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July 08, 2026
 

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ENERGY

An agrivoltaic crop, in which solar panels are raised about 3 meters off the ground so that agricultural machinery can freely operate on the crops underneath, in Sosa, Chiba Prefecture.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
May 3, 2026
As Iran war sends oil prices soaring, some see fresh potential for solar in Japan
While megasolar projects are facing headwinds at the government level, some see renewed potential for solar sharing and smaller-scale, off-grid systems.
Motorists make their way past an anti-U.S. billboard referring to President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, in Tehran on Saturday.
WORLD
May 3, 2026
Trump says U.S. could restart Iran strikes ‘if they misbehave’
Trump is ‌under domestic pressure to break Iran’s hold on the strait, which has choked off 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies and pushed up U.S. gasoline prices.
The interior of Ume-no-yu, a public bathhouse in the city of Nagano. Soaring oil prices driven by the war in the Middle East are threatening to deal a final blow to a storied Japanese institution: the sento, or traditional public bathhouse.
JAPAN / Society
May 2, 2026
Not even Japanese bathhouses are immune from shocks of Iran war
Soaring oil prices driven by the war in the Middle East are threatening to deal a final blow to the traditional public bathhouse.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a government meeting on the Middle East on Thursday at the Prime Minister's Office.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 1, 2026
Japan secures enough petroleum-derived naphtha to last into 2027
Questions over a possible shortage of the material — used for products ranging from medical supplies to cheap consumer goods — have been rising due to the Iran war.
Japan has cut dependence on the Middle East for its liquefied natural gas in recent years, but utilities remain exposed to the cost of importing fuel.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 1, 2026
Japanese utilities withhold earnings guidance amid fuel volatility
The war in the Middle East has driven a 70% increase in LNG prices in Asia, while the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.
The consumer price index excluding fresh food rose 1.5% in April from a year earlier in Tokyo, the smallest gain since March 2022, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 1, 2026
Tokyo inflation cools on childcare support, backing BOJ caution
The consumer price index excluding fresh food rose 1.5% in April from a year earlier in the capital, the smallest gain since March 2022.
A gasoline tanker truck at an Idemitsu Kosan gas station in Tokyo. The supertanker is listed as being operated by the tanker arm of the Japanese energy conglomerate.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 29, 2026
Japanese crude supertanker may have exited Strait of Hormuz in war first
The supertanker linked to Japan is carrying 2 million barrels of crude, which was loaded from Saudi Arabia’s Juaymah terminal in early March.
A tanker carrying U.S. crude oil sails in Tokyo Bay on Sunday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Apr 29, 2026
How the Iran crisis affects Japan
With the Strait of Hormuz still closed, nearly a fifth of the world’s oil exports are being kept from reaching their destinations.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi greets his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 28, 2026
Australia and Japan tighten regional energy security coordination amid Mideast crisis
Foreign Minister Penny Wong highlighted the need for boosted cooperation following talks in Tokyo with Japan’s ministers for trade, economic security and foreign affairs.
Some 74% of those surveyed in a recent poll by Nikkei and TV Tokyo said energy-saving is needed.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2026
Japanese public wants energy-saving as Takaichi holds back
The war in Iran is putting pressure on Japan to consider energy-saving measures, a challenge for the prime minister as she seeks to calm public anxiety over potential shortages.
A vendor sits next to used air conditioners at a roadside shop in Manila on April 24. A heat wave is sweeping across Southeast Asia as governments put energy-saving measures in place due to the war in Iran.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 28, 2026
Southeast Asia office workers swelter in energy-saving drive amid heat wave
As the prolonged shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz drains energy reserves, relief does not look to be coming anytime soon with countries set to bake in abnormally hot weather.
Oil tankers off the shore of Singapore
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2026
How Asia-Pacific is fighting a fuel shock that could get worse
The disruption has laid bare how reliant the region is on Middle East energy, and how dwindling stockpiles may hit everything from Taiwan’s chip supply chain to rice harvests.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at the Upper House Budget Committee session in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 27, 2026
Japan won’t impose fuel-saving measures, Takaichi says
The move signals confidence in Japan’s energy response as it seeks alternative oil supplies amid disruptions caused by the Strait of Hormuz blockade.
A tanker carrying U.S. crude oil sails in Tokyo Bay on Sunday.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2026
U.S. crude oil arrives in Japan for first time since start of Iran war
The Japanese government is rushing to increase crude oil procurement from non-Middle Eastern suppliers amid the war in Iran.
Oil disruptions from the war in Iran and the turmoil in energy markets highlight Asia’s vulnerability to imported fossil fuels and underscore the need to rapidly scale domestic renewable energies.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2026
Iran war is a renewable energy wake-up call
The old narrative that fossil fuels are stable and reliable has been proved wrong.
Solar panels are seen on the roof of a home in Ronda, Spain, in February last year.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 24, 2026
Iran war revives European rooftop solar demand to cut energy bills
The conflict has pushed oil, gas and electricity prices sharply higher, hitting companies and households alike.
The Ridley Island Energy Export Facility under construction at the Port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 23, 2026
Alberta examines three northern routes for oil pipeline to serve Asia
A new crude pipeline is crucial to Carney’s ambitions of making Canada an energy superpower that’s more relevant in global markets.
A tanker unloads crude oil in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province, on April 7. The divided oil market is showing high costs now but lower prices later.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2026
So what is the real oil price right now?
Be wary of anyone saying one particular oil-price gauge matters more than the others.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi greets members of British rock band Deep Purple, Ian Paice (left), Ian Gillan (center) and Roger Glover at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on April 10.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 20, 2026
Iran risks are smoke on the water for Takaichi
Japan gets some 94% of its oil imports via the Strait of Hormuz. The lack of panic so far has been thanks to a preparedness that comes from past bitter experience.
Dunes of low-grade coal are seen near a coal mine in Ruzhou, in China's Henan province, in 2021.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2026
China revives coal-to-gas projects as energy security frays
The government is looking to tap cheap domestic coal to limit its exposure to natural gas imports.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Prior to launch, Japan ‘strongly urged’ China to reconsider missile test in Pacific
A missile is fired from a Chinese Navy nuclear-powered submarine on Monday.
Suspected Asian fraud ring exec served fresh warrant in Japan
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Osaka Prefectural Police have issued arrest warrants for three people, including a suspected fraud network leader, over alleged immigration and residency violations.
Japan might be giving the currency market the silent treatment
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has issued verbal warnings recently using the same language and the same tone, saying authorities “will take appropriate action at any time, as necessary.”
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
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.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.

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

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