An Amazon Web Services data center in Ashburn, Virginia
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 23, 2025

AI should run on 100% renewable energy by 2030, U.N. chief says

A typical AI data center consumes as much power as 100,000 homes, according to the U.N., and the largest centers now being built will use 20 times that.
Sohei Kamiya, founder of the Sanseito, which campaigned on a “Japanese first” message and tough immigration rhetoric, speaks at a rally in Gunma Prefecture on July 6.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 23, 2025

Ignore the election hype, foreign residents are here to stay

While the number of foreign residents reached a record high last year, it’s still barely over 3% of the total population, low by international standards.
European Council President Antonio Costa (left) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) join hands with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba prior to a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2025

Japan and EU launch trade ‘alliance’ amid concerns over U.S. and China

The new agreement will expand bilateral trade ties, promote business cooperation and explore ways to diversify critical mineral supply chains.
Protesters gather in the streets of western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Wednesday following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to hobble anti-corruption authorities.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 24, 2025

Zelenskyy risks Ukraine EU bid as protests over graft office grow

EU leaders regarded the about-face on more than decade of rule-of-law efforts as a major setback for Ukraine’s bid on Western integration.
Shintaro Suzuki stands by a stone monument that marks the beginning of the pole-and-line bonito fishing method in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Aug 4, 2025

Miyagi city marks 350 years of bonito fishing method

In 1675, fishermen from what is now called Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, taught a village in present-day Miyagi Prefecture a revolutionary technique to catch bonito.

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’