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July 24, 2026
 

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John Geddie
Stanislav Gryshyn, co-founder of Ukrainian drone-maker General Cherry, at the Japan Drone 2026 and International Advanced Air Mobility Expo in the city of Chiba, last month
WORLD / FOCUS
Jun 19, 2026
Ukrainian drone-makers target Asia as Taiwan tensions spur demand
Ukraine has developed a reputation as a master of drone warfare, which has helped an otherwise-outgunned Kyiv hold out for more ?than four ?years against Russia.
Partly assembled cars pass through the battery installation section of the production line at the Nissan car factory in Sunderland, Britain, in December 2025.
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2026
U.K. in advanced talks with Nissan over Sunderland plant support, sources say
The Japanese carmaker is undertaking a major global ?restructuring that includes selling or closing other factories, cutting 15% of its workforce and shrinking its product lineup.
Ground Self-Defense Force members during a training exercise at Narashino exercise field in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, in January.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 15, 2026
Rattled by Trump, U.S. allies eye Japan¡¯s biggest arms opening since WWII
The interest comes amid shaky U.S. security commitments to allies and the wars in Iran and Ukraine that are straining U.S. weapons supplies.
Peelable paper tubes for a solid perfume made from mineral paper on display at Yonwoo's cosmetic packaging factory in Incheon, South Korea
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Apr 15, 2026
51³Ô¹ÏÍø promises green edge for Asia as plastic packaging runs short
Across Asia, changes that ?environmental groups have sought for decades are quickly being adopted, even if they may prove a short-term flip.
Hitoshi Nakama, a fisherman who has been fishing around the Senkaku Islands, speaks as his fishing boat sails past a Japan Coast Guard ship docked at a port in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, on Jan. 13.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / FOCUS
Feb 3, 2026
Fearing clash with China, Japan asks fishermen to avoid flash point islands
The requests signal an abrupt shift after years in which Tokyo tacitly accepted such trips.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a campaign event at Maiko Park in Kobe on Thursday
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 31, 2026
Strong voter mandate could hand PM Takaichi new clout to counter China
A big win on Feb. 8 will help send a message to Beijing that its attacks have not damaged her domestically, a senior Japanese government official said.
President Donald Trump has taken a wrecking ball to the rules-based global order that the U.S. helped build from the ashes of World War II.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 13, 2026
Trump¡¯s exercise of raw power upends world order, sending friends and foes reeling
Many are unsure of what he will do next and whether the latest changes will be long-lasting or can be undone by a more traditional future U.S. president.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gifts U.S. President Donald Trump a putter owned by late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a golf bag signed by Hideki Matsuyama and a gold leaf golf ball in Tokyo on Tuesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Oct 29, 2025
With gifts and hospitality, Takaichi taps Abe¡¯s legacy to forge bond with Trump
Talk turned to Abe as soon as the U.S. leader stepped into the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo to exchange pleasantries with Japan¡¯s recently appointed prime minister.
Japan has made several exceptions to its arms export rules in recent years as part of a broader retreat from the pacifist stance it adopted after its defeat in World War II.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 17, 2025
Kawasaki Heavy in talks to develop engines for Germany¡¯s Taurus missiles
The involvement of a Japanese partner could complicate matters due to Tokyo¡¯s ban on transfers of weapons to countries in conflict.
Sanseito party leader Sohei Kamiya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Sept. 25.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Oct 1, 2025
Japan¡¯s far-right party courts Trump allies and vows not to get ¡®wacky¡¯
Sanseito has set up an international arm to court Trump¡¯s allies, betting that conservative recognition will help it shake up staid Japanese politics.
Japan has hired energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie to assess a proposed $44 billion Alaska gas pipeline and LNG project backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, sources say.
BUSINESS
Sep 9, 2025
Japan hires Wood Mackenzie to assess Trump-backed Alaska LNG project: sources
The scope and cost of the deal with Wood Mackenzie is unclear, as is whether any resulting report will be made public.
Students visit the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima¡¯s Peace Memorial Park in late April. Attitudes in Japan are shifting away from the traditional pacifist views that have held sway since the end of World War II.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / FOCUS
Aug 20, 2025
Trump shock spurs Japan to think about the unthinkable: nuclear arms
There is a growing willingness to loosen the country¡¯s decades-old pledge not to produce, possess or host nuclear weapons in its territory.
Takahiro Mori, executive vice president of Japan's biggest steelmaker Nippon Steel, speaks about its strategy in its headquarters in Tokyo on Nov. 28, 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
May 26, 2025
Garage meets and sleepless flights: How Nippon Steel¡¯s negotiator stuck at U.S. merger
With Biden¡¯s incoming successor Donald Trump also voicing opposition to the planned purchase, the outlook was bleak.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a letter from Britain's King Charles as he meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House in Washington on Feb. 27.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 28, 2025
Trump¡¯s first 100 days: ¡®America First¡¯ president is overturning world order
Trump¡¯s second-term agenda has alienated friends and emboldened adversaries while raising questions about how far he is prepared to go.
U.S President Donald Trump meets with Japan's Ryosei Akazawa, who is in charge of trade negotiations with Washington, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on April 16.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Apr 26, 2025
Japan is a test case for Trump¡¯s tariff deals. But talks may be tortuous.
While some expect an agreement at the June G7 summit in Canada in June, others say it will be risky for Tokyo to cede ground before Upper House elections expected in July.
Japan is the world's No. 2 LNG buyer, a major investor in energy infrastructure and a trading hub with a glut of LNG that could help open new markets for U.S. gas in Southeast Asia.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 22, 2025
Trump seeks to reshape Asia¡¯s energy supplies with U.S. gas
While the Alaska LNG proposal faces hurdles, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and others are buying into the idea of increasing U.S. gas imports more broadly.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an 'Unleashing American Energy' event at the Department of Energy in Washington in June 2017.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jan 31, 2025
Japan weighs Alaska LNG pipeline pledge to win Trump¡¯s favor
President Trump may raise the project when he meets Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for the first time in Washington as soon as next week.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (third from left) attends a ceremony last month for the Ground Self-Defense Force's systems communications and cyber school.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 26, 2024
The glitch in Japan¡¯s plans to bolster U.S. defense
Japan has suffered high-profile hacks in recent years that have elevated concerns over whether Tokyo can fully support its security partners.
A Wheeling-Nippon Steel facility in in Follansbee, West Virginia. Four senior Japanese officials speaking on condition of anonymity said it is still premature to declare the deal dead.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Apr 5, 2024
Why Japan is not giving up on fraught U.S. Steel deal
Four senior Japanese officials speaking on condition of anonymity said it is still premature to declare the deal dead.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (right) meets with UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini in Tokyo on March 28.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 2, 2024
Japan resumes funding to embattled Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA
Japan on Tuesday said it will lift its suspension of funding to the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) as the relief body works to regain trust after an allegation that some of its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
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.
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.
Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights
Amid the heat and humidity in Japan, a good night¡¯s sleep is growing increasingly elusive without the heavy use of air conditioning.
Maya Ongaku¡¯s DIY dream is getting bigger
The members of Maya Ongaku ¡ª (from left) Tsutomu Sonoda, Shoei Ikeda and Ryota Takano ¡ª grew up on the Shonan Coast south of Tokyo and have been friends since their school days.

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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