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July 03, 2026
 

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Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan also agreed during two day unofficial talks to maintain the cap on young glass eels released into aquaculture ponds at the level set in 2014.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2026
Japan and three neighbors agree to cooperate against eel export curbs
The move follows a proposal last year to strengthen such restrictions at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
The town assembly of Kaisei in Kanagawa Prefecture has been opening its chamber as a study room for students during summer vacation since July 2023.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 2, 2026
Local assembly chambers in Japan open their doors for studying and weddings
As the chambers are only sparingly used when assemblies are not in session, it is hoped allowing residents to make use of the spaces will raise public awareness of the assemblies.
More than a third of consumers in the U.S., U.K. and France use tools such as ChatGPT or Microsoft’s Copilot for product ideas or comparisons.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2026
An English furniture maker faces AI era of bots buying sofas
Consumers are using chatbots to research products now, but agentic AI could one day see bots acting as their personal shopper.
Japanese police have arrested nine individuals for their alleged involvement in a special fraud case using Sierra Leone as a base.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 2, 2026
Japanese police arrest nine over Sierra Leone-based special fraud
So far, police investigations have typically focused on fraud groups based in Southeast Asia and targeting people in Japan.
Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa downplayed the significance of Renault abstaining from last week’s vote to reappoint influential outside director Motoo Nagai.
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2026
Nissan CEO insists alliance with Renault has never been better
Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa has downplayed the significance of Renault abstaining from last week’s vote to reappoint influential outside director Motoo Nagai.
Harry Kane (third from left) celebrates with his teammates following England's win over Congo during the World Cup round of 32 in Atlanta on Wednesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 2, 2026
England coach says team overcame past demons with comeback win over Congo
England is aiming to end a 60-year wait to win a major tournament.
Shinsuke Yamanaka, chair of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday about misconduct at Chubu Electric Power.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2026
Chubu Electric suspected of nuclear plant data fraud cover-up
The Nuclear Regulation Authority said it plans to decide its response to the scandal as early as this summer, after confirming the details.
A Toyota 2025 Prius plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. A nearly 20% increase in hybrid sales helped lift Toyota’s U.S. deliveries about 1% in the second quarter.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2026
Toyota and Hyundai sales rise on hybrid demand while GM sits out
A nearly 20% increase in hybrid sales helped lift Toyota’s U.S. deliveries about 1% in the second quarter.
Increasing bankruptcies in Japan suggest the smaller firms that employ most of Japan’s workers are finding it difficult to withstand the yen’s prolonged weakness.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 2, 2026
First-half bankruptcies reach highest level since 2022 as weak yen takes toll
Data suggests smaller firms that employ most of Japan’s workers are finding it increasingly difficult to withstand the currency’s prolonged weakness.
Asahiro Kuni, a member of a former branch of the imperial family, says no one should be forced to be adopted into the imperial family.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2026
Former imperial family member views Japan’s adoption plan as ‘unrealistic’
The 81-year-old cousin of Emperor Emeritus Akihito said he believes no one should be “forced” to be adopted and that he hopes the system will “respect the wishes of individuals.”
Chinese tourists at Wat Arun Ratchawararam Rathawaramahawihan in Bangkok
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2026
Thailand gets serious about chasing high-spending tourists
Officials are aiming for visitors to spend about $2,400 per trip on average, compared with roughly $1,500 currently.
Apple MacBook Neo laptop computers
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2026
Apple seeks to buy Chinese-made memory chips by lobbying U.S.
The iPhone maker wants to reduce the impact of a global memory shortage that’s forced it to raise prices across its product line.
Sujan Chinoy, director-general of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, in New Delhi on Monday
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2026
Indian defense research institute head hails Japan’s lifting of arms export ban
The defense research institute head also emphasized the need for Japan to diversify its defense equipment production sites to “trusted” partner countries.
Over the past three years, Singapore has overtaken Hong Kong as the top destination for Taiwanese offshore wealth.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 2, 2026
‘In case of emergency’: Taiwan’s rising rich flock to Singapore
The city-state has overtaken Hong Kong as the top destination for Taiwanese offshore wealth over the past three years.
Smoke rises during a Russian missile strike on Kyiv on Thursday.
WORLD
Jul 2, 2026
Russia strikes Ukraine capital with missiles and drones, wounds five
The attack came after the Ukrainian air force warned missiles were headed toward the capital and followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cutting short a visit to Dublin.
Traders see little long-term relief from the Japanese government’s repeated warnings that it will take bold action to stem the yen's decline.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 2, 2026
Traders plot worst-case scenario for yen if currency crisis hits
The yen sliding to a once-unthinkable ¥200 to the dollar level is now a risk — albeit an extreme one — for some investors.
One year after lifting its long-standing two-child limit, Vietnam is actively encouraging people to have more babies as the country risks getting old before it gets rich.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 2, 2026
Vietnam unveils ‘baby bonus’ after scrapping two-child policy
A new population law and regulations coming into effect extend maternity leave from six to seven months for mothers having a second child as well as offer financial help.
Naomi Osaka arrives for her second-round match at Wimbledon in London on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jul 2, 2026
Stylish Naomi Osaka cruises into third round at Wimbledon
Osaka, who has ⁠not progressed beyond the third round at the All England Club, takes on Australian Daria Kasatkina in the next round.
The logo of social media company Meta. As the tech behemoth spends billions annually to build out its artificial intelligence capabilities, employees at Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are increasingly unhappy with their Mark Zuckerberg-led parent company.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 2, 2026
Fear and anger brew inside Meta amid AI frenzy
After weathering layoffs, some Meta employees were reassigned to an internal artificial intelligence training initiative that has drawn accusations of surveillance.
Police escort Serhii K. to a helicopter following a hearing with the German Federal Public Prosecutor in Karlsruhe, Germany, in November 2025.
WORLD
Jul 2, 2026
Germany charges Ukrainian over Nord Stream pipeline blasts
The development moves one of Europe’s ‌most politically ‌sensitive sabotage cases closer to trial.
Yohancy Gil, 24 and her husband, Sergio Guanipa, 30, stand on rubble as they wait for news from rescue teams looking for their children under the rubble at the site of a collapsed building in the aftermath of earthquakes, in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jul 2, 2026
Young survivors of Venezuela quakes run shelters as search drags on
The task for a group of volunteers in their 20s is the management of a shelter for survivors of earthquakes that struck hardest in the Venezuelan state of La Guaira.
The Celtics agreed to a trade that sends Jaylen Brown to the Sixers in exchange for Paul George and four draft picks on Wednesday.
BASKETBALL
Jul 2, 2026
Jalen Brown saga ends as Celtics reach deal to trade star to Sixers
Brown’s future with the Celtics has been uncertain since he was reportedly used ​as the main piece ⁠in Boston’s failed trade offer to acquire Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Members of the religious group Iglesia ni Cristo stage a protest in front of the People's Power Monument in Quezon City, Metro Manila on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 2, 2026
Religious group extends Manila protest in support of Duterte ally
The rally adds to tensions between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his ally-turned-nemesis Vice President Sara Duterte, whose impeachment trial will start next week.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
Japan spent ¥11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.

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