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Latest News

One of Honda's most senior executives resigned over allegations he’d engaged in inappropriate conduct during a social gathering outside of work hours.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 7, 2025
Senior Honda executive resigns after allegations of misconduct
Honda’s audit committee investigated the accusations against Shinji Aoyama, an executive vice president and board director, and compiled a disciplinary action plan.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a joint press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Feb. 7.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2025
Japan responds to Trump's tariffs with a polite phone call and request
The call was the first interaction between the two leaders since the U.S. president rolled out new tariffs targeting almost every country on the planet.
Kwai Chung container ports in Hong Kong earlier this month
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 7, 2025
East Asia tries a mix of measures to counter U.S. tariffs as markets suffer
U.S. President Donald Trump last week announced a raft of tariffs, with almost every country affected.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Japan does not intend to seek direct confrontation with the U.S. over the newly levied tariffs, during a parliamentary committee session in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 7, 2025
Japan to avoid direct confrontation with the U.S. over Trump tariffs
The Japanese prime minister is calling for a more diplomatic and fact-based approach, in part by examining U.S. allegations about trade barriers.
The Unification Church's Tokyo headquarters in Shibuya Ward. The group is appealing a district court order stripping it of its religious corporation status.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 7, 2025
Unification Church appeals stripping of religious corporation status
The group argued that the district court order was decided as a foregone conclusion and ignored law and the facts.
A Fuchu expressway entrance in western Tokyo is closed Sunday due to a glitch in the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2025
Tollbooths now operational after ETC malfunction causes mass confusion
It was the first time such a large-scale problem involving the ETC system has occurred since Japanese expressways were privatized in 2005.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a news conference in Tokyo on April 1. The approval rating for Ishiba's Cabinet fell to 30.6% over the weekend, according to a JNN poll.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2025
Ishiba under pressure to take stronger stance against U.S. on tariffs
Some opposition leaders are urging the prime minister to rally his party around a strategy before speaking with the U.S. president, but others are eyeing his removal.
A medical helicopter pilot and other survivors are rescued after the aircraft crashed off the coast of Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2025
Three dead after medical helicopter crashes in waters off Nagasaki
An 86-year-old female patient, her 68-year-old son and a 34-year-old doctor died in the crash.
Paris Saint-Germain's players throw coach Luis Enrique into the air as they celebrate winning the French league title in Paris on Saturday.
SOCCER
Apr 7, 2025
Paris Saint-Germain becomes stronger amid Luis Enrique's starless revolution
Having just clinched the Ligue 1 title, PSG moves on to a Champions League quarterfinal against Aston Villa in a buoyant mood.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks in a video message shown at a national rally demanding the return of the Northern Territories held in Tokyo in February.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2025
Russia bans Japanese NGO amid disputed islands row
The four islands were captured by the Soviet military during the final months of the war, and have been held by Moscow since, in what Tokyo describes as an "illegal occupation."
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singles against the Mets during the eighth inning at Citi Field in New York on Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 7, 2025
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. agrees to $500 million extension with Blue Jays
Guerrero, a four-time All-Star and the American League MVP runner-up in 2021, was set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte speaks during a news conference at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels last week.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 7, 2025
With focus on ‘projecting power,’ NATO eyes greater Indo-Pacific role
NATO chief Mark Rutte expects the alliance to ramp up its engagement in the strategically important region as threats become increasingly interconnected.
Pedestrians stand in front of an electronic board showing the numbers of the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange along a street in the Japanese capital on Monday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 7, 2025
Nikkei plunges in third-biggest daily loss ever amid Trump tariff concerns
The index closed down 2,644 points, or 7.82%, from Friday at 31,136.58, its lowest finish since Oct. 31, 2023.
People walk to the Osaka Expo venues on the Yumeshima artificial island on Saturday to participate in a three-day test run involving visitors ahead of its grand opening next Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2025
Potentially explosive levels of methane gas detected at Osaka Expo site
Methane levels exceeding safety standards were found in an underground utility pit on the western side of the Yumeshima venue, officials said Monday.
Southampton's Kyle Walker-Peters stands beside manager Ivan Juric after their loss against Tottenham in London on Sunday.
SOCCER
Apr 7, 2025
Ivan Juric urges Southampton to learn from record-setting relegation
Southampton was condemned to relegation in record time after a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako lay flowers at the Iwoto Islander Peace Cemetery Park on Iwo Jima on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2025
Emperor, empress visit Iwo Jima battlefield to pay respects to war dead
Monday's trip to the island is the first by an emperor and an empress since the current Emperor Emeritus Akihito's and Empress Emerita Michiko's visit in 1994.
High school student Soa Ono, 17, assists an elderly woman during a recreational activity at a nursing care facility in Nagoya in late February.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 7, 2025
Caregiver apprenticeship for high school students expanding in Aichi
The program allows apprentices to earn an income while acquiring knowledge and skills through hands-on experience.
A vehicle carries the coffin of a commander from Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah armed group during a funeral in Baghdad on Sept. 22, 2024.
WORLD
Apr 7, 2025
Iran-backed militias in Iraq ready to disarm to avert Trump wrath
The move to defuse tensions follows repeated warnings issued privately by U.S. officials to the Iraqi government since Trump took power in January.
U.S. F-16 fighter jets fly in formation during the opening ceremony of Cope Thunder, an annual bilateral exercise between the U.S. Pacific Air Forces and the Philippine Air Force, at Clark Air Base near Angeles City, Philippines, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 7, 2025
Philippines, U.S. launch joint drills aimed at 'deterrence'
The drills follow months of confrontations between Beijing and Manila over disputed areas of the South China Sea.
The TikTok logo is seen outside the Chinese video app company's Los Angeles offices on Friday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 7, 2025
Trump says China tariff objections stalled TikTok deal
ByteDance is required to divest TikTok’s U.S. unit but the company has balked at selling a business valued in the billions.
Eagles rookie Rui Muneyama (center) poses with pitcher Takayuki Kishi (right) and infielder Hideto Asamura after a win in Sendai on April 3.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Apr 7, 2025
Rookie duo off to hot starts at plate in new NPB campaign
Seiya Watanabe and Rui Muneyama both have at least 10 hits so far this season.
Carlos Alcaraz hits a shot during a match in Doha in February.
TENNIS
Apr 7, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz admits to struggling under pressure to reclaim top ranking
The 21-year-old Spaniard added that staying at world No. 3 has not come as a shock to him.
Former Prime Minister Taro Aso has the most assets among Lower House members, at ¥601.53 million ($4.1 million), according to a Jiji Press tally of asset reports filed after the general election in October last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2025
Lower House members' assets hit record low: Jiji
The decrease reflects the retirement or electoral defeat of major asset holders in last year's general election, and the debut of new lawmakers.

Longform

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it