Tag - trade

 
Menu
Search
 
July 01, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

TRADE

Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa takes a ride in a U.S.-made Toyota Highlander on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 17, 2026
U.S. cars can now be sold in Japan without local safety testing
The rule change follows an agreement reached last year in the course of tariff negotiations.
This aerial view shows the oil tanker Boracaya, suspected of being part of the “shadow fleet” involved in Russian oil trade, under investigation by French authorities off the coast of Saint-Nazaire in October.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2026
The black market for Russian and Iranian oil is in trouble
China’s choices will determine whether prices rise or fall and whether Moscow and Tehran cut production.
With Cuba’s former Venezuelan ally, President Nicolas Maduro, facing charges in the U.S., Havana confronts a deepening crisis under Trump administration pressure, leaving it few friends and stark choices between reform and collapse.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2026
Cuba is home alone in Latin America
Cuba’s collapse has long been predicted; this time, it feels unmistakably real.
Vehicles parked at an Audi dealership in Shanghai. German exports to China fell 9.3% in 2025 — while Chinese exports to Germany have surged.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 13, 2026
‘China shock’: Germany struggles as key market turns into business rival
Germany’s annual trade deficit with China hit a record of around €89 billion ($106 billion) last year, according to preliminary official data.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and trade minister Ryosei Akazawa speak during Akazawa’s trip to Washington to discuss Japan’s $550 billion commitment.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 13, 2026
Japan’s $550 billion capital commitment to the U.S. stuck in committee
Talks have been tough, and significant gaps remain on the fine details of the first deals.
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.
Copper cathode sheets at a mining complex in Morenci, Arizona. Japan's producer prices of nonferrous metals surged 33% in January due to soaring copper prices.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 12, 2026
Japan producer prices rose 2.3% in January, BOJ reports
The pace of increase in the producer price index, which measures the costs of goods traded between companies, slowed from a 2.4% gain the previous month.
Mercedes-Benz cars at a Panavto dealership in Moscow on Dec. 19. A Russian car dealer has said that most foreign cars sold in the country are imported through China regardless of where they are built.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 12, 2026
Thousands of foreign cars sold to Russia through China, circumventing sanctions
Automakers from regions imposing sanctions say they prohibit sales to Russia and that the trade happens against their will.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, in October.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump is no game theorist
Game theorists argue that repeating the prisoner’s dilemma eventually leads to better outcomes, as the more impatient country might give up on the high-risk strategy.
A circuit board at Annapurna Labs on Oct. 21, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Memory chip makers have been the standout winners among tech stocks in recent months.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 10, 2026
Memory chip crunch ripples through markets, with worse to come
The massive build‑out of artificial intelligence infrastructure has shifted production capacity away from traditional chips used in most consumer electronics.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and trade minister Ryosei Akazawa, seen last October in Tokyo, will meet in Washington this week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 10, 2026
Akazawa heading to the U.S. to discuss first project under Japan’s $550 billion pledge
Four online discussions have been held since December on the commitment, but no announcements about specific projects have been made.
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's fabrication plant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on June 7, 2025
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 10, 2026
Taiwan says ‘impossible’ to move 40% chip capacity to U.S.
Taiwan is a powerhouse in producing chips — a critical component in the global economy — but the White House wants more of the technology made in America.
Vehicles bound for shipment at a port in Yokohama. Although exports to the United States dropped in 2025 for the first time in five years due chiefly to U.S. President Donald Trump's high tariff policy, those to other parts of Asia and Europe were robust.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 9, 2026
Japan’s 2025 current account surplus hits record
The country’s combined balance of goods and services trade extended its historic surplus growth to two years.
A farmer inspects his wheat field on the outskirts of Amritsar, India, on April 3, 2025.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 8, 2026
What’s at stake for Indian agriculture in Trump’s trade deal?
Indian farmers have expressed concern that New Delhi has made too many concessions to Washington.
The National Diet Building in Tokyo. Japan and Bangladesh have signed an economic partnership agreement for better market access for goods and services and development of related rules.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2026
Japan and Bangladesh sign economic partnership deal
The EPA, the first such deal for Bangladesh, will take effect once domestic procedures are completed in both countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint news conference at the White House in February last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 7, 2026
U.S. and India unveil interim trade framework, moving closer to broad pact
The interim framework includes lower tariffs, a reshaping of energy ties and deeper economic cooperation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to meet with then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Kyiv in March 2023. Four years into the war, Japan stands out as a leading supporter of Ukraine through economic and humanitarian aid.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 6, 2026
Four years of war and Ukraine still needs the world
Four years into the war, Japan stands out as a leading supporter of Ukraine through economic and humanitarian aid, testing its ability to sustain international economic diplomacy.
A cargo ship leaves the Port of Savannah in Savannah, Georgia, in June 2025.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2026
Shipping firms foresee smaller profits in 2026 as Red Sea tensions ease
Though not guaranteed, a restart of Red Sea shipping is more likely now successful passages have been made for the first time since Houthis began attacking vessels in 2023.
An Eneos oil refinery. Oil markets kicked off the year with a high level of volatility as geopolitical risks ran ahead of market glut concerns.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2026
Refiner Eneos to expand oil-trading portfolio outside of Japan
Eneos beefing up its trading presence is part of a broader push to create more value across business sectors as oil markets kicked off the year with a high level of volatility.
This view shows the Callao Express, a container ship from Germany, in the Panama Canal on the Pacific side, in Panama City on Jan. 30.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 4, 2026
China warns Panama of ‘heavy price’ over court ruling on ports
China has denounced a ruling by Panama’s top court to void CK Hutchison’s contract to operate two ports as “extremely absurd.”
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
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Digital marketer Netyear zeros in on generative AI
Digital marketer Netyear zeros in on generative AI

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER