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June 30, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
June 30, 2026
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Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has repeatedly warned that the government stands ready to take decisive action against the weakening of the yen.
BUSINESS / Markets
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar
By Kazuaki Nagata
The currency finally broke through the ¥161.96 mark against the dollar after trading near that level for about a week.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has repeatedly warned that the government stands ready to take decisive action against the weakening of the yen.
China's Commerce Ministry building in Beijing. The ministry on Monday added 20 Japanese companies and organizations to its export control list.
BUSINESS / Economy
China blacklists more Japanese entities as row deepens
By Kenji Yoshida
The move is the latest by Beijing to tighten restrictions on firms and entities it claims are tied to Tokyo’s “remilitarization.”
Self-Defense Forces drones are flown during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Does a new arsenal of deterrence run through Japan?
By Gabriel Dominguez
A spate of defense deals have highlighted Japan’s emergence as a potentially key manufacturing base for the Indo-Pacific region.
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
By Jessica Speed
LGBTQ+ people in Japan face such limited fertility treatment options, they could ultimately be deprived of the right to safely start a family.
Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
SOCCER
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Gabriel Martinelli’s winner in the 95th minute came at the end of a tense match and was the latest winning goal in normal time of a World Cup knockout game since 1966.
Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.

JAPAN

Clinical trials are being planned in Japan where modified pig kidneys would be transplanted into humans.
Two hospitals in Japan to conduct pig-to-human kidney transplant clinical trials in 2028
The startup spun out of Meiji University said it would aim to obtain production and marketing authorization after confirming their safety through the trials.
Toshiko Nakasoko, 90, leaves a nursing care facility on Hateruma Island in Taketomi, Okinawa Prefecture, in April. If a contingency over Taiwan occurs, "I’ll just die on the island,” she said.
‘I’ll just die on the island’: Some in Okinawa to resist evacuation
For many older people on Okinawa’s remote islands, Taiwan contingency plans do not necessarily guarantee their safety, while some are scarred by memories of World War II.
Reform panel calls for easing data center building standards
Thai mother sentenced for trafficking daughter to Tokyo sex trade
Government vows to fight suit on bail denials for Ohkawara adviser
Prosecutors seek life sentence over 2013 Ohsho president murder

BUSINESS

Apps like Miraima allow users to wager on real-world events and win points that can be converted into monetary rewards such as gift cards.
Prediction markets emerge in Japan, with shopping vouchers
By Alice French
New homegrown startups are finding ways to skirt regulations.
Sales at department stores in Japan climbed strongly from a year earlier, likely helped by robust tourist spending.
Japan’s retail sales rise for third month on wage gains and subsidies
By Erica Yokoyama
The 1.9% month-on-month advance was led by sales of vehicles, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
World Cup offers chance to find right broadcasting balance for fans in Japan
By Yukana Inoue
Toyota sales drop again in May as Iran conflict hits output
By Nicholas Takahashi
Japanese banks offer loans secured by future growth potential
Asia’s vendors grapple with rising costs of ever-present plastics
By Joy Chiang

WORLD

U.S. President Donald Trump appears on a screen, during an event organized by the U.S. Mission to Belgium to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, in Brussels on Sunday.
Trump’s U-turn on Iran sanctions would unravel decades of curbs
Iran is one of the most sanctioned nations on Earth but Washington is attempting a stunning reversal to open the Strait of Hormuz, lower energy prices and end its unpopular war.
An Ironman athlete runs past a shower near the Main River to cool off during the ongoing heat wave in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sunday.
France has 1,000 excess deaths as heat wave sweeps across Europe
Of the deaths recorded since Wednesday, 85% were people aged 65 or higher
Keiko Fujimori leads Peru’s presidential race after official count concludes
U.S. and Iran negotiators head to Doha, but meeting uncertain
Australia gives regulator more power to pursue Big Tech over under-16 social media ban
Burnham to pledge sweeping devolution in bid to become U.K. PM
By Andrew Atkinson

Sports

Daichi Kamada (right) has scored two of Japan's goals during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Japan looking to upset Brazil at World Cup without injured Takefusa Kubo
Japan finished second to the Netherlands in Group F with a win ⁠over overmatched Tunisia and two ​draws.
England test captain Ben Stokes to retire from international cricket
South Korean president calls for investigation into team’s performance at World Cup
Stephen Eustaquio scores dramatic goal in stoppage time as Canada reaches last 16
George Russell returns to top of podium with ‘cold-blooded’ performance

Opinion

Palestinian mourners carry the body of Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Wishah, killed in an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on June 21.
When killing the messenger becomes a strategy of war
Alek Karci Kurniawan
Record journalist deaths in Gaza raise urgent questions about war, accountability and the targeting of reporters.
Starbucks Korea marketing debacle is far from over
By Juliana Liu
Trump’s march of folly in Iran
By Timothy Snyder
Ukraine can’t afford a breakup with Poland over history
By Marc Champion
A Taiwan crisis and America’s faltering industrial base
By Abed el Razek

ENVIRONMENT

Evenings are proving to be a particular crunch point in Britain as solar comes offline, meaning the National Energy System Operator needs to pay generators to step in to meet demand.
U.K. grid issues another supply warning as heat tests network
By Eamon Akil Farhat
The alert underscores the new extremes the grid must adapt to: in this case, a surge in cooling demand coinciding with low wind generation and reduced nuclear output.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
By Shoaib Mir and Parthu Venkatesh P
More temperature records shattered in Europe as deadly heat wave moves east
Britain and Switzerland break June temperature record as deadly heat wave grips Europe
What people around the world are getting wrong about climate change awareness
By Eric Roston

CULTURE

Yo Katami found a permanent home for Loneliness Books in Higashinakano in August 2024, but still travels for book pop-ups at fairs and events in Japan and across Asia.
How a private collection of queer books became a cultural hot spot
By Mike Fu
Since establishing a permanent location in Nakano Ward in 2024, Tokyo’s queer-focused bookstore Loneliness Books has become a hub of events and activities for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
Singer and actor Kazuya Kamenashi to marry Minami Tanaka
Trooper Salute marches to its own beat on dazzling debut album
By Patrick St. Michel
Buzzcut backlash: AKB48 member’s termination stirs online furor
By Patrick St. Michel
An implausible but engaging crime drama unfolds in ‘Magical Secret Tour’
By James Hadfield

LIFE

“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
By Aarohi Narain
Originally published as a six-volume series in the 1930s, “A Dictionary of Color Combinations” has become a go-to for creatives in Japan and around the world.
Smash tacos with bear-approved veggies
By Simon Daly
Summer in Japan: The language and flavors of staying cool
By Eric Margolis
‘A little funky’: Japanese ‘nattō’ disgusts and delights the world
By Tomohiro Osaki & Sarah Lai
Can a single clay pot really elevate everything you cook?
By Simon Daly

COMMUNITY

James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
By Mai Yoshikawa
Beyond the paperwork and the language barrier, James Benstead says the hardest part about adopting in Japan was the waiting.
Two furry siblings seek their forever home
How a U.S. author found — and helped build — community in a Japanese hot spring town
By Michele Laudig
In Japan, Nepalese students navigate a growing study-to-work pathway
By Mai Yoshikawa
Fear and uncertainty for foreign business owners after Japan revises rules
By Elizabeth Beattie

Editors' Picks

COMMUNITY
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
By Mai Yoshikawa
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
ENVIRONMENT
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
By Elizabeth Beattie
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
By Jessica Speed
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn’t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
LIFE
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
By Robbie Swinnerton
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
LIFE
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
By Aarohi Narain
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

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

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency
New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

COMFACTS

Space Seed Holdings and Three Partners File Core Patents for “SpaceAgent”
Space Seed Holdings and Three Partners File Core Patents for “SpaceAgent”
SPACE SEED HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

WHAT’S TRENDING

SOCCER
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
COMMUNITY
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
By Mai Yoshikawa
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
ENVIRONMENT
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
By Shoaib Mir and Parthu Venkatesh P
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
JAPAN
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
By Jesse Johnson
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
JAPAN
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
By Gabriel Dominguez
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.