Japan
LIFESTYLE
Japan’s Cherry Blossom Under Tourism Threat: Will a New Tourist Tax Curb the Surge?
Japan’s tourism hits record highs with over 36.8M visitors and ¥8.1T spent, prompting new tourist taxes to curb overtourism in 2025.
EUROPE
Switched On: Japan’s Internet Leaves the World Behind
Japan breaks internet speed record at 1.02 Pbps—16M times faster than India’s average, revolutionizing AI, cloud, and 6G potential.
BUSINESS
Emotionless Yet Cultured: Banknotes Adopt Cultural Symbols
Banknotes worldwide are ditching famous faces for cultural symbols, reshaping national identity from the UK to Japan and Australia.
US-China
Trump’s Trade War on China: East Asia Seeks New Alliances
Trump’s tariffs spark a trade war, pushing China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia toward new alliances and shifting East Asia’s power balance.
BUSINESS
Alaska Pumps America Out of a Trade Deficit
South Korea, Japan eye Alaska gas pipeline talks as Trump pushes energy exports to cut trade deficits. Project faces cost, timeline doubts.
Popular
Poland’s Catholic Football Pilgrimage: Unity, Faith and a Hard Line on Migration
At a Marian shrine where football supporters gather to pray, a presidential call for “Poland without illegal immigrants” turned a devotional event into a political stage.
AfDB Turns to Gulf as Western Funders Step Back
The African Development Bank has installed a president with ingrained Gulf experience as Washington pulls back hundreds of millions
Modern Toys, Old Childhood: Barbie and Lego at a Crossroads
As Mattel unveiled its first autistic Barbie yesterday, developed over 18 months with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the $11.87 doll raised familiar questions about whether modern toys widen childhood or quietly narrow it.
Alps Without Snow: Winter Tourism Tries Reinvention
As Grandvalira in the Pyrenees postponed its late-November 2024 opening until mid-December, warm temperatures left slopes across France, Austria and Spain grassy well into the month, forcing managers to watch thermometers anxiously.
Iranian Heritage Under Threat From All Sides
As civil unrest spreads across Iranian cities in early January 2026 and President Trump renews warnings about military options, the country's 28 UNESCO World Heritage sites sit vulnerable to dangers from multiple directions.
