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January 22, 2026

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January 22, 2026

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Sanae Takaichi

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Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te visits a military camp in Taoyuan, Taiwan, in May 2024.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS

With chips, investments and defense hikes Taiwan aims to appease Trump. Will it work?

By Gabriel Dominguez

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 bilateral meeting with NATO's Secretary-General Mark Rutte (not shown) on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on Wednesday.

WORLD / Politics

Trump backs down on Europe tariffs over Greenland, says deal framework reached

By Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt

The U.S. president has suggested a deal is in sight to end a dispute over the Danish territory that risked the deepest rupture in transatlantic relations in decades.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, flanked by Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki (left) and LDP Vice President Taro Aso, attend a party meeting at LDP headquarters in Tokyo's Nagatacho district on Tuesday.

JAPAN / Politics

LDP uses election manifesto to pledge stable rare earths supply amid China row

By Himari Semans

The ruling party says it will also accelerate talks on eliminating the current 8% consumption tax on food for two years as Japan grapples with inflation.

Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda in December. Rate increases are expected later this year.

BUSINESS / Markets

Bank of Japan expected to keep rates steady ahead of February election

By Kazuaki Nagata

Policy rate is 0.75%, a 30-year high, after an increase in December.

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

Japan finds itself in a precarious position, one year into ‘Trump 2.0’

By Jesse Johnson

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.

Cartoonist Mitsuru Yaku (center) and other executives of Freelance League of Japan announces their survey to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.

One in 10 Japanese creatives see income fall due to generative AI

By Jessica Speed

Survey respondents cited being asked to accept shorter deadlines and lower fees, or losing commissions altogether.

Central Sapporo on Wednesday morning. Around 50 centimeters of snowfall is expected in Hokkaido in the 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday morning.

Heavy snow hits wide areas of Japan as extreme cold front hits

By Yukana Inoue

The Japan Meteorological Agency is warning of possible avalanches and traffic disruptions caused by heavy snow and icy roads in 26 prefectures.

Ex-boyfriend arrested on suspicion of murdering pregnant woman in Mito

Local residents split over Kashiwazaki-Kariwa reactor restart

Takaichi meets with victims of forced sterilization

High court rejects petition to halt reactors in southwestern Japan

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s proposed plan to cut consumption tax on food risks undermining Japan's finances in the long term, S&P Global Ratings says.

Takaichi’s plan to cut tax on food may worsen Japan’s finances, S&P says

By Toru Fujioka

The remarks come as superlong bond yields log a historic rise after the prime minister said she would lower the sales tax on food for two years if successful in a snap election.

Japan's overall exports gained 3.1% in 2025 from the previous year, led by electronic parts and food.

Japan’s exports rise in 2025 despite drag from U.S. tariffs

By Yoshiaki Nohara

Overall exports gained 3.1% in 2025 from the previous year, led by electronic parts and food, the Finance Ministry has reported.

Japan and EU affirm cooperation for stable supply of critical minerals

TSE pitches itself as cross-border listing venue for Asian startups' IPOs

By Yasutaka Tamura

Sony unveils clip-on earbuds, joining a growing trend

By Chris Welch

Mos Food unveils AI system for drive-thru orders

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting in Moscow on Wednesday. He has suggested donating frozen Russian assets in the U.S. to rebuilding efforts in Ukraine and the proposed Board of Peace.

Putin offers frozen Russian assets in U.S. to Peace Board, Ukraine

The offer has been discussed with the U.S., Putin said, and he plans to talk about it more during a meeting with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.

Spain's Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares (left), speaks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during a visit to New Delhi on Wednesday.

Spain urges EU to create joint army amid Greenland dispute

By Victoria Walderse

A joint ‌effort would be more efficient than 27 separate national armies, Spanish Foreign Minister ‍Jose ⁠Manuel Albares says.

U.S. appeals court lifts order curbing ICE tactics against Minnesota protesters

By Jonathan Allen and Nate Raymond

Iran says 3,117 killed in protests, but activists fear 'far higher' toll

By Stuart Williams

Australia holds day of mourning for Bondi Beach shooting victims

People feared buried after New Zealand storms trigger landslide

By Ainsley Thomson

Former yokozuna Hakuho at a news conference to promote the 16th edition of his namesake tournament, on Tuesday in Tokyo.

Hakuho unveils expanded version of his namesake tournament for children

By John Gunning

The Hakuho Cup will feature girls and adults as the legendary yokozuna moves his event to the brand-new Toyota Arena Tokyo.

WSL says current Club World Cup schedule could have 'catastrophic' impact

France defender Lucas Hernandez under investigation for human trafficking

Madison Keys overcomes up-and-down performance to advance at Australian Open

Broncos QB Bo Nix expresses confidence in Jarrett Stidham ahead of AFC title game

Media mogul Jimmy Lai, founder of the Apple Daily, arrives at West Kowloon Courts in Hong Kong in October 2020 to face charges related to an alleged illegal vigil assembly commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Fair trade: Jimmy Lai’s freedom for China’s very big U.K. Embassy

Mark L. Clifford

China will take over the Royal Mint building next to the historic Tower of London and spend over $1 billion building out its largest embassy in Europe.

ChatGPT's AI health care push has a fatal flaw

By Parmy Olson

Prime Minister Takaichi’s gambit: A test of leadership

By Michael MacArthur Bosack

So what does it mean to be properly English?

By Rosa Prince

The cautionary tale of Yoon Suk Yeol and the ‘abuse of power’

By Michael MacArthur Bosack

A solar farm in Nakai, Kanagawa Prefecture, in March 2016. Japan gets about a tenth of its electricity from solar panels despite having nearly no domestic production of photovoltaics (PVs).

Beijing row highlights need for Japan to reduce cleantech dependence on China

By Nithin Coca

To reach net zero, Japan will need to rapidly expand renewables, but its solar manufacturing capacity is virtually non-existent despite it being a pioneer of the technology.

Scientists look toward ancient ice for clues on saving present-day glaciers

By Hiroshi Hiyama

Scientists confirm 2025 was third-hottest year on record

By Eric Roston

How Japan’s warming seas are affecting livelihoods and culture

By Eric Margolis

Japan to draw up action plan to reduce clothing waste

“Ground,” an underground installation added to Museum SAN in 2025, was codesigned by architect Tadao Ando and sculptor Antony Gormley.

Tadao Ando's ongoing architecture dialogue with Museum SAN

By Yoko Haruhara

Since Museum SAN opened in 2013, Tadao Ando has returned three times to design additional buildings and spaces.

‘Black Ox’: A Zen riddle beautifully depicted in 10 chapters

By Mark Schilling

‘Love on Trial’: When romance becomes a legal risk

By James Hadfield

'Borderlines': A cacophony of dramatic personae unfolds a life of memories through 108 poems

By Kris Kosaka

‘Vicissitude’: A golden-hour reverie on childhood and lost wonder

By James Hadfield

Cold-weather tips that work in Western countries usually need some tweaks to keep you cozy in Japan's winter months.

Don’t let Japan’s next winter storm catch you cold

By Simon Daly

Not used to snow and frigid temperatures now pummelling the Sea of Japan coast? Learn how to keep yourself warm until balmier temperatures return.

Stay warm with a Japanese-style ‘pot-au-feu’ stew

By Makiko Itoh

Valentino, Italian haute couture 'emperor' who painted fashion red, dies at 93

By Giulia Segreti

At the origin of the ‘Mackerel Road,’ this seaside town fed Kyoto

By Edward J. Taylor

With a dose of old-world charm, Bacha Coffee brews its way to Tokyo

By Weiwen Lin

The Amtrak Cascades line provides service along the Pacific Northwest from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Eugene, Oregon.

Shinkansen vs. Amtrak and the lost art of small talk

By Daniel Traylor

After years steeped in the sacred silence of the shinkansen, a Japan Times staffer returns stateside and gets his sea legs with small talk aboard Amtrak.

This Dalmatian is ready to bloom

Honey bunny Jaina is a sweet companion

Local radio connects Nishinomiya’s foreign residents

By Sneha Nagesh

An affectionate Akita named Araki

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

After a busy couple of weeks on the public lecture circuit, German-born physicist Albert Einstein took a few days of relaxation on Hiroshima Prefecture’s Miyajima island.

When Einstein came to Hiroshima

By Patrick Parr

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