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September 16, 2025
 

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RELATIONS

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shows off a gift from U.S. President Donald Trump as they hold a joint news conference at the White House on Feb. 7.
JAPAN
May 25, 2025
Prime Minister Ishiba aims to advance U.S. tariff talks with G7 summit in mind
Speaking to reporters in Kyoto, Ishiba said there has been progress in negotiations, pointing to discussions on trade expansion, nontariff measures and economic security.
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has proposed setting up a U.S.-Japan sovereign wealth fund to make large investments in technology and infrastructure, according to the Financial Times.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2025
Softbank’s Son floats idea of U.S.-Japan sovereign wealth fund, report says
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has discussed the plan with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, although it hasn’t been formally proposed.
Donald Trump's attempt to bar international students from enrolling at Harvard, along with other actions, undercut America’s image as a land of opportunity, alienating future Asian leaders and diminishing U.S. influence in Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2025
America’s 'wolf warriors' are getting it all wrong in Asia
Trump's actions erode goodwill among future Asian leaders and weaken America's standing in a region once deeply aligned with it.
Sakie Yokota (center) and other family members of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea held a national rally in Tokyo on Saturday to demand the immediate return of all abductees.
JAPAN
May 25, 2025
Families demand North Korea return all Japanese abductees
The rally, organized mainly by the family group and an organization supporting such families, brought together about 800 people, including lawmakers.
An employee of Kyowa Industrial walks next to the company's factory in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 24, 2025
Tariff crossfire hits Toyota, Nissan and Ford suppliers in Japan
Thousands of small and midsize makers of auto parts in Japan, including suppliers for Toyota and Nissan, are facing a crisis as U.S. tariffs threaten their bottom lines.
According to the Aichi prefectural police, the suspect is a high school student in the prefectural capital of Nagoya who returned to Japan after being taken into custody by Thai authorities.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 24, 2025
Aichi police arrest Nagoya teen for involvement in Myanmar fraud ring
The boy allegedly conspired with other suspects to defraud a man from Mie Prefecture who was on a business trip to the U.S. state of Oregon.
Honda's assembly plant in Greensburg, Indiana, seen Friday, makes the hybrid and gasoline versions of its popular CR-V SUV and flagship Civic.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 24, 2025
Honda to boost hybrid vehicle production in U.S.
The automaker will also expand procurement of U.S.-made vehicle parts, including batteries for hybrid vehicles.
The Harvard University shield "VERITAS" sits above a campus entrance gate at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, last month.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / FOCUS
May 24, 2025
Long advantageous, Harvard's China ties become a political liability
The ties have yielded major financial gifts, influence in international affairs and global prestige for the school.
A worker walks near a fishing vessel under maintenance at the Kidoura Zosen K.K. shipyard in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2025
Japan looks to use U.S. shipbuilding cooperation as card in tariff talks
By highlighting its cooperative stance toward the United States, the Japanese government hopes to fend off U.S. tariffs.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, shakes hands with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 24, 2025
U.S. and Japan eye June G7 leaders’ summit for possible tariff deal
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, met separately with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump points as he boards Air Force One en route to New Jersey, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 24, 2025
Trump announces Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel ‘partnership’ deal
Media reports said the agreement signaled the approval of a takeover of the iconic American company by the Japanese steelmaker.
A U.S. government statement this month showed how the Trump administration is seeking to change the ways the U.S. limits China's access to state-of-the-art semiconductors needed to develop AI.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
May 24, 2025
How the U.S.-China chip conflict is evolving under Trump
The Trump administration is seeking to change the ways the U.S. limits China's access to state-of-the-art semiconductors needed to develop AI.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines President and CEO Takeshi Hashimoto speaks during an interview in Tokyo in April.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2025
Japanese gas tanker giant sees difficulty buying Chinese vessels
Washington has issued a flurry of measures since President Donald Trump took office aimed at curbing China’s maritime dominance and reviving its own flagging shipbuilding industry.
A concept model of the Global Combat Air Program's fighter jet is displayed during the DSEI Japan defense exhibition in the city of Chiba on Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 23, 2025
GCAP next-gen fighter joint venture likely to be running by this summer
Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the new business will be responsible for the industrial side of the Global Combat Air Program.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba briefs reporters after his call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 23, 2025
Ishiba and Trump speak as Akazawa heads to Washington
The call raised hopes for a breakthrough as Japan's chief tariff negotiator heads to the U.S. for a third round of high-level negotiations.
Princess Aiko will visit Laos in November, her first official visit overseas, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
JAPAN
May 23, 2025
Princess Aiko to visit Laos in November as first official foreign trip
Japan received an invitation from Laos this month as the two countries celebrate the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. on Wednesday submitted a recommendation to President Donald Trump on Nippon Steel's fraught $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel, a person familiar with the matter said, without providing further detail on its contents.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2025
U.S. panel submits view on Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal to Trump
Trump will now have 15 days to decide the fate of the transaction, although the timeline could slip.
Born and raised in Japan, Joshua Thomson has been making videos on YouTube and Instagram to poke fun at stereotypes and challenge assumptions about — or from — Japanese society.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 23, 2025
Joshua Thomson: ‘Comedy is a pill that’s easier to swallow’
The bilingual YouTuber talks about his hybrid cultural heritage and his aspirations in the entertainment industry.
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena speaks during an interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 23, 2025
As Taiwan looks to boost ‘unofficial ties,’ Paraguay’s leader offers facilitator role
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena stressed his government is “more than willing to support and be a strong ally” to Taiwan.
Masato Morihiro
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 23, 2025
Seven 'JP Dragon' crime ring members detained in Philippines
The seven members, including Hikari Ishikawa, 45, and Masato Morihiro, 37, were wanted by Japanese police on allegations of theft.
SDF spots China’s biggest aircraft carrier for first time
The Fujian aircraft carrier is seen in Shanghai in May 2024 as it leaves for its first sea trial.
Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture
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.
Final weeks of World Expo in Osaka likely to see large crowds
With one month left to go, crowds are expected to swell at the World Expo in Osaka during its final weeks.
Japan's elderly population down at around 36.2 million
The estimated number of people age 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, accounting for record 29.4% of the country's total population, according to the internal affairs ministry.
Strikes on Qatar and Poland shake U.S. sway among friend and foe
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Museum of the Bible in Washington on Sept. 8. Israeli strikes in Qatar and Russian drone incursions into Poland have challenged the U.S. leaders claims of global respect.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.
An aesthetic escape to Hakone’s art-drenched hills
Between traditional examples of fine art and sleek, modern exhibitions that blend with nature, Hakone offers a unique escape from Tokyo's urban sprawl.
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

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’
By Alex K.T. Martin

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