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Latest News

According to the 2025 reports on lawmakers' incomes, the average income among nine party leaders stood at ¥24.53 million.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
Takaichi tops 2025 income rankings for Japan party heads
The prime minister earned ¥36.41 million in 2025 while the average income among nine party leaders stood at ¥24.53 million.
The bill stipulates that imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to ¥200,000 be imposed on acts that publicly damage the national flag.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
LDP’s flag desecration bill clears Lower House
Under the bill, desecrating the flag is punishable by up to two years of imprisonment or a fine of up to ¥200,000.
Japan's industrial production in May climbed 0.5% from the previous month as manufacturers were able to cope with the fallout from the war in Iran.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2026
Japan’s factory output rises as Iran fallout stays manageable
The government says it can secure enough crude oil through March 2028 by cultivating alternative procurements to the Strait of Hormuz.
A tactical short-range unmanned aerial vehicle during a military exercise at a military facility in Taichung, Taiwan, on Saturday. Taiwan’s debate over drone procurement is being closely watched because the successful use of unmanned systems by Ukraine and Iran have underscored the ways in which the technology can be used to defend territory against larger adversaries.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Taiwan opposition pitches $7.5 billion drone plan after stalling government bid
The debate is being closely watched because use of unmanned systems elsewhere has shown how the technology can be leveraged to defend against larger adversaries.
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.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 30, 2026
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Tochigi Prison, which houses 456 inmates, is a microcosm of what female prisons across the nation are facing, from a rising foreign population to mental health issues.
The raiding of Super Micro Computer offices and several of its local affiliates mark an expansion of Taiwan’s first public crackdown on artificial intelligence chip diversion after years of pressure from Washington.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
Taiwan raids Super Micro in widening China chip smuggling probe
The raids mark an expansion of Taiwan’s first public crackdown on artificial intelligence chip diversion after years of pressure from Washington.
A television screen shows a news report on patrol and law‑enforcement operations around Taiwan conducted by the China Coast Guard, at a restaurant in Beijing in late December.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 30, 2026
More than a boundary: Why Japan-Philippines maritime talks matter for China
Beijing says the talks infringe on maritime rights it claims through Taiwan and sees discussions as part of a broader effort by Manila and Tokyo to deepen strategic coordination.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a government meeting on ocean policy on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Japan to revise its Arctic policy as region’s geopolitical importance grows
The Arctic region is becoming increasingly important for national security as China and Russia intensify their activities.
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant smiles after forcing a turnover against the Utah Jazz at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee, on Dec. 12.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jun 30, 2026
Blazers acquire Ja Morant in 3-player deal with Grizzlies
The Trail Blazers acquired the two-time All-Star in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray.
Mizuho Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group propelled foreign-currency bond sales by Japanese companies to a record.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Mizuho and SMFG fuel record Japanese corporate bond sales overseas
The surge in issuance in overseas currencies is in part being fueled by the depreciating yen, which slid to its weakest level against the dollar since 1986 this week.
Japan's Naomi Osaka warms up ahead of her first-round match against Elsa Jacquemot at Wimbledon, London, on Monday.
TENNIS
Jun 30, 2026
Naomi Osaka serves up a fashion slam at Wimbledon
Osaka, the 14th-seeded player and former world No. 1, did her walk-on in an all-white look by Hana Yagi, an independent Japanese designer, titled “Evolving Ceremony.”
Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, speaks at her campaign headquarters in Lima on June 24.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Dynasty daughter Keiko Fujimori wins Peru presidency on fourth go
The daughter of disgraced late President Alberto Fujimori won by the slimmest of margins.
A fan looks dejected after the match as Germany is eliminated from the World Cup by Paraguay in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Monday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 30, 2026
Paraguay stuns Germany on penalties to reach World Cup last 16
For the Germans, who had a goal disallowed in extra time, ​it was a bitter defeat and the first time they lost a penalty shootout at a World Cup.
The Yodobashi-Ikebukuro commercial complex at the east exit of Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Yodobashi-Ikebukuro commercial complex opens after full renovation
The building, which previously housed Sogo & Seibu’s flagship Seibu Ikebukuro department store, also houses sporting and variety goods stores and restaurants.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama (left) and Shinichi Nakatani, state minister of finance, display a sign for the secretariat of the Japan Foreign Investment Committee at the ministry on Monday.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
Government launches panel to review foreign investment in Japanese companies
The new body will conduct cross-ministerial reviews with the aim of preventing leaks of technology and information critical to national security.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been in chaos following deep staff cuts and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s overhaul of U.S. vaccine policy.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
New CDC leaders vow to boost skeleton staff left after DOGE cuts
Over the last 18 months, about a quarter of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff left or were cut by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and other lenders have agreed to extend the maturity of about ¥75 billion ($463 million) in loans to Godiva Japan by nine months.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Godiva’s Japan lenders agree on 9-month loan extension
The chocolate maker posted a net loss of about ¥30 billion for the year ended December 2025.
The ruling party lawmaker Hirofumi Nakasone said on Sunday that no one would marry Princess Aiko if she ascended the imperial throne while unmarried, prompting criticism.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2026
LDP’s Hirofumi Nakasone regrets remark on Princess Aiko
In a speech in Toyama Prefecture on Sunday, the lawmaker added that no one would marry the princess if she were to succeed to the throne while unmarried.
Andy Burnham, the British member of Parliament for Makerfield, delivers a speech at the People's History Museum in Manchester, Britain, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Burnham vows to grow economy by taking powers out of London
The prime minister hopeful says Britain is “stuck in a rut” with output held back by a “stark imbalance in resources between national government and local government.”
Protesters are seen during a march against undocumented migrants in Soweto, South Africa, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
South African police on high alert before antimigrant protests
The demonstrations set to take place are the culmination of weeks of protests that have displaced thousands of mainly African expatriates.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (center, back) looks on as Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter (left), State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler (center) and Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement at the U.S. Department of State in Washington on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Israel-Lebanon deal may entrench stalemate rather than end war, analysts say
The security deal between Israel and Lebanon includes something few see as workable: Hezbollah’s disarmament, which no Lebanese government has the power to enforce.
An aerial view of a heavy machinery working at the site of buildings destroyed following earthquakes in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela, on Monday.
WORLD
Jun 30, 2026
Survivors decry slow aid after deadly Venezuela quakes
Miracle rescues are increasingly rare and the death toll hit more than 1,700 on Monday.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a session of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in Minsk, Belarus, on Dec. 18.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Putin’s closest ally tested as Minsk resists deeper war role
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has publicly warned Russian officials against efforts to pull his country into the conflict with Ukraine.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival