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November 10, 2025
 

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TRADE

Cargo ships wait in the anchor zone to cross the Panama Canal from the Pacific entrance near Panama City, Panama, on Sept. 1, 2023. Ships have been waiting for days as the congestion to cross from both sides increase due to intense droughts in the country.
WORLD / Society
Jan 3, 2024
Saving the Panama Canal will take years and cost billions, if it’s even possible
Climate change-induced drought is limiting the number of ships on the waterway, which handles about 46% of containers moving from Northeast Asia to the U.S. East Coast.
The Maersk Sentosa container ship sails southbound to exit the Suez Canal on Dec. 21.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 3, 2024
Maersk decides Red Sea too unsafe for its ships for now
The decision to reroute vessels from the vital trade corridor was made after another of its container ships came under attack from Houthi militants.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Mason steams through the Atlantic Ocean. Tehran's dispatch of a warship to the Red Sea takes the projection of Iranian power in the region to another level but it is unlikely to want direct confrontation — its old frigate is no match for the U.S.-led maritime task force patrolling the waters off Yemen.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 3, 2024
Iran’s Red Sea power play raises fears of trade disruption
Tehran's dispatch of a warship to the region emboldens Yemen's Houthis, who are attacking vessels headed to or owned by firms in Israel.
The ASML headquarters and factory in Veldhoven, Netherlands
WORLD / Politics
Jan 2, 2024
U.S. pushed Dutch tech company to block Chinese sales
ASML had licenses to ship three top-of-the-line deep ultraviolet lithography machines to Chinese firms until January, when new Dutch restrictions took full effect.
A Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in this photo released on Nov. 20.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 29, 2023
U.S. allies reluctant on Red Sea task force
Italy and Spain have issued statements appearing to distance themselves from Operation Prosperity Guardian.
Supporters hoist a giant Taiwan national flag during a campaign rally for Kuomintang ahead of Taiwan's presidential election, in Taipei on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 27, 2023
Whisky and a coal 'shack': Taiwan election is not only about China
The candidates are exchanging blows over everything from property disputes to whether drinking whiskey is out of touch.
An image from Dec. 9 appears to show the Russian container ship Angara, sanctioned by the U.S., unloading cargo at Najin port while containers from North Korea await loading at an adjacent pier.
WORLD
Dec 27, 2023
Ghost ships at reawakened North Korea port put Ukraine in peril
The vessels are suspected to be delivering arms to Russia that eventually make their way to the frontlines of Vladimir Putin's invasion.
The yuan's stealthy climb in global payments could see it pose a challenge to the U.S. dollar's dominance.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2023
The yuan is finally showing some muscle in international trade
The yuan's stealthy climb in global payments could see it pose a challenge to the U.S. dollar's dominance.
Former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2023
Japan must further ease arms export rules, ex-defense chief says
Itsunori Onodera said he would press ahead with ruling coalition discussions on broadening the scope of allowable exports.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 24, 2023
Japan is critical to linking the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East
As Japan enters the Year of the Dragon, it has an opportunity to link the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East in a way that benefits everyone.
The SKS Doyles crude oil tanker sails through the Suez Canal on Thursday.
WORLD
Dec 24, 2023
Iran dismisses U.S. intelligence tying it to Red Sea attacks
The White House said that Iran was "deeply involved” in the planning of the Houthi attacks and has supplied weapons, financial support and training.
A Houthi fighter stands on the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in a photo released Nov. 20.
WORLD
Dec 23, 2023
U.S. says Red Sea patrol will be able to thwart Houthi attacks
The force will patrol "the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to respond to and assist as necessary commercial vessels,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2023
In major shift, Japan eases rules on exporting defense gear
The policy change could see Japan make its first export of lethal military equipment as early as next year.
An employee inspects integrated circuit boards at a factory in Suzhou, China.
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2023
U.S. to scrutinize Chinese chipmakers as Biden mulls tariffs
Over 100 companies in various sectors to be surveyed on their procurement and use of legacy chips
Workers disassemble vehicle battery packs in a workshop in Dongguan, China.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 22, 2023
China bans export of rare earths processing tech over security
China has significantly tightened rules guiding exports of several metals this year, in an escalating battle with the West over control of key minerals.
A U.S. Steel coke works in Clairton, Pennsylvania
EDITORIALS
Dec 22, 2023
A steel deal that’s good for Japan and the U.S.
Nippon Steel’s announcement that it plans to purchase U.S. Steel has triggered an uproar in the United States.
The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats after being hijacked in the Red Sea in this photo released on Nov. 20.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 21, 2023
Exporters explore flights to avoid deepening Red Sea bottleneck
Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have stepped up attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since Nov. 19.
Fishermen land scallops at Nemuro Port in Nemuro, Hokkaido, in April 2022.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2023
Japan to test scallop processing in Mexico
Under the plan scallops will be processed in Ensenada in the Mexican state of Baja California, about 100 kilometers from the border with the U.S.
A PAC-3 surface-to-air guided missile at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in June
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 20, 2023
Japan may make U.S. PAC-3 missiles in first weapon deal after ban
The missiles, made under license from a U.S. company, would be the first weapons to be exported in finished form from Japan after the ban is eased.
Recent attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by the Iran-aligned Houthi militant group have forced shipping companies to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Suez Canal.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 20, 2023
Companies rush to avert Red Sea attacks as shipping rates rise
They are exploring alternative routes to avoid the region where the Houthi militant group is actively targeting vessels.
Tsunami threat passes following magnitude 6.9 quake off Iwate
A tsunami advisory was issued for Iwate Prefecture on Sunday evening following a strong earthquake. The advisory was later called off, after waves measuring 20 centimeters were recorded in some areas.
The Toyota buyout is a major test for Japan’s reforms
Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor, speaks during a media preview at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Oct. 29. Minority investors are challenging the carmaker's bid to take affiliate Toyota Industries Corp. private.
From France to Mali, a deportee's struggle far from home
Moussa Sacko, a Malian deported from France — where he had lived since he was a young child — stands on a street in Bamako, Mali, in December. Compared with his home in France, Bamako feels like a different planet, Sacko said.
Takaichi plans pay cuts for herself and her ministers
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi chats with her Cabinet members in parliament in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Mother of Thai girl forced into sex work in Tokyo detained in Taiwan
The Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
Cleanliness gets competitive at Tokyo’s Spogomi world cup
On Oct. 29, teams from 33 qualifying countries scoured the streets of Shibuya for all manners of trash as part of the Spogomi litter-picking competition.
Jon Homewood: ‘There’s beauty in what we throw away’
After a peripatetic childhood around the world, teacher and artist Jon Homewood ended up coming to Japan in 2012 for a professional opportunity.
Yokozuna duo Onosato and Hoshoryu poised for another clash of titans
Yokozuna duo Onosato (right) and Hoshoryu clash for the title on the final day of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Sept. 28 at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
High-speed rail is expensive and difficult, but seen as a key to growth
Achal Khare, former managing director at India’s National High Speed Rail Corporation, gives a presentation during the IHRA Forum 2025 in Tokyo on Oct. 23.
A 40-year wait for ‘Mishima’ ends at TIFF
Made at a time when Japan was still grappling with Yukio Mishima’s legacy, Paul Schrader’s biopic “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” was blocked from screening in the country for decades.

Podcast

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

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years
By Yukana Inoue

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

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