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June 30, 2026
 

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Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bedframes are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 30, 2026
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Tochigi Prison, which houses 456 inmates, is a microcosm of what female prisons across the nation are facing, from a rising foreign population to mental health issues.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (center, back) looks on as Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter (left), State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler (center) and Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement at the U.S. Department of State in Washington on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Israel-Lebanon deal may entrench stalemate rather than end war, analysts say
The security deal between Israel and Lebanon includes something few see as workable: Hezbollah’s disarmament, which no Lebanese government has the power to enforce.
An aerial view of a heavy machinery working at the site of buildings destroyed following earthquakes in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela, on Monday.
WORLD
Jun 30, 2026
Survivors decry slow aid after deadly Venezuela quakes
Miracle rescues are increasingly rare and the death toll hit more than 1,700 on Monday.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a session of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in Minsk, Belarus, on Dec. 18.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Putin’s closest ally tested as Minsk resists deeper war role
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has publicly warned Russian officials against efforts to pull his country into the conflict with Ukraine.
Signage at the lobby of the Tencent Holdings headquarters in Shenzhen, China, on April 17
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
Alibaba and Tencent dropped by DC lobbyists to comply with U.S. curbs
Under a new law, the Defense Department will be barred from working with any company represented by lobbyists who also work for entities blacklisted by the Pentagon.
CCTV footage shows a girl and a man at a condominium in Pattaya on Thursday morning. Thai police have arrested Australian Simon Peter Carman following the discovery of the body of a 17-year-old Thai girl inside a suitcase dumped near a railway track in Pattaya.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jun 30, 2026
How a Thai teen’s night at a Pattaya beach ended in death
A middle-aged Australian man has been arrested following the discovery of the body of the 17-year-old girl, which was found stuffed inside a suitcase dumped near a railway track.
Vessels anchored around Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman, on June 22.
WORLD
Jun 30, 2026
Iran ratchets up talk of controlling Hormuz ahead of new talks
That stance will add to the pressure around the next round of talks, which the U.S. has said are set to take place in Qatar on Tuesday.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has repeatedly warned that the government stands ready to take decisive action against the weakening of the yen.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 30, 2026
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar and breaks ¥162
The currency finally broke through the ¥161.96 mark against the dollar in New York before breaching ¥162 on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, speaks at her campaign headquarters in Lima on June 24.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Keiko Fujimori leads Peru’s presidential race after official count concludes
The final tally shows the conservative Fujimori with ​a lead of 50.135% to leftist Roberto Sanchez, who had 49.865%.
People cross a street past a billboard depicting Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei kissing the slain Islamic revolutionary guards commander Qasem Soleimani near the shrine of Imam Hussein Iraq's holy city of Karbala, displayed on the facade of a building in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
U.S. and Iran negotiators head to Doha, but meeting uncertain
U.S. President Donald Trump is sending his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiating team, according to his ​press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
SOCCER
Jun 30, 2026
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Gabriel Martinelli’s winner in the 95th minute came at the end of a tense match and was the latest winning goal in normal time of a World Cup knockout game since 1966.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasized that the government will promote reforms of regulations and systems that fit the artificial intelligence era.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2026
Reform panel calls for easing data center building standards
The panel’s proposal urged the government to exclude lithium-ion batteries from the restrictions by introducing safety standards for batteries.
A fan watches Japan's World Cup match against Sweden on a smartphone in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2026
World Cup offers chance to find right broadcasting balance for fans in Japan
The diversification of broadcasting methods for soccer, such as online streaming, could be a potential for further growth for the sport.
A case where a mother trafficked her daughter came to light in September after the girl sought help alone from the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2026
Thai mother sentenced for trafficking daughter to Tokyo sex trade
The mother entered Japan with her daughter in June last year on the pretext of sightseeing before abandoning the girl at the massage parlor, according to a court in Bangkok.
Plaintiffs head to the Tokyo District Court ahead of the first hearing in a lawsuit seeking to hold 37 judges accountable over the wrongful prosecution of a former Ohkawara Kakohki adviser, on Monday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 29, 2026
Government vows to fight suit on bail denials for Ohkawara adviser
The state called for the suit filed by three family members of Shizuo Aishima, who died in 2021 at age 72, to be dismissed.
Yukio Tanaka, 59, is accused of shooting Takayuki Ohigashi, the Ohsho president who was 72 at the time, to death in Kyoto.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2026
Prosecutors seek life sentence over 2013 Ohsho president murder
The defendant, Yukio Tanaka, is accused of shooting Takayuki Ohigashi, the Ohsho president who was 72 at the time, to death in Kyoto.
China's Commerce Ministry building in Beijing. The ministry on Monday added 20 Japanese companies and organizations to its export control list.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 29, 2026
China blacklists more Japanese entities as row deepens
The move is the latest by Beijing to tighten restrictions on firms and entities it claims are tied to Tokyo’s “remilitarization.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (center) meets with advocates for the country's social media ban for children under 16 at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 29, 2026
Australia gives regulator more power to pursue Big Tech over under-16 social media ban
The move ​comes as evidence suggests children are still able to access the platforms six months ‌after the ‌world-first restrictions took effect in December.
Global sales in May, including those of subsidiary Daihatsu, fell 7.4% from a year earlier to 885,207 units, Toyota said Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 29, 2026
Toyota sales drop again in May as Iran conflict hits output
Toyota’s global sales in May, including those of subsidiary Daihatsu, fell 7.4% from a year earlier to 885,207 units.
Apps like Miraima allow users to wager on real-world events and win points that can be converted into monetary rewards such as gift cards.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2026
Prediction markets emerge in Japan, with shopping vouchers
New homegrown startups are finding ways to skirt regulations.
Draft guidelines list expressways and some shinkansen lines as key areas of focus for infrastructure development.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2026
Japan to stop focusing on public works cost effectiveness
The government will shift its focus to an overall assessment that places an emphasis on basic functions to protect lives and livelihoods, under annual guidelines due next month.
Newly elected Makerfield MP and former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham arrives at Derby Gate by the Houses of Parliament, following British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's announcement of the timeline for his resignation, in London on June 22.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 29, 2026
Burnham to pledge sweeping devolution in bid to become U.K. PM
The former Greater Manchester mayor will set out on Monday how he’d “lift Britain back up” by handing more decision making powers to local authorities.
Prime Minister of Vanuatu Jotham Napat (left) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shake hands after signing the Nakamal agreement during the Australia-Vanuatu Leaders’ Meeting at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 29, 2026
Australia and Vanuatu agree deal after impasse over China ties
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Vanuatu counterpart, Jotham Napat, signed the Nakamal Agreement in Canberra on Monday.
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.
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.
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn’t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
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.

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