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Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Wednesday

BUSINESS / ANALYSIS

Jul 6, 2026

World absorbs historic Iran war oil supply loss, but depleted stocks bring risks

Replenishing oil stocks, never cheap, has likely been made more expensive by the war.

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on June 16

JAPAN

Jul 6, 2026

Japan-linked ships escaping Hormuz in convoy through Iran route

The vessels include five supertankers, each capable of hauling 2 million barrels of crude, two chemical tankers and a car carrier.

Takashi Yonekawa, deputy head of the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on June 24.

JAPAN

Jul 6, 2026

Kenporen seeks medical insurance reform talks

Japan should engage in discussions involving all stakeholders on whether and how to revise its public medical insurance system, deputy head Takashi Yonekawa said.

Japanese Ambassador to NATO Osamu Izawa during an interview in Brussels on Friday

JAPAN / Politics

Jul 6, 2026

Japan’s NATO envoy highlights importance of European stability

Japan’s ambassador to NATO also said the organization’s unity, based on collective defense, is unwavering, while adding that the alliance is “rock-solid.”

A woman offers prayers in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, on Monday, mourning people who lost their lives in a devastating rain disaster that hit the area in 2018.

JAPAN

Jul 6, 2026

Victims mourned 8 years after western Japan rain disaster

Residents across the Chugoku region on Monday mourned over 300 people who lost their lives in the incident that hit the area in 2018.

A record high of 804 people were arrested for possession of cocaine in 2025, up from around 160 in 2021, according to the National Police Agency.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Jul 6, 2026

Number of people who have tried cocaine reaches new high in Japan, study shows

Those found in possession of the drug also hit a record high of 804 arrests in 2025, according to the National Police Agency.

A missile is fired from a Chinese Navy nuclear-powered submarine on Monday.

ASIA PACIFIC

Jul 6, 2026

Prior to launch, Japan ‘strongly urged’ China to reconsider missile test in Pacific

The Chinese Navy successfully conducted the test launch of a “strategic missile” by a nuclear submarine into the Pacific Ocean on Monday.

Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has issued verbal warnings recently using the same language and the same tone, saying authorities “will take appropriate action at any time, as necessary.”

BUSINESS / Markets

Jul 6, 2026

Japan might be giving the currency market the silent treatment

Officials are saying less than they did before to defend the yen, and when they do speak, they opt for vague and relatively weak statements.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Jul 6, 2026

Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service

The teen identified a vulnerability in the Bandai Channel system and used an artificial intelligence chatbot to create a malicious program to cancel the accounts.

A Luup service station at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo. Parts of the picture have been blurred for security reasons.

JAPAN

Jul 6, 2026

Defense Ministry introduces e-scooter sharing at Tokyo headquarters

The move raised concerns about the possible leakage of location data on ministry employees who handle classified information, though the defense minister has allayed such fears.

Nomura Kagayaki employees engage in design work in Tokyo's Koto Ward on June 29.

BUSINESS / Companies

Jul 6, 2026

Japanese firms face need to improve jobs for disabled workers

The statutory minimum employment rate for those with disabilities was raised to 2.7% from 2.5% last week.

Sumadori Meets, a bar specializing in nonalcoholic beverages, in Tokyo's busy Omotesando district

BUSINESS / Companies

Jul 6, 2026

Japanese brewers expand zero-proof and low-alcohol lineups

The companies believe that many young consumers still want to enjoy the lively atmosphere of drinking parties while avoiding or limiting alcohol consumption.

The Reconstruction Agency, which is currently housed in a government building in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, is set to be dissolved in 2030.

JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima

Jul 6, 2026

Concerns emerge in Fukushima over Reconstruction Agency’s expiration

Residents of the prefecture fear a watering down of the focus on reconstruction in the event its ambit is absorbed by a new Disaster Management Agency.

Reenactors dressed as ancient Greeks perform a ritual at the foothills of Mount Olympus as part of the four-day Promitheia Festival honoring ancient Greek gods, near Litochoro, northern Greece, on Thursday.

WORLD / Society

Jul 6, 2026

At the foot of Mount Olympus, a return to ancient Greek heritage

For more than 30 years, hundreds of people who worship ancient Greek deities have been coming to the area to revive ceremonies whose roots stretch back to antiquity.

Employees at the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, Congo, on Wednesday

WORLD / Science & Health

Jul 6, 2026

Experimental Ebola trial begins in Congo as death toll tops 500

The World Health Organization-sponsored trial will test the monoclonal antibody cocktail MBP134 and the antiviral remdesivir alongside optimized supportive care.

Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

BUSINESS / Companies

Jul 6, 2026

Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth

Hard-working Japanese businesses and creators are banding together to drive what is now one of Japan’s most valuable assets.

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte is trying to have the case thrown out by the Supreme Court.

ASIA PACIFIC / Politics

Jul 6, 2026

Sara Duterte faces impeachment trial with Philippine presidential dream at stake

The trial could deepen political turmoil in the Philippines, where growth has stuttered after revelations of graft led to a slump in consumer and investor confidence.

An intensely private Korean shipping tycoon, Ga-Hyun Chung rocked the tanker industry early this year as his Sinokor Group embarked on an unprecedented buying spree.

BUSINESS / Companies

Jul 6, 2026

The supertanker tycoon making millions on Hormuz ‘shuttle runs’

Ga-Hyun Chung oversaw a successful covert project that sneaked crude oil out of the Persian Gulf through the vital waterway during the Iran war.

Japan Cleft Palate Foundation Executive Director Nagato Natsume (second from left) examines a child at Nguyen Dinh Chieu General Hospital in Vinh Long province, Vietnam. Natsume is part of a Japanese team that carries out volunteer overseas missions to provide free surgery to people born with cleft lips or palates.

JAPAN / Regional Voices: Chubu

Jul 6, 2026

Japanese doctors mark 34 years of free cleft-lip surgeries in Vietnam

In many developing countries, treatment for cleft lips or palates is often delayed because of financial hardship and limited access to specialized care.

Film projectionist and collector Wang Chin-ting (left) watches as staff members from the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute transfer old film reels at his archive in Changhua County on May 29.

ASIA PACIFIC / Society

Jul 6, 2026

Taiwanese film hunters rescue aging reels from bygone era

Ranging from popular operas to romance dramas, the films resonated with many Taiwanese who had been educated during Japan’s colonial rule and had limited Mandarin skills.

Summer McIntosh celebrates after winning the women's 400-meter individual medley final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in August 2025.

MORE SPORTS / Swimming

Jul 6, 2026

Summer McIntosh breaks last women’s ‘supersuit’ world record

McIntosh broke Liu Zige’s long-standing record (2:01.81) at China’s National Games in October 2009.

England's Jude Bellingham celebrates after scoring against Mexico during the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City on Sunday.

SOCCER / World cup

Jul 6, 2026

10-man England outlasts Mexico to advance to World Cup quarterfinals

The result set up a last-eight clash with Norway, which shocked Brazil 2-1 earlier on Sunday.

The National Police Agency encourages people to use a crime prevention app that blocks international calls made to mobile phones by fraud groups.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Jul 6, 2026

Fake police scams in Tokyo down nearly 40% in January through May

The number of such cases decreased to 548, while the total financial damage from such scams shrank 38.3% to ¥6.17 billion.

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

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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