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July 24, 2026
 

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Antony Sguazzin
Many of the abandoned high-rises in the city center have been appropriated by armed gangs who extract rent from squatters.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 25, 2026
Africa¡¯s business capital is on the brink of financial collapse
Water and power outages are frequent in Johannesburg, and many of the abandoned high-rises in the city center have been appropriated by armed gangs who extract rent from squatters.
Cooling towers at the Eskom Holdings SOC Kendal coal-fired power plant in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Japan plans to provide a yen-denominated energy loan to South Africa.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
May 7, 2026
Japan offers energy loan and ammonia technology to South Africa
The loan would be used by South Africa to extend its own energy transition aims, Japanese diplomatic officials said.
A replica of a CH-9 drone, developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2026
China¡¯s drone exports to Russia use a new route through Thailand
Beijing says that it does not aid Moscow militarily, but Chinese-made technology is routinely found on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Sunday service at the Cathedral of St. Sergius of Radonezh on the outskirts of Johannesburg
WORLD / Politics
Feb 17, 2026
Lacking money, Russia turns to god in push for African influence
In less than three years, the Russian Orthodox Church has expanded to at least 34 countries in Africa, up from four.
In addition to what they saw as lucrative military contracts, the two South Africans were told they could potentially get Russian citizenship and further their education if they served in the military.
WORLD
Jan 7, 2026
Russia recruited South Africans for its war using a gaming app
The men in their 20s left South Africa in July last year after talking about joining the Russian military to a gamer over an app called Discord.
John Hume, the South African who bred the world¡¯s biggest rhino herd, has for years campaigned unsuccessfully for the legalization of international trade in the animals¡¯ horns.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Aug 20, 2025
Man who bred world¡¯s biggest rhino herd charged with horn smuggling
John Hume, 83, has for years campaigned unsuccessfully for the legalization of international trade in the animals¡¯ horns.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 14, 2025
G20 agenda eclipsed as Bessent skips South Africa meeting again
Scott Bessent will skip the Group of 20 again this week, continuing a boycott of South Africa by top U.S. officials begun by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Containers stacked up at the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port in Phnom Penh on Thursday. Southeast Asian countries with a significant trade surplus with the U.S. came in for harsh treatment from Trump's stinging tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 4, 2025
Trump tariffs are a ¡®disaster¡¯ for world¡¯s poorest countries
Poor nations¡¯ labor-intensive export industries face new risk in trade war.
The shadows of workers from EKI Energy Services at a ReGen Powertech wind farm in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, India, in 2022
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Aug 8, 2024
Climate crisis hinges on green power for those in need, study shows
Some of the poorest nations also have the world¡¯s best solar energy potential, the report stated.
A Malawian subsistence farmer surveys her maize fields in Dowa near the capital Lilongwe.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 15, 2024
The AI revolution comes for farmers growing a third of our food
In Malawi, subsistence farmers are using an AI app to get tips on how to diagnose crop and farm animal diseases.
A hydrogen storage tank with an under-construction green hydrogen compressor at a liquid fuels facility in Sasolburg, South Africa.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 13, 2024
South Africa¡¯s biggest green-hydrogen project woos Japanese investors
If approved, the plant will use 3,700 megawatts of renewable power generation capacity to split water to produce 1 million tons of hydrogen a year.
A housing development next to the Sasol¡¯s petrochemicals plant in Sasolburg, South Africa.
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 2, 2024
What it¡¯s like to live in the most polluted place on Earth
Coal and steel plants offer steady work for residents in South Africa¡¯s Vaal Triangle, yet they¡¯re also pumping out harmful emissions.
The destruction of tunnels is advancing Israel¡¯s stated aim of dismantling Hamas infrastructure so the group can¡¯t repeat its deadly Oct. 7 assault. At the same time, it is reducing much of Gaza to rubble.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 8, 2023
Israeli warning on Hamas tunnels means months of destruction
The devastating outcome of a drawn-out campaign against the militant group is likely to leave many of about 2.2 million Palestinians homeless.
Employees monitor the production of Covishield, the local name for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, at the Serum Institute of India in Pune, Maharashtra, India.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 5, 2023
Top vaccine maker seeks growth by selling shots to globetrotters
Serum Institute of India plans to start production of yellow fever and dengue shots for travelers to countries where those diseases are endemic.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 3, 2023
Fate of an eighth of the world¡¯s white rhinos to be decided this week
The sale of the about 2,000 endangered rhinos, equipment and the land comes as South Africa fights to protect the animals in its nature reserves.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 28, 2023
How 60 million South Africans are being failed by the West¡¯s green ambitions
Only one coal-fired power plant has been closed, and some South African politicians are pushing to keep others open longer than planned as the country struggles to end daily blackouts.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 18, 2022
China may have created a trap for itself with African lending
Africa is heading toward a repayment crisis, with 22 of 54 nations at risk of so-called debt distress, according to World Bank and International Monetary Fund criteria.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2022
Selling a cleaner, affordable cooking fuel for Kenyan homes
Koko Networks in Nairobi supplies more than 675,000 households with clean-burning ethanol, which is used in the company¡¯s cookers and sold over an app.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 19, 2022
South Africa¡¯s EV dream threatens $8.5 billion in climate aid
The landmark funding plan unveiled at last year¡¯s climate conference in Glasgow was meant to help South Africa wean itself off coal.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 4, 2022
Putin¡¯s media blitz on Africa food crisis sparks alarm in Europe
Russian diplomats have gone on a media offensive in recent months to push the narrative that sanctions, rather than Russian blockades, are causing shortages.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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