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July 12, 2026
 

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FRANCE

French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin speaks during the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 4, 2026
France opens Space Command to Japanese officer as ties deepen under new road map
The move, announced by France’s defense chief, is one of the clearest signs yet that the security relationship is evolving from political alignment into practical integration.
Sumo wrestlers stand during the opening ceremony of The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 18.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Jun 3, 2026
Paris sumo tournament should deepen existing ties and open up new frontiers
The upcoming Paris sumo exhibition is unlikely to match London’s hype, but it may do more to expand its reach in Europe.
A quality control system that uses cameras and AI to analyze components for defects at a Schneider Electric factory in La Vaudreuil, France, on May 6.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 1, 2026
France eyes billions of investment in AI
Some 200 top executives from around the world are expected at Versailles palace west of Paris for President Emmanuel Macron’s annual “Choose France” event.
SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son during a news conference at the Portsmouth Site in Piketon, Ohio, on March 20
BUSINESS / Companies
May 31, 2026
SoftBank plans up to €75 billion investment in French AI centers
The deal is a result of personal diplomacy between French President Emmanuel Macron and SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son, who met in Japan earlier this year.
Assemblage, a blending technique foundational to Champagne, is almost never used in sake but serves as the core of Heavensake.
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 31, 2026
The Frenchmen who gave sake a Champagne soul
Carl Hirschmann and former Champagne cellar master Regis Camus lean on techniques from the wine world to produce a sake that has a foot in both Europe and Japan.
Scientists have warned that many of Europe’s forests are bearing the scars of years of rising temperatures and intense drought.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
May 30, 2026
Trees taking drastic measures to survive climate-driven heat
Countless trees across Europe’s forests are adopting drastic — and often fatal — strategies to survive worsening heat and drought linked to climate change.
Japan's Tao Okamoto and Belgium's Virginie Efira, co-winners of the best actress award for their roles in the film "All of a Sudden," celebrate during the closing ceremony of the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on Saturday.
CULTURE / Film
May 24, 2026
In first for Japanese, Tao Okamoto shares Best Actress award at Cannes
Okamoto shared the honor with Belgium’s Virginie Efira for their roles in the drama “All of a Sudden” by Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group, is considering a multibillion-dollar investment in France for an AI data center project, people familiar with the matter says.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 12, 2026
SoftBank in talks for major data center project in France
CEO Masayoshi Son is considering a multibillion-dollar investment in the country as part of SoftBank’s broader buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The presidents of Ukraine and France, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hold a news conference after signing a declaration on deploying a post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris on Jan. 6. 
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2026
The EU needs new security partners
Closer security partnerships with a wider range of states will increasingly become a source of power, allowing Europe to defend its interests wherever they are at stake.
People take part in the traditional May Day labor union march in Paris on Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 4, 2026
From Paris on May Day: Rethinking work and solidarity in Japan
May Day came and went last Friday in the City of Light, prompting reflections on its meaning in France compared with Japan.
French Environment Minister Monique Barbut speaks during a news conference in Paris on April 24.
ENVIRONMENT
Apr 25, 2026
G7 says nature talks a success as climate sidelined for U.S.
The Group of Seven skirted any direct mention of global warming to appease the U.S., its largest and most powerful member.
French President Emmanuel Macron during a press event after a meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2026
Climate scrubbed from G7 meeting to appease U.S., host France says
The Trump administration has withdrawn the U.S. from global agreements on climate change and weakened environmental protections since the president returned to office in 2025.
Himawari Akaho drives to the basket during Japan's game against France at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Sydney in Sept. 2022.
BASKETBALL
Apr 23, 2026
Japan to host FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2030
Japan previously hosted the men’s basketball World Cup in ​2006, ​but this is the first ​time the country will host the women’s ⁠World Cup.
A mock model of an upgraded Type-12 missile made by Japan is displayed during the DSEI Japan security show at Makuhari Messe in the city of Chiba in May last year.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2026
Partners line up for arms deals as Japan opens defense industry door
“A number of countries” have approached Tokyo with “expressions of interest and various needs” about Japanese defense equipment, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.
A French contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon patrols an area of southern Lebanon on Saturday.
WORLD
Apr 19, 2026
French soldier killed in attack on U.N. mission in southern Lebanon, officials say
In calls with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the “unacceptable attack.”
A scale model of the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS), Europe's next-generation fighter jet, is seen in Paris in February 2020.
WORLD
Apr 19, 2026
Mediators fail to salvage troubled European FCAS warplane project, report says
Mediators failed to reach an agreement and produced separate final reports, the German press reported.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron leave a news conference after the multinational virtual summit at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2026
European leaders offer military help to secure Strait of Hormuz
Trump said the waterway is “open and ready for business,” though a U.S. naval blockade would remain in place until a broader agreement is reached.
France's development minister, Eleonore Caroit, attends an interview on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank 2026 spring meetings in Washington on Thursday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Apr 18, 2026
France and other World Bank shareholders seek solution to preserve climate strategy
World Bank shareholders are looking for ways to keep the development lender’s climate strategy alive after its official expiration at the end of June.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet taxis the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 2.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2026
U.S. allies are steering clear of naval mission in Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump insists U.S. allies are ready to help him in the Strait of Hormuz. They’re not even close.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Hungary's Viktor Orban during an election campaign rally in Budapest on April 7
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 15, 2026
Trump seen as a risk by Europe’s far right after Orban loss
At a critical time for the nationalist movement in Europe, parties are struggling to land on a clear policy of how to deal with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
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.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘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.

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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