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July 06, 2026
 

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IRAN

Despite steady leadership from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during rising global risks, her tenure so far lacks decisive economic vision, raising questions about whether she can use the current narrow window to pursue structural reforms.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2026
Takaichi’s path from crisis manager to ‘champion’ builder
Despite steady leadership amid global risks, Prime Minister Takaichi lacks decisive economic vision, leaving questions about whether she will seize the narrow window for reform.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a fundraising dinner at Union Station in Washington on March 25.
WORLD / FOCUS
Apr 5, 2026
Trump’s victory rhetoric undercut by downed U.S. jet in Iran war
The downing of a U.S. aircraft has pierced the aura of invincibility Donald Trump has sought to project.
A DHL container is loaded from a truck onto trains at a terminal in Hamburg, Germany, in December 2022.
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Apr 5, 2026
Pharmaceutical logistics in demand as war rattles supply chains
As fears of medicine shortages grow amid the war in the Middle East, pharmaceutical logistics help ensure steady shipments to hospitals, pharmacies, and other customers worldwide.
A tanker loads crude oil at a national storage base in Fukuoka Prefecture on March 27. Official efforts to curb consumption in Japan could be needed by the summer if oil imports coming from the Strait of Hormuz have not resumed.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 5, 2026
Gasoline, diapers and drinks: Japan faces wide-ranging impact amid concern over oil
The government has assured the public that the supply of crude oil is sufficient for now, but efforts to curb consumption could be needed if the situation doesn’t improve.
NATO allies, including Britain, have backed the U.S. for decades and, while unlikely to join in the fight against Iran, would likely help secure the Strait of Hormuz if diplomacy fails.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2026
European allies should clear the Strait of Hormuz
Today, many in Europe recognize the threat of Iran, but were not willing to launch a sudden offensive operation against it without due consultation and giving diplomacy a chance.
A Shiite Muslim cleric looks on during a demonstration in solidarity with Iran and denouncing the U.S.-Israeli war against it, in Iraq's southern city of Basra on Saturday.
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2026
Iran says Iraqi ships are allowed to use Strait of Hormuz
Traffic in the Strait remains a small fraction of the pre-war rate, when one-fifth of the world’s oil and LNG sailed the narrows connecting the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean.
A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet releases a JASSM-ER missile during a test over the Gulf of Mexico in September 2018.
WORLD
Apr 5, 2026
U.S. deploys bulk of stealthy long-range missile for Iran war
The order to pull JASSM-ER cruise missiles from Pacific stockpiles was issued at the end of March.
The headquarters of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2026
Second Japan-linked ship passes through Strait of Hormuz
The ship is the Indian-flagged LPG tanker Green Sanvi, owned by an Indian affiliate of Mitsui O.S.K., according to the Japanese company.
The Iran war has shuttered airspaces, grounded planes and left regional airlines in disarray.
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2026
The Iran war is reshaping global aviation
Executives of Western airlines have sensed an opportunity to take advantage and regain ground, adding alternative routes to steal away business.
The International Monetary Fund has urged the Bank of Japan to keep raising rates even as the war in Iran poses new risks.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 4, 2026
IMF urges BOJ to keep raising rates even as Iran war poses new risks
The proposal comes amid market expectations the BOJ ‌will raise ‌interest rates as soon as April in the face of mounting inflationary ​pressure.
A U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jet departs for a combat mission at an undisclosed location on March 16, during Operation Epic Fury.
WORLD / FOCUS
Apr 4, 2026
Hide, find water: Ex-airmen detail how to survive being shot down
U.S. forces were in a race against time and Iran’s military to locate an aviator shot down Friday.
A U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jet lands during Exercise Point Blank at RAF Lakenheath in England on Jan. 27. Iran shot down one of the jets over the country, U.S. officials and Iranian state-affiliated media said on Friday.
WORLD
Apr 4, 2026
Downed jets raise new perils for Trump as Tehran hunts for missing U.S. pilot
The incidents show the risks still faced by U.S. and Israeli aircraft over Iran despite assertions that their forces had total control of the skies.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers questions during a plenary session of the Upper House in Tokyo on March 23.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2026
Japan cautious on asking public to conserve energy as Iran war drags on
An official said the government “will not make such a request until at least after the Golden Week holiday period (from late April to early May).”
Industry minister Ryosei Akazawa speaks during a news conference on parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2026
Oil bypassing Strait of Hormuz set to arrive in Japan from May
Over 90% of Japan’s oil imports have come from the Middle East, and most of them have come via the strait.
An office of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines in Tokyo last year
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2026
First Japanese and French ships cross Strait of Hormuz since war
A Japanese government official said that the reason the ship was allowed to sail through the strait at this time is unknown.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes French leader Emmanuel Macron to the White House in Washington on Feb. 24.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 4, 2026
Trump’s America, an impossible ally?
The U.S. president’s attacks on NATO are eroding the alliance’s foundations and credibility, pushing Europeans to form ad hoc coalitions.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a prime-time address to the nation at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD
Apr 4, 2026
White House seeks $1.5 trillion defense budget as Iran war drives costs
The proposal would lift Pentagon spending by more than 40% in a single year — the sharpest increase since World War II.
Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most vital oil artery, provides the only real leverage it has over the United States.
WORLD
Apr 4, 2026
U.S. intelligence warns Iran unlikely to ease Hormuz Strait chokehold soon
Tehran’s grip on the world’s most vital oil artery provides the only real leverage it has over Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump prays during a group prayer during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on Feb. 5.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 4, 2026
For some around Trump, war on Iran is a Christian calling
In a war against a country led by Shia Muslim clerics, the U.S. is also invoking religion, with some officials casting it as almost a divine mission.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Davos, Switzerland, in January. As recently as February, Rutte had dismissed the idea of Europe defending itself without the U.S. as a "silly thought."
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 3, 2026
Trump’s anger over Iran thrusts NATO into fresh crisis
Angered that European countries have not sent their navies to open the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. President Donald Trump declared he is considering withdrawing from the alliance.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Thailand gets serious about chasing high-spending tourists
Chinese tourists at Wat Arun Ratchawararam Rathawaramahawihan in Bangkok
Murakami says his novels are ‘different’ from AI literature
Haruki Murakami's first book in three years hit shelves in Japan on Friday.
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex’s culture cred
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex.  
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.

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