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As the U.S. under Donald Trump reassesses its commitment to Ukraine, countries worldwide, particularly in Europe and Asia, are reconsidering their defense policies and alliances with America. 
EDITORIALS
Mar 7, 2025

Europe braces for a post-American world. Is Japan ready?

A diplomatic posture that makes demands only of Ukraine and not Russia suggests, however, that Washington has taken sides.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks to members of Iran's air force in Tehran in February.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 8, 2025

Trump says he sent Iran leader letter urging nuclear talks

Trump said that while he isn’t ruling out a military intervention, he would "rather negotiate a deal.”
Qianmen street, Beijing, in March 2023. Though the immediate shock has passed, COVID-19's legacy continues to reshape global economies and markets.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 8, 2025

Five years on, the economic impact of COVID-19 lingers

Though the immediate shock has passed, COVID-19's legacy continues to reshape global economies and markets.
Former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney speaks after he won the race to become leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister, in Ottawa on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 10, 2025

Mark Carney wins Canada Liberal contest and will succeed Trudeau in days

Carney takes the reins at a time when the White House is creating upheaval in the global economy — and with U.S. trading partners — with increasingly chaotic tariff announcements.
Syrian army personnel gather as they head toward Latakia to join the fight against the fighters linked to Syria's ousted leader Bashar Assad, in Aleppo, Syria, on Friday.
WORLD
Mar 10, 2025

Syrian leader scrambles to contain deadliest violence in years

Clashes that a war monitoring group said had already killed over 1,000 people in Syria continued for a fourth day.
A worker collects palm oil fruit in Sepang, outside Kuala Lumpur, in 2014.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 10, 2025

The end of cheap palm oil? Output stalls as biodiesel demand surges

Aging plantations and slow replanting have led to lower yields even as demand for palm oil rises from various sectors.
Canadian Prime Minister-designate Mark Carney speaks during the Liberal Party’s gathering in Ottawa, Canada, on Sunday. Carney will most likely be in power just a few weeks before a federal election is held.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 11, 2025

Carney gets down to work as Canada election drumbeat grows

The prime minister-designate promises a speedy transition to a new administration that he says will focus on the economy and fighting back against U.S. tariffs.
Much of Nissan’s woes can be pinned on an aging lineup of outdated cars.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2025

Nissan focused on product development as it hunts for partner

Nissan wants to be directly involved in the development and rollout of new products, in a potential tie-up with a new business partner.
A Vietnamese worker harvests tomatoes at a farm in the city of Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, in 2018.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2025

Amid labor shortage, Japan approves guidelines to upskill foreign workers

The new program aims to nurture trainees into skilled workers to motivate them to remain in the country.
A sign featuring the logo of Germany's Federal Ministry For Economic Affairs And Climate Action, at the construction site of the Northvolt Drei EV battery gigafactory in Heide, Germany, on Oct. 15, 2024
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 12, 2025

If Europe builds the gigafactories, will an AI industry come?

The hope is that local firms like France's Mistral will use the factories to create AI models that operate in line with EU safety rules.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who said he would do everything he could to reduce active nuclear reactors to close to zero, changed his stance once he became prime minister.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 12, 2025

Government does about-face on nuclear policy 14 years after triple meltdown

The government cited the need to ensure stable electricity supplies and secure carbon-free energy sources.
A woman reacts next to one of the pictures of victims of a recent wave of sectarian violence targeting Syria's Alawite minority in the west of the country along the Mediterranean sea coast, during a protest condemning the attacks in Syria's northeastern city of Qamishli on Tuesday.
WORLD
Mar 12, 2025

Syria determined to 'prevent unlawful revenge,' says fact-finding committee

The latest violence has marked the gravest threat to Syria's new authorities, calling into question their ability to govern.
A Toyota bZ4X battery electric vehicle on display at the company's showroom in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, in June 2024
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 12, 2025

Toyota sees potential risk to deal brokered with Tesla in Europe

Toyota and other carmakers that were planning to pool with Tesla for this year may need much less help than envisioned back in January.
Onosato (right) has eased to a 3-0 start in the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Mar 12, 2025

Sumo in March comes in like a lion

It’s been a rocky start to spring for sumo both in Japan and abroad.
After living a sheltered life with her previous owner, Crispin is just now getting used to being out in the world.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Mar 12, 2025

A shy Shiba mix is ready to bloom

Seven-year-old Crispin is learning to explore the world and receive affection after a sheltered upbringing.
U.S. President Donald Trump is often portrayed as a master dealmaker, but his approach tends to be erratic, his business record includes notable failures and his style leans more toward performance than strategic negotiation.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2025

Trump’s dealmaking is all about him

From effectively ending the war in Ukraine to setting tariffs, the president’s negotiating skills are coming up short.
Federal law enforcement agents led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement prepare to conduct an arrest south of Atlanta, Georgia, on Feb. 5.
WORLD / Society
Mar 12, 2025

Amid Trump deportation threats, U.S. communities prepare

The harsh rhetoric and detentions are intensifying into a pounding drum beat that is prompting new action from civic groups.
Sources say a hui suo — a private club, which in Japan caters mainly to Chinese businesspeople — will soon open on the upper floors of the Moutai Building in the Ginza district of Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 16, 2025

Private clubs quietly open in Tokyo for free-spending Chinese businesspeople

With the economy weak in China and opportunities harder to come by there, more wealthy individuals have been flocking to Japan.
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (right) and Syrian Democratic Forces  commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi signing an agreement to integrate the SDF into the state institutions, in Damascus on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 13, 2025

U.S. steered Syrian Kurds toward Damascus deal, sources say

The deal aims to stitch back together a country fractured by 14 years of war.
Travelers make their way through the departures terminal of Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, in 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 13, 2025

Canadians, stung by Trump's tariffs and rhetoric, balk at U.S. travel

Even a 10% drop in Canadian travelers could cost the United States $2.1 billion in lost spending, the U.S. Travel Association estimated.
Rolled steel is stored at a Hyundai Steel plant in Dangjin, South Korea, in 2011.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 13, 2025

South Korean steelmakers eye U.S. investments as Trump tariffs kick in

Posco and Hyundai Steel say investments in operations in the U.S. are among their options. Meanwhile, European steel mills warn of a flood of surplus metal.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters at the prime minister's official residence on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 14, 2025

Opposition blasts Ishiba over gift certificates given to LDP lawmakers

Ishiba gave gift certificates worth ¥100,000 each to over 10 new lawmakers, sources have said. The prime minister apologized but said the move was not illegal.
The Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art is just one of many hidden art and architectural gems across the Kagawa coast.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 15, 2025

‘Resorts for the spirit’: Touring Kagawa’s art and architecture

The seaside cities of Takamatsu and Marugame are home to a heritage of beauty, from the monolithic to the modern.
Microchips are a major source of "forever chemicals” that are linked to cancer and other health problems.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 14, 2025

As chips race spews ‘forever chemicals,’ startups emerge to destroy them

A wave of companies are offering potential solutions that won’t cut the chemicals out of the supply chain but destroy them.
Iga Swiatek returns the ball to Qinwen Zheng during their quarterfinal at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on Thursday.
TENNIS
Mar 14, 2025

Swiatek to face Andreeva, Sabalenka meets Keys in Indian Wells semis

The world number two from Poland will get a chance to avenge another upset loss in a semifinal clash with Mirra Andreeva.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators camp out at an encampment at Columbia University in April last year.
WORLD / Society
Mar 14, 2025

Harvard, Yale, Columbia fall in line after funding threats

U.S. universities are taking a harder line following threats of funding cuts by the White House over their criticized handling of pro-Palestine rallies last year.
K-Ballet Tokyo celebrates its 25th anniversary with an extended lineup including a revival of the vibrant pirate-story ballet "Le Corsaire."
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 15, 2025

K-Ballet Tokyo marks 25 years of passion and perseverance

The dance company celebrates a milestone anniversary with an extended lineup including a revival of the vibrant pirate-story ballet "Le Corsaire."
Takuya “Moby” Okamoto after Game 5 of the 2016 World Series, which the Cubs went on to win in seven games to snap a 108-year drought
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 14, 2025

In a sea of Dodger Blue, Japanese superfan ready to cheer on the Cubs

The Dodgers may garner the lion's share of attention in Japan among MLB clubs, but don't tell that to Takuya “Moby” Okamoto, Japan's biggest Cubs fan.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s public humiliation tactics, such as belittling foreign leaders and political opponents, mirror those of dictators like Stalin and Mao, reflecting his authoritarian tendencies.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 14, 2025

Fear and loathing in the Oval Office

Trump should be thought of as a dilettante despot, the Roman emperor of reality TV.
President Donald Trump’s order making English the official language of the country is unnecessary, as nearly 80% of people in the U.S. already speak it at home.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 14, 2025

America doesn’t need an official language

After all, what is our shared culture if not the mix of cultures — including languages — that make and remake America every day?

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.