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July 01, 2026
 

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TRADE

India’s reliance on foreign inputs and supply chains to keep its economy running, including discounted Russian oil, may reflect tactical diplomacy but also raises questions about whether its policy of strategic autonomy rings hollow.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2026
Threats abound to India’s traditional geopolitical role
At a time when supply-chain security has become sacrosanct, New Delhi continues to depend on allies, partners and adversaries alike for critical goods.
Cargo containers at the terminal in Lianyungang, in eastern China's Jiangsu province, on March 17
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 22, 2026
U.S.-China ‘Board of Trade’ may help ties, but experts flag market worries
Some analysts warn that present plans could interfere with market forces, while others consider it a path to smoother coexistence.
Two robots box while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits Unitree Robotics in Zhejiang Province, China.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 20, 2026
Chaos unleashed by Trump has Europeans building bridges with China
As U.S. tariffs hit Europe, the idea of taking a hard line with China is becoming increasingly unpalatable for officials across the continent.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump along with Japanese and U.S. senior officials in the White House in Washington on Thursday
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2026
Japan and U.S. announce second round of projects from Tokyo’s $550 billion pledge
The next step in the deal made during tariff negotiations comes as Takaichi makes first trip to the U.S. as prime minister.
The liquefied natural gas production facility in Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 20, 2026
Weeks of war are reshaping the global gas market for years to come
Three weeks of conflict in the Middle East have upended the entire energy supply chain and LNG may be one of the most acute pain points in an expanding crisis.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz‑Canel takes part in a march outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana on Jan. 16 to protest the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. He also honored the Cuban soldiers who were killed in that incident.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2026
The next Cuban revolution could be peaceful
U.S. President Donald Trump’s effective oil blockade of Cuba has plunged the country into crisis.
The private rocket company LandSpace's factory in Huzhou, China, on Dec. 17. China’s Military-Civil Fusion strategy integrates civilian and military capabilities, including space technologies.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2026
Take the China technology challenge seriously
China seeks to engage the rest of the world “to raise and strengthen its position within global technology ecosystems and markets.”
New trucks bound for shipment at a port in Yokohama
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2026
Japan’s export growth slows on China holidays and U.S. tariffs impact
The value of overall exports rose 4.2% in February from a year earlier, after a big jump in the previous month.
An attendant holds a petrol nozzle after refueling a car at a PetroChina gas station in Beijing on March 10.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 18, 2026
China’s fuel export ban to further tighten Asia supply
Australia, Bangladesh and the Philippines are ​especially reliant on Chinese fuel supply and will have to cover their needs elsewhere.
The liquefied natural gas tanker Sohshu Maru approaches a thermal power station in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture, in December 2021.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2026
Japan’s energy dilemma in an era of volatility
Between 30% to 40% of Japan’s power generation relies on LNG, yet the country maintains only two to three weeks of LNG feedstock for electricity generation.
A vessel sits at anchor at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman, on Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2026
Gulf importers race to reroute as Hormuz closure jolts supply chains
The closure has logistics companies racing to overcome the headaches of changing vessel destinations and keeping perishable items from spoiling.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping talk as they 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 / FOCUS
Mar 16, 2026
Trump threatens Xi summit delay if China doesn’t help in Hormuz
Trump stressed China’s dependence on oil from the Middle East in an interview with The Financial Times, as he reiterated a demand for Beijing to help unblock the key waterway.
Instead of leveraging their combined economic weight, African countries are pursuing fragmented bilateral agreements that leave them as junior partners and vulnerable to countries like China and the U.S.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2026
The new ‘scramble for Africa’ risks becoming divide and conquer
The disunity persists despite Africa’s enormous advantages, including a rapidly growing consumer market and dominant control of critical minerals essential to the global economy.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his supporters at a public meeting in Guwahati, India, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 16, 2026
Modi walks fine line between Iran and U.S. as war hits economy
The worsening conflict in the Middle East is causing severe gas shortages in India.
During trade talks in Paris on Sunday, Chinese officials showed openness to buying U.S. poultry, beef and non-soybean row crops.
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2026
U.S. and China discuss farm goods and managed trade in ‘remarkably stable’ talks
The Paris talks touched on potential areas of agreement such as agriculture and critical minerals.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng meet in London, on June 9, 2025.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 15, 2026
U.S. and China economic chiefs to meet in Paris ahead of Trump-Xi summit
Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials are set to launch a new round of talks in Paris on Sunday to iron out kinks in their trade truce and clear a smooth path for U.S. President Donald Trump's trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of March.
Workers in the financial district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The number of operating Japanese firms in the Middle East was highest in the United Arab Emirates, at 709.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 14, 2026
Over 1,500 Japanese firms operate in Middle East, survey shows
The number of operating Japanese firms was highest in the United Arab Emirates, at 709, followed by 473 in Israel.
About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has dropped by 97% since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began on Feb. 28, according to United Nations data.
BUSINESS / Economy / EXPLAINER
Mar 14, 2026
Why is it so easy for Iran to shut the Strait of Hormuz?
About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the strait, where traffic has dropped by 97% since the Iran conflict began.
Lawmakers attend the closing of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2026
China to impose up to 30.1% tariffs on halogenated butyl rubber from Japan
The tariffs are effective from Saturday and will be in place for five years, the ministry said.
The U.S. trade representative announced an investigation into overcapacity on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 13, 2026
Japan listed in second U.S. trade investigation announced in as many days
Sixty jurisdictions are mentioned in the new inquiry, which deals with forced labor.
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

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