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July 01, 2026
 

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TRADE

The U.S., Japan and the EU are preparing to announce plans to lay the groundwork for a critical minerals trade deal that could include a price floor and tariffs to counter market distortions by China.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2026
U.S. critical minerals talks advance with EU and Japan on price floor
Global efforts to diversify critical minerals supply chains intensified after Beijing last year imposed sweeping export controls, including on rare earths.
The U.S. is investigating a total of 16 jurisdictions for unfair trade practices related to excess capacity.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 12, 2026
U.S. to investigate Japan and other countries for unfair trade practices
President Donald Trump could impose tariffs based on findings of Section 301 inquiries.
Shipping containers are stacked at a terminal at the port of Los Angeles in Long Beach, California, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2026
U.S. opens new unfair-trade probes to rebuild Trump’s tariff pressure
The investigation could lead to new tariffs imposed against China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea and Mexico by this summer.
Tankers are seen off the coast of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on March 3. Tehran has vowed to fire on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz amid its conflict with the U.S. and Israel.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 10, 2026
Ships brandish China links to weave through Strait of Hormuz
Vessels are linking themselves to Iran’s most important economic partner in an attempt to reduce the risk of being targeted for Iranian attacks.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30,
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 9, 2026
Trump’s China visit likely won’t yield breakthrough, with stability key goal
Beijing has been frustrated with the Trump administration’s last-minute planning for an event that normally takes months of painstaking preparations.
The strait of Hormuz in December 2023
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2026
Middle East tensions disrupt maritime transport to Japan
The impact of the shipping freeze is spreading, with some Japanese automakers considering cutting production due to stalled exports.
Garment workers make clothing in the sewing section of a factory in Gazipur, Bangladesh
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2026
Fast fashion garments pile up in South Asia as Middle East conflict grounds planes
South Asia is a clothes manufacturing powerhouse and fast fashion brands around the world rely on factories in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa meets with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Friday in Washington.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 7, 2026
Japan asks U.S. not to treat it unfavorably under new tariffs
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa sought assurances from his U.S. counterpart that the latest U.S. tariffs would not disadvantage Japan.
LDP’s security chief Yasukazu Hamada (left) and JIP counterpart Seiji Maehara speak to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 6, 2026
LDP-JIP coalition submits proposal to revise rules on defense equipment exports
The ruling parties’ joint security committee seeks to relax export rules for defense equipment, which would be a major policy shift for Japan.
Mourners display a portrait of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Thursday during a funeral for Hezbollah Brigades members killed in a strike in southern Iraq.
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2026
The Iran war could do incalculable damage
The joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran is not the solution to the indignities, injustices and wrongs perpetrated by that regime.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders attend the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 5, 2026
China sets lowest growth target since 1991 as old model falters
The shift signals Beijing’s comfort with a slower pace while seeking more sustainable growth drivers to replace debt-fueled property and infrastructure investment.
Emirates and Qatar Airways planes sit on the tarmac at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2026
Perishables and plane parts stranded as Middle East conflict hits air cargo
Shipments are in limbo as the conflict reduces the world’s air cargo capacity and pushes up freight rates, with executives bracing for backlogs of goods.
Tankers are visible in the background as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Mar 5, 2026
Iran could disrupt the Strait of Hormuz with drones for months
Closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes, has been one of Iran’s main objectives.
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa is making his 12th visit to Washington since tariff negotiations started last April, and the second this year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 4, 2026
Akazawa heading to U.S. to discuss more projects under $550 billion pledge
Three projects have already been agreed upon and others could be concluded soon.
Tankers are seen off the coast of the Fujairah, as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2026
Trump says U.S. will escort and insure oil tankers amid the Iran war
U.S. and Israel’s attacks on Iran have effectively brought oil flows through the critical Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s energy supplies transit, to a halt.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attends a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Washington on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 3, 2026
U.S. and China trade chiefs to meet mid-March before Trump-Xi summit
U.S. strikes on Iran and the killing of its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stoked tensions with Beijing in recent days, complicating summit preparations.
An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz on Dec. 10, 2023
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2026
Strait of Hormuz impasse squeezes world shipping
With few willing to brave the strait as war rages, companies will have to do business without one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes, especially for oil and gas.
Oil tanker Ethera, part of the "shadow fleet" Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, is docked at the naval base in Zeebrugge, Belgium, after it was boarded and seized by Belgium's special forces on Sunday.
WORLD
Mar 1, 2026
Belgium seizes Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker
Russia has used a flotilla of ageing tankers of opaque ownership to get around restrictions on its lucrative crude exports imposed over its 2022 all-out invasion of Ukraine.
Europe is a superpower and it is increasingly pursuing investments and reforms that will make it not only unassailable but also widely attractive in a dangerous world.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 1, 2026
Europe is stronger than the world thinks
Europe may be a different kind of superpower, given the extent to which it prioritizes values, rules and multilateralism over sheer might.
A family sits against the backdrop of a dockyard off United Arab Emirates' coastal city of Fujairah, in the Strait of Hormuz, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 1, 2026
Ships avoid Strait of Hormuz as Iranian media essentially shuts it down
There’s been no formal announcement from Tehran about the status of the strait, which is crucial for the flow of oil and gas, but some tankers are turning around.
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.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
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
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