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US

Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in the Oval Office of the White House in April. Since then, Japan's trade negotiations with the U.S. have produced no tangible results.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
May 16, 2025
Akazawa's dilemma: no tariff deal or a half-baked deal
Japan has realized the U.S. has no intention of seriously talking about duties on automobiles now.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick speaks in the Oval Office after President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with the U.K. on May 8. The agreement is far from a win for London, which has chosen deference over strength in dealing with Washington's bullishness.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2025
Lessons from the U.S.-U.K. trade deal: Don’t appease a bully
The tariff agreement signed between London and Washington does little to boost the U.K. economy and, despite appearances, is a diplomatic defeat for Prime Minister Starmer.
"Given the extremely high uncertainties in play, my view is that it is appropriate for the bank to conduct monetary policy deliberately to reflect the actual state of economic recovery,” Toyoaki Nakamura, the Bank of Japan’s most dovish board member, said in a speech Friday in Fukuoka Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 16, 2025
BOJ’s most dovish member warns against rushing to raising rates
Toyoaki Nakamura’s speech comes shortly after government data showed that Japan’s economy shrank more than expected in the first quarter.
This undated image shows cardiologist Kiran Musunuru and pediatrician Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas with patient KJ Muldoon.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 16, 2025
U.S. baby with rare illness treated with tailor-made gene edit
The baby, who had a gene mutation that affected his liver, was treated using what amounts to a pair of molecular scissors, delivered via an infusion.
The draft of the government's defense white paper says China's moves to strengthen its cooperation with Russia are a serious concern for Japan's security, describing Beijing's military moves as the biggest strategic challenge ever.
JAPAN / Politics
May 16, 2025
Japan government paper to express concern over China-Russia ties
A draft of the defense white paper described Beijing's military moves as the biggest strategic challenge ever.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump as first lady Melania Trump and Akie Abe look on while on board the Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Kaga, stationed at the Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture on May 28, 2019.
JAPAN
May 16, 2025
SDF activities expand 10 years after key security legislation
Japan has enhanced cooperation with the United States and other friendly nations in the face of challenges such as China's maritime expansion.
Netflix has announced it will start streaming "Hotaru no Haka" (Grave of the Fireflies), an animated film produced by Studio Ghibli, from July 15 in Japan.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 16, 2025
Netflix to stream Studio Ghibli's 'Grave of the Fireflies' in Japan
It will be the first work by the Japanese anime powerhouse to be streamed on Netflix in Japan.
A new U.S. citizen holds a U.S. flag after a naturalization ceremony in Boston on March 11.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2025
U.S. citizenship could soon look very different
Trump's vision tilts heavily toward the wealthy and well-to-do, with special shortcuts for them and barriers to entry for the rest.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (right) speaks during a news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on May 6.
SOCCER
May 16, 2025
FIFA president says international fans will be welcome at World Cup in U.S.
The world will be welcomed to the United States for the 2026 World Cup and this year's Club World Cup, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday, days after a meeting with officials from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
WORLD
May 16, 2025
Israeli onslaught kills scores in Gaza as Trump visits Gulf
Most of the victims were killed in Khan Younis in southern Gaza in airstrikes that hit homes and tents, Palestinian medics said.
Mizuho Financial Group forecast on Thursday that its net income will likely climb 6.1% to ¥940 billion ($6.5 billion) in the year that started in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2025
Mizuho anticipates record earnings in fiscal 2025 despite tariff dent
Japan's third-largest lender indicated that uncertainty in global trade has led to a more conservative outlook as U.S. tariff measures make business planning less predictable.
Net income is likely to reach ¥2 trillion ($13.7 billion) for the 12 months ending March, up 7.5% from ¥1.86 trillion in the previous fiscal year, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group said on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2025
MUFG expects record profit and joins rivals in buying back shares
Net income is likely to reach ¥2 trillion for the 12 months ending March, up 7.5% from ¥1.86 trillion in the previous fiscal year.
Morgan Stanley analysts estimate the top five makers of hearing aids hold roughly 99% of the global market, which they predict will be worth over $14 billion by next year rising from about $12 billion in 2023.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 15, 2025
Trump’s tariffs spare Europe-dominated hearing aid industry
An ecosystem developed over more than a century has given three Danish companies and a Swiss rival a quasi-monopoly on the market for devices that help people hear better.
Iceland's national flag flies next to the European flag
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2025
Trump's Greenland threats spark Iceland jitters
Around 74% of Icelanders think Trump's interest in Greenland, and in the Arctic in general, pose a threat to their country, according to a recent poll.
"Federal funding typically accounts for about 10% of our annual operating budget, which is significant," said Ann Burroughs, president and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum.
JAPAN
May 15, 2025
Japanese American museum head laments Trump-led cuts to financing
The Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, has stopped funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities, which financially supports museums.
Over 30 years, U.S.-China trade talks have largely failed because Beijing prioritizes protecting its political system, making only symbolic concessions, while Washington struggles to win lasting changes.
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2025
The U.S. will never win a trade war with China
For sure, the 90-day truce is merely temporary relief. As long as negotiations continue as they are, the U.S. will not be able to win a trade war with China
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's tariff czar, after the first round of talks in Washington. Media reports indicate he may be headed back to the United States next week for the third round of negotiations.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2025
Third round of U.S.-Japan tariff talks may be held next week: report
Akazawa’s two previous visits to Washington yielded no tangible results.
Japan's Shohei Ohtani carries the Japanese flag onto the field before the start of the World Baseball Classic final against the United States in Miami on March 21, 2023.
BASEBALL
May 15, 2025
Historian Rob Fitts discovers earliest ever reference to baseball in Japan
The widely held belief is that American Horace Wilson introduced the sport to Japan in 1872. Fitts' discovery revises the timeline to 1869.
Farmers load a truck with vegetables in San Ignacio, El Salvador, in May 2020.
WORLD
May 15, 2025
World hunger monitor faces 'large gap' after U.S. aid cuts
USAID cuts have significantly affected humanitarian organizations around the world that were working on life-saving programs.
The U.S. economy has shifted from strong growth to heightened recession risk and uncertainty due to President Trump’s aggressive trade tariffs and budget cuts, leaving Congress to reclaim control over policy to avoid worsening economic disruption and global instability.
COMMENTARY / World
May 6, 2025
Only the U.S. Congress can end Trump's economic uncertainty
There is no chance of reining in the disruption and destruction unless the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress reclaims its constitutional authority over trade policy.

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’