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June 30, 2026
 

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SUPPLY CHAINS

A Taiwan Coast Guard ship patrols near Dadan Island in Kinmen County, Taiwan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2026
A Taiwan crisis and America’s faltering industrial base
Weaknesses in the U.S. defense industrial base no longer represent a mere economic issue; they now pose an immediate strategic vulnerability.
Samples of rare earth luminescent materials displayed at an exhibition on China’s manufacturing achievements at the National Museum in Beijing in March
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 24, 2026
China’s mineral squeeze testing Japan’s military buildup
The restrictions are exposing vulnerabilities in Japan’s defense-industrial supply chains while also providing the clearest test yet of Tokyo’s push to bolster economic security.
China’s designation prohibits these U.S. companies from access to items that can be used for both commercial and military purposes.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2026
China targets U.S. rare earths firms in response to Pentagon list
China’s designation prohibits these U.S. companies from access to items that can be used for both commercial and military purposes.
Stacks of aluminum ingots at a stockyard in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, China
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 22, 2026
Aluminum’s war shock blunted by dark transits and Chinese supply
Indonesia has also been instrumental in keeping the global market in check as buyers wait for exports to rebound.
A sample of dysprosium oxide.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2026
China’s key minerals exports to Japan stay at low levels in May
Exports of some key types of tungsten, as well as rare-earths dysprosium and terbium, stayed at zero in May, according to Chinese customs data.
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are seen near a beach in Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 18, 2026
Wave of Persian Gulf oil set to leave Asian refiners swamped
The situation is a stark reversal from the early stages of the Iran war, when prices were spiking and the oil market was warning of dramatic shortages.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the Group of Seven summit, in Evian, France, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 18, 2026
In G7 debut, Takaichi puts economic security at heart of Japanese diplomacy
The prime minister’s clearest imprint came in the area of critical minerals, where bloc leaders agreed to step up cooperation on supply-chain resilience and stockpiling.
An employee of Fuchu Car, a repair shop in suburban Tokyo, works on a "pearl white" body car at their workshop. The lustrous finish is one of the most popular colors for cars in Japan and increasingly difficult for the repair shop to obtain.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 17, 2026
U.S.-Iran deal may not bring quick relief for auto shops
Auto shops in Tokyo and Detroit car dealerships have been running low on motor oil, paint and other products for months since the Middle East conflict snarled global supply chains.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends her first Group of Seven summit on Monday in Evian-les-Bains, France.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 16, 2026
Takaichi proposes G7 framework for stockpiling critical minerals
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pitched a plan for coordinating critical mineral stockpiles among the group and like-minded nations, amid China’s tight grip on key supply chains.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during the Critical Minerals Ministerial at the State Department in Washington on Feb. 4.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 15, 2026
Trump’s mineral pricing plan faces skeptical G7 and divided industry
Negotiations for a Western trading bloc are stumbling over concerns about the plan’s cost and governance.
A boxing robot demonstration at Unitree in Hangzhou, China, last year. Building on the country’s electric vehicle industry, Chinese companies are making robot parts at a scale and price point others can’t match.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 13, 2026
Why it’s nearly impossible to build a robot without China
Building on the country’s electric vehicle industry, Chinese companies are making robot parts at a scale and price point others can’t match.
Rare earths have emerged as a flash point in trade relations in recent years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2026
Shin-Etsu plans new rare-earth refinery to secure supply
The plant will be the company’s third in Fukui Prefecture and will help “to ensure a stable supply of rare-earth-related products and magnets,” a spokesperson for the firm said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says it is "more convenient to publicly recognize companies that cooperate" with releasing their inventory than to enforce anti-hoarding laws.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 9, 2026
Takaichi reluctant to resolve naphtha bottleneck by enforcing laws
With naphtha-made products still in short supply, the prime minister’s government is facing questions on using two laws to punish hoarders.
Diet Coke and Coca-Cola cans are for sale in a shop in New Delhi in April.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2026
The Iran war is coming for your Diet Coke
Almost every one of those electrical devices, however, depends on the same aluminum that’s disappearing from the refrigerators of Indian supermarkets.
Toto is going back to normal delivery schedules as the supply outlook for raw materials has improved.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2026
Toto to fully resume bathroom orders as supply concerns ease
The company is going back to normal delivery schedules as the supply outlook for raw materials has improved.
Japan received 93% of its oil via the Strait of Hormuz prior to the Feb. 28 start of the Iran war.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 5, 2026
How Japan created its naphtha supply bottleneck
With no end in sight for the Iran war, supply chain bottlenecks for the oil-derived material are set to continue, prompting calls for government-enforced energy saving measures.
TSMC is racing to expand at a time customers from Nvidia to Broadcom are vying for access to its cutting-edge facilities.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 4, 2026
TSMC warns chip supply won’t meet AI-fueled demand for years
Comments by CEO C.C. Wei suggest production capacity remains a key bottleneck in the buildout of global computing infrastructure.
Lacquer thinner in short supply at a home improvement store in the city of Kagoshima on May 27
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 1, 2026
Housing industry hit by shortage of naphtha-derived materials
It is unclear when the situation will improve, and it could also have an impact on consumers in the form of higher housing prices or delayed construction.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer talks with Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard as they leave National Palace amid talks to review the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact, in Mexico City last month.
BUSINESS
May 30, 2026
Trump administration wants to raise North American auto content to 82%, with half from U.S.
The proposed new thresholds were revealed to automakers during two days of bilateral talks to revise the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade that concluded on ‌Friday.
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.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency
New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

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