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July 02, 2026
 

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Itochu and other Japanese trading houses are making investments to solve the supply chain bottleneck for official toys, apparel and collectibles of anime and manga in overseas markets.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2026
Itochu invests in San Francisco venture to chase anime merchandise demand
Following Itochu’s investment, startup Octas will license Japanese characters and work with North American manufacturers and retailers to develop products.
A man fuels up his vehicle at a gas station during a gas giveaway event in Chicago last month. More than 6 in 10 Americans say their household's finances have taken a hit from higher gas prices, according to a poll taken in May.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2026
White House scrambles for gas-price relief as Iran war drags on
Gasoline prices are averaging more than $4.50 a gallon nationwide, and historically, $4 per gallon has been a level that triggers public backlash and economic anxiety.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi enters the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 15, 2026
Takaichi to meet with South Korean President Lee on Tuesday
Takaichi and Lee are slated to meet at the president’s hometown of Andong in North Gyeongsang Province.
U.S. President Donald Trump takes part in a welcome ceremony with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 14, 2026
Xi warns Trump that Taiwan missteps could lead to U.S.-China conflict
The meeting also saw the Chinese leader emphasize a “new positioning” of ties with, highlighting Beijing’s growing confidence in its ability to grapple with the U.S.
Axiom Space's Chief Technology Officer Koichi Wakata (left) and company president and CEO Jonathan Cirtain address reporters at a news conference on Thursday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 14, 2026
Axiom Space to launch Japan subsidiary
The Texas-based company is aiming to deepen ties with Japan ahead of its planned commercial replacement for the International Space Station.
The U.S. has an opportunity to use its lead in artificial intelligence technology to create a global governance mechanism to ensure safer, more resilient systems, OpenAI’s vice president of global affairs, Chris Lehane, said.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 14, 2026
OpenAI floats idea of global AI governance body with U.S. and China
Such an organization could resemble the International Atomic Energy Agency, OpenAI Vice President of Global Affairs Chris Lehane says.
The Reserve Bank of India headquarters in Mumba on April 8
BUSINESS / Economy
May 14, 2026
War turmoil saps Asian reserves with Philippines and India hit most
The slide in reserves adds to evidence that Asia has been one of the biggest losers from the Middle East conflict due to its reliance on energy imports.
Yasukazu Hamada (center) speaks at a meeting of the Liberal Democratic Party's Research Commission on Security on Wednesday at the party's headquarters in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
May 14, 2026
Japan’s ruling LDP may consider spending up to 5% of GDP on security
A further increase in security spending is among issues set to be discussed as part of a plan to revise Japan’s three key security-related documents this year.
Kevin Warsh, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be next chair of the Federal Reserve, at the end of a Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 21
BUSINESS
May 14, 2026
Warsh confirmed as Fed chair as central bank faces Trump assault
The Senate voted 54 to 45 in favor of Warsh, with Republicans holding a slim majority and ensuring U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace Jerome Powell was confirmed.
David Cheung, co-owner of Shaoguan Guanghua Plastic & Hardware Products, speaks during an interview in the company's showroom in Shaoguan, Guangdong province, China, on May 9, 2025.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 14, 2026
U.S. tariff whiplash pushed toy factory in China to brink of collapse
Had the United States kept tariffs on Chinese imports at triple digits for even one more day last year, toy manufacturer Huntar Company would have collapsed.
Fighters with the Kurdistan Workers' Party line up during a disarmament ceremony marking a significant step toward ending the decades-long conflict between Turkey and the outlawed group in the Qandil mountains, Iraq, on Oct. 26, 2025.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2026
Iran war throws wrench in peace process between Turkey and Kurdish militants
Ankara and the ‌Kurdistan Workers’ ‌Party have dug in to watch the fallout of the Iran war, each refusing to move next and stalling ​efforts to end the four-decade conflict.
Lu Jianwang, a U.S. citizen charged with conspiring to act as an agent of the Chinese government by helping set up a Chinese “secret police station,” arrives at Brooklyn federal court during his trial in New York on Tuesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 14, 2026
Man accused of running China police outpost in New York convicted
The man, a U.S. citizen, was also convicted in Brooklyn federal court of obstruction of justice.
F-15SA fighter jets in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 25, 2017. The Saudi strikes on Iraq were carried out by Saudi ‌air force fighter ‌jets on Iran-linked militia targets near the kingdom's northern border with Iraq, one Western official says.
WORLD
May 14, 2026
Saudi warplanes struck militias in Iraq during war, sources say
The strikes are part of a broader pattern of military responses around the Persian Gulf that stayed mostly hidden during a conflict that began with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
James Buchanan, managing director, South Asia, Walton Global, says there has been “a huge demand for alternative real estate investments.”
BUSINESS / Markets
May 13, 2026
Walton offers Japanese investors a hedge with exposure to U.S. land assets
Its 360-square-kilometer property portfolio might provide stability regardless of what the public markets do.
Federal prosecutors allege that Jho Low, with the help of two former Goldman Sachs Group bankers, paid about $2 billion in bribes to foreign officials.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 13, 2026
Alleged 1MDB mastermind Jho Low seeks presidential pardon
The fugitive financier is accused of being the architect of a scheme that siphoned at least $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
May 13, 2026
Trump faces emboldened Xi in China as Iran war clips U.S. leverage
As the war extends into its third month, China appears to hold unique sway as the biggest buyer of the Islamic Republic’s oil and a strategic partner of Tehran.
South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul on Nov. 4, 2025. Ahn has stressed that no detailed discussions have taken place with the U.S. on expanding South Korean ​troop involvement to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of ​Hormuz.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 13, 2026
South Korea weighs phased Hormuz role after U.S. talks, minister says
South Korea’s Defense Minister said phased support could include expressions of political support, personnel dispatches, information-sharing and providing military assets.
Mutual overconfidence and strategic miscalculation by both the U.S. and Iran are making renewed war increasingly likely because neither side fully understands the other’s strengths, weaknesses or willingness to endure pain.
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2026
The risk of the Iran war restarting is irrationally high
So long as the ceasefire holds and Hormuz remains blocked, the conflict is now a test of how well each side can withstand the economic and political strain inflicted by the other.
Yuki Kusumi, president of Panasonic Holdings, in the city of Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture, in April 2025
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
May 13, 2026
After cost cuts and reforms, Panasonic enters decisive stage in turnaround
Fiscal 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the major manufacturer as it seeks to break free from prolonged stagnation and place its recovery on firmer ground.
An annual rally to commemorate the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran on Feb. 11, 2023. Iran has retained roughly 70% of its prewar missile stockpile, according to U.S. assessments.
WORLD / Politics
May 13, 2026
U.S. intelligence shows Iran retains substantial missile capabilities
Iran has retained roughly 70% of its prewar missile stockpile, according to U.S. assessments.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
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.
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.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
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.

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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