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July 12, 2026
 

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TAIWAN

A general view of Chongqing, China. The position of Japanese consul-general in the city is currently vacant amid strained ties between Tokyo and Beijing.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2026
Japan’s Chongqing consulate lacks top envoy amid China tensions
Chinese authorities have reportedly delayed responding to the Japanese government’s request to send a successor following the transfer of the previous consul-general.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump review an honor guard ahead of a bilateral meeting at the Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo on Oct. 28.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 22, 2026
Takaichi’s strengths and the need for ‘strategic signaling’
The challenge facing Japanese diplomacy lies in strategic signaling: how to communicate intentions and capabilities in an increasingly unstable international environment.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te visits a military camp in Taoyuan, Taiwan, in May 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 22, 2026
With chips, investments and defense hikes Taiwan aims to appease Trump. Will it work?
The democratic island’s attempts to accommodate the White House’s priorities are critical for shoring up Taipei’s crucial relationship with the U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Tuesday, the one-year mark into his second term in office.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 21, 2026
Japan finds itself in a precarious position, one year into ‘Trump 2.0’
Unlike during his first White House stint from 2017-2021, Donald Trump’s second term in the Oval Office has seen him free to make demands of the alliance and the world at large.
Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia, speaks at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 6.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2026
Nvidia’s Huang plans to visit China as he works to reopen market
The U.S. is loosening export restrictions on AI processors, but on the Chinese side, government officials are deciding how many of the chips to let in.
Silicon wafers shown on screens at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Renovation Museum in Hsinchu, Taiwan. While Taiwan's economy soared in 2025 on exports of AI hardware and semiconductors, companies in more traditional manufacturing sectors have struggled.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 21, 2026
Taiwan’s traditional manufacturers miss out on export boom
Exports of a range of goods including machinery, metals and chemicals are becoming less profitable amid U.S. tariffs and unfavorable currency conditions.
A refinery for a rare earth metal on the outskirts of Wuxi, China. Chinese exports of rare earth magnets to Japan in December fell 8% from November.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 20, 2026
Chinese exports of rare earth magnets to Japan fell in December ahead of curbs
A diplomatic spat had left concerns about future shipments, and Beijing has since banned exports to Japan of some dual-use materials.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference in Beijing on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 20, 2026
China isn’t the answer for Canada’s trade troubles, Taiwan envoy says
The Canadian and Chinese leaders reached an agreement last week to lower trade barriers and rebuild ties.
Taiwan's flag is lowered during a daily ceremony in Taipei on Dec. 30, as China conducted military drills around the island.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 18, 2026
Taiwan says Chinese drone made ‘provocative’ flight over South China Sea island
Taipei said the Chinese reconnaissance drone flew in the airspace of the Pratas Islands for eight minutes at an altitude outside ‍the range of anti-aircraft weapons.
An activist shouts slogans as she holds an anti-Trump sign during a protest near the U.S. Embassy, opposing U.S. military actions in Venezuela capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in Manila, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 17, 2026
U.S. faces skepticism over deterring China as Trump eyes Greenland
Government and defense industry leaders have expressed unease at Trump’s challenge to fellow NATO member Denmark over control of Greenland.
A man rides a scooter past shipping containers at the Port of Keelung on Friday. The United States said on Thursday that it has signed a deal with Taiwan to reduce tariffs on goods from the democratic island, while increasing Taiwanese semiconductor and tech companies' investments in America.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 16, 2026
U.S. and Taiwan clinch deal to cut tariffs and boost chip investment
Duties on Taiwanese shipments would fall to 15%, and Taiwan’s tech industry would increase financing for American operations by $500 billion.
The approval rate for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet increased by 1.1 percentage points from the previous month to 61% in January.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2026
Takaichi Cabinet approval rises to 61%
The Cabinet has been able to maintain its public support rate at around 60% since it was launched in October last year.
An aircraft carrier carved out of ice is seen on display at the Harbin Ice World Park in Harbin, in China's northeast Heilongjiang province, on Dec. 17.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 15, 2026
Chinese Navy’s goal of projecting power around globe gains steam
Long thought to be an ultimate ambition of Beijing, this may become a reality much sooner than anticipated.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first policy speech in parliament in Tokyo on Oct. 24.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 14, 2026
Takaichi to roll the dice on risky, but potentially rewarding, snap election
Calling a snap election during the next session of parliament could prove to be a double-edged sword for the prime minister.
Japan’s measured response to Chinese coercion reflects over 15 years of efforts to diversify its economy and blunt Beijing’s ability to weaponize trade.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 14, 2026
Japan can keep calm and carry on decoupling from China
The goal isn’t to bring trade with Beijing down to zero — that’s impossible. It’s to dull Xi Jinping’s ability to weaponize it when he wants something.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the start of their meeting in the city of Nara on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 13, 2026
Takaichi and South Korea’s Lee to take ties to ‘new heights’ amid Japan-China rift
The two leaders agreed to boost cooperation on economic security and reached a deal on DNA testing for Korean wartime laborers who perished in Japan.
Demonstrators hold a banner reading "No to imperial interventionism!" during a march in Mexico City on Jan. 10 in support of deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and against a possible U.S. intervention in Mexico.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2026
The U.S. sphere of influence is bigger than it looks
While this shows a big shift in U.S. cultural priorities, there isn’t a whiff of willingness to leave Russia or particularly China alone in their own spheres of influence.
A Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. facility under construction in Phoenix on Oct. 17.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 13, 2026
Trump team nears Taiwan trade deal with more U.S. chip investment
Under the deal taking shape, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. would pledge to build at least four more chip manufacturing plants in Arizona, one source said.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te holds a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei in November.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 12, 2026
Venezuela-style strike on Taiwan’s leader could prove tricky for China
Taiwan has prepared for years against a “decapitation operation,” has extensive defenses and radar, and would likely receive support from the U.S. in the event of a conflict.
A cargo ship is seen at the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals in Hong Kong last April. China appears to be quietly contemplating an unconventional approach to rapidly boosting its naval power — transforming its vast commercial shipping fleet into an armada of makeshift warships.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 12, 2026
Civilian or military? China turns to merchant fleet to boost military power.
In one example, a midsize cargo ship appeared to be fitted with advanced tech, including containerized missile launchers and a system for launching large drones.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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
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