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July 12, 2026
 

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ENERGY

Batteries on display at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, on April 15
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 20, 2026
Cheap batteries are taking over the world’s power grids
If fuel disruptions persist, the pivot to batteries could gain further momentum.
Buildings in the historic area of Takayama, Gifu Prefecture
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 19, 2026
Japan’s tourism industry begins to feel pain of Iran war
With the Iran war continuing, travel costs between Europe and Japan have increased to the point that many European travelers are canceling their plans.
A man with an LPG cylinder stove rides a bicycle in Islamabad on Saturday.
WORLD
Apr 19, 2026
A war in the Persian Gulf is plunging Pakistan into darkness
Over the past week, Mohammad Rizwan has faced daily blackouts at his house in Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital.
Workers install solar panels in Lianyungang, China. Wang Changlin, the vice chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission, said on Friday the country will “significantly increase” the supply of non-fossil energy by 2030 and double it by 2035 compared with 2025 levels.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 17, 2026
China lifts green push with plan to double clean energy by 2035
A hydropower project in Tibet and desert-based renewable hubs will help propel clean-energy generation, the vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission says.
Crude oil buyers in Japan led the charge to purchase May-loading cargoes from the U.S. early in the month, along with South Korean, Singapore and Thai processors.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2026
Asia relying on U.S. crude to replace Middle East supply
U.S. exports of oil, including crude and refined products, reached a record 13 million barrels a day last week, government data showed.
The LNG Aquarius liquefied natural gas tanker in the Java Sea, off Indonesia.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2026
Iran war pushes Asia to think twice before doubling down on LNG
The near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the serious damage sustained by Qatar’s LNG export plant has sent prices higher and buyers scrambling for alternatives.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings resumed commercial operations of reactor No. 6 at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2026
Tepco resumes commercial operations at Niigata plant for first time in 14 years
The restart of reactor No. 6 at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant comes roughly 50 days later than scheduled.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand. With the fragile U.S.-Iran ​ceasefire in mind, analysts and investors warn Thailand faces another difficult year.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Apr 16, 2026
Foreign investors flee Thailand as Iran war dashes hope for economic revival
The conflict has sent global oil prices up to near $100 a barrel, sharpening the focus on Asia’s reliance on energy supplies from the Gulf.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2026
Japan foreign minister urges diplomacy in call with Iran
Toshimitsu Motegi reiterated the importance of keeping the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. in place in his latest conversation with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters Wednesday at the Prime Minister’s Office following an online meeting with Southeast Asian leaders.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2026
Japan to provide $10 billion to Southeast Asia to secure oil
Sanae Takaichi added that Japan relies on Asian nations to secure medical supplies like surgery gloves.
Smoke rises from the Thai-registered bulk carrier Mayuree Naree near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after it was attacked.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 15, 2026
Gulf oil crisis reveals shortcomings in government readiness
After just two weeks, the International Energy Agency concluded that the Iran war had created the “largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks at an International Institute of Finance event during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings in Washington on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2026
Bessent says China has been unreliable partner by hoarding oil during war
China already had a strategic petroleum reserve that was roughly the same size as that of the entire reserve held by the 32-member International Energy Agency.
Farmers separate wheat grains from husks at a farm on the outskirts of Varanasi, India, on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Apr 15, 2026
India’s green fuel plans collide with farmers’ water fears
India, which imports 80% of its oil and gas, has made ethanol central to its clean energy plans and, as war in the Mideast impacts the price and supply of oil, its energy security.
Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 1.9% to a record low of about 1.05 billion tons of carbon dioxide in fiscal 2024, the Environment Ministry said.
ENVIRONMENT
Apr 14, 2026
Greenhouse gas emissions in Japan fell to record low in fiscal 2024
In fiscal 2024, emissions in Japan were down 28.7% from fiscal 2013 and the amount of carbon dioxide released slipped below 1 billion tons for the first time since then.
A vessel is seen at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 14, 2026
What does a U.S. naval blockade of Iran mean for oil flows?
Oil tankers were steering clear of the strait on Monday.
The petrodollar system underpinning U.S. financial dominance is breaking down as the Iran war disrupts both oil revenues and foreign demand for Treasurys, exposing limits to their safe-haven status.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2026
The Iran war just broke the petrodollar
The virtuous loop that has seen America underwrite stability in the Middle East in exchange for Gulf states recycling their dollar revenues into U.S. Treasurys has been broken.
A BYD Atto 2 EV in the showroom in the Mayfair district of London
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 13, 2026
China’s clean tech firms signal windfall from Gulf energy shock
Rising oil and natural gas prices, plus a renewed emphasis on energy security, are boosting demand for batteries and electric vehicles.
The Yehliu headland in northern Taiwan has long served as both a fishing ground and a strategically defended area, with natural rock formations and coastal cliffs historically used to monitor maritime routes approaching Taipei.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 13, 2026
Taiwan plans drills to break potential Chinese energy blockade
A blockage would not be just Taiwan’s problem but that of the entire region, the island’s deputy interior minister says.
A Chinese-flagged oil tanker is moored at an oil terminal at Tsing Yi port in Hong Kong on March 19.
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2026
China’s energy strategy pays off as Mideast war cramps supplies, analysts say
China is a net importer of oil, and more than half of its seaborne crude came from the Middle East last year.
An oil tanker off the shore of Singapore on March 17.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 12, 2026
Australia turns to Asia for fuel and security as U.S. distracted
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his ministers have been in close contact with key Asian trading partners in order to maintain fuel shipments amid global supply disruptions.
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’

Longform

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