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July 05, 2025
 

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MIDDLE EAST

Ukrainian service members visit the Donetsk region entrance sign site, protected by an anti-drone net and surrounded by Ukrainian brigade flags, on Thursday. The possibility of weaker support and attention from Washington concerns Kyiv.
WORLD
Jun 20, 2025
Ukraine fears being sidelined by Iran-Israel war
However, Kyiv has welcomed Israeli attacks on a country that has directly aided and provided weapons to Moscow for its own strikes on Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in February. U.S. intelligence consistently showed Israel might go ahead with an attack on Iran with or without U.S. support.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 20, 2025
How Trump, a self-proclaimed 'peacemaker,' embraced Israel's campaign against Iran
No epiphany is seen to have tipped the scales for U.S. President Donald Trump so much as a lack of diplomatic progress, a push from Israelis and hawkish ally appeals wore him down.
A satellite image shows the damaged Arak heavy water reactor facilities, following Israeli airstrikes, in Iran, on Thursday.
WORLD / EXPLAINER
Jun 20, 2025
What are the nuclear contamination risks from Israel's attacks on Iran?
The major concern would be a strike on Iran's nuclear reactor at Bushehr.
Mourners attend a funeral for those killed in Israeli strikes, in Qazvin, Iran, on Thursday.
WORLD
Jun 20, 2025
Israel-Iran air war enters second week as Europe pushes diplomacy
The role of the United States remains uncertain. The White House said on Thursday President Trump would decide in the next two weeks whether to get involved in the war.
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.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2025
SDF planes fly to Djibouti to aid return of Japan nationals from Israel and Iran
There are currently around 1,000 Japanese people in Israel and 280 in Iran, according to the Foreign Ministry.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s support for Israel’s attack on Iran has sparked outrage among MAGA loyalists who see it as a betrayal of his anti-war promises.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2025
Trump's MAGA coalition won't survive a bunker-buster in Iran
As the U.S. president weighs whether to join Israel’s war against Iran, a rift cleaves his own base, not to mention the world.
Members of an inspection team check the apparent remains of a ballistic missile in northern Israel on Wednesday following the attacks by Iran.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2025
It will take democracy and regime change to end Iran’s nuclear threat
Thanks to Khamenei, Iran has spent almost four decades on a path to war with Israel, which he calls a “cancer” in the region that must be annihilated.
The anti-interventionist part of the Republican Party is watching with alarm as U.S. President Donald Trump has gone from seeking a peaceful diplomatic settlement with Iran to possibly having the United States support Israel's military campaign.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 19, 2025
Trump faces uproar from MAGA base over possible Iran strike
Some of Trump's biggest Republican allies are in the unusual position of being at odds with a president who largely shares their isolationist tendencies.
Israeli air defense systems intercept Iranian missiles over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv early on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 19, 2025
Trump wraps situation room meeting as Iran plan remains mystery
The White House offered few clues about whether Trump had decided to join Israel's offensive aimed at destroying Tehran’s nuclear program.
Israel’s rapid military gains in Iran have exposed deep vulnerabilities in Tehran’s defenses, but they also raise urgent questions about how far Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to go and at what cost.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 18, 2025
Success in Iran leaves Israel at a strategic crossroads
In Iran, it’s vital that Netanyahu follow his Hezbollah model if his campaign of military shock and awe doesn’t quickly succeed.
Israeli military vehicles maneuver in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jun 18, 2025
Israeli tanks kill 59 people in Gaza crowd trying to get food aid, medics say
Palestinian medics said at least 59 people were killed and 221 wounded in the incident, at least 20 of them in critical condition.
A GBU-57 or Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, known as a "bunker buster," at Whiteman Air Base in Missouri in May 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 18, 2025
Bunker-buster bomb draws focus as Trump weighs Iran options
The U.S. has a wide range of military assets in the Middle East and across the globe to bring to bear in a potential fight against Iran.
A picture of Major Gen. Hossein Salami (left), head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran and a cutout of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a protest in support of Iran, in Baghdad on Monday
WORLD / Politics
Jun 17, 2025
Iraq treads a tightrope to avoid spillover from Israel-Iran conflict
Iraq, which has been for years navigating a delicate balancing act between Tehran and Washington, has long been a fertile ground for proxy battles.
A satellite image shows the Fordo nuclear facility in Iran in January.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 17, 2025
Iran’s best-protected nuclear site is deep underground
Only the U.S. military has the 30,000-pound bomb capable of reaching the facility and the bomber that can carry it.
Smoke billows from an explosion at the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) building in Tehran on Monday after it was struck in an Israeli attack.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 17, 2025
Israel and Iran trade blows as air war rages into fifth day
The Israeli military said Tuesday it had killed Iran's top military commander — a close confidant of the country's supreme leader — amid rising fears of a wider conflict.
Smoke billows from a site in the city of Haifa, Israel, on Monday, following a fresh barrage of Iranian missiles.
WORLD
Jun 16, 2025
Iran lauds 'new method' as missiles hit Israel's Tel Aviv and Haifa
Iranian missiles struck the two large cities on Monday, fueling concerns that ongoing battles between the two archenemies could lead to a broader regional conflict.
Rocket trails line the sky above Jerusalem on Friday after Iran launched a salvo of missiles at Israel.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jun 16, 2025
What is Israel's multilayered defense against Iranian missiles?
The system has been used to defend Israel amid attacks by Iran, which has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and suicide drones since Friday.
Missiles fired from Iran are pictured in the night sky over Jerusalem on Saturday.
WORLD
Jun 15, 2025
Israel and Iran strike at each other as Trump says conflict can be easily ended
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Israel's attacks, which began on Friday, were aimed at sabotaging nuclear talks with the U.S.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on April 7. Netanyahu is playing a risky game by launching a war against Iran that may not stop its nuclear program and could trigger a wider conflict beyond Israel’s control.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2025
Netanyahu’s big gamble risks a quicker Iranian bomb
Whether the air strikes can indeed succeed is a very big "if.” It’s more likely that Israel can do no more than delay Iran’s nuclear program.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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