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June 30, 2026
 

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MIDDLE EAST

A drone view of the oil tanker HELGA berthed at one of Iraq's southern offshore oil terminals near Basra on April 24. What started as a supply shock following the U.S.-Israel-Iran war has become a demand story.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2026
Peak oil demand arrives sooner than expected
Amid the disruptions caused by the US-Israeli-Iran war, countries have begun adapting to life with less oil.
Urea, ammonium phosphate, and potassium chloride — raw materials for chemical fertilizers — are almost entirely imported in Japan.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 15, 2026
Fertilizer prices rise in Japan due to Strait of Hormuz squeeze
While shortages like those for naphtha have yet to emerge, warnings of an international shortage have been issued amid uncertainties in the Middle East.
In a post on social media platform X, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she welcomes a U.S.-Iran peace deal as a major step toward bringing the situation in the Middle East to a close.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 15, 2026
Japan welcomes U.S.-Iran peace deal
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed hopes for a final agreement on outstanding matters, including on Iran’s nuclear issue, to be reached as soon as possible.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 15, 2026
Trump veers toward exit in Iran war but risks loom
The deal appears short of many of the goals Trump outlined in the early days of the conflict, leaving the U.S. looking strategically worse off than it did before he went to war.
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2026
Iran and U.S. agree to halt war and reopen Hormuz, sending oil prices tumbling
While still a framework, the deal marked the biggest breakthrough toward resolving a conflict that has killed thousands and upended energy markets.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 14, 2026
Trump says he’ll sign deal with Iran to reopen Hormuz Sunday
Trump has vowed dozens of times that an agreement to end the war that began in February is near, only for none to materialize so far.
A woman walks past a banner with a picture of the late Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran on June 7.
WORLD
Jun 14, 2026
U.S. and Iran inch closer to deal, but timing remains unclear
While U.S. bombings heavily degraded Tehran’s military, experts say the war has left Iran’s hardliners more entrenched than before.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD
Jun 14, 2026
Trump to meet Mideast partners on sidelines of G7 in France
The U.S. president will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of France, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt as well as India.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Saturday, ahead of her trip to Europe.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2026
Takaichi vows ‘persistent diplomatic efforts’ to help secure Strait of Hormuz
Writing in the Financial Times, the prime minister expressed her determination to tackle emerging challenges as “Japan’s ‘Iron Lady.’”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington in March. U.S. network CNN said Trump had used phrases like "very close to a deal" or in the "final throes" of talks on 39 occasions.
WORLD
Jun 13, 2026
Why is a ‘very close’ Iran-U.S. deal taking so long?
Analysts say a litany of sticking points have delayed finalizing an accord and will complicate its implementation.
Motorists ride past a giant banner depicting Iranian missiles and a sword at the Vanak Square in Tehran on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jun 13, 2026
Iran peace deal looms while new military action flares near Strait of Hormuz
A senior U.S. administration official said both sides had agreed on a text and that Washington expects to sign an initial deal in the coming days.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a news conference after a meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, in December.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 12, 2026
The U.S. and Israel can’t hide their differences on Iran
The cause of their dispute is, on the surface, simple. Israel says the April ceasefire between Tehran and Washington did not cover Lebanon.
People ride past a mural depicting the late leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2026
Trump says Iran war deal close as Strait of Hormuz tensions linger
A peace deal that the U.S. president said could be signed as soon as this weekend would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
The Eneos Endeavor supertanker arrives at a refinery in Yokohama on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2026
Japan’s July oil imports to return to pre-Iran war level, Takaichi says
Japan relied on the Middle East for over 90% of its oil imports but has significantly diversified its supply chain.
Vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Monday
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 11, 2026
India protests to U.S. after strike kills three Indian sailors
The vessel Settebello was carrying 24 Indian crew members, 21 of whom have been rescued, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
Iranian missiles are launched from Tehran. Iran said it had carried out attacks against a U.S. base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes around the Strait of Hormuz.
WORLD
Jun 11, 2026
Trump vows to strike Iran again Thursday if it holds out on deal
Trump has ordered multiple strikes as his frustration over the lack of progress in talks grows.
Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jun 11, 2026
Oil surges as fresh U.S. strikes on Iran threaten fragile truce
Brent crude surged over 2% to trade above $95 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate advanced toward $93, before paring gains after the U.S. ended a brief campaign of strikes.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim pose for photographs ahead of their bilateral meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 10, 2026
Japan and Malaysia pledge to bolster energy supplies and maritime ties
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim reached a deal on energy security, including LNG supplies, during a summit in Tokyo on Monday.
Corporate goods prices rose again in May, signaling stronger inflationary pressure across Japan’s supply chains as the war in Iran keeps energy prices elevated, with input prices up 0.9% from a month earlier, the Bank of Japan said Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 10, 2026
Japan’s producer prices jump again on elevated energy costs
The measure of input prices for Japanese firms rose 0.9% in May from a month earlier, and April’s increase was revised higher, the Bank of Japan says.
The pharmaceutical industry is among the most strained sectors, with profits squeezed by drug price cuts and rising costs amid Middle East tensions, according to Shunji Horitani, president of the Japanese Federation of Energy and Chemistry Workers’ Unions.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 10, 2026
Wage gains at Japan’s smaller firms at risk as Iran war drags on
Many of such companies lack the pricing power to fully pass rising costs on to customers because of intense competition and entrenched business practices.
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.
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.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
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.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
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.
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.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
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.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“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

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