author

 
Menu
Search
 
June 30, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Alexandra Alper
SMIC, China's largest chipmaker, has been heavily sanctioned by the U.S. government over alleged ties to the Chinese ‌military.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 27, 2026
China’s top chipmaker has supplied chipmaking tech to Iran military, U.S. officials say
The officials said SMIC, which had been heavily sanctioned by the U.S. government over alleged ties to the Chinese ‌military, began sending ‌the tools to Iran roughly a year ago.
The White House is pictured behind a fence in Washington on April 25, 2021.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 26, 2026
U.S. orders diplomats to fight data sovereignty initiatives
The dominance of U.S. AI companies — many of which use personal data to power their models — spotlights EU concerns around privacy and surveillance.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, in Busan, South Korea, in October 2025.
WORLD
Feb 13, 2026
Trump pauses China tech bans ahead of Xi summit
The measures include a ban on China Telecom’s U.S. operations and restrictions on sales of Chinese equipment for U.S. data centers.
Nvidia's H200 chip, unveiled two years ago, has more high-bandwidth memory than its predecessor the H100, allowing it to process data more quickly.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 22, 2025
U.S. mulls letting Nvidia sell H200 chips to China, sources say
The possibility signals a warmer approach to China, after U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to a trade truce last month.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Washington on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 29, 2025
Nvidia will build AI supercomputers for U.S. Energy Department
In Washington, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang walked a fine line between praising U.S. President Donald Trump and risking further antagonism of China.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (right) speaks alongside U.S. President Donald Trump about investing in America, at the White House in Washington on April 30.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 12, 2025
Trump opens door to sales of version of Nvidia’s next-gen AI chips in China
The chip will be a less-powerful version of the Blackwell.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. on Wednesday submitted a recommendation to President Donald Trump on Nippon Steel's fraught $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel, a person familiar with the matter said, without providing further detail on its contents.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2025
U.S. panel submits view on Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal to Trump
Trump will now have 15 days to decide the fate of the transaction, although the timeline could slip.
People gather to protest outside the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) headquarters after the Elon Musk-led "department of government efficiency" (DOGE) was charged with oversight of OPM, in Washington on Feb. 2.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 28, 2025
100 days of DOGE: lots of chaos, not so much efficiency
“DOGE is not a serious exercise,” said Jessica Riedl, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a fiscally conservative think tank that supports streamlining government.
Elon Musk confirmed plans on Tuesday to reduce his government time commitment to one or two days a week to focus on his battered car company Tesla.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 24, 2025
Trump’s Cabinet ready to take back power with Musk stepping back, sources say
Elon Musk plans to reduce his government time commitment to one or two days a week to focus on his battered car company, Tesla.
The U.S. Department of Education in Washington on March 6
WORLD / Politics
Mar 12, 2025
U.S. Education Department to cut half its staff ahead of planned elimination
The department oversees $1.6 trillion in college loans, enforces civil rights laws in schools and provides federal funding for needy districts.
Elon Musk shows off his t-shirt reading "Tech Support" while speaking at the first cabinet meeting hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 27, 2025
Trump orders more layoffs as Musk touts cuts at cabinet meeting
The U.S. president let downsizing czar Elon Musk take a star role at his first cabinet meeting and discuss his ambitious budget-cutting targets.
Elon Musk holds up a chainsaw onstage during the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on Feb. 20.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 26, 2025
Musk’s new ultimatum spurs fresh confusion among U.S. government workers
President Donald Trump said workers who did not respond would be “sort of semi-fired,” adding to the uncertainty.
A drone view shows Gary Works, the largest integrated steel mill in the U.S., which is operated by U.S. Steel, in Gary, Indiana, on Dec. 12.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2025
Rival CEO allegedly spread doubt about Nippon Steel deal to Wall Street
The private remarks the CEO made throughout 2024 about the deal process show the extent of his effort to cast doubt.
Nippon Steel's $15 billion bid for U.S. Steel has been referred to U.S. President Joe Biden after a U.S. panel on foreign investments was unable to reach a consensus.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 24, 2024
Nippon Steel’s bid for U.S. Steel referred to Biden for final decision
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States referred the bid to the U.S. president after failing to reach a consensus.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 21, 2024
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
The accusation was made in a Dec. 17 letter, signed by counsel for Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel, to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.
The U.S. Steel Mon Valley Works Edgar Thomson Plant along the Monongahela River in Braddock, Pennsylvania
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2024
Despite revamped proposals, Nippon Steel deal on track to be blocked, letter shows
The letter, sent Saturday, sets the stage for U.S. President Joe Biden, who has long opposed the deal, to block it.
U.S. President Joe Biden — born in U.S. Steel’s home state of Pennsylvania — has long signaled opposition to the company's sale to Nippon Steel.
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2024
U.S. says review of Nippon Steel bid ongoing as U.S. Steel shares tumble
The companies are poised to pursue litigation over the process if U.S. President Joe Biden decides to block the merger, sources added.
Howard Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, gestures as he speaks during a rally for then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on Oct. 27.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 21, 2024
Lutnick’s China ties draw fire after Trump taps him for U.S. trade roles
The ties raise questions about whether Lutnick could be unduly influenced by Beijing when making decisions as U.S. trade representative and commerce secretary.
A United Steelworkers sign is seen outside the Great Lakes Works U.S. Steel plant in River Rouge, Michigan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 18, 2024
U.S. decision on Nippon Steel bid pushed back until after election
The move offers a ray of hope for the companies, whose proposed deal appeared set to be blocked on national security grounds.
Nippon Steel has responded to the U.S. government concerns by saying it will invest billions of dollars to maintain and boost U.S. Steel facilities that otherwise would have been idled, "indisputably" allowing it to "maintain and potentially increase domestic steelmaking capacity in the United States."
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 6, 2024
U.S. fears Nippon Steel’s bid for U.S. Steel could hit vital steel supply
The U.S. government is concerned that U.S. Steel would be less likely to seek tariffs on foreign steel importers if it is under the ownership of the Japanese steelmaker.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

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

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency
New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER