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February 13, 2026
 

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Francis Tang
PayPay's Nasdaq listing could be the largest ever by a Japanese company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 13, 2026
PayPay files for U.S. IPO and Nasdaq listing
The biggest mobile payments service in Japan is also seeking to expand its business in the U.S.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and trade minister Ryosei Akazawa speak during Akazawa¡¯s trip to Washington to discuss Japan¡¯s $550 billion commitment.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 13, 2026
Japan¡¯s $550 billion capital commitment to the U.S. stuck in committee
Talks have been tough, and significant gaps remain on the fine details of the first deals.
The yen has strengthened decisively since the Liberal Democratic Party gained a supermajority in the Lower House.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 12, 2026
Yen strengthens decisively after strong showing by LDP boosts confidence
The Nikkei 225 stock average broke 58,000 and hit a new record on Thursday.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and trade minister Ryosei Akazawa, seen last October in Tokyo, will meet in Washington this week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 10, 2026
Akazawa heading to the U.S. to discuss first project under 91²Ö¿â $550 billion pledge
Four online discussions have been held since December on the commitment, but no announcements about specific projects have been made.
The Nikkei 225 stock index crossed 57,000 for the first time on Monday following Sunday's election.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 9, 2026
Nikkei 225 rises 3.89% and hits record after Takaichi's big win on Sunday
The benchmark index hit an all-time high of 57,337.07 in the morning and is now up more than 45% over the past year.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday night
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 9, 2026
LDP secures two-thirds supermajority in Lower House election victory
Results early Monday showed the LDP had won 316 seats, giving it a higher proportion of representatives in the body than any other party in postwar Japan.
Koji Okamoto, a professor at the University of Tokyo in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Management, said that modern reactors are designed to effectively shut down even if one rod cannot be reinserted.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 30, 2026
Alarm at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa No. 6 was probably a false alarm
A Fukushima-style meltdown was never a possibility given the reactor's design.
The yen rallies after unconfirmed reports of a "rate-check" by the U.S. Federal Reserve indicate the possibility of an intervention.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 27, 2026
Coordinated intervention chatter changes the bet on the yen
Hint that U.S. will help support currency gets the attention of traders and investors.???
Takeyuki Inagaki, the manager of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, speaks on Thursday about the decision to shut down the facility.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Jan 23, 2026
An alarm sounds and Tepco suspends restart at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa?
Just six hours after reactor No. 6 achieved a critical state, it had to be shut down.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings¡¯ Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in late 2025. It was briefly restarted on Wednesday after a 13-year shutdown.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 22, 2026
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa reactor No. 6 shut down due to alarm malfunction
The nuclear power plant, the world's largest, was just restarted Wednesday after 13 years.
Tokyo Electric Power Company¡¯s Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in late 2025. One of its seven reactors was switched on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 21, 2026
Tepco restarts reactor at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, world¡¯s largest nuclear plant
The utility had shut down all its nuclear power plants after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Reiwa Shinsengumi leader Taro Yamamoto takes part in a debate with leaders of other political parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo in July.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2026
Reiwa Shinsengumi leader Taro Yamamoto resigns from Upper House due to health
Yamamoto, who founded the party in 2019, said he will focus on his health for an ¡°indefinite¡± period but stay on as the party¡¯s leader.
Asahikawa, Hokkaido, in 2013 after a major storm. Much of Japan, including Hokkaido, is forecast to receive heavy snows starting Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 20, 2026
Sea of Japan side of Honshu likely to be hit by heavy snowfall
Hokkaido and parts of Japan¡¯s Pacific coast could also be affected.
The possibility of an election being called has led to a surge of optimism in the equity markets and concern about debt.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 14, 2026
Nikkei 225 breaks 54,000 as ¡®Takaichi trade¡¯ dominates for another day
Ten-year yields are at 27-year highs while the currency trades at levels that triggered intervention in the past.
A man walks past an electronic quotation board displaying numbers of the Nikkei 225 stock index in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 13, 2026
¡®Takaichi trade¡¯ is back following reports that election will be called
Yen neared ?159 to the dollar and 10-year Japanese government bonds fell.
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 indicated that its recent dual-use export ban would not affect civilian enterprises in Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 8, 2026
China ups the ante on trade front and then offers a glimmer of hope
Beijing said that Japanese civilian companies don¡¯t have to worry about the dual-use export ban announced Tuesday.
China has banned the export of dual-use products to Japan following remarks about Taiwan by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 7, 2026
China's dual-use export ban on Japan a decisive escalation
Established trade flows are at risk if the restrictions are fully implemented.
A Japanese flag flutters near the National Diet Building in Tokyo on Oct. 21.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jan 4, 2026
Japan policy wonks consumed by debate over how to measure fiscal woes
Ignoring the primary budget balance just obscures the problem, one side argues.
After breaking 50,000 in 2025, the Nikkei 2025 is not seen hitting 60,000 in 2026.
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
Dec 31, 2025
No 60,000 Nikkei 225 likely in 2026, unless the AI bubble remains extra bubbly
Analysts are looking for the benchmark index to reach the mid-50,000 range.
Germany considers joining GCAP fighter project with Japan, U.K. and Italy
A concept model of the Global Air Combat Program fighter jet on display at the Defense and Security Equipment International Japan conference in Chiba last May
Struggling Nissan forecasts $4.2 billion full-year net loss
Nissan intends to reduce the number of its vehicle production plants from 17 to 10 by March 2028, and is targeting 20,000 job cuts worldwide by that date.
Why Asia can¡¯t undo decades of falling fertility rates
Singapore¡¯s stalled birthrate reflects a broader pattern across wealthy Asian economies where higher living standards, shifting values and gender imbalances have made low fertility persistent and resistant to quick policy fixes.
Why we¡¯ll never see a yokozuna in the Super Bowl
Wrestlers from Onoe stable with Fujitsu Frontiers cornerback Al-Rilwan Adeyemi (front) at the Rice Bowl at Tokyo Dome on Jan. 3, 2017
Yen strengthens decisively after strong showing by LDP boosts confidence
The yen has strengthened decisively since the Liberal Democratic Party gained a supermajority in the Lower House.
Landslide election victory lets Takaichi confront China on her terms
The resounding victory by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party in Sunday's general election has sent a strong signal that Takaichi is likely to be around for some time, giving her the bandwidth to adhere to her strategy of putting the onus on Chinese President Xi Jinping to reengage with Japan.
Is Takaichi on course for a long-term reign?
Sanae Takaichi, prime minister and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, at the party¡¯s headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday
Against the grain: Japanese wine aged in local barrels
At Buryu Winery, owner Keiji Yamaguchi (left) and assistant winemaker Kaede Narita created a cedar-infused red wine by fermenting it in a 1,000 liter "kioke" cedar tub.
Foreign residents breathe new life into bubble-era resort town
A craft beer brewery run by California native Brian Shevlin and his wife Mariko Furuta, Joynt Brewing Co. regularly hosts events that highlight different cultural communities.
Japan¡¯s SkyDrive hopes to have flying cars in service by 2028
SkyDrive¡¯s flying car unit at its flight test base in the city of Yamaguchi

Podcast

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

Longform

Experts say emotional bonds with AI are often shaped by prior experiences ¡ª or disappointments ¡ª in human relationships.
Love, engineered in the age of AI
By Elizabeth Beattie

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