Middle East crisis

24 October 2025
Jakarta hosts the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships this week. The government's refusal to grant visas to Israeli athletes sparked the ire of the International Olympic Committee but won the hearts of many Indonesians.
U.S. President Donald Trump, center, speaks at a summit on the Israel-Hamas war in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Oct. 13.
Middle East crisis

Israeli hostages, Palestinian detainees freed as Trump declares war over

Crucial issues unresolved, including governance of Gaza and future of Hamas

14 October 2025
Palestinians collect aid supplies from trucks that entered Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip October 12, 2025.
Middle East crisis

Gaza ceasefire holds ahead of hostage release and Trump visit to Israel

Devastation in northern Gaza, unexploded ordnance pose risks

12 October 2025
Palestinians, who were displaced to the southern part of Gaza at Israel's order during the war, make their way along a road as they return to the north after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza went into effect, in the central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 10.
Middle East crisis

Gazans trek to ruined homes as Israeli forces pull back under ceasefire

Trump plans to head to region Sunday, speak to Israel's Knesset on Monday

11 October 2025
An Al Jazeera journalist reports as Palestinian emergency workers celebrate in Gaza City on Oct. 9.
Middle East crisis

Israeli cabinet ratifies Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas

Trump plans to head to region; hostages could be released within days

10 October 2025
American President Donald Trump says that all Israeli hostages are set to be released after Israel and Hamas signed off on the first phase of a U.S.-proposed Gaza deal.
9 October 2025
A military drone launched from an unknown location in Yemen.
US-China tensions

US targets Chinese companies over drone components used by Hamas, Houthis

15 firms added to Entity List for allegedly helping to purchase American devices

8 October 2025
A woman sits with an image of hostages held by Hamas during a protest to call for the implementation of a U.S. plan to end the war in Gaza and release all hostages, near the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem on Sept. 29.
Middle East crisis

Trump asks Israel to stop bombing Gaza, says Hamas is ready for peace

Palestinian group agrees to hostage release, other parts of White House plan

4 October 2025
Supporters of a Pakistani religious group take part in a rally in Karachi, Pakistan, against Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and to show solidarity with Palestinians, Sept. 18.
Middle East crisis

Pakistan faces backlash at home over its support for Trump's Gaza plan

Islamabad draws criticism for joining Arab nations to end war; considers sending peacekeeping force

3 October 2025
Russia and the Middle East account for nearly 80% of China's oil imports, according to an industry group.
Energy

China stockpiling supports crude oil prices despite production increases

Beijing looks to secure supply as US raises pressure on Russia, Iran

3 October 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a press conference in the State Dining Room at the White House on Sept. 29.
Middle East crisis

Trump says Netanyahu backs US-sponsored Gaza peace proposal

Deal includes Israeli withdrawal, release of hostages and Hamas disarmament

30 September 2025
Palestinians, displaced by the Israeli military offensive, take shelter in a tent camp in the central Gaza Strip on Sept. 25.
Technology

Microsoft cuts cloud and AI services to Israel defense unit

IT giant's move comes after media reports of surveillance system in Gaza

26 September 2025
Displaced Palestinians move southward on Sept. 16 after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate.
Middle East crisis

Israel says 'Gaza is burning' as it launches ground assault

Government defies European leaders threatening sanctions; Trump sides with Israel

17 September 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with members of the media before departing for Israel at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. 
Middle East crisis

Rubio arrives in Israel as Israeli strikes intensify in northern Gaza

Two-day visit is intended to show support for the increasingly isolated ally

14 September 2025
Smoke and flames rise after an Israeli military strike on a building in Gaza City, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. 
Middle East crisis

Israel ramps up strikes on Gaza City and hospital says at least 32 are dead

The army says it has destroyed multiple high-rise buildings used by Hamas

14 September 2025
Smoke is seen after several blasts were heard in Doha on Sept. 9.
Middle East crisis

Trump says he's 'very unhappy' about Israeli strike in Qatar

Operation targeting Hamas leaders could undermine Gaza ceasefire efforts

10 September 2025
Palestinians at the site of an overnight Israeli strike on a tent in Gaza City on Sept. 7.
Middle East crisis

Israel orders Gaza City residents to evacuate ahead of new offensive

International critics warn Netanyahu's plan could deepen humanitarian plight

9 September 2025
The friendship between Turkiye and Japan is more than just a beautiful memory of the past; it is also a tremendous opportunity to overcome the crises of today.
Opinion

The two ends of Asia can act as the world's collective conscience

Turkiye and Japan must stand together to oppose oppression in Gaza

29 August 2025
Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.
Middle East crisis

Gaza City officially in famine, says global hunger monitor

IPC reports a quarter of the territory's population in hunger

23 August 2025
Ships crowd in waters off Singapore, where piracy and armed robbery have surged this year. (Photo by Fumika Sato)
Crime

Piracy and armed robbery quadruples in Strait of Malacca region

Congestion slows ships as Mideast tensions push more traffic through Southeast Asia chokepoint

20 August 2025
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, right, speaks next to Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, on Aug. 11. (AAP/via REUTERS)
International relations

Australia to recognize Palestinian state next month at UN, PM says

Country joins with UK, Canada and France; New Zealand considers following suit

11 August 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Aug. 7 that Israel intended to take military control of the entire Gaza Strip, while the plan approved on Aug. 8 focused specifically on Gaza City, the largest city in the enclave.
Middle East crisis

Israel's cabinet approves Netanyahu plan to occupy Gaza City

Opinion polls show most Israelis want deal to release hostages

8 August 2025
Turkey and Israel were once on friendly terms, but their relationship has steadily deteriorated. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has even compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Reuters) 
Comment

Why Turkey holds the key to the Middle East's geopolitical future

Avoiding further conflict with Israel is crucial for regional stability

13 July 2025
Iran's Ambassador to Japan Peiman Seadat speaks during an interview on July 8. (Photo by Yukinori Okamura)
Interview

Iran says US strikes have made nuclear talks harder

Ambassador to Tokyo says Japan has vital role in warning against nuclear weapons

11 July 2025
Used in food products ranging from cooking oil to margarine to instant noodles, palm oil is the most consumed vegetable oil and remains particularly popular in Asian markets such as Indonesia, India and China.
Trading Asia

Palm oil markets roiled by biofuel rules and geopolitical shocks

Indonesia's domestic use tightens supply; Malaysia seeks new markets in response to volatility

7 July 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on June 26. Days earlier, he called the June 21 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities "a spectacular military success," though experts remain skeptical they eliminated the threat.
Comment

Trump's Iran strikes: Masterstroke or political Kabuki?

Middle East turmoil could help China expand its influence in Indo-Pacific

6 July 2025
Marco Rubio was set to visit Japan and South Korea next week in his first visit to those countries as U.S. secretary of state.
International relations

Rubio postpones Japan, South Korean trip to focus on Mideast conflict

U.S. secretary of state to meet with Netanyahu in Washington on Monday

4 July 2025
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is shown at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, before the Operation Midnight Hammer attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Opinion

Just when Trump thought he was out, Iran pulls him back in

'12 Day War' gives Beijing an opportunity to gain influence in the Middle East

30 June 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump is seen at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2020. His nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize by Pakistan has created a split in the country.
International relations

Pakistan split amid rising criticism over Trump Nobel nomination

Islamabad cites India truce for prize nod, but skeptics point to US Iran attack

27 June 2025
Freight rates on very large LPG carriers between the Middle East and Far East hit the highest level in over a year on Monday. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Transportation

Asia-bound LPG freight rates rise on trade, Middle East tensions

US-China tariff war has shifted carriers to longer, less efficient routes

26 June 2025