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September 14, 2025
 

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Japan faces a growing crisis of social isolation, with over 1.4 million people — many middle-aged — living reclusive lifestyles, and experts say only long-term, trust-based community support can reverse the trend.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 16, 2025

Japan needs to rethink how it helps hikikomori

While hikikomori, the Japanese term for acute social withdrawal, often brings to mind young recluses in dark bedrooms, the reality is broader.
Nihonbashi bridge, long overshadowed — literally — by an elevated expressway, is at the center of a multidecade project to relocate the highway underground in hopes of restoring the scenery around the historically significant bridge.
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2025

Tokyo moves to restore open skies over historic Nihonbashi bridge

The elevated expressway is set to be completely removed in fiscal 2040 under a project expected to cost ¥320 billion ($2.2 billion).
Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki looks on from the dugout during a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium on May 18.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 17, 2025

Dodgers' Roki Sasaki may not return this season

Sasaki, 23, landed on the 15-day injured list on May 13 with an impingement in his right shoulder.
New Zealand's Ardie Savea in action against Ireland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Nov. 8
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jun 17, 2025

All Black Savea to skip Super Rugby for Japan sabbatical in 2026

Moana Pasifika coach Tana Umaga said Savea, who was the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year this season, would be welcomed back with open arms in 2027.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had pledged in April to address unspecified concerns from Washington about export controls.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 18, 2025

U.S.-China tech fight widens after Taiwan blacklists Huawei

The move is the first time Taipei has used its blacklist against major Chinese firms.
Workers pack bathroom fittings in a factory of the Taiwanese-owned LCM Group in Kunshan, China, on June 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 18, 2025

Taiwan's entrepreneurs in China feel heat from cross-strait tensions

Safety fears have led many Taiwanese manufacturers to turn to less politically sensitive locales such as Vietnam and Thailand.
Shibuya’s iconic scramble crossing has helped put the district on the map globally.
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2025

Shibuya, Tokyo's coolest ward, offers startups a leg up in Japan

It's offering international entrepreneurs free space, a good address and a wide range of support services.
People take a selfie in front of the presidential residence of the Blue House in Seoul on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 19, 2025

Visitors rush to see South Korea's Blue House before presidential return

Public access to some buildings at the Blue House will be restricted from mid-July as the new president moves in.
Nippon Steel Chairman and CEO Eiji Hashimoto leaves a news conference, at which he discussed the acquisition of United States Steel, on Thursday
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2025

Nippon Steel completes U.S. Steel acquisition after 18-month slog

The firm now owns all the stock of the American steel-maker, other than a "golden share" that gives the U.S. government a degree of control
England's Lucy Bronze says its not just players who receive negative comments on social media.
SOCCER
Jun 19, 2025

England women to avoid 'awful' social media during European Championship

Chelsea forward Lauren James said the abuse never really stops.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attend a state reception in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024.
WORLD
Jun 19, 2025

Russian ties do little for Iran while boosting North Korea

Iran has little to show for its relationship with Moscow as it continues to be pummeled by waves of Israeli attacks.
Science suggests that three days of “shinrin-yoku” (forest bathing) is enough to boost immunity for an entire month.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 21, 2025

The science of shinrin-yoku: Why forest bathing feels good

Science suggests that three days of “shinrin-yoku” forest bathing is enough to boost immunity for an entire month.
Norway's central bank in Oslo. The krone slid roughly 1% against the dollar and the euro after a rate cut.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jun 20, 2025

Oil, war and tariffs tear up global markets' central bank roadmap

Monetary policy uncertainty is one more headwind for markets to navigate against a backdrop of geopolitical and trade risks.
The government aims to promote a drastic review of its rice policy by understanding farmers' medium- and long-term plans on planting areas and others.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025

Japan to survey farmers on rice production intentions

By understanding farmers' medium- and long-term plans on planting areas and others, the government aims to promote a drastic review of its rice policy.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani attend the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 31.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025

Pentagon says Japan must meet ‘global standard’ and spend 5% of GDP on defense

Both allies had been mum on whether the U.S. would press Japan specifically to hit the 5% target amid political sensitivities over the issue.
Japan sees liquefied natural gas as vital to energy security.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 20, 2025

Japan seeks gas past 2050, with AI and data centers set to lift demand

The government expects a boom in artificial intelligence, data centers and semiconductor chip-making factories to revive power demand.
In Tokyo, at least 562 people have been taken to the hospital for suspected heatstroke so far this month.
ENVIRONMENT
Jun 20, 2025

What happened to the rainy season?

The mercury has climbed across much of Japan in recent days, but the seasonal rain front is expected to return early next week.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a speech at a reception hosted by the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 20, 2025

Ishiba calls for expanding Japan-South Korea exchanges

The prime minister said he had very good discussions with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung when they met in Canada on Tuesday.
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 school and surrounding soy fields in an area of the Amazon where soybean farming is expanding, in Belterra, Brazil, in October.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Jun 22, 2025

A corporate deal that protected the Amazon from soy farming starts to show cracks 

Many are taking advantage of a loophole in the Amazon Soy Moratorium, a voluntary agreement signed by the world's top grain traders in 2006.
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.
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 employee welds lithium batteries in Verrieres-en-Anjou, western France, on June 10.
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2025

Europe's lithium quest hampered by China and lack of cash

The bloc's broader energy security and climate goals could depend on securing a steady supply of the key mineral, used in batteries and other clean energy supply chains.
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.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a ceremony in the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN / History
Jun 23, 2025

Okinawa marks 80th anniversary of end of ferocious ground battle

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke of the horrific ground war involving Okinawan residents, noting that 200,000 lives were lost, or about one in four Okinawans.
Japan showed improved performance in the category of “no poverty” but did worse in fields like “zero hunger” and “press freedom” in the latest SDG Index.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2025

Japan ranks in the top 20 on SDG index

Japan was rated 19th this year, behind Estonia and Belgium and above Portugal and Hungary.
While a trained beekeeper can quickly look at frames in a hive assess their health, AI can do it even faster.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Jun 24, 2025

How robotic hives and AI are lowering the risk of bee colony collapse

Beewise’s units help cut down on losses by providing a near-constant stream of information on colony health in real time and give beekeepers the ability to respond.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and his OpenAI counterpart, Sam Altman, attend an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo in early February. The SoftBank founder is now proposing his most ambitious venture yet — a $1 trillion AI and robotics hub in Arizona.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 24, 2025

The magical thinking of Masa Son

The race to lead the world in AI-enabled robots is still in the early stages, but many signs point to China coming out on top.
A Ukrainian tank fitted with protective netting — known as “cage armor” — highlights how the war has favored fast, low-tech adaptations over expensive hardware.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2025

High-tech weapons alone won’t win the wars of tomorrow

To prevail in future conflicts, Western countries must maintain financial flexibility and combine advanced systems with scalable low-tech solutions.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stands next to U.S. President Donald Trump as alliance leaders pose for a group photo during a NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 25, 2025

NATO lines up ‘big success’ for Trump with new defense spending target

The new target for NATO member nations could give more ammunition to the U.S. in its calls for Japan to spend more money on defense.
Japan's cutting-edge railgun successfully strikes target vessel
The Defense Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) conducted a ship-board railgun shooting test from June to early July this year with the support of the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Is America ready for Japanese-style 7-Elevens?
Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life and 7-Eleven, a chain that began in the U.S. in 1927, opened its first store in Japan in 1974 — and then became wholly Japanese-owned in 2005 through parent company Seven & I Holdings.
‘Fairytale’ Shirakawago ranked one of the world’s most beautiful villages
Forbes and Unforgettable Travel Company have ranked Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture as Asia's most beautiful village.
People rush to make furusato nozei donations ahead of tighter rules
A booth from the town of Betsukai in Hokkaido at an Amazon Japan furusato nо̄zei promotion event, on Sept. 5 in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
Aging Japan’s centenarian population nears 100,000
Shigeko Kagawa, Japan's oldest person at 114, in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, on July 30
‘Fairytale’ Shirakawago ranked one of the world’s most beautiful villages
Forbes and Unforgettable Travel Company have ranked Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture as Asia's most beautiful village.
Aging Japan’s centenarian population nears 100,000
Shigeko Kagawa, Japan's oldest person at 114, in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, on July 30
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight
By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons
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