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July 08, 2026
 

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TAIWAN

Silicon wafers shown on screens at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Renovation Museum in Hsinchu, Taiwan. While Taiwan's economy soared in 2025 on exports of AI hardware and semiconductors, companies in more traditional manufacturing sectors have struggled.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 21, 2026
Taiwan’s traditional manufacturers miss out on export boom
Exports of a range of goods including machinery, metals and chemicals are becoming less profitable amid U.S. tariffs and unfavorable currency conditions.
A refinery for a rare earth metal on the outskirts of Wuxi, China. Chinese exports of rare earth magnets to Japan in December fell 8% from November.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 20, 2026
Chinese exports of rare earth magnets to Japan fell in December ahead of curbs
A diplomatic spat had left concerns about future shipments, and Beijing has since banned exports to Japan of some dual-use materials.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference in Beijing on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 20, 2026
China isn’t the answer for Canada’s trade troubles, Taiwan envoy says
The Canadian and Chinese leaders reached an agreement last week to lower trade barriers and rebuild ties.
Taiwan's flag is lowered during a daily ceremony in Taipei on Dec. 30, as China conducted military drills around the island.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 18, 2026
Taiwan says Chinese drone made ‘provocative’ flight over South China Sea island
Taipei said the Chinese reconnaissance drone flew in the airspace of the Pratas Islands for eight minutes at an altitude outside ‍the range of anti-aircraft weapons.
An activist shouts slogans as she holds an anti-Trump sign during a protest near the U.S. Embassy, opposing U.S. military actions in Venezuela capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in Manila, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 17, 2026
U.S. faces skepticism over deterring China as Trump eyes Greenland
Government and defense industry leaders have expressed unease at Trump’s challenge to fellow NATO member Denmark over control of Greenland.
A man rides a scooter past shipping containers at the Port of Keelung on Friday. The United States said on Thursday that it has signed a deal with Taiwan to reduce tariffs on goods from the democratic island, while increasing Taiwanese semiconductor and tech companies' investments in America.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 16, 2026
U.S. and Taiwan clinch deal to cut tariffs and boost chip investment
Duties on Taiwanese shipments would fall to 15%, and Taiwan’s tech industry would increase financing for American operations by $500 billion.
The approval rate for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet increased by 1.1 percentage points from the previous month to 61% in January.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2026
Takaichi Cabinet approval rises to 61%
The Cabinet has been able to maintain its public support rate at around 60% since it was launched in October last year.
An aircraft carrier carved out of ice is seen on display at the Harbin Ice World Park in Harbin, in China's northeast Heilongjiang province, on Dec. 17.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 15, 2026
Chinese Navy’s goal of projecting power around globe gains steam
Long thought to be an ultimate ambition of Beijing, this may become a reality much sooner than anticipated.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first policy speech in parliament in Tokyo on Oct. 24.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 14, 2026
Takaichi to roll the dice on risky, but potentially rewarding, snap election
Calling a snap election during the next session of parliament could prove to be a double-edged sword for the prime minister.
Japan’s measured response to Chinese coercion reflects over 15 years of efforts to diversify its economy and blunt Beijing’s ability to weaponize trade.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 14, 2026
Japan can keep calm and carry on decoupling from China
The goal isn’t to bring trade with Beijing down to zero — that’s impossible. It’s to dull Xi Jinping’s ability to weaponize it when he wants something.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the start of their meeting in the city of Nara on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 13, 2026
Takaichi and South Korea’s Lee to take ties to ‘new heights’ amid Japan-China rift
The two leaders agreed to boost cooperation on economic security and reached a deal on DNA testing for Korean wartime laborers who perished in Japan.
Demonstrators hold a banner reading "No to imperial interventionism!" during a march in Mexico City on Jan. 10 in support of deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and against a possible U.S. intervention in Mexico.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2026
The U.S. sphere of influence is bigger than it looks
While this shows a big shift in U.S. cultural priorities, there isn’t a whiff of willingness to leave Russia or particularly China alone in their own spheres of influence.
A Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. facility under construction in Phoenix on Oct. 17.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 13, 2026
Trump team nears Taiwan trade deal with more U.S. chip investment
Under the deal taking shape, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. would pledge to build at least four more chip manufacturing plants in Arizona, one source said.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te holds a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei in November.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 12, 2026
Venezuela-style strike on Taiwan’s leader could prove tricky for China
Taiwan has prepared for years against a “decapitation operation,” has extensive defenses and radar, and would likely receive support from the U.S. in the event of a conflict.
A cargo ship is seen at the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals in Hong Kong last April. China appears to be quietly contemplating an unconventional approach to rapidly boosting its naval power — transforming its vast commercial shipping fleet into an armada of makeshift warships.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 12, 2026
Civilian or military? China turns to merchant fleet to boost military power.
In one example, a midsize cargo ship appeared to be fitted with advanced tech, including containerized missile launchers and a system for launching large drones.
The Siyuan Aircraft Bunker in Yilan City, Taiwan, which was built by the Japanese during World War II, contains small historical displays and has a bamboo model of Zero fighter plane on its roof, used as a decoy to fool American bombing raids.
JAPAN / History
Jan 11, 2026
Aircraft bunkers in Taiwan’s Yilan county shine light on little-known kamikaze outpost
The Pacific-facing county hosts the largest concentration of such bunkers in Taiwan that are among the best-preserved examples still remaining anywhere.
The Bayan Obo rare-earth mine in Inner Mongolia. China cutting off rare-earth exports to Japan over the Taiwan issue will have a limited impact because Japan and other countries have diversified supplies and taken steps to weaken Beijing’s long-term leverage.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 11, 2026
China is overplaying its rare-earth hand in Japan
While China produces about 80% of the world’s neodymium magnets, Japan on its own manufactures about half of the remainder.
In a government survey released on Friday, 68% of 1,534 respondents pointed to advances in ​Chinese military technology and its activities close to ‍Japan and in ⁠the South China Sea as their ‍top security worry, up from 61% when the poll was last conducted three years ago.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 9, 2026
China tops Japanese public’s security worries in latest government poll
Beijing’s growing military power is now the leading security concern, overtaking the threat posed by North Korean nuclear missiles.
Economy, trade and industry minister Ryosei Akazawa said that Japan would respond firmly but calmly to China’s dual-use item trade threats.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 9, 2026
China blinks again following dual-use export threat earlier in the week
For a second day running, it signaled that the restrictions are not meant to upend trade.
China has restricted dual-use exports to Japan that can be used for military purposes, including rare-earth elements, prompting Tokyo to reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains.
EDITORIALS
Jan 9, 2026
China resorts to lawfare to squeeze Japan
While the potential size of the list — estimates range from 800 to 1,100 items — is of concern, Japan is especially worried about the inclusion of rare-earth elements.
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.

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