Japan

Japan, US confirm joint yen-buying intervention, signal more action to prevent selloff

Aside from helping Japan as a ally in Asia, the intervention would help the US address concerns over extraordinary weakness in the yen that offsets the boost from Trump's tariffs, analysts say.

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, March 19, 2026.
An aerial view shows the damaged Aeon Mall shopping centre after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan's southern Kumamoto prefecture, in Kashima Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, July 28, 2026.

Death toll from earthquake in southwestern Japan rises to 34, six more reported injured

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks outside the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx on Friday. The writer asks: Does Mamdani still not understand that anti-Israel rhetoric has generated a sharp spike in antisemitic violence?

Zohran Mamdani's genocide accusation matters far beyond Israel - opinion

An aerial view shows the damaged Aeon Mall shopping centre after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan's southern Kumamoto prefecture, in Kashima Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, July 28, 2026.

At least 13 killed as 7.1 earthquake hits Japan, evacuation issued for 260,000 people amid blackout


Iran said ready to allow Japanese vessels through Strait of Hormuz

Japan gets around 90% of its oil shipments via the strait, which Tehran has largely closed during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Luojiashan tanker sits anchored in Muscat, as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 7, 2026.

A golden age of diplomacy: A thing of the past? - comment

Whether the shift in diplomatic tone and practice was inevitable or whether we’ve reached a tipping point, only time will tell. But what’s clear is that the world will never be the same.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi looks at her watch during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, March 19, 2026.

Trump, Japanese PM discuss Iran war, Strait of Hormuz, Trump says 'not putting troops anywhere'

Takaichi told Trump she had "brought specific proposals to calm down the global energy market" and said Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

US President Donald Trump meets with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, March 19, 2026.

Japan weighs Hormuz escort role as Trump request tests legal limits - explainer

Trump’s call to escort tankers through Hormuz is testing how far pacifist Japan can go, as legal limits and past precedents shape Tokyo’s response.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a House of Councillors Budget Committee session in Tokyo on March 18, 2026.

Allies hold back on Hormuz mission as Trump urges coalition amid Iran war turmoil

"I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory because it is their territory," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on the way from Florida to Washington.

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight back to Washington March 15, 2026.

Global powers release oil reserves as Iran war threatens Strait of Hormuz supply

IEA member states approved the release of 400 million barrels from strategic oil reserves to mitigate the impact of a potential Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Callisto tanker sits anchored as the traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 10, 2026.

Punch the baby macaque opens up to troop mates

Sanctuary caregivers report the orphaned macaque now spends more time with peers than with his comfort toy

A baby Japanese macaque named Punch sits next to a stuffed orangutan at Ichikawa City Zoo, in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, February 19, 2026.

One Piece creator writes down series’ ultimate secret, sends it to the bottom of the sea

First serialized in 1997, One Piece has sold more than 600 million copies globally

The secret of One Piece.

Between samurai and robots: A journey in Japan that lives in the future and remembers the past

A photographed journey in the land of the rising sun reveals how japan preserves centuries-old tradition, while at the same time leading the world into the future.

Itsukushima Shrine, Hiroshima

All-queen ant shocks science: Japanese–German team finds species with no males or workers

Researchers hypothesize it descended from a slave-making species that lost its own workers because other ants worked for them, with the loss of male production occurring later in evolution

Temnothorax kinomurai ants.