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July 12, 2026
 

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Matt Spetalnick
U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the 78th U.N. General Assembly in New York City last month.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 13, 2023
In U.S., Biden faces few calls to rein in Israel amid Gaza crisis
Allies of the U.S. president want to avoid giving Republicans making the crisis a political liability as he seeks re-election in 2024.
U.S. President Joe Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, delivers remarks Tuesday after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation following Hamas' deadly attacks on Israel.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 11, 2023
Israel-Hamas war upends Biden’s two-pronged Mideast strategy
After keeping the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at arm’s length, Biden now finds himself thrust into a crisis likely to reshape his Middle East policy.
People hold Israeli and U.S. flags as they take part in a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Sept. 20.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 10, 2023
Conflict forces Biden and Netanyahu into uneasy partnership
After months of strain over the path forward in the Middle East, the two leaders have been thrust into a wartime partnership.
A man stands in front of a damaged shop in Tel Aviv after it was hit by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 8, 2023
In attack, Hamas strikes Israel and regional security realignment
Saturday’s assault coincides with U.S.-backed moves to push Saudi Arabia toward normalizing ties with Israel.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 20, 2023
How a U.S. soldier made a mad dash into North Korea
The U.S. military was scrambling on Wednesday to determine the soldier’s fate, as well as his motive.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 8, 2023
U.S. takes aim at China over Latin America trade tactics and fentanyl role
China has denounced U.S. sanctions on Chinese firms and individuals over their alleged involvement in the fentanyl trade and has accused Washington of trying to deflect blame.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 6, 2023
Taiwan resigned to diplomatic losses in Latin America, observers say
U.S. officials and other sources see limited options available to the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden for halting the gradual drift toward China in Washington’s neighborhood.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 16, 2022
Poland blast: How NATO’s defense obligations could be triggered by Ukraine war
The United States and its allies have said they are investigating reports a deadly explosion in Poland on Tuesday was caused by stray Russian missiles.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jul 9, 2022
U.S. and Israel push Arab allies for joint defense pact amid Iran tensions
The two allies are seeking to lay the groundwork for an alliance with Arab states that would connect air-defense systems to combat Iranian drone and missile attacks in the Middle East.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 10, 2022
Biden rebuked over guest list at Americas summit he is hosting
The exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the event prompted criticism from the leaders of Argentina and Belize.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 6, 2022
U.S. to let Eni and Repsol ship Venezuelan oil to Europe for debt
While any impact on global oil prices will be modest, Washington’s greenlight to resume Venezuela’s oil flows to Europe could provide a symbolic boost for the Venezuelan president.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 17, 2020
Biden likely to keep using sanctions weapon but with sharper aim
Biden is expected to make clear that sanctions will remain a central instrument of U.S. power — although it will no longer be deployed with the ‘America First” bravado.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Mar 1, 2019
As Trump returns empty-handed from summit with Kim, some in Washington breathe sigh of relief
Among some U.S. officials, congressional aides, analysts and others who track North Korea, there was a sigh of relief Thursday as President Donald Trump headed home from Vietnam empty-handed from his talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
May 26, 2018
U.S. ‘maximum pressure’ on North Korea faces test with summit in limbo
U.S. efforts to sustain and possibly intensify its “maximum pressure” campaign on North Korea are entering a perilous phase as a potential breakdown in diplomacy with Pyongyang raises fears that China may loosen its enforcement of international sanctions.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
May 25, 2018
Canceled Trump-Kim summit could return U.S., North Korea to crisis mode
President Donald Trump’s cancellation of a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un risks a return to crisis mode between Washington and Pyongyang, but both sides may be wary of letting the situation escalate into fears of war, as it did last year.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 22, 2017
U.S. presses Myanmar to cease military ties with North Korea
Myanmar’s military has maintained ties with North Korea, even though the civilian-led government denies any cooperation, and the Trump administration is pressing for a complete break-off of remaining links, current and former U.S. officials said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 14, 2017
New U.S. sanctions eyed on Chinese firms with North Korea ties: officials
Frustrated that China has not done more to rein in North Korea, the Trump administration could impose new sanctions on small Chinese banks and other firms doing business with Pyongyang within weeks, two senior U.S. officials said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 4, 2017
When Trump and Xi meet, will it mean conciliation or collision?
When U.S. President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, their summit will be marked not only by deep policy divisions but a clash of personalities between America’s brash “tweeter-in-chief” and Beijing’s cautious, calculating leader.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 21, 2017
Trump administration weighing broad sanctions on North Korea, top U.S. official says
The Trump administration is considering sweeping sanctions aimed at cutting North Korea off from the global financial system as part of a broad review of measures to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threat, a senior U.S. official said Monday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 19, 2017
Trump administration crafting big new arms sales to Taiwan, sources say
The Trump administration is crafting a big new arms package for Taiwan that could include advanced rocket systems and anti-ship missiles to defend against China, U.S. officials said, a deal sure to anger Beijing.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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
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