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July 10, 2026
 

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CHINA

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and chief priest Shokaku Furuya see off South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at Horyu-ji temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 14, 2026
Rich in symbolism, Takaichi-Lee talks highlight strong Japan-South Korea ties
The amicable environment was all the more notable considering that the conservative Takaichi and liberal Lee sit on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Neodymium at a factory in Inner Mongolia, China. Japan remains highly dependent on China for rare earths even though it has had some success in diversifying its supply chain in the last decade.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 14, 2026
Japan companies assessing impact of China’s rare-earth curbs
Any impact is unlikely to be apparent until next month, according to a person familiar with the matter.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will allow Nvidia to export its second most powerful AI chips to China after the company was previously barred from doing so.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 14, 2026
U.S. gives green light to Nvidia H200 chip exports to China
Under a new rule, Nvidia can export but will need to certify that there are enough chips in the U.S., while Chinese customers must demonstrate “sufficient security procedures.”
An app called “Are you dead” targeted at people living alone has gone viral in China, with surging downloads and widespread commentary on social media.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 14, 2026
‘Are you dead?’ Chinese app for single living goes viral
The surge in popularity has prompted the developer to introduce a subscription fee and change the app’s name for a global ​audience.
Japan’s measured response to Chinese coercion reflects over 15 years of efforts to diversify its economy and blunt Beijing’s ability to weaponize trade.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 14, 2026
Japan can keep calm and carry on decoupling from China
The goal isn’t to bring trade with Beijing down to zero — that’s impossible. It’s to dull Xi Jinping’s ability to weaponize it when he wants something.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the start of their meeting in the city of Nara on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 13, 2026
Takaichi and South Korea’s Lee to take ties to ‘new heights’ amid Japan-China rift
The two leaders agreed to boost cooperation on economic security and reached a deal on DNA testing for Korean wartime laborers who perished in Japan.
It’s unclear if U.S. President Donald Trump will stack the latest tariffs on top of existing rates or announce carve-outs for China, after his administration previously signaled higher fees could inflict domestic pain.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 13, 2026
Trump risks imploding China trade truce with Iran tariff vow
The new pledge comes months after the U.S. president clinched a pact with China’s Xi Jinping that paused tariffs and gave the U.S. access to rare earths.
Attendees at a Group of Seven finance ministers meeting pose for a photograph on Monday in Washington.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 13, 2026
G7 finance ministers agree to address rare-earth supply issues quickly
The meeting came as China is tightening controls on rare earth exports to Japan and there are fears the impact of the Chinese measure may spread across the world.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi holds talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Tokyo on Oct. 28. Japan can no longer rely on the U.S. because American leaders are now seeing the alliance through cost and convenience rather than shared history.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2026
Japan can no longer afford strategic confusion
While Japan’s central challenge is often framed in terms of China’s rise, that is only part of the story.
Demonstrators hold a banner reading "No to imperial interventionism!" during a march in Mexico City on Jan. 10 in support of deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and against a possible U.S. intervention in Mexico.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2026
The U.S. sphere of influence is bigger than it looks
While this shows a big shift in U.S. cultural priorities, there isn’t a whiff of willingness to leave Russia or particularly China alone in their own spheres of influence.
A Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. facility under construction in Phoenix on Oct. 17.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 13, 2026
Trump team nears Taiwan trade deal with more U.S. chip investment
Under the deal taking shape, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. would pledge to build at least four more chip manufacturing plants in Arizona, one source said.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with members of the media aboard Air Force One en route from Florida to Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 13, 2026
Trump vows 25% tariff on goods from Iran ‘business’ partners
The action has the potential to disrupt major U.S. trading relationships across the globe, including large economies such as India, Turkey and China.
Nexperia’s headquarters in Nijmegen, Netherlands. The Dutch chipmaker is at the center of a fight over technology with China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 12, 2026
Europe and China’s feud over chips is reaching a breaking point
Since a Dutch court intervened in chipmaker Nexperia’s ownership in October, the standoff with China has threatened to disrupt auto production in Europe and around the world.
Japan's drilling-equipped research vessel Chikyu departs from Shimizu port in Shizuoka Prefecture on Monday to conduct a test recovery of mineral-rich mud near Minamitori Island, marking the world’s first attempt to continuously lift rare earth seabed sludge from a depth of about 6 kilometers onto a ship.
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2026
Japan sets sail on rare earth hunt as China tightens supply
A mining ship has departed for a remote coral atoll to probe mud rich in critical minerals — 6 kilometers deep on the seabed.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (left) met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in late October, the first sign of warming ties following a series of diplomatic spats between Ottowa and Beijing in recent years.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 12, 2026
Carney’s visit to Beijing could reset Canada-China ties
The Canadian prime minister and Chinese President Xi Jinping will likely try to dial down trade tensions between their two countries, which are heavily targeted by U.S. tariffs.
China is the world’s dominant supplier of rare earths, helping Beijing last year counter punitive tariffs from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump by restricting their export.
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2026
U.S. to host meeting on rare earths as China-Japan tensions simmer
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has said she would meet with counterparts from other industrialized democracies to discuss the rare earths during a trip to the U.S.
People visit a bookstore in Beijing on Dec. 18.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 12, 2026
Novel concept: China’s spellbinding bookstores draw selfie snappers
While physical book sales have failed to bounce back in postpandemic China, some bookstores have become tourist hot spots for their photo opportunities.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te holds a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei in November.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 12, 2026
Venezuela-style strike on Taiwan’s leader could prove tricky for China
Taiwan has prepared for years against a “decapitation operation,” has extensive defenses and radar, and would likely receive support from the U.S. in the event of a conflict.
Media members wait inside the crowd control barriers outside the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts building for the mitigation in the national security collusion trial of Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, in Hong Kong on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 12, 2026
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s mitigation hearing set to begin ahead of sentencing
The landmark national security trial ​has drawn international condemnation and could see Lai jailed for life.
A cargo ship is seen at the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals in Hong Kong last April. China appears to be quietly contemplating an unconventional approach to rapidly boosting its naval power — transforming its vast commercial shipping fleet into an armada of makeshift warships.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 12, 2026
Civilian or military? China turns to merchant fleet to boost military power.
In one example, a midsize cargo ship appeared to be fitted with advanced tech, including containerized missile launchers and a system for launching large drones.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Trump says ‘Japan’ instead of Iran at meeting in Ankara
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara on Wednesday.
Wakatakakage injury casts pall over July meet, but potential new stars loom
Nicholas Tarasenko trains at Minato stable in August 2024.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.

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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