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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Wednesday. The return of scandal-tainted Liberal Democratic Party members could make life tougher for Ishiba within the party.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 3, 2025

Ishiba to face more political headaches with return of scandal-hit LDP members

For an already-unpopular administration, the return of party members implicated in a slush funds scandal will create further political headaches.
Among those arrested, 1,011 were ringleaders or individuals who gave instructions. About 90% were perpetrators, including people who received defrauded money, and around 40% became involved in the crimes through recruitment via social media.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 3, 2025

New ‘tokuryū’ crime groups outpace yakuza in arrests

The term was coined by the National Police Agency to describe a new form of criminal group that has emerged as an alternative to traditional yakuza organizations.
Yuki Tsunoda wears his special kabuki-themed helmet on Thursday ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 3, 2025

Five drivers to watch at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix

From Lewis Hamilton to Yuki Tsunoda, here are five of the drivers to keep an extra close eye at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with journalists onboard Air Force One en route to Miami on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2025

Trump open to tariff cuts in return for ‘phenomenal’ offers

"The tariffs give us great power to negotiate,” Trump said, adding that "every country has called us.”
Labor Party MP for Bennelong Jerome Laxale and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong pose for pictures with residents in Sydney in February.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 4, 2025

In a tight Australian election, a Chinese app could make a difference

Politicians are turning to Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle app also called RedNote, to appeal to Chinese communities who will be a crucial voting bloc.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s JASM plant in Kumamoto Prefecture. Ensuring stability in the semiconductor supply chain is a matter of national security and must be based on cooperation between the government and private sector.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 4, 2025

Identifying choke points in the semiconductor supply chain

Addressing bottlenecks in chipmaking is essential for Japan's economic security and requires public-private collaboration, including aimed at information sharing.
Pix (left), the mascot of the U.K. Pavilion at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, is seen alongside the event's official mascot, Myaku-Myaku, on Jan. 16 in the city of Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture
JAPAN / Society
Apr 4, 2025

Countries' mascots beat drum for Osaka Expo

Participating nations are taking on Japan's love of mascots by coming up with characters of their own, some of which incorporate the culture of the host country.
Japanese desserts have been turning heads in recent months for a series world-firsts.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 6, 2025

‘Japanese pastry has matured into its own distinct identity’

“There’s been a shift over the years where Japanese pastry chefs are moving away from simply replicating French techniques,” says chef Koichi Katsumata.
On April 23, 1925, The Japan Times ran a story about the principal clauses of the new Peace Preservation Law that was enacted to suppress ideologies deemed dangerous by the state.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Apr 5, 2025

Japan Times 1925: Peace law has several teeth

The Peace Preservation Law was a means of ideological suppression that grew tighter over time until it was repealed by Allied authorities following World War II.
Three men are accused of conspiring to store a body, believed to be of a woman, in a freezer at a home in the city of Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 4, 2025

Shiga police arrest three men for allegedly hiding corpse in freezer

The frozen body was found in a crouched position, still wearing clothes, and is thought to have been kept in the freezer for a long time.
Nadeshiko Japan's Yuka Momiki (left) and Yui Hasegawa celebrate after Momiki's goal against the United States during the SheBelieves Cup in San Diego on Feb. 27.
SOCCER
Apr 4, 2025

Yuka Momiki and Nadeshiko Japan brimming with confidence under Nils Nielsen

Momiki said playing with Yui Hasegawa has been the most enjoyable experience of her career.
Tokyo Humanities Cafe was launched in 2017 by Laurence Williams (left) and Alex Watson, professors at Sophia and Meiji Universities, respectively.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Apr 7, 2025

Tokyo Humanities Cafe feeds hungry minds

A free quarterly event invites everyone to explore what it means to be human.
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda is a lot calmer than he was as a hotheaded rookie in 2021.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 4, 2025

How Yuki Tsunoda’s new attitude helped him land a seat with Red Bull

Those close to Tsunoda are adamant that Red Bull is getting a new and improved version of the hotheaded rookie from 2021.
Sasami has had a connection to Japan since childhood as her mother's side of the family is Zainichi Korean and has lived in Japan for years. The musician grew up listening to city pop and watching Japanese TV.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 5, 2025

Sasami is in her pop era, and she’s not overthinking it

As the singer explores Tokyo, she reflects on identity and her latest album, “Blood On the Silver Screen.”
U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war has spurred the biggest market losses since the COVID-19 pandemic.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 5, 2025

Stocks slump again after China fires back in trade war with tariffs on U.S. goods

The trade war has spurred the biggest market losses since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anthony Albanese
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 5, 2025

Australia to buy Darwin port lease from Chinese firm, PM says

China's Landbridge group was granted a 99-year lease on the port in 2015, a widely criticized decision that led to stricter scrutiny of major infrastructure sales.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden entitled "Make America Wealthy Again" at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Apr 5, 2025

Nowhere to hide: Trump tariffs leave trading partners cornered

Hit by 10% to 50% tariffs on their exports, most countries lack the firepower to hit back or the political will to slug it out.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte plans to visit Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday — his first to the Indo-Pacific region since taking office in October, as he seeks to implement lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 5, 2025

‘Let’s make it practical’: NATO chief eyes greater defense-industrial ties with Japan

Japan and NATO plan to take their partnership to the next level by stepping up information-sharing and defense-industrial cooperation, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 5, 2025

Ishiba says he plans to speak to Trump about tariffs in coming days

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that these talks could see Japan offer a fresh investment package, though he ruled out a small, piecemeal deal.
Shipping containers at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles on Friday
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 5, 2025

U.S. starts collecting Trump's new 10% tariff, smashing global trade norms

The initial 10% "baseline" tariff took effect at U.S. seaports, airports and customs warehouses at 12:01 a.m.
U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he walks to deliver remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden entitled "Make America Wealthy Again" at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 6, 2025

'Hang tough, it won't be easy': Trump defiant on tariffs

The comments came as Trump's widest-ranging trade measures took effect in a move that could trigger retaliation and escalating economic tensions.
American autoworkers assemble Honda Accords at the Japanese company's Marysville Auto Plant in the state of Ohio in December 2017.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 1, 2025

Ford is as American as apple pie. Or is that Honda?

Trump's 25% auto tariffs will raise car prices, complicate manufacturing and prioritize outdated protectionism over industry trends like electrification and software.
Soybeans are harvested near Stuttgart, Arkansas in October 2023.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 6, 2025

'Anxious' U.S. farmers see tariffs as threatening earnings

U.S. farmers hoping for a profit this year instead find themselves facing lower crop prices — and the prospect of ceding more ground in foreign markets.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates after winning the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 6, 2025

Clinical Verstappen caps final home race for Red Bull-Honda with a win

The victory was the Dutch star’s fourth straight at Suzuka Circuit, while Red Bull debutant Yuki Tsunoda finished back in 12th.
Hiroko Hashimoto, head of the U.N. Women Japan National Committee, in an interview on March 25 in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 6, 2025

U.N. group Japan chief warns of backlash against women's rights

Major cuts in U.S. foreign aid are affecting organizations that support women in Ukraine and elsewhere.
U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs for Washington, at Palm Beach International Airport in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 7, 2025

Trump team rejects market fears, projecting defiance on tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump’s top economic officials dismissed investors’ fears of inflation and recession, insisting a boom is on the horizon.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Longform

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.