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July 01, 2026
 

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TRADE

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer talks with Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard as they leave National Palace amid talks to review the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact, in Mexico City last month.
BUSINESS
May 30, 2026
Trump administration wants to raise North American auto content to 82%, with half from U.S.
The proposed new thresholds were revealed to automakers during two days of bilateral talks to revise the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade that concluded on ‌Friday.
Cargo cranes are seen at Keelung Port, Taiwan, on April 28, 2021. The U.S. on Wednesday said it will remove derivative aluminum, steel and copper duties from aircraft components imported from Taiwan and modify sectoral levies on certain other products.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 28, 2026
U.S. eases some tariffs on Taiwan to formalize trade agreement
The move forms part of a trade deal previously agreed between Washington and Taipei.
Shipping containers on the dockside at the port of Barcelona, Spain. EU officials are preparing the ground for possible new tools to counter China’s export surge
BUSINESS / Companies
May 27, 2026
EU firms warm to China even as tensions spiral over export surge
A new survey found about 35% of respondents were optimistic about their industry growing in China over the next two years, up from a record low of 29% in 2025.
Fumiya Kokubu, the former head of a major trading house, said Monday it would be "impossible” to procure alternatives for the 15 million kiloliters of naphtha a year that the country sourced from the Middle East before the war in Iran.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 26, 2026
Former Japan trading house head warns of naphtha supply crunch
Former Marubeni chair says Japan is likely to face a shortage of naphtha-derived chemical products as early as the end of June.
Japan’s net external assets rose to an all-time high at the end of 2025, but the total was surpassed by China, Finance Ministry data shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 26, 2026
Japan slips to world’s No. 3 creditor behind Germany and China
Japan’s net external assets rose to an all-time high at the end of 2025, but the total was surpassed by China’s, which climbed at a faster pace.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech on economic policies and the 2027 fiscal plan to parliament, as Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka sits behind him at the parliament building in Jakarta on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
May 24, 2026
Indonesia plans to beat global trading giants at their own game
Under a surprise plan, the country will take control of exports of the country’s major commodities — a sweeping move reminiscent of the country’s authoritarian past.
A Philippine Navy band plays music to welcome the Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha upon arrival at the South Harbor, for a four-day goodwill visit in metro Manila in April 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 23, 2026
New Zealand to invest in drones and fleet to shield maritime routes
Defense Minister Chris Penk said the government will invest in two types of drones: one for the southwest Pacific and another that can operate from ships in the Southern Ocean.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speaks with reporters at the White House in Washington last month.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 23, 2026
U.S. weighs chip tariffs to spur domestic growth, trade chief says
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stressed the importance of using import duties to bring chip production back to the U.S.
Since ‌December, Chinese ‌exports of rare earth minerals like dysprosium, terbium and yttrium oxide, as ​well as specialty metal gallium, to Japan have stopped except for a few tiny shipments of yttrium, Chinese customs data shows.
JAPAN
May 23, 2026
China squeezes Japan over rare earths in repeat of 2010 showdown
The halt to exports ⁠began shortly after a diplomatic row over Taiwan erupted in November.
A mixture of urea and ammonium sulfate fertilizer on a corn field in Glendora, Mississippi.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2026
Human urine becomes option for farmers in fertilizer supply crunch
From Yorkshire chicken muck to human urine-based products, a fertilizer crunch tied to the Iran war is accelerating demand for alternatives to conventional nitrogen inputs.
India has appealed to citizens to drop overseas trips and avoid gold purchases to protect a rupee that is among the world's ​biggest losers since war in the Middle East reduced crude supplies.
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
May 22, 2026
Asia’s currencies are flashing the oil shock alarm
Asia buys about 80% of oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, and stress in foreign exchange markets is one of the clearest signs of rising fuel prices starting to hurt growth.
Japan's trade balance in April was a ¥301.9 billion ($1.9 billion) surplus on an unadjusted basis, according to the Finance Ministry, remaining in the black unexpectedly on strong exports and a sharp drop in energy imports.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2026
Japan’s trade surplus remained in the black in April as energy imports plunged
Exports remained robust, with chip exports rising 44% amid strong demand for artificial intelligence-related products.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets with Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, at Downing Street in London on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2026
Britain clinches $5 billion Gulf trade deal in shadow of Iran war
The deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council comes after U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran prompted Iranian attacks on countries in the region, straining energy and food supplies.
World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala during an interview in Tokyo on Monday
BUSINESS
May 20, 2026
WTO chief urges Japan to lead the charge in reforming its rules
As an “important middle power,” Japan should take the lead in reforms for the World Trade Organization, said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, its director-general.
Chinese-made vehicles including BYD cars wait to be transshipped for export at a port in Suzhou, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on April 27.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 20, 2026
How BYD gets an edge from ships that brave war, outrun storms
Born out of necessity in 2022, the Chinese company’s fleet of vessels is able to ferry abroad about 300,000 cars worth billions of dollars a year.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he believes China will accept prior U.S. tariff rates being restored through new Section 301 duties as long as they don't go higher.
WORLD
May 20, 2026
U.S. not in a hurry to extend China trade truce, Bessent says
The U.S.-China truce negotiated over several months last year averted a total collapse of trade between the world’s two largest economies.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (left) speaks with Roland Lescure, France's economy, finances and industry minister, prior to a meeting of G7 finance ministers and central bank governors, in Paris on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2026
G7 finance ministers urge action on economic imbalances; some point to China
G7 finance ministers and central bank governors have met in Paris to discuss the fallout from the Iran war and volatility on ​global markets but were light on concrete measures.
Shipping containers at Port Miami. Under the trade deal — which was signed in July — the EU agreed to erase levies on U.S. industrial goods in exchange for a 15% tariff ceiling on most EU products.
BUSINESS
May 19, 2026
EU races to finalize U.S. trade deal to avoid more Trump tariffs
Trump previously threatened to hike tariffs on European auto imports to 25% from 15% because the EU hadn’t moved quickly enough to implement the deal.
Boeing’s new jet deal with China ends a nine-year sales drought, but the smaller-than-expected order underscores how geopolitical tensions and rising competition have weakened its position in the important aviation market.
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2026
Boeing deal won’t end its China troubles
It was a surprise when the confirmed deal was less than half of the 500 that was reportedly in discussion.
Nissan aims to tap demand for low-cost, electrified vehicles manufactured in China in several markets, including Brazil and Mexico — and potentially including Canada.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 19, 2026
Nissan eyes exporting Chinese-made electric vehicles to Canada
The Japanese carmaker aims to tap demand for low-cost, electrified vehicles manufactured in conjunction with Dongfeng Motor Group in several markets.
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.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
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.
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

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