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July 16, 2025
 

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FOCUS

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin attend a Group of 20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 15, 2025
Trump sours on Putin, but bromance may not be over
With his announcement Monday of new arms for Ukraine via Europe and tariff threats on Russia, Trump's bromance with Putin has hit a new low — but it may not have run its course.
An aerial view from north of the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant. Opposition parties are divided over whether Japan should utilize nuclear power while the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, a proponent of it, has avoided explicitly mentioning its stance in its campaign pledges.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 15, 2025
Energy policy debate falls dormant in Upper House election despite growing risk
Rising tensions in the Middle East have fueled concerns the Strait of Hormuz may be closed, dealing a blow to Japan's energy security.
Emperor Naruhito plays the viola at a banquet hosted by the Mongolian first couple on July 8 in Ulaanbaatar.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 13, 2025
Japan's emperor and empress deepen ties with Mongolia
At the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII, the Emperor and Empress paid tribute to Japanese who died in Mongolia during the aftermath of the war.
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.
Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito (left) and Japanese Communist Party leader Tomoko Tamura and their parties are stepping up efforts to reach out beyond their traditional organizational base.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 11, 2025
Komeito and JCP struggle with aging support base as Upper House poll approaches
Both parties are stepping up efforts to reach out beyond their traditional support base by turning to social media.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 11, 2025
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Growing uncertainty over whether the ruling coalition can retain its majority in the Upper House has given strength to a number of possible outcomes of the election.
Democratic Party For the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki delivers a campaign speech in Tokyo on July 3, ahead of the July 20 Upper House elections
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 10, 2025
DPP appears to be losing its luster as Upper House vote approaches
The small opposition party is in a tight spot amid speculation that it may be losing conservative supporters to right-wing parties like Sanseito.
Tetsuro Kamata (second from left), deputy superintendent-general of Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department, and Hirohide Mori (left), head of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office's public security division, apologize to former Ohkawara Kakohki executive Junji Shimada (second from right) and company President Masaaki Okawara on June 20 in Yokohama.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Jul 10, 2025
Improper law-enforcement interrogations persist in Japan
The Japan Federation of Bar Associations has emphasized the urgent need for further reforms in interrogation procedures.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (background center) talks with local farmers in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, on Friday. The candidates of the Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan are set to go head-to-head for the seat there.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 9, 2025
Districts with single contested seat hold promise of success in Upper House vote
Both the ruling and opposition parties are directing a large part of their election campaign efforts to seats in such constituencies.
In an effort to move past its troubled legacy, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical has replaced its president twice and appointed an external chairman.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jul 8, 2025
Despite leadership changes, Kobayashi Pharma still struggling with reform
The Osaka-based company has replaced its president twice and appointed an external chairman, seeking to reduce the influence of the founding family seen as a cause of the scandal.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 7, 2025
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
In their campaign promises, parties are offering different solutions to problems caused by the record number here to visit, work and invest in real estate.
Women walk near destroyed buildings, with one holding the flag of Hezbollah, in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila in February.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jul 5, 2025
Under pressure, Hezbollah weighs scaling back its arsenal
The internal discussions, which aren't yet finalized, reflect the formidable pressures the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group has faced since a truce was reached in late November.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to just decide tariff rates himself and send out letters.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 4, 2025
Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations enter uncharted territory
A deal seems impossible as both sides refuse to budge just days ahead of the deadline.
A worker installs part of a business-class aircraft seat at the factory of Safran Seats GB in Cwmbran, South Wales, Britain, on Feb. 20.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jul 3, 2025
Airline seat industry crisis delaying jet deliveries
Certification bottlenecks and growing demand for bespoke features make it hard for the fragmented sector to achieve economies of scale after the pandemic.
Opposition parties are proposing a consumption tax cut as inflation, especially food inflation, remains high.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 2, 2025
Consumption tax cut enters political conversation ahead of Upper House election
The Liberal Democratic Party opposes a reduction in the tax, but opposition parties are in favor of a cut.
Sanseito supporters applaud Saya, Sanseito candidate for the Upper House election from Tokyo, and Manabu Matsuda, a candidate from proportional representation, at a public rally at Tsukiji Market on June 28.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 1, 2025
Sanseito touts 'Japanese First' rhetoric to gain support
Some observers say conservative voters who left the Democratic Party for the People are turning to the fledgling opposition party by default.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a conference in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 30, 2025
Party leaders skeptical of three-party ruling coalition after Upper House vote
If the ruling coalition wins fewer than 50 seats, it will either need to work with at least one opposition party for each piece of legislation or invite one to join.
Recent incidents by the world's most advanced artificial intelligence models of lying, scheming and even threatening their creators highlight a sobering reality: more than two years after ChatGPT shook the world, AI researchers still don't fully understand how their own creations work.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2025
AI is learning to lie, scheme and threaten its creators
More than two years after ChatGPT shook the world, AI researchers still don't fully understand how their own creations work.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney take part in an arrival ceremony during the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on June 16.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2025
Trump turns on ‘nice’ Mark Carney with Canadian tech tax ultimatum
The tax became law while Justin Trudeau was still in power and had prompted warnings of U.S. retaliation but Carney went ahead anyway.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama looks on during an event for The Assam Tribune and Dainik Asam newspapers in Guwahati, India, in April 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Jun 28, 2025
Tibetans face up to uncertain future as Dalai Lama turns 90
Tibetans in exile celebrate the birthday of the spiritual leader next week, an occasion overshadowed by uncertainty about the future of the role.
Students in Japan struggle with Japanese language and math sections on national exam
The correct answer rate for the Japanese language section on a national test dropped to 67.0% from 67.8% the previous year among elementary school sixth-graders.
Japan team finds ancient ocean full of squids
The ancient ocean was full of squids, whose population exceeded that of fish or ammonites, a Japanese research team mainly from Hokkaido University has found through a new method using technology.
Japan researchers identify gut bacteria strain that boosts anticancer drugs
Researchers at the National Cancer Center Japan say a new type of gut bacteria named YB328 could help unlock the potential of cancer immunotherapy.
Tourists in Japan have telemedicine options before calling 119
Foreign tourists at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo. More than 1 million international visitors have a medical issue in Japan every year.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
Japanese scientists discover clue to why women burn more fat than men
Scientists say a recently-published study could help explain why women are typically less prone to weight-related conditions and may lead to new therapies that target calorie-burning mechanisms.
Music idol and anime fandom merch is big business
Businesses who cater to fandoms gathered at Tokyo Lifestyle Week for the second annual Oshikatsu — Merch Collection Expo, a trade show devoted to fandom goods.
U.S. urges clarity on Japan’s role in potential war over Taiwan, report says
A Ground Self-Defense Force member conducts a military drill with an anti-ship missiles unit, at the GSDF's base on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2022.
Tourists in Japan have telemedicine options before calling 119
Foreign tourists at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo. More than 1 million international visitors have a medical issue in Japan every year.
Is Japanese skin really ‘too smooth’ for Hideo Kojima’s games?
Hideo Kojima, the leading auteur in Japanese video games, has skirted controversy in the wake of the release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Podcast

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

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa

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