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August 12, 2026
 

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Christoph Steitz
A cotton farm worker in the Xinjiang region of China. Trade and human rights experts said U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariff threats would do little to solve widespread issues of abusive employment practices in the global supply chain.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 6, 2026
Trump¡¯s latest tariff salvo no fix for global issue of forced labor
Experts, business groups and some human rights groups say the move could actually make things worse.
Solar panels are seen on the roof of a home in Ronda, Spain, in February last year.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 24, 2026
Iran war revives European rooftop solar demand to cut energy bills
The conflict has pushed oil, gas and electricity prices sharply higher, hitting companies and households alike.
A staff member works in the lab of Hobum Oleochemicals, a manufacturer that develops sustainable chemical raw materials derived from renewable plant oils, in Hamburg, Germany, on Aug. 25.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 4, 2025
Trump¡¯s tariffs threaten to choke European chemicals recovery
The sector has been grappling in recent years with high production costs after gas and power prices soared following Russia¡¯s invasion of Ukraine.
Swarm Biotactics' cyborg cockroaches are equipped with specialized backpacks that enable real-time data collection via cameras.
WORLD
Jul 24, 2025
Spy cockroaches and AI robots: Germany plots the future of warfare
A wave of German defense startups is developing cutting-edge technology, from tank-like robots and unmanned mini-submarines to battle-ready cyborg cockroaches.
A worker produces a turbine engine component at PBS Group, in Velka Bites, Czech Republic, on May 6.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 28, 2025
Booming business has Europe¡¯s defense companies scrambling for workers
Arms makers are hiking wages and benefits, and even poaching from other sectors, as governments ramp up defense spending.
The logo of Rheinmetall is displayed at the Eurosatory international defense and security trade fair in Villepinte, near Paris, in June 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 25, 2025
Rheinmetall to convert German factories to make defense equipment
The move by Europe¡¯s top ammunition maker to repurpose two automotive plants highlights the impact of an expected surge in spending in the region.
Volkswagen Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume speaks at a Volkswagen media event in Beijing on April 24.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2024
From peace-maker to taboo-breaker, VW boss Blume takes on the unions
Volkswagen disclosed it was not only planning to scrap a 30-year old job security plan, but weighing the closure of plants in Germany.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 16, 2023
Cyberattacks on renewables: Europe power sector¡¯s dread in chaos of war
The digitalized, interconnected technology of the thousands of renewable assets across Europe presented major vulnerabilities to infiltration.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2022
Germany¡¯s big-spending energy bailouts may not be enough
Europe¡¯s pre-eminent economy, long a byword for prudent planning, now finds itself at the mercy of the weather.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 30, 2022
Energy crisis sires new European order: a strong Italy and ailing Germany
Germany has been caught wholly unprepared and is on the brink of recession, as its industry is preparing for gas and power rationing and as it has just nationalized a major utility.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
May 20, 2022
Fearing Russian cutoff, German industry braces for gas rations race
Discussions on possible rationing have gathered urgency after Russia halted gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland last month.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2022
As Germany joins LNG import race, a long and crowded track awaits
Two planned terminals could re-gasify enough LNG to meet about a third of the supply Germany now receives by pipeline from Russia, but Berlin also needs to secure supply in a tight market.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Nov 18, 2021
With Tesla in its sights, Volkswagen prepares to power up its own EV-charging grid
The automaker expects its fast-chargers to number about 45,000 by 2025, and is doubling the staff in its energy division to do it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
May 9, 2021
How low can you go? Volkswagen throws down the emissions gauntlet
The German carmaker is betting it can absorb more stringent cuts than its rivals, sources familiar with the matter have said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2021
Volkswagen takes aim at Tesla with own European gigafactories
The world¡¯s No. 2 carmaker said on Monday it wants to have six battery cell factories operating in Europe by 2030.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 25, 2018
Plug wars: leading the charge in the battle for electric car supremacy
German carmakers hope a network of high-power charging stations they are rolling out with Ford will set an industry standard for plugs and protocols that will give them an edge over rival makers of electric vehicles.
¡®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.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Strong wind and heavy rain forecast as tropical storm approaches Japan
Tropical Storm Chan-hom is expected to make landfall in northern Kanto between late Tuesday and early Wednesday.
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.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

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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