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July 12, 2026
 

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Meta’s largest data center outside the U.S., to be built in Sturgeon County, Alberta, will create 300 full-time jobs, the tech giant says.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 9, 2026
Meta to build first data center in Canada in expansion of global fleet
The Sturgeon County, Alberta-based data center will be Meta’s largest outside the U.S.
Two suspects, a Thai man (center) and his Laotian wife (not pictured), suspected of sending drug parcels from a border province to Bangkok, are escorted by officials to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board in Bangkok on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jul 5, 2026
How drug gangs use social media to recruit Thai air crew as couriers
Early in the morning on June 18, a message from an unknown account slipped into the TikTok inbox of a flight attendant in Bangkok with a series of questions: “Are you flying to Australia? Do ​you do carry-for-hire? What is your rate?”
Posts facilitating romance scams, other fraud and what are known as "dark part-time jobs" will be subject to deletion requests by the Internet Hotline Center.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 2, 2026
Police in Japan work to crack down on fraud-linked social media posts
Based on reports from the public, the Internet Hotline Center requests that illegal or harmful online content be removed, and it reports such cases to the police.
The logo of social media company Meta. As the tech behemoth spends billions annually to build out its artificial intelligence capabilities, employees at Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are increasingly unhappy with their Mark Zuckerberg-led parent company.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 2, 2026
Fear and anger brew inside Meta amid AI frenzy
After weathering layoffs, some Meta employees were reassigned to an internal artificial intelligence training initiative that has drawn accusations of surveillance.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (center) meets with advocates for the country's social media ban for children under 16 at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 29, 2026
Australia gives regulator more power to pursue Big Tech over under-16 social media ban
The move ​comes as evidence suggests children are still able to access the platforms six months ‌after the ‌world-first restrictions took effect in December.
A dead pangolin stripped of its scales is advertised on Facebook by a Thai account selling "seasonal wild delicacies," part of what conservationists call rampant illegal wildlife trafficking across social media platforms.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 29, 2026
For sale on Facebook: monkeys, rhino horn and dead pangolins
A recent report by conservationist organizations accuses Meta of hosting and effectively encouraging the world’s “largest single known illegal wildlife trade market.”
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has, in addition to traditional media appearances, focused more on direct communication through social media, official messaging and rapid online rebuttals since taking office.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 26, 2026
Takaichi’s social media strategy tests old political norms
While traditional media outlets remain vital, the greatest merit of online platforms is “giving the full context” in a timely manner, Takaichi’s public affairs chief said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a parliamentary meeting in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 25, 2026
Takaichi’s smear video scandal shows Japan’s digital campaign rules are behind the curve
A scandal involving alleged AI-generated attack videos has exposed gaps in Japan’s laws governing online election campaigns.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during a welcoming ceremony before talks at the Kremlin in Moscow in May 2025.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2026
Scarier than fiction: ‘The Wizard of the Kremlin’ comes to life
The objective is not to promote authoritarianism directly, but to corrode the trust that sustains democratic societies and international cooperation grounded in rule of law.
There is little evidence to suggest teenagers have turned away from social media under the law, a team of Australia-based researchers has found in a peer-reviewed study published by the British Medical Journal.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 25, 2026
Australia’s social media ban for under 16s having little impact, study shows
Underage users have been dodging the restrictions by using accounts registered to older people, setting up fake accounts, or by logging into private browsers.
Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki speaks during a news conference at the Diet building in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2026
Japan set to enact bill criminalizing vandalism of the national flag
Backing from the opposition Democratic Party for the People paves the way for the bill’s passage through the Upper House, where the ruling bloc is a minority force.
News consumers around the world are now turning more to social media and video platforms than traditional outlets for information, a report has found.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 16, 2026
Social networks and online video outweigh traditional media in 2026
The report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found 54% of respondents said they got news from social media or video platforms in the week before the survey.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced one of the strictest online crackdowns against social media use by children in the democratic world on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2026
British prime minister announces full ban on social media for children under 16
The Labour government says its new range of child internet-use restrictions will be tougher than Australia’s limits.
A revised election law under consideration would stipulate that "social media users must not harm the fairness of elections" through false statements or factual distortion.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 14, 2026
Japan eyes responsibility of social media users during elections
The government expects to get the legislation enacted during the current parliamentary session ending in July.
U.S. President Donald Trump posted an apparently AI-generated video on his digital platform Truth Social last Saturday that included a short segment depicting himself dressed as the protagonist from the popular anime franchise "Naruto.”
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2026
Japan pushes back on Trump’s anime posts
President Donald Trump’s use of Japanese anime-style imagery on his social media account has not gone over well in Japan.
A record 101,045 consultation requests on social media-related issues were made to consumer affairs centers in Japan last year, nearly double the level in 2021.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 12, 2026
In a first, consumer consultations in Japan about social media top 100,000
Those in their 50s and older accounted for more than half of the total social media-related consultations to consumer affairs centers.
The rise of silver content creators is helping redefine what we associate with aging, and they are a potent spending force due to their substantial net worth.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2026
Your mum and dad are influencers now, too
As populations age and people delay retirement, these third-age influencers are restoring some relevance and legitimacy to age groups sidelined in many professions.
Smartphones and PCs seized by Osaka Prefectural Police in connection to a social media scam that led to the arrest of 41 people
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 11, 2026
Osaka police arrest 41 over side-job scam affecting 2,300 people
In the scam posted on social media, victims were told they could earn large sums through a side job if they first paid for training courses.
Several countries have been considering ​tightening rules around AI use as well as social media use for children.
WORLD
Jun 11, 2026
Canada moves to ban social media for children under 16 and regulate AI chatbots
Companies could face penalties of 3% ​of global revenue or up to C$10 million ($7.2 million), whichever is more, for failing to comply.
A surgeon fills a syringe with Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, a tirzepatide injection drug used for treating type 2 diabetes and weight loss.
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Jun 10, 2026
‘Thinness equals beauty’: Mounjaro misuse among women sparks health debate in Japan
The nation is one of the leanest in the world, making the misuse of the diabetes drug simply for weight loss that much more alarming.
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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