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July 12, 2026
 

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BUSINESS ETHICS

Japan Airlines has fraudulently received about ¥280 million in subsidies for a state project on next-generation air mobility, sources have said.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
JAL fraudulently receives subsidies for state project
The major Japanese airline plans to return the subsidies, totaling about ¥280 million. The misconduct may date back to 2022.
Alibaba’s American depositary receipts sank to a session low on the news, falling more than 3% to $99.10 at 3:38 p.m. in New York on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 25, 2026
Anthropic accuses Alibaba of ‘illicitly’ accessing AI models
The U.S. AI developer had previously decided to keep its products out of China.
The Fair Trade Commission conducted on-site inspections Tuesday at major staffing firms, including Persol Tempstaff and Recruit Staffing, over allegations they operated a cartel to raise staffing service fees, according to informed sources.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 2, 2026
Japan’s FTC inspects five staffing agencies over alleged service fee cartel
The inspections were the first to have been conducted on-site by the antimonopoly watchdog on companies in Japan’s temporary staffing industry, sources said.
Chubu Electric Power's Hamaoka nuclear power station in Shizuoka Prefecture on May 17, 2013
JAPAN
May 27, 2026
Japan weighs criminal penalties for nuclear plant data fraud
The plan is being considered following earthquake risk data fraud by Chubu Electric Power over its Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' headquarters in Tokyo
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2026
Tepco employees recorded civil trials in violation of court rules
On the same day, Shikoku Electric Power and Chugoku Electric Power also admitted to making audio recordings in the courtroom.
Takeda Pharmaceutical headquarters in Tokyo. The company said it will "vigorously pursue" an appeal after a U.S. jury on Monday found the company liable for causing about $885 million in damages by delaying a generic version of its constipation drug through an anticompetitive scheme.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 19, 2026
Takeda engaged in antitrust scheme to delay generic constipation drug: U.S. jury
The verdict is the ​first time ‌a jury has found a pharmaceutical company liable in class-action litigation over what is called a “pay-for-delay” agreement with generic rivals.
Indian billionaire Gautam Adani attends the 51st Gems and Jewellery Awards in Jaipur, India, in 2024.
BUSINESS
May 19, 2026
U.S. drops charges against Gautam Adani after settlements and investment pledge
The move is a boon for Asia’s richest person and his companies, and a reversal by U.S. officials on cases brought at the end of the Biden administration.
Unlike his predecessors, U.S. President Donald Trump didn’t divest or move his assets into a blind trust with an independent overseer.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 18, 2026
Trump’s more than 3,700 trades astonish Wall Street insiders
In the first quarter, the U.S. president bought at least $1 million each in companies including Nvidia, Oracle, Microsoft, Boeing and Costco Wholesale.
The U.S. has an opportunity to use its lead in artificial intelligence technology to create a global governance mechanism to ensure safer, more resilient systems, OpenAI’s vice president of global affairs, Chris Lehane, said.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 14, 2026
OpenAI floats idea of global AI governance body with U.S. and China
Such an organization could resemble the International Atomic Energy Agency, OpenAI Vice President of Global Affairs Chris Lehane says.
Under Mark Zuckerberg, Meta plans to use employee computer activity data to train AI systems while investing heavily in automation that could replace human workers.
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2026
Meta is making workers train their AI replacements
Meta plans to put tracking software on its employees’ computers to track their mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes.
The Google logo during the CERAWeek energy conference 2026 in Houston, Texas, on March 24. A reported agreement between Google and the U.S. Department of Defense requires the tech giant to help adjust its AI safety settings and filters at the government's request.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 28, 2026
Google inks deal allowing Pentagon to use AI models for classified work
A reported agreement requires the tech giant to help adjust its AI safety settings and filters at the government’s request.
Employees on loan to Toyota from three major Japanese nonlife insurers, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, took out company information without permission.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 23, 2026
Three nonlife insurers fraudulently take out information from Toyota
The acts by the employees of the insurers may amount to violations of the personal information protection law or the unfair competition prevention law.
Environmental advocacy group Market Forces is calling on investors at Japan's three megabanks — Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho and Sumitomo Mitsui — to vote against directors failing to recognize the risks posed by fossil fuels.
ENVIRONMENT
Apr 23, 2026
Climate investor calls for votes against directors at Japan’s megabanks and trading houses
Environmental advocacy group Market Forces is arguing that directors are failing to oversee material ​financial risks to the banks and trading houses’ businesses.
Prudential Life CEO Hiromitsu Tokumaru (center) and other executives from the firm during a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2026
Prudential Life Insurance suspends sales for additional 180 days
The Japanese insurer has received more complaints related to alleged misuse of customer funds.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Friday indicted five Japanese oil distributors, including East Japan Usami, Eneos Wing and Enex Fleet, over their alleged operation of a price cartel for gas oil.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2026
Five Japanese oil distributors indicted over cartel after FTC probe
According to the indictment, officials from the firms allegedly agreed to raise the selling prices of gas oil and curb price reduction at meetings in Tokyo in 2024.
Members of Nihon Hidankyo at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2026
Nihon Hidankyo urges investment ban on makers of nuclear weapons
The organization will make the request directly to financial institutions, including some of Japan’s largest banks.
More than 200 children’s specialists, advocacy groups and schools sent a letter raising concerns about what they view as a lack of substance in AI-generated YouTube videos.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 2, 2026
Google faces calls to prohibit AI videos for kids on YouTube
More than 200 children’s specialists, advocacy groups and schools sent a letter raising concerns about what they view as a lack of substance in AI-generated YouTube videos.
A photo provided by the U.S. Central Command shows LUCAS drones, made by SpektreWorks. After years of criticism and financial risk, Palantir, Anthropic and small startups are generating rewards from their investments in defense tech.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 26, 2026
Tech startups’ role in U.S.-Israeli war on Iran shows changing shape of conflict
For the first time, military-industrial pillars like Lockheed Martin and Boeing are being joined by rising technology giants Palantir, Anthropic and Anduril.
Elon Musk-owned X's Grok AI chatbot stirred outrage earlier this year over it generating images of naked women and girls without their consent.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 22, 2026
French prosecutors suspect Musk encouraged deepfakes row to inflate X value
The social media network’s Grok AI chatbot stirred outrage earlier this year over it generating images of naked women and girls without their consent.
The Gemini logo on a laptop computer arranged in New York on Dec. 9, 2023
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 11, 2026
Google to provide Pentagon with AI agents for unclassified work
The new feature will allow civilian and military personnel at the Defense Department to build AI agents using natural language.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

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

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