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July 01, 2026
 

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DEVELOPMENT

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during a welcoming ceremony before talks at the Kremlin in Moscow in May 2025.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2026
Scarier than fiction: ‘The Wizard of the Kremlin’ comes to life
The objective is not to promote authoritarianism directly, but to corrode the trust that sustains democratic societies and international cooperation grounded in rule of law.
Developing countries facing rising financial and geopolitical risks are turning to greater Global South cooperation through the newly formed Borrowers' Platform.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2026
Debtor countries finally have a group of their own
For decades, developing countries have been forced to navigate an increasingly complex international financial system
Vehicles line up for fuel at a gas station in Katembe, Maputo, Mozambique, in April amid the energy shock triggered by the Iran war.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2026
The Iran war and the global debt shock it fueled
Once again, a global crisis is disproportionately burdening countries that did not cause it.
Members of the M23 rebel group guard a laboratory in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Tuesday, as provincial authorities visit the facility where suspected Ebola samples are being tested.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2026
Containing Ebola is hard. The U.S. made it worse
One thing is certain: The decimation of USAID will make containing the spread much more difficult.
Seiji Jige, president of the Development Bank of Japan, speaks during an interview in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2026
DBJ to strengthen its investment operations
The state-backed lender announced a five-year medium-term management plan that includes supplying ¥3 trillion in risk capital, including through investments.
China's Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang speaks about the Belt and Road initiative on the sidelines of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing that September.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 7, 2026
Into Africa: China continues its dominance on the continent
Tokyo must step up those efforts and work with other partners to ensure that African countries have geopolitical choices.
An oil refinery under construction on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria. Africa already has the capital needed for development, but without better institutions, investment platforms and regulations, most domestic savings remain trapped in government debt.
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2026
Putting Africa’s savings to work for its people
The task now is to build the architecture that channels Africa’s savings into productive investments.
An orphaned Sudanese child eats a free meal at a camp in eastern Chad in November.
WORLD / Society
Apr 24, 2026
Ten countries are home to two-thirds of world’s most hungry: U.N.-backed report
Improvements in some countries, such as Bangladesh and Syria, were “almost fully offset by notable deteriorations” in Afghanistan, Congo, Myanmar and Zimbabwe, the report said.
Kie Kanda (center), a Japan International Cooperation Agency official, shows a maternal and child health handbook in the Mustang district in Nepal last October.　
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2026
Japan-backed group to distribute maternal handbooks in Nepal
The Japan International Cooperation Agency hopes to encourage continuous care and reduce the death rates of mothers and children in Nepal.
France's development minister, Eleonore Caroit, attends an interview on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank 2026 spring meetings in Washington on Thursday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Apr 18, 2026
France and other World Bank shareholders seek solution to preserve climate strategy
World Bank shareholders are looking for ways to keep the development lender’s climate strategy alive after its official expiration at the end of June.
GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath speaks during a keynote session at the 2025 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on March 3. Badrinath says a memory chip shortage resulting from chipmakers prioritizing the artificial intelligence sector is hindering efforts to bring more people online worldwide.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 15, 2026
AI-driven chip shortage slowing efforts to get world online: GSMA
Chipmakers are producing fewer less-flashy chips that are used in everyday consumer electronics as they prioritize the lucrative artificial intelligence industry.
Farmers separate wheat grains from husks at a farm on the outskirts of Varanasi, India, on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Apr 15, 2026
India’s green fuel plans collide with farmers’ water fears
India, which imports 80% of its oil and gas, has made ethanol central to its clean energy plans and, as war in the Mideast impacts the price and supply of oil, its energy security.
Rising public disillusionment with democratic institutions is fueling support for disruptive leaders like Donald Trump, whose “wrecking-ball” politics are dismantling the postwar liberal international order.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2026
A world on the eve of destruction
In all the countries surveyed for the Munich Security Index 2026, the downsides of U.S. President Donald Trump’s wrecking-ball politics dominate public perceptions.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi responds to questions during a budget committee session of the House of Representatives at parliament in Tokyo on March 9.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2026
Japanese panel begins talks on improving development aid
The panel of 10 specialists on areas including development policy will discuss ways to strengthen the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Instead of leveraging their combined economic weight, African countries are pursuing fragmented bilateral agreements that leave them as junior partners and vulnerable to countries like China and the U.S.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2026
The new ‘scramble for Africa’ risks becoming divide and conquer
The disunity persists despite Africa’s enormous advantages, including a rapidly growing consumer market and dominant control of critical minerals essential to the global economy.
Nonprofit Masimanyane Women’s Rights International holds a workshop in East London, South Africa.
WORLD / Society
Mar 14, 2026
African countries consider ‘vice taxes’ to help fill USAID cuts
As the momentum for funding health initiatives slows down, African governments are exploring ways to minimize reliance on foreign donors.
The Japanese government's 2025 white paper on cooperation and development said the country will use its official development assistance to encourage private investment in developing countries.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2026
Japan to spur private investment in developing countries via ODA
The Japanese government spent some $16.5 billion on official development assistance in 2024, according to the latest white paper on cooperation and development.
International development is not just a form of “soft power.” It is hard power — and the world's most effective preemptive strike against future threats.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2026
Development provides security as effectively as hard power
International development is not just a form of “soft power.” It is hard power — and our most effective preemptive strike against future threats.
Across the Global South, a growing crisis of overheating cities is impacting the health and livelihoods of more than 1 billion people living in informal settlements, a figure expected to increase sevenfold by 2050, a new report said.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 6, 2026
Extreme heat hurts work, health and sleep in Africa slums, report says
A growing crisis of overheating cities is impacting the health and livelihoods of more than 1 billion people living in informal settlements.
People wade through floodwaters brought by Tropical Storm Penha in Iligan, Lanao del Norte province, Philippines, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 10, 2026
Climate risk threatens credit ratings for dozens of countries
Several countries, including the Bahamas, Jamaica and the Philippines, face among the highest physical risk pressure on credit by 2050, an analysis shows.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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