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July 12, 2026
 

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ASIA

The chimneys of the Taean Thermal Power Station, a large coal-fired plant near Seoul. Asian countries are ramping up use of polluting coal to tackle energy shortages and price spikes linked to the Iran war, but the crisis could have an environmental silver lining.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 25, 2026
Back to black: facing energy shock, Asia turns to coal
Much of Asia is heavily exposed to the energy crisis that has unfolded since the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran began last month.
An attendant holds a petrol nozzle after refueling a car at a PetroChina gas station in Beijing on March 10.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 18, 2026
China’s fuel export ban to further tighten Asia supply
Australia, Bangladesh and the Philippines are ​especially reliant on Chinese fuel supply and will have to cover their needs elsewhere.
Deadly climate disasters are rising in South and Southeast Asia as adaptation funding and institutional capacity lag, highlighting the need for stronger regional and global coordination and support.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2026
Asia needs to play smarter to win climate dollars
Climate finance is supposed to fill the gap left by the industrialized world’s withdrawal from its responsibility to subsidize those suffering because of atmospheric carbon.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with the leaders of Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia after the ceremonial signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26. Hostilities between the two countries have since resumed.  
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2025
White House 2025 Asia upheaval set to continue in 2026
Will the Trump administration learn from its counterproductive actions in Asia in 2025? It seems unlikely.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Busan, South Korea, on Oct 30.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 11, 2025
Survival in Trump, Xi and Putin’s ‘great power’ world
Japan and other middle powers must help shape the new order — or risk becoming subject to it.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 31, 2025
Hegseth warns of Chinese threat to Taiwan, urging allies to upgrade defenses
In a speech to regional defense officials, U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth also sought to ease concerns among those skeptical of America’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
Asian tech leaders are spearheading AI's shift to robotics, with China, Japan and South Korea leading global innovation in hardware.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2024
AI robots are coming, and they’ll be made in Asia
Citigroup projects that there would be 1.3 billion AI robots globally by 2035 and 4 billion by 2050, doing everything from household chores to delivering parcels.
In developing Asia, where coal dominates and imported liquefied natural gas is expensive, natural gas remains limited in electricity grids.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2024
Gas got America off coal. Now, it’s coming for Asia’s oil.
It can work in concert with carbon-free energy to break the hold of the dirtiest sources of power.
Asian banks are shifting focus from trade financing to wealth management and capital markets to offset potential losses from U.S. tariffs and capitalize on growing regional and global wealth.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2024
The wealthy will shield Asian banks from Trump tariffs
Asian banks are shifting focus from trade financing to wealth management and capital markets to offset potential losses from U.S. tariff.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks aboard the USS Howard destroyer at the Yokosuka Naval Base, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in September 2022.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 23, 2024
Continuity in Asia: Harris’ policies likely to assuage concerns in Japan
Tokyo is already quite familiar with the approach of the U.S. vice president, who will likely continue her predecessor’s foreign policy if she is elected president.
The Asia Peace March is held in observance of Human Rights Day in Tokyo in December 2021. This year, as Japan sits on key U.N. bodies, the government can show leadership in tackling human rights issues in Asia.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 7, 2024
Japan can aid in preventing human rights slide in Asia
As a stable democracy and big development donor, Japan should lead in tackling human rights abuses in countries like China, North Korea and Myanmar, and across Asia.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 12, 2024
Scholz meets with ASEAN leaders, looking to reduce China dependency
China still dominates the supply of raw materials needed to make electric-vehicle batteries, solar panels and other high-tech products.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 14, 2024
Biden blasts Trump over NATO remarks, in bid to reassure U.S. allies
Biden’s retort appears to be part of an attempt to reassure not only Kyiv but other allies — including top U.S. partners Japan and South Korea.
Now in their fourth year, Hong Kong's security crackdowns have led to the exodus of hundreds of thousands of people, resulting in grave manpower shortages and a stain on the city's image as place to do business.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 9, 2023
Hong Kong needs to protect its image as a financial center
In Lee’s view, while reviving Hong Kong’s role as a global financial center, it is vital to continue the crackdown on perceived threats.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 3, 2023
Asia’s winners and losers as region says sayonara to 2022
Say good by to 2022. But as a new year approaches, war, inflation and COVID-19 still endure.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2022
Resetting Southeast Asia’s climate agenda
As they grapple with a cascade of economic challenges, from high inflation to volatile energy prices, the region’s governments have scaled back efforts to combat climate change.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2022
In search of a development plan for Asia
No matter how compelling a top-down development plan for Asia might be, it is highly unlikely to ever be implemented.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 14, 2022
The U.S. midterms and what they may mean for Asia
A Democratic Party victory in both houses would probably lead to a foreign policy more focused on Asia compared to the more isolationist-leaning Republican Party.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 2, 2022
The importance of Asian financial cooperation
It will be through engagement and cooperation that governments will revive Asia’s long-term economic prosperity.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 5, 2022
Keeping Europe warm this winter will depend on weather in Asia
Japan, South Korea and China — among the world’s biggest importers of liquefied natural gas and seaborne coal — all share a peak heating demand season during the winter with Europe.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
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