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August 03, 2026
 

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JAPAN

Japan's the lower chamber of parliament will install security cameras in the Diet building starting in fiscal 2027.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 2, 2026
Japan Lower House to install security cameras in Diet building
The plan has been considered partly in response to an incident in which a government employee secretly filmed a woman in a Diet building restroom in 2021.
In a Jiji survey, 30.8% of the overall respondents said they use generative AI, such as ChatGPT, while 67.8% said they do not.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2026
1 in 4 people in Japan believes AI could replace friends and family: poll
In the survey, 30.8% of the overall respondents said they use generative AI, such as ChatGPT, while 67.8% said they do not.
People line up in front of a Tokyo shop promoting specialty products of Kumamoto Prefecture, which was hit by a major earthquake last Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2026
Long lines at Tokyo shop selling Kumamoto goods after quake
Customers at the shop say they want to support people in areas devastated by the 7.1 magnitude quake by purchasing specialty goods and making donations.
Kobe Kita Police Station honors local heroes Yuito Kuroishi (left), Ruito Nagai (center) and Sakutaro Akutagawa during an award ceremony on July 24.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Aug 2, 2026
¡®Hey Siri, call 119¡¯: How three kids proved a smartphone can be a lifeline
By Mai Yoshikawa
The way fifth-graders responded to a recent medical emergency in Kobe prompts questions over whether smartphones are a dangerous distraction or an essential safety tool.
Princess Aiko observes a traditional rite for the reconstruction of the Grand Shrines of Ise in Mie Prefecture on Saturday
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2026
Princess Aiko observes traditional rites at Mie¡¯s Grand Shrines of Ise
Princess Aiko visited a facility where specially designated timber for the next reconstruction, set for 2033, is processed.
Municipal officials and volunteers deliver relief goods to an evacuation center set up at an elementary school in the city of Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2026
Survivors battle heat over first weekend since Kumamoto quake
By JIJI, Staff report
A woman in her 70s died of suspected heatstroke while sheltering in her car, in what is believed to be a ¡°disaster-related death¡± of the disaster.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announces a plan to lower the consumption tax rate on food items at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on July 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 2, 2026
Japan¡¯s touchy consumption tax faces first-ever cut
Takaichi has championed a proposal to lower the tax rate on food purchased at stores, which would mark the first cut to the rate since it was implemented in 1989.

ASIA PACIFIC

People play in a fountain to cool off in Yangsan, South Korea, on Friday. On Sunday, South Korea registered its highest temperature since records began more than a century ago, according to the state weather agency.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 2, 2026
South Korea records its highest-ever temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius
The southeastern city of Yangsan saw the temperature reach 42.5 C at 1:26 pm, the Korea Meteorological Administration said on its website.
A woman poses for a picture with a motorcycle rider offering photo and video services along a street in Chongqing, China, on July 20.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 2, 2026
Tourists chase high-octane thrill in China¡¯s trendy biker capital
While many Chinese cities have restricted motorcycling, Chongqing has embraced it and become a biker¡¯s paradise.
A military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing last September
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 2, 2026
Chinese military researchers tap U.S. AI models to train defense systems
By Eduardo Baptista
The report shows widespread use of a technique known as ¡°model distillation,¡± in which outputs from a powerful AI system are used to train ?smaller, specialized ?models.

WORLD

People walk on the dried-out Danube riverbed near downtown Budapest on Thursday.
WORLD
Aug 2, 2026
Europe¡¯s key rivers are drying up as extreme heat impact widens
Rhine and Danube levels have dwindled over an unusually hot and dry summer, with repeated bouts of high-pressure blocking moisture-bearing clouds from replenishing watersheds.
The NATO sign is seen on an Airborne Warning and Control System surveillance plane at a military air base in Lielvarde, Latvia, on Friday.
WORLD / FOCUS
Aug 2, 2026
Baltic startups take aim at deterring Russia on NATO¡¯s eastern flank
Entrepreneurs are filling gaps left by traditional arms contractors.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth salute during a transfer for soldiers killed amid the conflict with Iran at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, on July 22.
WORLD
Aug 2, 2026
Trump says he will hold off on fresh Iran attack in hope of quick deal
U.S. President Donald Trump said the cancellation of attacks on Iran was contingent on a peace deal being quickly reached.
Floating barriers on the maritime border between Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta and Morocco in the aftermath of the sudden influx of tens of thousands of migrants into Ceuta, as seen from the outskirts of the Moroccan town of Fnideq on Saturday
WORLD
Aug 2, 2026
Spain installs floating barrier in Ceuta after deadly migrant rush
Spanish authorities said about 50,000 people ?had crossed into Ceuta by land and sea from Thursday in an unprecedented surge at one of the EU¡¯s only land borders ?with Africa.

BUSINESS

Relief supplies gathered at a gymnasium being used as an evacuation shelter following the July 28 earthquake in the city of Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 31
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2026
Extra budget may be compiled for Kumamoto quake
The focus is on the decision of the prime minister, who prioritizes the regular budget and calls for an end to the government¡¯s reliance on supplementary budgets.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra?Modi greets Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during the India-Japan Joint Economic Forum in New Delhi on July 2.
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2026
Japan eyes diplomatic support for firms¡¯ entry into India
India has ranked first for the fourth straight year as the most promising overseas market in a survey released in 2025 by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
A notepad in front of U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent reads "To Do Buy Japanese Yen $5-10 bil" as he participates in a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, Maryland, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 2, 2026
Japan to announce Tokyo and Washington took joint action on yen
By Tamiyuki Kihara, Makiko Yamazaki and Leika Kihara
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama is expected to stress the two ?countries¡¯ determination to ?combat what they consider excessive yen declines.
In mid-July, two OpenAI models undergoing testing left their confined environment ¡ª a scenario the developers had not anticipated ¡ª and ventured onto the internet, where they attacked Hugging Face, an AI model-hosting platform.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Aug 2, 2026
When rogue AI launches a cyberattack, who is legally responsible?
By Thomas URBAIN
Under U.S. civil and criminal law, unauthorized access to a computer system is an offense.

ENVIRONMENT

Massive plumes of smoke rise over the city of Spokane, Washington on Saturday in this screen shot obtained from a social media video.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 2, 2026
Fires on more than 100,000 hectares of Washington state prompt evacuations
About 4,000 people were fighting more than a dozen fires throughout the state.
A firefighting helicopter flies past smoke from a wildfire in the area of Porto Germeno, some 70 kilometers northwest of Athens, on Saturday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 2, 2026
Wildfires spread across Greece as conditions worsen in France and Spain
Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this summer after a period of record-breaking heat and little rain, in conditions that scientists say have been exacerbated by climate change.

Opinion

A Ukrainian soldier prepares to launch a Hornet medium-strike drone toward Russian troops from a position near a front line in Ukraine's Donetsk region in late June.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 2, 2026
What Ukraine and Iran teach us about deterrence
By Hirohito Ogi
As drones and missiles reshape modern warfare, the question is whether asymmetric capabilities can prevent conflict before it begins.
A representation of Tether stablecoin cryptocurrency. The coins¡¯ rapid growth in anonymous, self?custody wallets is undermining financial oversight.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 2, 2026
Stablecoin is the wrong weapon in U.S.-China fight
By Andy Mukherjee
As the market in digital greenbacks grows, Washington and Beijing will fight over the future of money ¡ª just as they are over control of AI.

Sports

Tarik Skubal pitches for the Tigers during a game against the Angels in Anaheim, California, on July 18.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 2, 2026
Dodgers land two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal in trade with Tigers
The Dodgers¡¯ need for pitching depth ramped up in the last few weeks with two-way star Shohei Ohtani sidelined from pitching due to knee inflammation and bicep soreness.
Michael Jordan was a six time champion and five-time regular-season MVP during his NBA career
BASKETBALL / NBA
Aug 2, 2026
By picking 76ers, LeBron James seeks chance to bolster case to be NBA¡¯s GOAT
By ian o¡¯connor
James has said a number of times over the years his goal is to go down as the GOAT, and he has said multiple times he believes he has already earned that distinction.
Taysom Hill (left) spent nine seasons with the Saints, where he played as a quarterback, receiver and running back.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Aug 2, 2026
Versatile Taysom Hill could reunite with former coach Sean Payton with Broncos
Payton coached Hill ?in ?New Orleans from 2017 to 2021 and successfully unleashed ?his versatility as a receiver, quarterback and running back.

LIFE

Chef Kenji Kawamura honed his craft in Italy for six years before returning to his hometown in Ibaraki Prefecture to open Nonna Nietta.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 2, 2026
At Nonna Nietta, Italian magic in suburban Tsukuba
By Robbie Swinnerton
Chef Kenji Kawamura spent six formative years training as a chef in Italy. That dedication shows in the deep, authentic flavors up and down the menu at his Ibaraki restaurant.
A few tricks from Korea can spice up Japan's otherwise plan "inari-zushi" pockets.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Aug 2, 2026
A sushi rice pocket by any other name
By Simon Daly
Japan¡¯s ¡°inari-zushi¡± sushi pockets are normally plain compared to their Korean counterparts, but a blend of the two makes for a delectable treat.

CULTURE

Etc.books was named for those who appear as ¡°etc.¡± or footnotes in society.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 2, 2026
Etc.books: A lone bookstore in Tokyo pushes against sexism
By Kim Kahan
Etc.books helped redefine feminist publishing in Japan. Now its greatest challenge is staying open.

COMMUNITY

Volunteer Vicky Parthasarathy (right) believes that people from various cultures can understand each other better through food.
COMMUNITY
Aug 2, 2026
This children¡¯s cafeteria in Shikoku serves up free meals and global perspectives
By Jacob Meyer
As immigration becomes an increasingly contentious issue in Japan, a children¡¯s cafeteria in Shikoku is bridging cultural gaps, one hot meal at a time.
Don¡¯t allow this fellow¡¯s somewhat unusual appearance to put you off. This is Shigure and he¡¯s a very special cat.
COMMUNITY / ADOPT ME!
Aug 2, 2026
Shigure may look a bit unusual, but he¡¯s a very special cat
Shigure has a visual impairment but is a fearless adventurer ¡ª and also extremely funny and friendly.
Bessent and the Fed help Japan reverse months of yen losses
The U.S. Treasury intervened to support the yen through outright purchases, joining ?Japan in its efforts ?to boost ?the currency from near 40-year ?lows.
Beast of Reincarnation shows Game Freak has more to learn
Releasing on Aug. 4, Beast of Reincarnation is set in a far-future version of Japan ruined by a mysterious apocalypse.
Japan¡¯s overlooked language crisis
Students in Tokyo participate in a Work In Japan job fair. The country needs to support both academic Japanese studies and children¡¯s family languages to promote educational success.
South Korea¡¯s women web sleuths fight AI deepfake porn
The National Center for Digital Sexual Crime Response in Seoul last year pulled down 318,000 videos and photos ¡ª deepfakes, spycam content and intimate images ¡ª on behalf of 10,600 people, 75% of whom were women and girls.
A succession crisis in Japan¡¯s fields
Seiichi Yamaguchi has spent decades growing rice in Yaita, Tochigi Prefecture. Now in his early 70s, he says modern machinery has allowed him to keep farming longer than he once thought possible.
Keigo Higashino¡¯s ¡®global afterlife¡¯
Keigo Higashino's meticulously constructed mysteries and memorable characters earned him readers across languages and cultures.
Suzu Hirose is ready to ¡®step into the unknown¡¯
Suzu Hirose received the Cut Above Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film from New York¡¯s Japan Society this month.
J-pop idols are behind much of Japan¡¯s Gen Z slang
Social media, streaming platforms and online communities have become major drivers of how Japanese slang spreads among young people.
With secondary-capital bill passed, competition between cities heats up
A view of downtown Sapporo. Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki is pushing Sapporo as a candidate for a second capital outside Tokyo.
Tough new permanent residency measures trigger concern in Japan
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in the capital's Shinagawa Ward in March. Japan's revised guidelines for permanent residency are set to be introduced as early as Oct. 1 and applied to applications filed from April 2027.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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