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June 30, 2026
 

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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.
SOCCER
Jun 30, 2026
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Gabriel Martinelli’s winner in the 95th minute came at the end of a tense match and was the latest winning goal in normal time of a World Cup knockout game since 1966.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasized that the government will promote reforms of regulations and systems that fit the artificial intelligence era.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2026
Reform panel calls for easing data center building standards
The panel’s proposal urged the government to exclude lithium-ion batteries from the restrictions by introducing safety standards for batteries.
A fan watches Japan's World Cup match against Sweden on a smartphone in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2026
World Cup offers chance to find right broadcasting balance for fans in Japan
The diversification of broadcasting methods for soccer, such as online streaming, could be a potential for further growth for the sport.
A case where a mother trafficked her daughter came to light in September after the girl sought help alone from the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2026
Thai mother sentenced for trafficking daughter to Tokyo sex trade
The mother entered Japan with her daughter in June last year on the pretext of sightseeing before abandoning the girl at the massage parlor, according to a court in Bangkok.
Plaintiffs head to the Tokyo District Court ahead of the first hearing in a lawsuit seeking to hold 37 judges accountable over the wrongful prosecution of a former Ohkawara Kakohki adviser, on Monday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 29, 2026
Government vows to fight suit on bail denials for Ohkawara adviser
The state called for the suit filed by three family members of Shizuo Aishima, who died in 2021 at age 72, to be dismissed.
Yukio Tanaka, 59, is accused of shooting Takayuki Ohigashi, the Ohsho president who was 72 at the time, to death in Kyoto.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2026
Prosecutors seek life sentence over 2013 Ohsho president murder
The defendant, Yukio Tanaka, is accused of shooting Takayuki Ohigashi, the Ohsho president who was 72 at the time, to death in Kyoto.
China's Commerce Ministry building in Beijing. The ministry on Monday added 20 Japanese companies and organizations to its export control list.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 29, 2026
China blacklists more Japanese entities as row deepens
The move is the latest by Beijing to tighten restrictions on firms and entities it claims are tied to Tokyo’s “remilitarization.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (center) meets with advocates for the country's social media ban for children under 16 at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 29, 2026
Australia gives regulator more power to pursue Big Tech over under-16 social media ban
The move ​comes as evidence suggests children are still able to access the platforms six months ‌after the ‌world-first restrictions took effect in December.
Global sales in May, including those of subsidiary Daihatsu, fell 7.4% from a year earlier to 885,207 units, Toyota said Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 29, 2026
Toyota sales drop again in May as Iran conflict hits output
Toyota’s global sales in May, including those of subsidiary Daihatsu, fell 7.4% from a year earlier to 885,207 units.
Apps like Miraima allow users to wager on real-world events and win points that can be converted into monetary rewards such as gift cards.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2026
Prediction markets emerge in Japan, with shopping vouchers
New homegrown startups are finding ways to skirt regulations.
Draft guidelines list expressways and some shinkansen lines as key areas of focus for infrastructure development.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2026
Japan to stop focusing on public works cost effectiveness
The government will shift its focus to an overall assessment that places an emphasis on basic functions to protect lives and livelihoods, under annual guidelines due next month.
Newly elected Makerfield MP and former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham arrives at Derby Gate by the Houses of Parliament, following British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's announcement of the timeline for his resignation, in London on June 22.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 29, 2026
Burnham to pledge sweeping devolution in bid to become U.K. PM
The former Greater Manchester mayor will set out on Monday how he’d “lift Britain back up” by handing more decision making powers to local authorities.
Prime Minister of Vanuatu Jotham Napat (left) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shake hands after signing the Nakamal agreement during the Australia-Vanuatu Leaders’ Meeting at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 29, 2026
Australia and Vanuatu agree deal after impasse over China ties
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Vanuatu counterpart, Jotham Napat, signed the Nakamal Agreement in Canberra on Monday.
Daichi Kamada (right) has scored two of Japan's goals during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
SOCCER
Jun 29, 2026
Japan looking to upset Brazil at World Cup without injured Takefusa Kubo
Japan finished second to the Netherlands in Group F with a win ⁠over overmatched Tunisia and two ​draws.
Minoru Kihara
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2026
Japan calls China Coast Guard moves in its EEZ near Yonaguni ‘unacceptable’
The unusual moves follow an agreement between Japan and the Philippines last month to launch maritime border delimitation talks, which overlap with areas claimed by Beijing.
England's Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 29, 2026
England test captain Ben Stokes to retire from international cricket
When the news was announced at Trent Bridge on Sunday it drew a standing ovation from the crowd.
Japanese regional banks are rolling out loans backed by companies' growth potential and other intangible assets instead of real estate or personal guarantees.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 29, 2026
Japanese banks offer loans secured by future growth potential
The system is designed to make it easier for companies to get loans without putting up land, factories or other assets as collateral or individual managers as joint guarantors.
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jun 29, 2026
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
The need to change pads and adult diapers has become a daily concern for some men as not only older people, but also some cancer patients can experience incontinence.
Clinical trials are being planned in Japan where modified pig kidneys would be transplanted into humans.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 29, 2026
Two hospitals in Japan to conduct pig-to-human kidney transplant clinical trials in 2028
The startup spun out of Meiji University said it would aim to obtain production and marketing authorization after confirming their safety through the trials.
A health worker takes a woman's temperature as part of Ebola screening efforts in Goma, Congo, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 29, 2026
As recoveries rise, doctors are finally learning how Bundibugyo Ebola behaves
The number of recoveries reported by Congolese health authorities almost doubled in a week, even as treatment centers admit dozens of patients daily.
Alessandro Monteiro sits during the rehearsal of the play "Font Flip is Burning" ahead of its opening night in Mindelo, Cape Verde, on May 24.
WORLD / Society
Jun 29, 2026
Cape Verde, Africa’s outlier in LGBTQ+ tolerance
The archipelago is currently the most welcoming country in Africa for the LGBTQ+ community, ahead of South Africa, according to Equaldex.
Toshiko Nakasoko, 90, leaves a nursing care facility on Hateruma Island in Taketomi, Okinawa Prefecture, in April. If a contingency over Taiwan occurs, "I’ll just die on the island,” she said.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Jun 29, 2026
‘I’ll just die on the island’: Some in Okinawa to resist evacuation
For many older people on Okinawa’s remote islands, Taiwan contingency plans do not necessarily guarantee their safety, while some are scarred by memories of World War II.
Self-Defense Forces drones are flown during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 29, 2026
Does a new arsenal of deterrence run through Japan?
A spate of defense deals have highlighted Japan’s emergence as a potentially key manufacturing base for the Indo-Pacific region.
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.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
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.
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn’t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
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.

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