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March 07, 2025
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March 07, 2025
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Antonio Costa, president of the European Council (left) Zelenskyy and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, arrive for a special European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
EU leaders agree on defense surge, support Zelenskyy after U.S. aid freeze
By Lili Bayer, Andrew Gray and Michel Rose
The European Union's defense summit in Brussels took place amid fears that Russia, emboldened by its war in Ukraine, may attack an EU country next.
Antonio Costa, president of the European Council (left) Zelenskyy and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, arrive for a special European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Seiji Maehara (left) shakes hands with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after the budget was passed at the Lower House — with the support of the opposition party — on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Is Nippon Ishin the ruling LDP-Komeito coalition's friend or foe?
By Eric Johnston
The party is juggling between supporting the ruling coalition in return for some of its policies being realized, and opposing them to win votes.
A Weathernews forecast shows the cherry blossom season will begin on March 21 in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Cherry blossom season set to kick off on March 21 in Tokyo
By Jessica Speed
Blossoms are expected to reach full bloom at a pace similar to or slightly faster than average years in western and eastern Japan.
Firefighters battle a wildfire in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Wildfire slows in Iwate as government announces relief support
By Yukana Inoue
The city saw 26.5 millimeters of rain on Wednesday, far exceeding the 2.5mm total for the entire month of February.
Yarn shortages are a sign that hobbies like knitting and crochet are gaining in popularity.
LIFE / Lifestyle
‘Granny hobbies’ are the new self-care
By Yuko Tamura
Pastimes long associated with Japanese grandparents are booming on social media as young people look for new (old) ways to relax.
Yarn shortages are a sign that hobbies like knitting and crochet are gaining in popularity.

JAPAN

The Tohoku Shinkansen made an emergency stop after the two trains became detached on Thursday in Tokyo's Arakawa Ward.
Tohoku Shinkansen trains decoupled during service again
No passengers on the two trains were harmed, according to East Japan Railway.
After the ruling in the lawsuit seeking an injunction against the operation of the No. 3 reactor at Shikoku Electric Power's Ikata nuclear plant, the representatives of the legal team led by attorney Kan Ebisuda (center) hold a news conference on Wednesday in Naka Ward, Hiroshima City.
Hiroshima court rejects request for Ikata reactor injunction
Presiding judge Kazumi Ohama said "It cannot be said that there is a specific danger that violates the lives of the plaintiffs."
Female assembly members with children seeing better work conditions
By Miki Hirano
Menstruation in Japan: Breaking the silence, slowly
By Tomoko Otake
Acquittal of two former Tepco executives to be finalized
Saitama nursery school staff arrested for urinating in student's water bottle
By Karin Kaneko

BUSINESS

U.S. President Donald Trump is exempting automakers from newly imposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada for one month, the White House said Wednesday, as a temporary reprieve following pleas from industry leaders.
Trump’s tariff pause cheered globally and watched closely in Tokyo
By Kazuaki Nagata
The U.S. president is delaying 25% tariffs on cars from Mexico and Canada and might consider carve-outs for agricultural imports from those countries.
Foster City, California’s Gilead is laser-focused on HIV and is seeking an actual cure.
Gilead's Japan head says nation can be among first to end HIV epidemic
By Francis Tang and Richard Meyer
The pharmaceutical powerhouse has drugs that disrupt the transmission of the virus, one of which has been approved for prevention in Japan.
'Psychodrama' tariff negotiations frustrate Mexico and Canada
By Emily Green, Jarrett Renshaw and David Ljunggren
Couche-Tard holds talks for sale of U.S. shops in Seven & i deal
By Mathieu Dion
Japan pay hike demands top 6% for first time in 32 years
Japan’s biggest union group demands highest wage hike since 1993
By Erica Yokoyama

WORLD

Palestinian fighters and crowds gather to watch a hostage release in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 15.
U.S.-Hamas talks complicate Gaza truce efforts, analysts say
By Callum Paton
The direct contact is "a sign of a breakdown in mediation for a wider ceasefire," one expert said.
Antonio Costa, president of the European Council (left) Zelenskyy and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, arrive for a special European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
EU leaders agree on defense surge, support Zelenskyy after U.S. aid freeze
By Lili Bayer, Andrew Gray and Michel Rose
The European Union's defense summit in Brussels took place amid fears that Russia, emboldened by its war in Ukraine, may attack an EU country next.
How realistic is France's offer to extend its nuclear umbrella?
By John Irish
Rohingya refugee food aid to be halved from next month: U.N.
Hong Kong’s Tiananmen activists win rare appeal in security case
By Alan Wong
South Korea air force jets accidentally drop bombs on homes, injuring 15
By Ju-min Park and Hyunsu Yim

Sports

Naomi Osaka hits a shot during her match against Camila Osorio in Indian Wells, California, on Wednesday.
Naomi Osaka falls in first round at Indian Wells
The four-time Grand Slam champion never looked comfortable against Osorio's dynamic game and piled up unforced errors on a cool evening in the California desert.
Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho denies racism allegations
WTA and Saudi PIF to provide paid maternity leave to tennis players
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc put on show for Ferrari fans in Milan
Powerboat racing revs up bid to shed shadowy reputation in Japan
By Andrew MCKIRDY

Opinion

President Donald Trump delivers an address to a joint session of Congress in Washington on Tuesday. Some critics are questioning if the U.S. is shifting away from global leadership under his stewardship.
Trump's speech was more campaign rhetoric than leadership
Kuni Miyake
Trump's speech to Congress, like the one eight years ago, was little more than domestic political propaganda.
The Oval Office blowup: What went wrong and how to fix it
By Calvin Chrustie
Japan and South Korea in the age of ‘America first’
By Tunchinmang Langel
Transitioning to a new global structure without a League of Nations-style collapse
By Edo Naito
Abe’s Russia outreach flopped — Trump should take note
By Brad Glosserman

ENVIRONMENT

A monarch butterfly is seen at an enclosure at Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, in August 2019.
Butterfly populations plummet by 22% in U.S. since turn of century
By Will Dunham
Studies in some other countries have documented declines at roughly the same rate as in the U.S. data.
Europe’s defense budget rips through its climate-crisis buffer
By Gautam Naik
Sheep grazing under solar panels help U.S. farmers to survive crop-price slump
By P.J. Huffstutter
Turning waste into wealth with insect-based biotech
By Angelyn Labadan
Nauru sells citizenship to fund climate change mitigation
By Laura Chung

CULTURE

Netflix reality show “K-foodie meets J-foodie” follows South Korean YouTuber Sung Si-kyung and Japanese actor Yutaka Matsushige as they share meals in their respective countries.
Can a meal make you besties? ‘K-foodie meets J-foodie’ says yes.
By Patrick St. Michel
The new Netflix show pairs a Korean crooner and a Japanese food icon for a cross-cultural food rally.
‘The Gesuidouz’ flips the bird at viewers
By James Hadfield
Crowds shouldn’t stop you from seeing the hit Ryuichi Sakamoto exhibit
By Thu-Huong Ha
‘Reveal’: Kumi Takiuchi’s performance stuns in one-woman film
By Mark Schilling
Small-budget sex worker romp 'Anora' triumphs at Oscars
By Huw Griffith

LIFE

While you need to pass over cash for taxes, don't fall for scams that trick you into paying what you don't owe.
Scams, taxes and tariffs: It's that time of year.
By Yuko Tamura
Financial scams abound in Japan and a new one uses tax-related terminology.
Stories from behind the bar at Shinjuku's Golden Gai
By Mika Inoue
Toyama’s finest seafood underpins Ebitei Bekkan’s return to greatness
By Robbie Swinnerton
A French shepherd’s pie that's Japanese on the inside
By Simon Daly
Aboard Japan’s most luxurious train, the journey is the destination
By Erik Augustin Palm

COMMUNITY

Tsuyoshi Mizukoshi, owner of a pub in Nishiogi’s commercial area, is a community organizer who is rallying local residents against the road development plan.
Redevelopment and resistance in historic Nishiogikubo
By Aviraj Gokool
Stakeholders in Suginami Ward have been fighting against a road development plan for some years — but economic forces are already transforming the neighborhood.
How a Canadian missionary found spiritual transformation in Shikoku
By Suzanne Kamata
Mike Sunda: ‘Creative production comes with a bigger responsibility than ever before’
By Mike Fu
Black History Month in 2025: The boundaries between 'us' and 'them'
By Baye McNeil
John Davis: ‘At its core, indie is about creative freedom’
By Gendel Gento

Editors' Picks

COMMENTARY
Can Shiori Ito’s documentary open Japan’s black box?
By Atsushi Funahashi and Chelsea Szendi Schieder
Shiori Ito is the first Japanese director to have been nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary feature film. "Black Box Diaries," which tells the story of her quest for justice following her rape in 2015, hasn't been released in Japan.
BUSINESS
Japanese stocks stalled at 1989 levels as investors weigh tariffs and rates
By Kazuaki Nagata
An electronic sign displays the benchmark Nikkei stock average on a street in Tokyo. The stock average has been range-bound between about 38,000 and 40,000 since hitting a new all-time high in July last year.
COMMUNITY
Redevelopment and resistance in historic Nishiogikubo
By Aviraj Gokool
Tsuyoshi Mizukoshi, owner of a pub in Nishiogi’s commercial area, is a community organizer who is rallying local residents against the road development plan.
JAPAN
Why the latest Iwate wildfire is so difficult to extinguish
By Yukana Inoue
Firefighters work to extinguish the forest fire in the city of Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, in this screenshot of a video footage from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency on Friday.
ENVIRONMENT
Japan’s climate heroes show potential and limits of local initiatives
By Tomoko Otake
Hidetaka Ishii, an official at the Chiba Municipal Government, says close coordination with private-sector operators is key for regional decarbonization efforts.

Podcast

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

Longform

Wealthier women in the prewar era had been the targets of various media-related health campaigns that mistakenly encouraged them to avoid everything from riding bicycles to reading novels when their monthly cycles came around.
Menstruation in Japan: Breaking the silence, slowly
By Tomoko Otake

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Yamagata’s Zao Onsen Ski Resort is a classic beauty
Yamagata’s Zao Onsen Ski Resort is a classic beauty

WHAT’S TRENDING

WORLD
Trump to order U.S. Education Department abolished, WSJ reports
People walk past the Department of Education building in Washington on Feb. 4.
BUSINESS
Trump, claiming Japan guiding yen lower, hints at fresh tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that if Japan and China try to weaken their currencies and put the United States "at a very unfair disadvantage," he could impose fresh tariffs on them.
BUSINESS
U.S. Steel seen as key to Nippon Steel's global strategy
By Kazuaki Nagata
Nippon Steel is trying to build its business globally with U.S. Steel as a key component.
LIFE
Not even Japan is safe from counterfeit luxury goods
By Carol R.H. Malasig
While Japan's luxury goods market remains strong, its seconhand resale market is proving just as much a draw for tourists searching for great bargains — as long as they can manage to get their hands on the real deal.
JAPAN
Prince Hisahito's coming-of-age ceremony set for Sept. 6
Prince Hisahito in the city of Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, on Feb. 12