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June 30, 2026
 

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MIDDLE EAST

People assess the damage to a destroyed apartment in the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in the Burj al-Shemali village near Tyre, Lebanon, on Tuesday.
WORLD
May 27, 2026
Israel pounds Lebanon and expands ground operations past security zone
The bombing raids further strained a ceasefire announced on April 16 ​that was meant to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Fumiya Kokubu, the former head of a major trading house, said Monday it would be "impossible” to procure alternatives for the 15 million kiloliters of naphtha a year that the country sourced from the Middle East before the war in Iran.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 26, 2026
Former Japan trading house head warns of naphtha supply crunch
Former Marubeni chair says Japan is likely to face a shortage of naphtha-derived chemical products as early as the end of June.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (second right) shares a laugh with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (left), Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar (second left) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a "Quad" ministerial meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 26, 2026
‘Quad’ diplomats tout ‘concrete’ deliverables in bid to resuscitate partnership
Officials emphasized a clear future for the four-nation grouping, announcing new initiatives on critical minerals, maritime security and energy security.
People cross a street past a billboard on the facade of a building depicting the Strait of Hormuz with a caption in Persian reading "Forever in Iran's Hand," in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
May 26, 2026
Iran’s top envoys discussing potential peace deal with Qatar PM, official says
The talks focused primarily on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, as well as frozen Iranian funds.
A memorial ceremony for victims of the war with the U.S. and Israel, in Tehran on Sunday
WORLD
May 26, 2026
Trump hails progress on peace as U.S. strikes Iran and Israel attacks Lebanon
American forces hit missile launch sites in Iran and boats trying to place mines, while Israel struck sites in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah drone attacks.
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Nabatieh on Monday.
WORLD
May 26, 2026
Israel will intensify Lebanon strikes amid U.S.-Iran deal talks
Iran has demanded the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon as part of any peace agreement with the U.S. that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and some of its Middle East neighbors in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern countries against Iran, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Sept. 15, 2020.
WORLD / Politics
May 26, 2026
Trump links Abraham Accords to any Iran deal
Public mistrust of ‌Israel ‌in Muslim nations remains high over the scale of its military offensive in Gaza.
Idemitsu Maru arrives at a sea berth off the city of Chita in Aichi Prefecture on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
May 25, 2026
Japanese tanker Idemitsu Maru arrives in Aichi after exiting Strait of Hormuz
The oil tanker is the first to return to Japan through the strait since war broke out in Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to journalists before boarding his plane at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Monday. Rubio said Washington would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before exploring "alternatives."
WORLD
May 25, 2026
Iran and U.S. play down hopes for imminent breakthrough in war
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social over the weekend that the U.S. blockade ​on Iran would remain “until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”
Pilgrims perform umrah around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque ahead of the start of hajj in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
WORLD
May 24, 2026
Pilgrims from the West flock to hajj despite Mideast war
For many, the chance to perform the sacrosanct Muslim rite has taken precedence over the fears of instability caused by the war against Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Marine One as he departs from Morristown, New Jersey, on Friday.
WORLD
May 24, 2026
Trump says Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’ and would reopen Strait of Hormuz
Various media in the U.S. and Iran said the memorandum that could yield an agreement lays out a phased framework ‌for ending months ‌of fighting.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 23, 2026
Three months in, is Trump losing the Iran war?
With Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, its resistance to nuclear concessions and its government largely intact, doubts are growing that Trump can pull out a geopolitical win.
Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir (second from left) is greeted by Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni upon his arrival in Tehran as part of ongoing mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.
WORLD
May 23, 2026
Pakistan Army chief in Tehran as Iran weighs U.S. peace offer
But disagreements between Tehran and Washington remain “deep and extensive,” an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
Ethylene is made from naphtha, which is derived from crude oil, and is used as a material for plastics and fibers.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2026
Ethylene plant operating rate hits record low in Japan
Ethylene, made from naphtha derived from crude oil, is used as a material for plastics and fibers.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday "we will never back down” in talks.
WORLD
May 22, 2026
Progress in Iran talks undercut over uranium and Strait of Hormuz tolls
Conflicting statements on key issues left it unclear if the U.S. and Iran were any closer to a deal after renewed threats of escalation in recent days.
Cindy McCain, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, is interviewed in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 22, 2026
U.N. World Food Programme chief thanks Japan amid funding shortfall
The organization has seen transportation cost increases affecting things such as food and other relief supplies, since the Strait of Hormuz has effectively been closed.
The Strait of Hormuz crisis is exposing a new era of geopolitical coercion in which access to critical trade routes is selectively controlled, deepening economic insecurity in Asia and accelerating doubts about the reliability of the U.S.-led global order.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2026
How China and U.S. navigate the Strait of Hormuz stranglehold
The Strait of Hormuz has evolved into a laboratory for a new form of geopolitical coercion where access itself becomes currency.
Former economics professor and Bank of Japan board member Junko Koeda is the second among members who voted in favor of holding settings steady at bank's last policy meeting to have since signaled the likelihood of rate hikes to come. But she has also hinted at caution, saying it’s important to assess the impact stemming from the Middle East conflict.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2026
BOJ should raise policy rate at appropriate pace, says board member Junko Koeda
Koeda was among those who voted with the majority in favor of holding settings steady at the last policy meeting on April 28.
Japan's trade balance in April was a ¥301.9 billion ($1.9 billion) surplus on an unadjusted basis, according to the Finance Ministry, remaining in the black unexpectedly on strong exports and a sharp drop in energy imports.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2026
Japan’s trade surplus remained in the black in April as energy imports plunged
Exports remained robust, with chip exports rising 44% amid strong demand for artificial intelligence-related products.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets with Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, at Downing Street in London on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2026
Britain clinches $5 billion Gulf trade deal in shadow of Iran war
The deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council comes after U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran prompted Iranian attacks on countries in the region, straining energy and food supplies.
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.
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."
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.
‘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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