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July 12, 2026
 

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MIDDLE EAST

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak about the Iran war at the White House last month.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 9, 2026
Trump’s feuds and tensions with allies likely to outlast Iran war
Allies from Europe to the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific are once again fearful that the U.S. might be unreliable in a future crisis.
Oil storage tanks in China. Days after the Strait of Hormuz was closed, China banned oil-product exports, squeezing Asian countries that rely on its refineries for jet fuel, gasoline and diesel.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 9, 2026
War and energy shortages boost China’s influence in Asia
The Iran war has deepened China’s influence with its fuel-starved neighbors, allowing it to deal from a position of strength.
The USS Rafael Peralta guided-missile destroyer implements a maritime blockade against the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker vessel Stream while the latter was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on April 26.
WORLD
May 9, 2026
U.S. attack on Iran tankers sparks reprisals as deal hangs in balance
Iranian officials accused the United States of violating the ceasefire with the tanker strikes and hampering diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Toyota, known for conservative forecasts, is bracing for prolonged pressure on the price and supply of key materials due to disruptions linked to the conflict in Iran.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 8, 2026
Toyota forecasts abrupt profit drop on Iran; shares fall
The stock reversed gains and fell as much as 2.2% after the company issued an outlook for ¥3 trillion in operating income for the fiscal year ending March 2027.
A billboard with a graphic design about the Strait of Hormuz on a building in Tehran on Wednesday
WORLD
May 8, 2026
U.S. and Iran trade fire, threatening fragile truce
Trump said the ceasefire was still in place, despite an Iranian attack on three American destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz that fanned fears.
Inflation-adjusted wages increased 1% in March from a year earlier, slowing from a revised 2% gain in February, according to the labor ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 8, 2026
Japan’s real wages rise for third month to keep BOJ on hike path
It remains unclear whether higher wages will lift consumption.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa (second from left) and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwao Horii (far left) attend a high-level economic dialogue with the European Union in Brussels on Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 8, 2026
Japan and Saudi Arabia to set up energy security task force
Discussions at the task force are slated to start early next week.
An oil refinery in Germany on Thursday. Oil supplies are set to tighten further even if the U.S. and Iran reach a deal to end their war.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
May 8, 2026
Oil supply shock to worsen as inventories fall further even if conflict ends
The rapid depletion of commercial stockpiles and emergency reserves has come at a time when ‌stockpiles are typically ‌built in preparation for the Northern Hemisphere summer.
People share a parasol in Ginza district during high temperatures in Tokyo in 2025. El Nino is forecast to bring drier conditions and hotter weather later this year.
ENVIRONMENT
May 8, 2026
Asia heat waves spell double trouble for economies hit by oil shock
El Nino could bring higher temperatures and dry weather to countries from India to New Zealand, driving up food costs.
The Nikkei stock average rose 5.6% to close at a record high of 62,833.84 Thursday, ending above 62,000 for the first time.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 7, 2026
Japan’s Nikkei soars to a record on U.S.-Iran deal optimism
The tech-heavy Nikkei 225 Stock Average advanced 5.6% to close at a record high of 62,833.84, ending above 62,000 for the first time ever.
People chant during a rally in Tehran on May 6.
WORLD / Politics
May 7, 2026
U.S. and Iran inch towards short-term deal to end fighting
The emerging plan centers on a short-term memorandum rather than a comprehensive peace deal.
The Port of Fujairah has become one of the United Arab Emirates' economic lifelines since the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
BUSINESS
May 7, 2026
Gulf’s fragile trade lifeline hangs on two eastern UAE ports
They are now handling the bulk of the UAE’s seaborne trade in place of ​the major terminals on the western coast inside the Gulf.
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.
In this courtroom sketch, Cole Tomas Allen, a suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting, sits in the courtroom during a hearing after being charged with attempting to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump, in Washington on April 30.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 7, 2026
Iran war possible motive for Trump shooting suspect: U.S. intelligence report
The assessment sheds new light on the U.S. government’s search for a motive in the foiled attack on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25.
A man runs past national flags of ASEAN member states outside a media center in Cebu on Tuesday, ahead of the 48th ASEAN Summit to be held this week.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 7, 2026
Energy crisis front and center as ASEAN leaders prepare for summit
The energy crisis will force Manila leadership to craft a ​regional response while preventing regional conflicts in Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia from slipping down the agenda.
Vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off southern Iran on Monday
WORLD
May 6, 2026
Iran says safe transit of Strait of Hormuz will be possible with U.S. ending threats
⁠Safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz will be ensured ​with ‌U.S. threats ‌coming to ​an end and new procedures in ⁠place, the Revolutionary ⁠Guard’s navy said Wednesday.
U.S. Navy warships sail in an undisclosed location on April 27. A one-page memorandum of understanding reportedly under discussion between the U.S. and Iran has been described by sources as requiring both sides to lift restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
WORLD
May 6, 2026
U.S. and Iran closing in on memorandum to end war, sources say
The memorandum was disclosed hours after U.S. President Donald Trump paused a three-day-old naval mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, citing progress in peace talks.
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa speaks to reporters in Paris on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
May 6, 2026
Japan to boost joint oil stockpiles with UAE
The United Arab Emirates and Japan agreed to promote cooperation to ensure a stable supply of crude oil as the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy transportation hub, remains closed.
A U.S. flag is held up as Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful from the popemobile ahead of his inaugural Mass in Saint Peter’s Square, at the Vatican on May 18, 2025.
WORLD
May 6, 2026
A year into papacy, Pope Leo finds his ‘clarion voice’
The first U.S.-born pope, who sharply denounced war and despotism on a recent four-nation Africa tour, is expected to release his first in-depth teaching document this month.
The Iran-flagged container vessel Hamouna is seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on May 2.
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2026
U.S. unveiled plan to reopen Hormuz hours before Trump shelved it
The U.S. president was warned it risked escalating a conflict he is eager to bring to an end.
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
By Alex K.T. Martin

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