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July 01, 2026
 

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ECONOMIC SECURITY

The transport ministry urged executives of infrastructure operators to play active roles in taking measures against cyberattacks and secure sufficient funding and personnel.
JAPAN
May 28, 2026
Government urges transport firms to guard against AI misuse
The instructions were made at a meeting with operators from six infrastructure sectors, also including ports, airports, logistics and water supply.
A truck carrying rare earths travels toward Lynas Corp's Mount Weld processing plant, northeast of Perth, in Western Australia.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 27, 2026
A warning to critical mineral buyers: avoid butter mountains and aluminum floods
In the 1980s and 1990s, subsidies, cheap energy and price guarantees fueled overproduction of various products which flooded markets, tanked prices and spread pain globally.
Fumiya Kokubu, the former head of a major trading house, said Monday it would be "impossible” to procure alternatives for the 15 million kiloliters of naphtha a year that the country sourced from the Middle East before the war in Iran.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 26, 2026
Former Japan trading house head warns of naphtha supply crunch
Former Marubeni chair says Japan is likely to face a shortage of naphtha-derived chemical products as early as the end of June.
A Philippine Navy band plays music to welcome the Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha upon arrival at the South Harbor, for a four-day goodwill visit in metro Manila in April 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 23, 2026
New Zealand to invest in drones and fleet to shield maritime routes
Defense Minister Chris Penk said the government will invest in two types of drones: one for the southwest Pacific and another that can operate from ships in the Southern Ocean.
Since ‌December, Chinese ‌exports of rare earth minerals like dysprosium, terbium and yttrium oxide, as ​well as specialty metal gallium, to Japan have stopped except for a few tiny shipments of yttrium, Chinese customs data shows.
JAPAN
May 23, 2026
China squeezes Japan over rare earths in repeat of 2010 showdown
The halt to exports ⁠began shortly after a diplomatic row over Taiwan erupted in November.
Ethylene is made from naphtha, which is derived from crude oil, and is used as a material for plastics and fibers.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2026
Ethylene plant operating rate hits record low in Japan
Ethylene, made from naphtha derived from crude oil, is used as a material for plastics and fibers.
Naphtha shortages and a shrinking labor force mean those buying a new air conditioning unit may pay more than last year and then be forced to wait up to a month to have it installed.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 20, 2026
Installation delays and price hikes hit air conditioners just before summer
Fears of naphtha shortages and a smaller labor force mean those buying a new air conditioner may pay more than last year and then be forced to wait up to a month for installation.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pose for a photo during their meeting in Andong, South Korea, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2026
At talks, Takaichi and South Korea’s Lee agree to bolster energy security
The move comes as concerns over energy supplies continue to rattle Asia amid the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (right) and his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, meet in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2026
Japan and Brazil agree to enhance economic security cooperation
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi noted that Brazil, which has the largest Japanese community outside Japan, is a strategic partner of Tokyo.
A steel factory in Duisburg, Germany. The European Union is attempting to reduce reliance on China by requiring companies to buy critical components from at least three different suppliers.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2026
EU to force companies to buy components from non-Chinese suppliers, FT reports
Under the new legislation, companies would be limited ⁠to buying about 30% to 40% of components from a single supplier.
The Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia.
WORLD
May 15, 2026
Pentagon’s ‘deal team six’ aims to challenge China’s grip on rare earth power
A new Pentagon unit is racing to break China’s grip on rare earths with billions in financing and creative dealmaking, marking a far more aggressive U.S. industrial policy shift.
The Reserve Bank of India headquarters in Mumba on April 8
BUSINESS / Economy
May 14, 2026
War turmoil saps Asian reserves with Philippines and India hit most
The slide in reserves adds to evidence that Asia has been one of the biggest losers from the Middle East conflict due to its reliance on energy imports.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) and her Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, visit the Canberra Nara Peace Park in Canberra on May 4.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 11, 2026
Takaichi’s Golden Week diplomacy: a cheat sheet
The prime minister’s administration used the lull in domestic politics to advance its “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy across Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia.
Samples of rare earth-bearing mud extracted from the seabed around Minamitorishima island in February are examined.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 7, 2026
Japan tackles challenges of seafloor rare earth mining, eyeing economic security
In February, Japan succeeded in a test collection of rare earth-bearing mud from a depth of 6,000 meters below sea level near the remote Japanese island of Minamitorishima.
The semiconductor industry and related electronics sector together account for around 17% of Taiwan’s economy.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
May 7, 2026
Hormuz crisis shows gaps in Taiwan’s high-tech ‘silicon shield’
The factors that make Taiwan an economic powerhouse — its successful technology industry and artificial intelligence-driven chipmaking — are also the ones making it vulnerable.
Since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, concerns have emerged over what a shortage of oil and naphtha — a raw material for plastic products including food-packaging containers — could mean to not only industries but also supply chains and individual consumers.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 5, 2026
Amid shortage concerns, Japan works to secure supplies of raw materials
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sparked worries about what an oil and naphtha shortage could mean for not only industries but also supply chains and consumers.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the Government Office in Hanoi on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 2, 2026
Takaichi pledges ‘more proactive’ role for Japan in Indo-Pacific strategy update
In a speech in Vietnam, the prime minister said Tokyo will focus on supply chains, the rules-based economic order and security under a revamped Indo-Pacific strategy.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a government meeting on the Middle East on Thursday at the Prime Minister's Office.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 1, 2026
Japan secures enough petroleum-derived naphtha to last into 2027
Questions over a possible shortage of the material — used for products ranging from medical supplies to cheap consumer goods — have been rising due to the Iran war.
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.
A tanker carrying U.S. crude oil sails in Tokyo Bay on Sunday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Apr 29, 2026
How the Iran crisis affects Japan
With the Strait of Hormuz still closed, nearly a fifth of the world’s oil exports are being kept from reaching their destinations.
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."
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.
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.

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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