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July 08, 2026
 

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AI

Under Mark Zuckerberg, Meta plans to use employee computer activity data to train AI systems while investing heavily in automation that could replace human workers.
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2026
Meta is making workers train their AI replacements
Meta plans to put tracking software on its employees’ computers to track their mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes.
The Nvidia logo and a Neura humanoid robot at the Dassault Systems SE booth at the Hannover Messe 2026 trade fair in Hannover, Germany, on April 20
BUSINESS
May 3, 2026
Nvidia’s push into physical AI sparks rally in Asian partners
Nvidia-induced demand is shaping stock performance across Asia’s technology supply chain.
The New York Stock Exchange in New York. The part of the ‌energy ‌landscape where the real issue lurks is the physical market, where actual barrels of crude and refined products change hands, rather than ​electronic futures.
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
May 2, 2026
Investors are running out of time to brace for true oil shock
In thrall to an AI boom ⁠that has sent stocks to record highs and harboring hopes of a short-lived Iran war, investors have yet to prepare for a doubling of physical oil prices.
DeepSeek’s R1 breakthrough helped trigger a frenetic year in AI, but Alibaba’s move toward proprietary models is now raising concerns that China’s open-source shift may be slowing.
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2026
Why Beijing can’t quit ‘open’ AI
The shift away from open source may be driven by the need for companies to make money, but it’s unlikely to happen all at once.
AI models surpassed the highest score recorded for a human test taker in this year's University of Tokyo entrance exam, a new study shows.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 30, 2026
ChatGPT trounces humans in entrance exams for top Japan university, study finds
The University of Tokyo’s category 3 science exam, often taken by those seeking admission to its medical school, is considered the most difficult exam to pass in Japan.
The Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Jan. 29, 2024. ​Beijing’s insistence that Meta unwind its deal with a Chinese A.I. start-up marks an escalation in the geopolitical fight over advanced tech.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 30, 2026
The split between China and Silicon Valley just got wider
A decade ago, Silicon Valley investors raced to back Chinese startups. Today, few do.
Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital​, where doctors see the toll of aging and dementia every day, in Seoul on April 15
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Apr 30, 2026
‘They said AI saved me’: How South Korea is checking on its older adults
An artificial intelligence-powered call service​ adopted by cities and counties across South Korea check​s on thousands of older adults living alone in isolation or poverty.
Components for Murata's Echorb Wonder Stone device. The company is the world’s leading supplier of multilayer ceramic capacitors, essential components for every device that uses electricity because they regulate power flow.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 30, 2026
Murata beats profit estimates as AI data-center demand strains production
The company says it is struggling to catch up with runaway demand for its multilayer ceramic capacitors, sought by U.S. hyperscalers for artificial intelligence data centers.
A Walker S2 humanoid robot demonstrates its skills at the UBTech Robotics headquarters in Shenzhen, China, on April 16.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 30, 2026
U.S. adopts China’s playbook on tech and security
U.S. thinking is only catching up with that of China, which has long considered technology essential to the country’s sovereignty and survival.
SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son is driving a plan to establish a standalone artificial intelligence robotics and data center company in the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 30, 2026
SoftBank to create and list AI firm Roze in U.S.
The investment firm aims to create and float such a vehicle as soon as this year, though the timing on that could slip to 2027, people familiar with the matter said.
In Japan, where AI companion robots are being introduced in nursing homes to cope with a growing caregiver shortage, their use underscores both the urgency of the global aging crisis and the danger of placing too much reliance in technology.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 30, 2026
AI is coming for our aging parents, ready or not
Japan, long a leader in industrial automation, has been trying to make eldercare robots happen for a long time.
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 29, 2026
China-U.S. tensions build over Iran and AI before Trump meets Xi
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are headed toward a summit next month with a shared desire to stabilize ties. That calm is being tested as both leaders rush to shore up strategic vulnerabilities over Iranian oil and AI.
Applied Materials, which has significant business supplying China, is among those believed to ​have received a letter from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 29, 2026
U.S. orders chip equipment companies to halt some shipments to China’s Hua Hong
The move is the latest U.S. action to slow China’s development of advanced chips, two people familiar with the matter said.
The Samsung dynasty’s wealth doubled to $45 billion in just one year, making them Asia's third-richest family.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 29, 2026
Samsung dynasty’s wealth doubles to $45 billion in just one year
Faced with crisis, speculation grew that the family might lose control of the conglomerate. Instead, they made a massive financial comeback.
The Google logo during the CERAWeek energy conference 2026 in Houston, Texas, on March 24. A reported agreement between Google and the U.S. Department of Defense requires the tech giant to help adjust its AI safety settings and filters at the government's request.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 28, 2026
Google inks deal allowing Pentagon to use AI models for classified work
A reported agreement requires the tech giant to help adjust its AI safety settings and filters at the government’s request.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (second from right) speaks at the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy on Monday at the Prime Minister’s Office.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 28, 2026
Key government panel calls for boost to long-term public works investment
Members of the panel, chaired by Takaichi, discussed reforms to build a sustainable regional economy amid aging social infrastructure.
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index and the Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations are displayed at the Korea Exchange in Seoul on March 4.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 28, 2026
South Korea passes U.K. to become world’s eighth-largest stock market
The total market capitalization of Korean-listed companies has surged more than 45% this year to $4.04 trillion, while the U.K.’s has climbed about 3% to $3.99 trillion.
The Manus decision comes just weeks before China’s Xi Jinping and the U.S. president are scheduled to meet at a high-profile summit.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 28, 2026
Xi tests China’s reach by blocking already-done Meta deal
The country’s powerful state planner decreed Monday that the deal must be canceled — four months after it was sealed.
People wait to enter the U.S. District Courthouse in Oakland, California, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 28, 2026
Elon Musk trial against Sam Altman to reveal OpenAI power struggle
The bitter legal fight may come down to a few pages in one executive’s personal diary.
A stock ticker displays market information inside the Indonesia Stock Exchange in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Jan. 20. Indonesia, along with India and the Philippines, has seen strained trade balances and tumbling stocks as a result of higher oil prices.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 27, 2026
AI boom drowns out war fears to fuel Asia’s great market divide
Investors are punishing economies exposed to higher energy costs while looking past near-term risks to gain exposure to industries seen as critical to future growth.
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.
Prior to launch, Japan ‘strongly urged’ China to reconsider missile test in Pacific
A missile is fired from a Chinese Navy nuclear-powered submarine on Monday.
Suspected Asian fraud ring exec served fresh warrant in Japan
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Osaka Prefectural Police have issued arrest warrants for three people, including a suspected fraud network leader, over alleged immigration and residency violations.
Japan might be giving the currency market the silent treatment
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has issued verbal warnings recently using the same language and the same tone, saying authorities “will take appropriate action at any time, as necessary.”
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
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.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.
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.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.

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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