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July 05, 2026
 

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TRADE

Tourists on the beach in Mirissa, Sri Lanka in 2022. Some hotels in South Asia have seen a sharp drop in occupancy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 21, 2026
The forces of scarcity hitting Asia may soon spread across the world
Many countries across the region are experiencing sudden jolts of disruption that they are struggling to manage.
A tanker unloads crude oil in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province, on April 7. The divided oil market is showing high costs now but lower prices later.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2026
So what is the real oil price right now?
Be wary of anyone saying one particular oil-price gauge matters more than the others.
Attendees at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, take pictures of various service robots on display.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 21, 2026
China flashes new tech swagger to world markets convulsed by war
The world’s factory floor is increasingly getting retrofitted for a new era of artificial intelligence and robotics, churning out technological innovation the world craves.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington in April last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 21, 2026
Tariff refund system launches as thousands of companies file claims
Up to $166 billion in tariffs illegally collected tariffs by the U.S. government could be returned to importers.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 14.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 20, 2026
Canada’s U.S. ties have become a weakness, Carney says
Along with imposing tariffs on Canadian exports such as steel, aluminum and autos, U.S. President Donald Trump ​has mused about turning Canada into ​the 51st U.S. state.
China may be pushed into an uncomfortable reactive stance by the Iran war, but over time it retains a steadier position to outmaneuver Washington.
COMMENTARY / World / Perspectives
Apr 20, 2026
Is Xi feeling stronger than Trump?
In the U.S.-China great power competition, the American president’s handling of the Iran war may have given a strategic edge to Beijing.
The U.S. is recasting its national security strategy around economic resilience and Western Hemisphere priorities as it confronts vulnerabilities exposed by dependence on critical Chinese minerals, supply chains and key inputs.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 19, 2026
Why economic security is central to U.S. national security
No previous U.S. national security strategy has incorporated economic security to this extent. Why, then, has it become so prominent during Trump’s second term?
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi fields questions from reporters after hosting an online summit of the Japan-led Asia Zero Emission Community framework on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 19, 2026
Takaichi actively engages in summit diplomacy over Iran crisis
The Japanese PM aims to showcase Tokyo’s unique approach, capitalizing on international relationships it has nurtured since the end of World War II.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during the Liberal Democratic Party's annual convention in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2026
Japan pledges ‘all possible measures’ for Hormuz safety
Momentum for a lasting peace has been building, with Tehran saying Friday that Hormuz is open for commercial shipping after Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron leave a news conference after the multinational virtual summit at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2026
European leaders offer military help to secure Strait of Hormuz
Trump said the waterway is “open and ready for business,” though a U.S. naval blockade would remain in place until a broader agreement is reached.
Jason Cheung, CEO of Huntar Co., a U.S.-based toymaker with a factory in China, said, "It'll be nice to get that money back," but added, "it looks like the government is trying to make it difficult."
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 18, 2026
Companies scramble for tariff refunds as U.S. prepares to launch claim process
Some firms preparing claims said they are worried about a last-minute legal move by the Trump administration that could slow the process.
Crude oil buyers in Japan led the charge to purchase May-loading cargoes from the U.S. early in the month, along with South Korean, Singapore and Thai processors.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2026
Asia relying on U.S. crude to replace Middle East supply
U.S. exports of oil, including crude and refined products, reached a record 13 million barrels a day last week, government data showed.
A vessel is seen in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2026
Iran proposes allowing ships to exit Oman side of Hormuz free of attack, source says
The proposal hinges on whether Washington is prepared to meet ​Tehran’s demands, the ​source added.
People take part in an anti-U.S. and anti-Israel rally at Enghelab Square amid a ceasefire between U.S. and Iran, in Tehran on Wednesday.
WORLD
Apr 16, 2026
U.S. optimistic of deal with Iran as it increases economic pressure
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he believes the war with Iran is nearly over, even as a shipping blockade he announced in the Strait of Hormuz came into effect.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks at an International Institute of Finance event during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings in Washington on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2026
Bessent says China has been unreliable partner by hoarding oil during war
China already had a strategic petroleum reserve that was roughly the same size as that of the entire reserve held by the 32-member International Energy Agency.
Bathtub makers are suffering material shortages as the Iran conflict stretches on.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 14, 2026
Japanese bathtub makers halt orders as material shortages bite
Major suppliers have stopped giving delivery dates for their own products.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an order raising tariffs in the Oval Office in Washington in February 2025.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 14, 2026
Trump, ‘The Art of the Deal’ and the ‘TACO’ myth
The question is not whether Trump “chickens out,” but whether the final outcome leaves him in a stronger position.
Visitors look at a display of semiconductor devices at the SuperSiC booth during SEMICON China, a trade fair for semiconductor technology, in Shanghai on March 25.
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2026
China’s export engine stutters as Iran war chills global demand
The effects of the conflict in the Middle East have exposed the risks in Beijing’s strategy of leaning on manufacturing to sustain growth.
The petrodollar system underpinning U.S. financial dominance is breaking down as the Iran war disrupts both oil revenues and foreign demand for Treasurys, exposing limits to their safe-haven status.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2026
The Iran war just broke the petrodollar
The virtuous loop that has seen America underwrite stability in the Middle East in exchange for Gulf states recycling their dollar revenues into U.S. Treasurys has been broken.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a press conference after attending a special summit of European Union leaders to discuss transatlantic relations in Brussels on Jan. 23.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 13, 2026
Spanish premier Sanchez heads for fourth China visit, risking Trump’s ire
Spain has been one of Europe’s loudest proponents of expanding trade and treating China as a strategic ally rather than the economic and geopolitical rival that Trump sees it ​as.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Japanese police arrest nine over Sierra Leone-based special fraud
Japanese police have arrested nine individuals for their alleged involvement in a special fraud case using Sierra Leone as a base.
Japanese-language education is at a turning point
The country is gradually transforming Japanese-language education from a volunteer-driven system into a professional, government-supported network to better serve its growing foreign population. 
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex’s culture cred
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex.  
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.

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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