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July 01, 2026
 

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MIDDLE EAST

Capital expenditure excluding software fell 3.5% from the previous quarter in the three months through March, according to the Finance Ministry.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 1, 2026
Japan’s firms cut spending over Iran stress despite record profits
Capital expenditure excluding software fell 3.5% from the previous quarter in the three months through March, the Finance Ministry reported Monday.
Smoke billows from southern Lebanon, following Israeli strikes, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, on Sunday.
WORLD
Jun 1, 2026
U.S. and Iran trade drafts of deal as Israel expands Lebanon assault
Israel is not party to the talks between the U.S. and Iran and it’s unclear whether it will agree to stop its side war in Lebanon if the war in Iran is resolved.
An Israeli flag and a flag of the Golani Brigade fly above Beaufort Castle, as seen here from Marjayoun, in southern Lebanon, on Sunday.
WORLD
May 31, 2026
Israel plants flag on medieval castle and pushes Lebanon ground operation
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said troops had captured the historic strongpoint, which commands sweeping views of south Lebanon, as they expanded their ground operations.
People wave Iranian national flags during an anti-U.S. and Israel protest in Tehran on Friday.
WORLD
May 31, 2026
U.S. says capable of resuming war with Iran as deal remains elusive
The White House had signaled Trump was close to a decision on a potential deal, though Tehran denied there was a final agreement on ending the conflict.
Kazuhiko Shigetoku, Lower House parliamentary affairs chief of the Centrist Reform Alliance (center, left), and Yoshitaka Saito, Upper House parliamentary affairs chief of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (center, right), meet in parliament on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 30, 2026
Japan ruling and opposition parties at odds over extra budget
The budget committees of both the upper and lower chambers will each spend one day deliberating the extra budget for the fiscal year that started in April.
People wave Iranian flags during a rally in Tehran on Friday.
WORLD / EXPLAINER
May 30, 2026
Iran’s strongest card in nuclear talks: its highly enriched uranium
Iran and the United States are in discussions to extend their ceasefire so as to start negotiations on issues including Tehran’s nuclear program.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 30, 2026
Trump insists on red lines as Iran deal remains elusive
An Iranian state media report also rebutted several key elements of Trump’s characterization of the deal, with sources calling his remarks a “mixture of truth and lies.”
The government's 2026 white paper on manufacturing industries says that companies need to make management decisions from a medium- to long-term perspective without being deterred by short-term costs, in order to make progress on economic security efforts.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2026
Few Japan firms take steps toward economic security, government paper finds
Only about 30% of Japanese companies have taken substantive measures to ensure economic security, such as diversifying procurement sources and strengthening cybersecurity.
Some manufacturers are passing on increased costs for packaging materials and energy to consumers amid the uncertain situation in the Middle East.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 29, 2026
Prices for over 1,000 food items in Japan set to rise in June
Seasoning accounted for the largest share of products set to see higher prices, followed by processed food.
The Japanese government's fiscal 2025 white paper on food, agriculture and rural areas noted that private-sector rice imports surged after retail prices of the grain in May 2025 roughly doubled from a year before.
JAPAN
May 29, 2026
Japan voices concern over rice imports in white paper
Private-sector rice imports experienced a sharp increase after retail prices roughly doubled year on year in May 2025.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 29, 2026
Trump’s room to maneuver narrows as U.S., Iran close in on framework deal
The dilemma became clear during a week of hectic diplomacy marked by word of an emerging framework deal that would extend a current ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks next to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Transport Secretary Sean Duffy during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 29, 2026
Iran and U.S. reach deal to extend ceasefire, pending Trump’s approval
The agreement would extend the truce for another 60 days ​and allow traffic to flow through the Strait of Hormuz while negotiators tackle issues such as Iran’s nuclear program.
Toyota's global sales in April, including those of subsidiary Daihatsu Motor, fell 3.7% from a year earlier to 902,015 units.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 28, 2026
Toyota sales slide for third month in April on Middle East conflict
Toyota has weathered the conflict better than other carmakers, with Honda Motor and Nissan Motor reporting bigger drops.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. President Donald Trump during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Wednesday
WORLD / Politics
May 28, 2026
Iran and U.S. trade airstrikes after Trump dismisses report of Hormuz deal
The escalation in hostilities sent oil prices surging again and dampened hopes for a peace deal for a war that has killed thousands.
Palestinians pass by destroyed buildings during Eid.
WORLD
May 28, 2026
No feasts and no joy: Gazans mark a dark Eid
Despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes are still common in Gaza, where most of the population depends on aid for basic needs, according to the United Nations.
U.S. President Donald Trump and others attend the inaugural Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington on Feb. 19.
WORLD
May 28, 2026
Board of Peace official Gaza fund is empty despite pledges, source says
Since the board was set up, its fund — administered by the World Bank and endorsed by the United Nations — has received no money from donors, the source said.
Mourners carry the body of Hamas leader Mohammed Odeh and other Palestinians in a funeral procession in Gaza City on Wednesday, a day after his targeted assassination by the Israeli army.
WORLD
May 28, 2026
Palestinians mourn slain Hamas militant chief as Israel escalates Gaza attacks
The Israeli military said Mohammad Odeh was killed in a targeted attack on Tuesday night, just over a week after his predecessor was killed.
U.S. President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Wednesday
WORLD / Politics
May 28, 2026
Trump’s Iran bind deepens with Hormuz shut and hawks pushing war
Adding to the challenge are his own comments lambasting his predecessors for deals similar to the one that has the best chance of success.
A large political billboard along Enghelab Square in central Tehran on Tuesday
WORLD
May 27, 2026
Iran says ‘low’ possibility of return to war with U.S.
The statement came a day after Iran accused the U.S. of breaching the ceasefire in place since April.
"Japan’s experience shows that oil price shocks are never just oil price shocks. They are tests of the entire inflation regime,” Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said Wednesday in a speech to open a two-day international banking conference in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 27, 2026
BOJ’s Ueda warns of oil shock’s impact on entire inflation regime
Following the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, Ueda has repeatedly said that the central bank needs to pay attention to upside inflation risks.
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.
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.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
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.
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.
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.

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

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