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April 28, 2026
 

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Annie Lee
A CATL sodium-ion battery model.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 24, 2026
Laps of icy roads in China show sodium batteries making an EV breakthrough
The innovation has long promised to deliver safer and low-cost rechargeable cells compared to lithium batteries.
The Chikyu, the deep sea drilling vessel operated by the Japan Agency for Marine Earth-Science and Technology, has been on a mission to pull metal-bearing mud from the seabed.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 12, 2026
Japan steps up deep-sea mining plan to cut rare-earth dependence
An ambitious initiative to accelerate a decade-old plan has been given extra impetus by the country¡¯s drive to cut reliance on Chinese supply.
The Jianxiawo Lithium mine in Yichun, Jiangxi province, China
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 11, 2025
Lithium market erupts as CATL shuts one of world¡¯s biggest mines
Tianqi Lithium?jumped as much as 19% in Hong Kong, while Ganfeng Lithium Group?surged 21%, and Australian miners rallied.
A lithium smelter in Yichun, Jiangxi province, China
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 9, 2025
Stubbornly resilient lithium supply remains hurdle to recovery
Lithium prices have plunged since late 2022 on oversupply and slower-than-expected growth in electric vehicle demand.
A brine pool at an SQM lithium mine on the Atacama salt flat in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The industry that deals with one of the world¡¯s most important commodities is asking whether it's doomed to repeat a boom and bust cycle again and again.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 12, 2024
Lithium industry braces for long-term oversupply after price instability
Those involved with the commodity are asking whether they're doomed to repeat a boom and bust cycle again and again.
Mining magnate Dan Gertler in Congo in 2012
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 20, 2024
China's dominance of EV metals prompts U.S. to revisit stockpile 'panic button'
Budget cuts have shrunk U.S. strategic reserves to record lows, leaving it facing shortages of the raw materials needed to execute an energy transition.
Sodium ¡ª found in rock salts and brines around the globe ¡ª has the potential to make inroads into energy storage and electric vehicles because it¡¯s cheaper and far more abundant than lithium.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 27, 2023
Salt in batteries: Shift may herald another shakeup
Sodium has the potential to make inroads into energy storage and electric vehicles because it¡¯s cheaper and far more abundant than lithium.
A worker holds a piece of black mass ¡ª a mix of lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite ¡ª at the Li-Cycle lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Ontario in 2021.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 29, 2023
Why the electric-vehicle industry is talking about ¡®black mass¡¯
The metallic powder is made by crushing and shredding batteries or battery cells, extracting unwanted elements, then refining the remainder.
Excavators in a pit at a nickel mine in Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, on July 10
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Jul 24, 2023
Indonesian nickel mine takes green steps as environmental concerns mount
Nickel production in Indonesia is particularly carbon intensive ¡ª every ton of the metal-equivalent produced emits an average of 58.6 tons of carbon-dioxide-equivalent, data has shown.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2022
Chinese lithium giant pulls EVs deeper into forced labor glare
Ganfeng Lithium, China's top producer of the material, is partnering with a state-backed entity to accelerate exploration for lithium, nickel and other critical metal assets in Xinjiang.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 14, 2022
Red-hot lithium boom pits Wall Street against the wonks
Lithium is a vital component of electric-vehicle batteries, which means the outlook for supply, demand and pricing is increasingly consequential.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 1, 2022
Hong Kong to lock down city for COVID-19 testing, reports say
After two years of limited outbreaks, Hong Kong is facing its toughest virus challenge of the pandemic, with the highly transmissible omicron variant testing its approach.
EDITORIALS
Apr 3, 2007
Britain opts for new nukes
Britain has decided to renew its nuclear deterrent. A parliamentary vote last month sharply divided the ruling Labor Party, forcing Prime Minister Tony Blair to rely on opposition Conservatives to pass the measure. Mr. Blair made his case by arguing that international uncertainty required Britain to...
Magnitude 6.2 quake shakes Hokkaido
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake, measuring an upper 5 on Japan¡¯s seismic intensity scale, struck Hokkaido before 5:30 a.m. on Monday.
Beyond the hub-and-spoke: Japan quietly emerges as a secondary connector
Commander of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Amphibious Rapid Deployment, Maj. Gen. Toshikatsu Musha, and commander of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Amphibious and Mine Warfare Force, Rear Adm. Ikeuchi Izuru, attend the opening ceremony of the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercises, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on April 20.
The language around Japan¡¯s new bike rules leaves no room for ¡®maybe¡¯
Under the new blue ticket system, cyclists will have one week in which to pay fines for minor traffic violations.
China holds live-fire drills in waters near Luzon as Japan joins military exercises in Philippines
Head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr., speaks during the opening ceremony of the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercises, at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on Monday.
Laps of icy roads in China show sodium batteries making an EV breakthrough
A CATL sodium-ion battery model.
The American chef reconnecting with Japan through a Kyoto restaurant
Located in Kyoto¡¯s historic geisha district, the SoNoMa experience begins in the front room of the restaurant, where guests are served a welcome drink and a trio of small bites.
Hokusai¡¯s erotic art on display at a Kabukicho noh theater
¡°The Dream of the Fisherman¡¯s Wife,¡± a rarely exhibited print by Hokusai, will be on display at the Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Theater for a limited time, from May 1 to 10.?
Inkonbini: Slice-of-life, cozy gaming from Japan¡¯s convenience stores
Alongside the simplified management of a convenience store, Inkonbini asks players to help a small cast of regular shoppers with not only their shopping but problems in their personal lives.
Japanese developers worry over construction supply shortages amid Iran war
Paul Nikel, President of West Canada Homes, with an increasingly rare supply of plastic foam
Professional sumo awaits three potential new stars
Bill Christopher Li, now known as Honoikazuchi, at the All-Japan championships at the Kokugikan on Nov. 30

Podcast

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

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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