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August 15, 2026
 

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JAPAN

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi holds a news conference in Tokyo last month.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 14, 2026
Takaichi touts price-relief steps on X as support sags
By Erica Yokoyama
The social media posts come as support for her government begins to ebb after a six-month post-election honeymoon.
Foreign visitors¡¯ overnight stays in Japan reached an estimated 179.92 million in 2025, up 55.6% from 2019, with 39 of 47 prefectures surpassing prepandemic levels.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2026
Overnight stays by foreign guests exceed prepandemic levels in 39 prefectures
Such stays reached an estimated 179.92 million in 2025, up 55.6% from level in 2019, a Japan Tourism Agency survey has found.
A local resident walks past a 7-Eleven convenience store in a flooded area after heavy rain in the city of Oamishirasato, Chiba Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2026
Authorities urge continued caution after heavy rain in Chiba leaves eight dead
By Jessica Speed and Kanako Takahara
Emergency warnings have been downgraded but unstable atmospheric conditions are forecast to persist across Kanto, Nagano and Yamanashi through early Saturday.
The Grand-Place in Brussels is seen covered with dahlias arranged in the design of Katsushika Hokusai's "The Great Wave" on Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2026
Brussels flower carpet pays homage to Hokusai¡¯s ¡®Great Wave¡¯
Some 750,000 dahlias are arranged in the design of the iconic work at an event to mark 160 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and Belgium.
Okinawa International University President Hajime Asato reads a statement at a rally in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2026
University head calls for shutdown of Futenma 22 years after U.S. chopper crash
The large transport helicopter, which belonged to the U.S. Marine Corps¡¯ Futenma air station, crashed into the premises of the Okinawa International University in 2004.
The subsidy program by the infrastructure ministry aims to encourage companies to renovate vacant stores that blight local neighborhoods and put them back into use.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2026
Japan considering subsidies for renovating vacant stores
In the new program, local governments?would designate companies engaging in community development and encourage them to enter vacant store revitalization business.
A screenshot of a video posted by 83-year-old virtual YouTuber Kuniko Asai, who appears as Manshu bachan (Manchuria grandma), a bespectacled cat that explains the history of Manchuria and the experiences of people who returned to Japan from the region.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 14, 2026
83-year-old VTuber posts wartime stories of Manchuria
Kuniko Asai, who was born in Manchuria during World War II and who now lives in Ishikawa Prefecture, relates the experiences of people who returned to Japan from the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) interacts with residents on Etorofu island on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 14, 2026
Putin¡¯s visit to the Northern Territories: Why now?
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
The timing of the visit is unusual, as it comes weeks in advance of when Putin was widely expected to travel to Russia¡¯s Far East.
Residents are seen walking beside rubble in the city of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, in this undated photo taken soon after the end of World War II.
JAPAN / History
Aug 14, 2026
How U.S. bombing survey in Japan shed light on civilian sentiments of WWII
By Tomoko Otake
The survey, which a historian in Tochigi Prefecture¡¯s Utsunimoya spent years translating, helped the city come to terms with the war¡¯s consequences.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a Liberal Democratic Party meeting alongside LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki (left) and LDP Vice President Taro Aso in Tokyo earlier this month
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 14, 2026
Takaichi needs Aso on her side to solidify position in LDP
By Eric Johnston
If the relationship between the LDP president and the vice president does not stabilize, her position within the party won¡¯t either.

ASIA PACIFIC

A teacher uses a metal detector to screen for weapons and checks students¡¯ bags as they enter a school in Bangkok on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 14, 2026
Thai schools step up security after deadly shooting
By Montira Rungjirajittranon
The measures, ranging from weapon screening to strict visitor protocols, have been welcomed by parents.
A South Korean K1E1 tank crosses a pontoon bridge during the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 20, 2025.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 14, 2026
North Korea warns of new ¡®deterrent¡¯ ahead of U.S.-South drills
Pyongyang describes the 11-day annual exercises due to begin on Monday as rehearsals for an invasion.

WORLD

Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow on June 18, in this picture obtained from social media.
WORLD
Aug 14, 2026
Russian regions report new fuel crunch as Kyiv hits refineries
Ukraine has returned the focus of its drone strikes from oil tankers to fuel-producing plants after a brief lull in July.
A man looks at a collapsed building following an earthquake in Pereira, Colombia, on Thursday.
WORLD
Aug 14, 2026
Hundreds still missing in Colombia as desperation grips earthquake rescue effort
By Nelson Bocanegra and Julia Symmes Cobb
Crews began shifting from a search-and-rescue effort to debris removal at many sites, a sign ?the disaster response was entering a grimmer phase after the crucial first 72 hours.
Congolese medical workers carry children tested and cleared off from Ebola from Saint Nicholas orphanage, at the Centre Medical Evangelique in the town of Bunia, Ituri province, Congo, on June 9.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 14, 2026
Ebola is driving up maternal deaths as pregnant women in Congo avoid hospitals
By Jason Gale
Medical staff and supplies are also being diverted to fight the virus.
The White House said that the top 100% rate of a new tariff will apply to drones of a certain size or those that possess national-security capabilities, while other imports face lower duties.
WORLD
Aug 14, 2026
Trump imposes 100% tariffs on some drones, countering China
By Laura Curtis and Alicia Diaz
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick notes that the U.S. is ¡°too reliant¡± on foreign unmanned aircraft systems and their parts.

BUSINESS

Seibu Railway staff take a break in a recreational vehicle.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 14, 2026
Japan companies step up efforts to prevent heatstroke
Among some of the measures are summer shifts that avoid the hottest time of the day, air-conditioned rest areas for employees and stickers that indicate one¡¯s body temperature.
A recent increase in the popularity of power futures reflects a growing need for Japanese power generators and retailers to hedge against risk associated with sharp price swings.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 14, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ power futures get boost as utilities hedge price risk
By Yusuke Maekawa
Fuel prices have been volatile since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February.
People walk past a booth showcasing Apple¡¯s suppliers during the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on June 22.
BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2026
Apple trains its own AI model for China market with Alibaba¡¯s support, sources say
The move is a departure from the iPhone maker¡¯s strategy of relying on third-party models to power AI features in the country.
Japanese investors bought the most foreign assets in more than two years last week, taking advantage of the yen¡¯s brief rally after interventions late last month.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 14, 2026
Carry traders exploit intervention to rebuild yen shorts
By Ruth Carson and John Cheng
Every intervention to prop up the yen also creates a fresh opportunity to sell it.
Chieko Sugai at her home in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 14, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ inflation paradox is creating winners and losers
By Yoshiaki Nohara and Sakura Murakami
The rising cost of living is challenging Takaichi¡¯s triumphant rhetoric about Â鶹´«Ã½ economy, as inflation causes pain for many, while also ushering in an era of renewed dynamism.

ENVIRONMENT

A woman covers from the sun with an umbrella during a heat wave in London on Aug. 13.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 14, 2026
It¡¯s likely that 2026 will be the hottest year on record, experts say
By Eric Roston
Additionally, 2027 is expected to set a new high, according to an analysis.

Opinion

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, the driving force behind China¡¯s entry into the World Trade Organization, takes questions with U.S. President Bill Clinton during a joint news conference in Washington in April 1999.
EDITORIALS
Aug 14, 2026
Zhu Rongji, China¡¯s misunderstood reformer, dies
Zhu will be remembered as the man who masterminded China¡¯s entry into the World Trade Organization.
South Korea is pursuing a new wave of state-led industrial policy to compete at the technological frontier, but faces far greater uncertainty and constraints than during its earlier industrialization drives.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 14, 2026
South Korea bets on industrial policy again
By Lee Jong-wha
South Korea is pursuing a new state-led industrial policy to compete on the tech frontier, but faces far greater uncertainty than during earlier industrialization drives.
A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer fires a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile during the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an unidentified location in early March.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 14, 2026
The U.S. ammo crunch is a global disaster
By Andreas Kluth
The missile scarcity constrains Trump¡¯s military options and could have strategic consequences, including limiting the ability to deter China, North Korea and Russia.
Indian leader Narendra Modi receives Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the presidential palace in New Delhi on July 2. Japan faces growing strategic pressure as the U.S. drifts toward a "group of two" arrangement with China, prompting Tokyo to deepen Indo-Pacific partnerships.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 14, 2026
What a Sino-American ¡®G2¡¯ would mean for Asian security
By Brahma Chellaney
Fortunately, Japan remains committed to advancing the far more effective ¡°free and open Indo-Pacific¡± framework, with India as an indispensable partner.

Sports

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick applauds fans after his team's match against Brighton & Hove Albion in Brighton, England, on May 24
SOCCER
Aug 14, 2026
Michael Carrick urges Manchester United to add more players to boost title bid
Carrick knows United needs more quality and depth if it is?to challenge for its first English title since 2013, while also competing in the Champions League.
Ben Shelton celebrates after beating Brandon Nakashima in the Canadian Open final in Montreal on Thursday.
TENNIS
Aug 14, 2026
Ben Shelton wins All-American final to claim second straight Canadian Open crown
The all-American final was the first at the Masters 1000 level since Andy Roddick beat ?Mardy Fish in Cincinnati in 2003.
Iga Swiatek lifts the trophy after defeating Elena Rybakina in the Canadian Open final in Toronto on Thursday.
TENNIS
Aug 14, 2026
Iga Swiatek cruises past Elena Rybakina to capture Canadian Open title
The Pole was sharp and fast on the hard ?court in Toronto while ?Kazakhstan¡¯s Rybakina was her own enemy for much of the ?evening.
A Bears helmet is seen before a game in Glendale, Arizona, in November 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Aug 14, 2026
Bears will not change name if team relocates to new state
Chairman George H. McCaskey said rumors of renaming the team as the Indiana Bears or including the city of Hammond, Indiana,?are inaccurate.
Australia's Josh Canham (left) tries to tackle Japan's Takuro Matsunaga during a test match at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Higashiosaka, Osaka prefecture, on Aug. 8.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 14, 2026
Japan coach Eddie Jones feels team on verge of ending drought against Australia
By Martin PARRY
With Australia resting some of its big guns and making a raft of changes, Jones believes the time could be right to finally snap the drought.
Japan coach Eddie Jones walks on the filed before his team's match against Australia in Higashiosaka, Osaka prefecture, on Aug. 8.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 14, 2026
Eddie Jones turns to geese for inspiration ahead of rematch with Australia
The Australian is preparing his side to face the Wallabies in Townsville on Saturday and has had some unusual video sessions with the team this week.

LIFE

A woman takes advantage of a public mist machine to deal with a heat wave in Tokyo last month.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 14, 2026
Cruel summer: Searching for an escape from Â鶹´«Ã½ extreme heat
By Eric Margolis
From extreme heat and tropical nights to mountain escapes, a look at the Japanese vocabulary of summer.
Spotify is rolling out a new label to identify AI-generated artist identities amid growing concerns about AI-generated music.
LIFE / Digital
Aug 14, 2026
Spotify asks creators to label songs when they¡¯re AI-generated
By Ashley Carman
The streaming giant says the move will give listeners more transparency as AI-generated music becomes harder to identify.

CULTURE

Aespa, a K-pop girl group composed of (left to right) Karina, Ningning, Giselle and Winter, released ¡°Kiss n Tell,¡± its Japanese-language minialbum, in July.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 14, 2026
Aespa channels summer cheer in Japanese minialbum
By Adam Davidson
Released July 24, ¡°Kiss n Tell¡± is a departure from the K-pop girl group¡¯s signature heavy bass and electronic dance music sound.
Kai Yamaguchi (right) directs and stars in ¡°Cattle Muti-Leiko,¡± a film about a private investigator who becomes obsessed with an enigmatic woman.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 14, 2026
The disturbing dream world of ¡®Cattle Muti-Leiko¡¯
By Mark Schilling
Kai Yamaguchi¡¯s debut feature blends dark satire with sci-fi and fantasy elements to tell a story about male obsession.
Hikari Mitsushima (left) and Hidetoshi Nishijima play a pair of private investigators looking into the murder of a former colleague in Tetsuya Nakashima¡¯s ¡°The Brightest Sun.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Aug 14, 2026
An unsolved murder leads to despair and salvation in ¡®The Brightest Sun¡¯
By James Hadfield
A pair of private investigators probes the murder of a colleague in Tetsuya Nakashima¡¯s challenging but rewarding film.
Members of the group Katseye ¡ª Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Daniela Avanzin and Yoonchae ¡ª attend a screening for their documentary "Katseye: Wild Hearts" in Los Angeles on Aug. 4.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 14, 2026
Katseye seeks to show raw side in new ¡®Wild Hearts¡¯ film
By Danielle Broadway
The film arrives as the multinational group navigates two members¡¯ hiatuses and prepares for its next chapter with a new EP and world tour.
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
New ¡®Katsu Curry Index¡¯ aims to show how weak the yen really is
A CoCo Ichibanya curry house in Tokyo.
Putin visits disputed Etorofu island off Hokkaido, sparking protest from Tokyo
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Yasny fish processing factory on Etorofu island, one of four islands in the contested chain known as the Kuril Islands in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, on Thursday.
How U.S. bombing survey in Japan shed light on civilian sentiments of WWII
Residents are seen walking beside rubble in the city of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, in this undated photo taken soon after the end of World War II.
Mexican man arrested over attempt to smuggle some 200 lizards into Japan
Mexican alligator lizards seized by Tokyo Customs from a Mexican man who attempted to smuggle them into Japan on Saturday through Haneda Airport
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
Ikarigata closer to emulating older brother Fujinokawa than many think
The future Fujinokawa (third from left) and Ikarigata (right) compete against each other at ages 5 and 3, respectively.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.

Podcast

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

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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