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September 16, 2025
 

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RELATIONS

Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato (right) and Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda wait for a group photograph to be taken at a meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank governors’ in Banff, Canada, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 22, 2025
Japan and U.S. reaffirm commitment to letting markets set currency rates
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have made a point of not discussing a target yen-dollar rate.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Paraguayan President Santiago Pena meet at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 22, 2025
Japan and Paraguay to upgrade ties to strategic partnership
The leaders of the two countries also confirmed that their nations have reached an agreement on an investment pact.
Toyota executives say the automaker is listening to U.S. dealer requests for a truck smaller than the brand’s best-selling Tacoma midsize and Tundra full-size pickups.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2025
Toyota considers making tiny trucks for U.S. market as demand booms
Full-size and midsize pickups dominate the U.S. market, but their price — along with their size — have increased steadily in recent years.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's top tariff negotiator, is set to visit Washington to have talks with U.S. officials as early as Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2025
Japan and U.S. may hold third round of tariff talks as early as Saturday
Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is set to make a three-day visit to the U.S. from Friday.
A spokesperson for Taiwan's Foreign Ministry has expressed regret that Taiwan was not invited to this year's peace memorial ceremony in Nagasaki, which will be held on Aug. 9 to mark the anniversary of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing.
JAPAN
May 21, 2025
Taiwan voices regret over Nagasaki peace ceremony snub
Taiwan remains determined to continue cooperation with like-minded partners and to protect regional peace and stability, said spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei.
Lists containing the names and details of members of biological warfare units that the former Imperial Japanese Army had stationed in China
JAPAN
May 21, 2025
Name lists of former Imperial Japanese Army biowarfare units released
The National Archives has disclosed details of the members of two units based in China to researchers looking to uncover the mysteries surrounding them.
An aircraft approaches Haneda Airport. During the month of June, many travelers from South Korea landing at the airport will be eligible for fast-track entry procedures.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2025
Japan and South Korea to trial priority lanes for travel between the countries
The one-month trial program in June will be available to passport holders from either country who have visited the other at least once within the previous year.
Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2025
Nippon Steel says it is confident Trump's buyout concerns have been addressed
Wednesday is the deadline for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review Nippon Steel's acquisition plan again.
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate for South Korea's Democratic Party, gestures during an election campaign rally in Seoul on Monday. Officials in Tokyo are closely watching Lee’s remarks for hints of how bilateral relations could shift if he is elected.
JAPAN / Politics
May 21, 2025
South Korean presidential front-runner says he's not hostile toward Japan
Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung has in recent months sought to highlight a more centrist agenda ahead of the presidential election.
A RAV4 model in 2018. The latest generation of the compact crossover available later this year comes equipped with a standard or plug-in hybrid powertrain, dropping the gas-powered option that makes up the bulk of current sales in the U.S.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2025
Toyota takes all-hybrid plunge with its bestselling U.S. vehicle
Toyota has long been skeptical of the industry push to go all-in on fully electric vehicles, opting instead for a multipronged approach.
It was reported that Malaysia would deploy 3,000 units of Huawei’s primary AI offering by 2026.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 21, 2025
Malaysia downplays Huawei deal as U.S. checks China’s AI reach
The move underscores the Asian nation’s delicate position in the U.S.-Chinese AI race.
A CATL recruitment advertisement in Germany
BUSINESS / Tech
May 21, 2025
CATL's $2 billion German plant boosts China’s invest-abroad bet
"I see ourselves as a blueprint for Chinese companies who are looking to expand in Europe,” said Matthias Zentgraf, the battery giant’s European president.
If tax exemptions are revised, small parcels containing products bought from Shein and PDD Holdings' Temu shipped into Japan could be subject to the country’s sales tax, which mostly stands at 10%.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2025
Japan considers taxing small parcels as Shein and Temu expand
An experts group has discussed problems related to existing exemptions, including concerns about the channel being a conduit for illegal drugs and counterfeit goods.
Singaporean Ambassador to Japan Ong Eng Chuan says his country hopes to “collaborate closely” with Japan in the area of quantum computing technology.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 20, 2025
Singapore envoy eyes stronger cyber and digital links with Japan
Quantum computing is one particular area of interest as Japan develops its technical capability via a collaboration with Intel.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, at a news conference on Tuesday. He said that when Japan states it wants the tariffs reviewed, it means Tokyo wants them removed.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2025
Japan confirms hard-line position ahead of possible tariff talks in Washington
Tokyo wants all new levies put into place by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump completely removed.
Teru Hasegawa, Esperanto name Verda Majo, wrote leftist political essays during WWII.
CULTURE / Books
May 20, 2025
A window into the mind of Esperantist and political activist Teru Hasegawa
During WWII, a young Japanese woman resisted her country's descent into fascism by writing leftist essays, now collected and translated in "Whispers of a Storm."
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are expected to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of a G7 finance leaders' gathering to be held this week in Canada.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2025
Japan’s Kato plans Bessent meet to discuss topics including FX
The yen gained to as much as ¥144.73 against the dollar following Kato’s remark, after trading around ¥145.50 earlier in the morning.
Huawei Technologies has unveiled its first in-house operating system for personal computers.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 20, 2025
Huawei unveils in-house operating system to replace Windows
The rollout of HarmonyOS on the company's new laptops comes as China pushes to replace American technologies amid rising geopolitical tensions.
A Huawei Ascend AI chip. The U.S. Commerce Department had said in a statement last week that it was issuing guidance to make clear that the use of the Huawei chips is a breach of the U.S. government’s export controls.
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2025
China says U.S. warnings on Huawei chips undermine their recent trade talks
The U.S. Commerce Department's warnings specify that the use of Huawei Ascend chips amounts to a breach of the U.S. government’s export controls.
The supercharged investment pledge, up from an initial $1.4 billion, was pitched as part of a last-ditch effort to win approval of the merger, which has drawn fire from both U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2025
Nippon Steel eyes billions more in U.S. Steel investments if Trump green-lights deal
It is unclear if the billions in new investment will be enough to sway Trump, though two sources said his administration sought the increased investment.
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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