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July 12, 2026
 

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Colleen Howe
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) welcomes German Chancellor Friedrich Merz prior a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 26, 2026
Germany’s Merz hails China ties as he seeks reset with Beijing
Merz’s visit, following visits by leaders from France, and the U.K., came as the EU looks to shore up relationships with Beijing as the rift with the U.S. widens.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits the Forbidden City in Beijing on Thursday
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 31, 2026
Visit by Britain’s Starmer shows drawbacks of ‘China pivot’ in countering Trump
The deals the British leader brings back to London show the limits of the balancing act that middle powers may try to play.
A China Coast Guard vessel sails near a Japan Coast Guard vessel around a group of disputed islands called the Senkaku Islands in Japan, and known in China as Diaoyu Islands, on Sep.14.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2026
China coast guard patrolled Japan-held islands almost daily last year
China’s coast guard patrolled the islands for 357 days last year, coast guard ‌head Zhang Jianming said.
A worker installs battery packs into an electric vehicle chassis at the vehicle assembly lines of Geely Automobile's Zeekr Factory in Ningbo, China, in March. Chinese firms are on track for a 75% jump this year in global shipments of lithium-ion battery cells for energy storage, according to one estimate.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Dec 22, 2025
China’s power reforms and global data center buildout usher in battery boom
Chinese firms have exported more than $65 billion worth of storage and electric-vehicle batteries this year, cementing their dominance in the sector.
Workers carry solar panels to install them at a solar farm in the desert in Lingwu, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, on April 14.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 4, 2025
China’s solar giants quietly shed a third of their workforces last year
The trend shows how one of Beijing’s hand-picked industries to drive economic growth struggled with overcapacity and tepid demand.
China slapped antidumping duties on imports of engineering plastic, including 35.5% duties on shipments from Japan.
BUSINESS
May 19, 2025
China slaps antidumping duties on plastics from U.S., EU, Japan and Taiwan
POM copolymers can partially replace metals such as copper and zinc and have various applications including in auto parts, electronics and medical equipment.
Chinese solar panel manufacturer Trina Solar's facility in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam, on Aug. 30
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 4, 2024
Chinese solar firms, ever-nimble, go where U.S. tariffs don’t reach
Chinese solar firms have repeatedly sidestepped tariffs to dominate the global markets despite U.S. efforts over more than a decade to rein them in.
Power lines in the Yanqing district of Beijing in 2021
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 5, 2024
China, struggling to exploit an energy storage boom, calls for more
The drive boosts home-grown battery giants but some experts say more must be done to address low utilization and losses for operators.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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
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