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July 02, 2026
 

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JAPAN

A man looks at the preserved Atomic Bomb Dome from an observation point near the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on April 25 last year.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Number of hibakusha drops to 91,105
The average age of hibakusha rose from 86.13 to 86.66.
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
¡®My dream is broken¡¯: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
By Kyoko Hasegawa
¡°I always wanted to become a bridge between Japan and Nepal ... but my dream is broken,¡± Budhathoki Samjhana said.
Karakuri ningyo craftsman Tamaya Shobei IX demonstrates his work in London on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Traditional Japanese mechanical dolls showcased in London
Karakuri ningyo, or wooden automata powered without electricity, became popular in Japan during the Edo Period
Two Japanese nationals detained in the Chinese city of Dalian in May were arrested in mid- and late June, respectively, Japanese government officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 1, 2026
China arrests two Japanese nationals held in Dalian
The two, both Fuji Electric group employees, are believed to have violated China¡¯s law governing rare earth exports.
Shinsuke Yamanaka, chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday regarding misconduct at Chubu Electric Power.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Chubu Electric continued to misrepresent quake risk at nuclear plant amid probe
The power supplier allegedly underestimated the seismic ground motion the plant could experience, using a calculation method different from that reported to the NRA.
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ?3,000 from ?1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
By Yukana Inoue
Previously set at ?1,000, the tax has risen to ?3,000 for all travelers departing Japan, regardless of nationality.
Increasingly more people in Japan now own more than one cell phone, which is leading to an expected shortage of mobile phone numbers.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Japan adds new mobile phone number prefix amid expected shortage
The addition of the 060 prefix ¡ª in addition to the existing 090, 080 and 070 ¡ª will increase total cell phone numbers from 270 million to 360 million.
The house in Tomi, Nagano Prefecture, where two bodies were found on Wednesday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 1, 2026
Man arrested after woman and girl found dead in Nagano
The same man was arrested on suspicion of trying to kill his 14-year-old son with a knife earlier the same day.
A humanoid robot at the Humanoids Summit in Tokyo on May 28
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Japan plans sovereign AI model and 10 million AI robots
The country will reportedly invest around $6 billion in the homemade AI model, which will be developed by Noetra, a consortium of firms including SoftBank and Sony.
A concept model of the Global Combat Air Program¡¯s fighter jet is displayed during the Defense Security Equipment International Japan exhibition at Makuhari Messe in the city of Chiba in May last year.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Japan¡¯s trilateral fighter jet program locked in following U.K. funding commitment
By Gabriel Dominguez
The news comes after months of uncertainty and concerns about delays to the Global Combat Air Program with Britain and Italy.
Self-Defense Forces personnel stand guard at the entrance of the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2026
Japan weighs state ownership of defense plants to boost arms supply
By Kenji Yoshida
A draft of the government¡¯s basic economic and fiscal policy guidelines calls for reviewing existing law to allow greater state involvement.
During the first day of a lay judge trial at the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday, 44-year-old Kenichi Takano admitted to stabbing a 22-year-old woman to death in the capital's Takadanobaba district in March last year while she was livestreaming.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 1, 2026
Man indicted over livestreaming murder in Tokyo admits to charges during trial
Kenichi Takano attacked Airi Sato as she was walking and livestreaming on a street in Tokyo last March, stabbing her face and chest multiple times with a knife.
Revisions to the laws meant to tackle the imperial family's dwindling numbers included clauses that throw succession rules into question.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Law revisions regarding imperial family invite controversy about succession
By Kanako Takahara
Revisions to the laws meant to tackle the imperial family¡¯s dwindling numbers included clauses that throw succession rules into question.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hopes to break away from "Japan¡¯s long-standing trend of underinvestment¡± by setting a target for growing the economy to a value of $6.8 trillion in nominal GDP by 2040.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Takaichi sets target for nominal GDP of $6.8 trillion in 2040
By Sakura Murakami
The projections are in line with Cabinet Office estimates based on the premise that the government¡¯s growth strategy is successfully implemented over the next 14 years.
Masayo Tanabu, secretary-general of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and a senior Upper House lawmaker, speaks during an interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 1, 2026
Japan¡¯s opposition faces a make-or-break choice over wider integration
By Kenji Yoshida
The Centrist Reform Alliance has yet to fully convince the public of its significance, said senior opposition lawmaker Masayo Tanabu.
The front page carries news of a former prime minister's arrest as the Lockheed scandal expands.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Jul 1, 2026
Japan Times 1976: Ex-Prime Minister Tanaka arrested
From Tanaka¡¯s dramatic arrest to the Akashi stampede, Japan confronted tragedy and accountability.

ASIA PACIFIC

Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora and North Korea's Land and Environment Protection Minister Kim Kyong Jun attend a ground-breaking ceremony for a road bridge that will link North Korea to Russia, in Rason Municipality, North Korea, on April 30 last year.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 1, 2026
North Korea-Russia bridge opening likely delayed, think tank says
By Kyu-seok Shim
The 850-meter bridge, which will connect to Russia¡¯s highway system, was agreed to during Russian President Vladimir Putin¡¯s visit ?to Pyongyang in June 2024.
Members of the Chinese (left) and Russian delegations, led by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, respectively, hold talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 3, 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 1, 2026
Russia approved secret China military training at top level, sources say
China¡¯s covert military training of Russian forces last year was personally approved by Russia¡¯s defense minister and directly involved at least four Russian and Chinese generals.
Wu Feng-chiao, 72, harvests gelidium algae, locally known as "stone flowers," from rocks along Taiwan's northeastern coast in the Magang fishing village near New Taipei City on June 16.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jul 1, 2026
Taiwan¡¯s aging seaweed harvesters hope younger women will wade in
By Joy Chiang and Sally JENSEN
There are no more than four women in the Magang fishing village in Taiwan who still regularly collect Gelidium algae, and all of them are in their 70s or older.

WORLD

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2026
NATO allies have grown silent on rights concerns in Turkey
By Jonathan Spicer
The West has mostly been focusing ?on boosting ?security ties with the regional military power and big arms exporter.
The revelation of the defense funding gap blindsided Andy Burnham and his team on Tuesday, one source said.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2026
U.K. defense plan blows ?5 billion hole in Burnham¡¯s budget
By Ellen Milligan
How Andy Burnham will approach defense is a topic of intense speculation as Westminster prepares for him to assume leadership of the governing Labour Party as soon as July 17.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe speaks during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on April 6.
WORLD
Jul 1, 2026
CIA chief compares cutting-edge AI to nuclear weapons
John Ratcliffe¡¯s comments form a tacit defense of Washington¡¯s recent hard line on controlling the release of the most powerful AI technology.
Yana Hrynko, senior researcher of The National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, shows a bird's nest made with fragments of optic fiber, which was found by a Ukrainian service member on the front line and then passed to the museum in Kyiv on June 23.
WORLD
Jul 1, 2026
Bird nests of fiber-optic cables show war¡¯s impact on Ukraine
The nests demonstrate how the more than 4-year-old conflict is reshaping the natural environment, researchers say.
Members of the South African Police Service monitor the crowd during a demonstration by the "March and March" movement marking an unofficial deadline set by citizen-led groups for foreign nationals who entered the country illegally to leave, in Durban, South Africa, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jul 1, 2026
Antimigrant protests draw thousands across South Africa
The protests have stoked fears of xenophobic violence on a scale that erupted in South Africa in 2008, when 62 people were killed in a wave of attacks.
A group of civilian volunteers searches for survivors in a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela, on Saturday.
WORLD / Society
Jul 1, 2026
Venezuela quake death toll nears 2,000 as aftershocks ease
Opposition leader Mar¨ªa Corina Machado, who is stuck in Panama after unsuccessful attempts to reenter the country, has vowed to return as quickly as possible.
Members of the League of United Latin American Citizens gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court after a decision on birthright citizenship in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2026
U.S. Supreme Court backs birthright citizenship in blow to Trump
By Greg Stohr
In response, the U.S. president said on social media ¡°we could easily make it up in Congress through Legislation.¡±
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler attends a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Belgium in 2025.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2026
Turkey says NATO adjusting to security landscape, U.S. not withdrawing
By Tuvan Gumrukcu
Turkey has NATO¡¯s second-largest army and has developed one of the world¡¯s leading defense industries.
A draft statement for next week¡¯s NATO summit in Ankara does not currently mention ?holding the ?next gathering in Albania, despite a previous declaration that it would take place there, according to sources.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2026
Next NATO summit in Albania in doubt amid U.S. reluctance and low defense spending
The ?move comes as European NATO members seek to show Washington that they have made progress on defense spending pledges.
Women cross a street past a mourning billboard depicting Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a strike on the first day of the US-Israeli war against the Iran on Feb. 28, in Tehran on Tuesday ahead of his public funeral.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2026
Iran says it won¡¯t meet with U.S. envoys, clouding prospects for peace deal
By Andrew Mills and Elwely Elwelly
Tehran also said the two ?sides must still sort out the terms of a ceasefire before addressing topics, such as its nuclear program.

BUSINESS

Atsushi Mimura, Japan's vice finance minister for international affairs, during an interview in Tokyo on Wednesday
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2026
Japan¡¯s FX chief flags contact with U.S., intervention impact
By Erica Yokoyama and Takashi Umekawa
Mimura¡¯s remarks indicate that he continues to see intervention as a useful tool to stem excessive moves in the currency market.
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2026
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
By Kazuaki Nagata
The demographic challenges faced by the country could create demand for products that help older people and support treatment.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries is collaborating with companies including Nvidia to integrate AI and ?robotics, and last month announced a development hub in Silicon Valley.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2026
Kawasaki Heavy seeks ?200 billion via new shares and convertible bonds: sources
By Miho Uranaka and Sam Nussey
The company will decide on ?the details ?of the issuance as soon as this week, the sources said.
The Hakuba Cross-Country Course in the village of Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture, in February. For a third year in a row, roadside land prices in the village have increased at the highest rate across Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2026
Roadside land prices rise in popular Japanese tourist sites
Across the board, the prices of land facing major roads in Japan as of Jan. 1 went up by 2.9%, marking a fifth consecutive year of increases.
Panasonic Holdings CEO Yuki Kusumi has been revamping the business to cut costs and take advantage of global growth areas.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2026
Panasonic targets further AI growth to build on record valuation
By Reed Stevenson and Mari Kiyohara
The Japanese electronics conglomerate is attracting renewed investor attention as a beneficiary of the artificial-intelligence boom.
Japan spent ?11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2026
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
By Simon STURDEE
The yen has tumbled past a 40-year low against the U.S. dollar, prompting the Japanese government to vow ¡°appropriate action at any time.¡±
Officials from tech companies and South Korea¡¯s government after a public briefing on the development vision for advanced industry in Gwangju on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 1, 2026
Samsung and SK Hynix¡¯s mega South Korea chips gamble tests optimism of AI cycle
By Hyunjoo Jin and Heekyong Yang
The tech giants won praise from President Lee Jae Myung after throwing their weight behind the government¡¯s semiconductor push.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Confidence among large manufacturers rose to the highest level since 2018, supporting the BOJ¡¯s stance to keep raising interest rates.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2026
Japan¡¯s manufacturer mood improves to highest level since 2018
By Toru Fujioka
Inflation expectations climbed, supporting the Bank of Japan¡¯s stance to keep raising interest rates.
Fans react to a World Cup match in Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul, on June 24. JoongAng Group, which made a big bet on World Cup rights, is facing financial trouble after a series of missteps.
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2026
Failed World Cup bet sinks South Korean media giant¡¯s Disney dream
By Sohee Kim and Haram Lim
A South Korean content powerhouse¡¯s mistimed global expansion and ill-judged bets on World Cup soccer and Olympic rights ended up derailing its dream.
Toyota became the largest shareholder of Joby Aviation last year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2026
Toyota sets up manufacturing joint venture with U.S. air taxi-maker Joby
By Chester Dawson
The joint venture is part of a growing partnership between the carmaker and Joby, which makes electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.
Electronic boards display the foreign exchange rate of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar at a foreign exchange brokerage in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 1, 2026
Yen¡¯s slide puts market on lookout for Japan¡¯s next red line
By John Cheng
Strategists have increasingly pointed to ?163 and beyond as the next levels to watch.
Conveyor-belt sushi operator Kura Sushi, which has been established in the U.S. since 2009, faces a new challenge as Sushiro enters the market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2026
Kura Sushi to accelerate U.S. growth to fend off rivals¡¯ expansion
By Eru Ishikawa and Yui Hasebe
The chain is targeting about 300 locations in the U.S. over the longer term, keeping a pace of 20% growth in store numbers each year, its U.S. operations CEO has said.
U.S. President Donald Trump's worth is an estimated $7.6 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2026
Trump reports at least $1.4 billion in 2025 crypto earnings
By Bill Allison
The crypto haul was by far the largest source of U.S. President Donald Trump¡¯s income, according to his latest annual financial disclosure.

ENVIRONMENT

General view of the ThyssenKrupp steel Europe plant in Duisburg, Germany
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 1, 2026
Industrial firms warn EU carbon overhaul could benefit polluters
By Kate Abnett
Now policymakers are facing a dilemma over whether to hold the line on carbon pricing or yield to political pressure and help heavy polluters.
A man carrying a child stands in the Pacific Ocean near the Mexico-U.S. border fence in Tijuana, Mexico, on May 30.
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 1, 2026
World¡¯s oceans break June heat record: EU monitor
Global average sea surface temperatures in June were 20.98 C, beating the previous records of 2023 and 2024.

Opinion

Former Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan's long era of economic stability masked decisions that helped fuel the financial excesses leading to the 2008 crisis.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2026
Greenspan deflated one bubble ¡ª his own authority
By John Authers
Years of economic success under Alan Greenspan ultimately gave way to financial turmoil that critics say his policies helped create.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders gather during the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on June 16.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 1, 2026
China¡¯s export controls target Japan to split the Group of Seven
By Christopher Nye and Charles Sun
Why Japan and why now? Tokyo raised the first question itself: Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara protested that controls singling out Japan depart from international practice.

Sports

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.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Jul 1, 2026
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
By John Gunning
The latest banzuke offers more than just top-tier intrigue, with the July meet set to feature standout stories in every division of professional sumo.
Mexico players celebrate after beating Ecuador to qualify for the round of 16 of the World Cup, in Mexico City on Tuesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 1, 2026
Mexico sees off Ecuador to break 40-year World Cup curse
Mexico had not won a World Cup knockout game since 1986, when it last hosted the tournament.
Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring France&#039;s third goal against Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Tuesday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 1, 2026
Mbappe and Haaland fire France and Norway into World Cup last 16
By Rob Woollard
Kylian Mbappe took his tally for the tournament to six goals, making him joint top-scorer alongside Lionel Messi.
Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (right) and guard Kyle Lowry celebrate winning the NBA Championship over the Golden State Warriors after Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, in June 2019.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jul 1, 2026
Clippers dealing Kawhi Leonard back to Raptors
The deal, pending ?physicals, will send Leonard back to the franchise he led to the 2019 NBA championship.
Serena Williams (top) shakes hands with Maya Joint after their first round match at Wimbledon in London on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Jul 1, 2026
Serena Williams beaten at Wimbledon in first singles match in four years
By Steven Griffiths
Williams has captured the imagination of the sports world with her sensational comeback, but there was no storybook chapter to add to her astonishing career.

CULTURE

As these manga show, sexuality is only part of the story for many women who turn to lesbian sex services. Many seek healing, comfort and emotional relief, too.
CULTURE / Books
Jul 1, 2026
Strange bedfellows: Manga and lesbian sex work agencies team up for storytelling
By Marta Fanasca
Agencies and sex workers seek to present more nuanced depictions of their work and to challenge mainstream narratives that often emphasize scandal, eroticism or exploitation.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men¡¯s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men&#039;s restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
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.
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.
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.
Reform panel calls for easing data center building standards
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasized that the government will promote reforms of regulations and systems that fit the artificial intelligence era.
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 Troubl¨¦, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.

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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