Politics

29 October 2025
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at a signing ceremony in Tokyo on Oct. 28.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, center left, sits across from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during their meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 27. (Pool photo)
International relations

Japan finance chief, Bessent discuss Russia energy sanctions in 1st talks

Katayama and US treasury secretary also cover Tokyo's $550bn pledge to Washington

28 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to host Central Asian leaders in November. (White House photo)
24 October 2025
An office building of Rosneft, one of Russia's major oil producers that has been hit with sanctions by the U.S.
Trump administration

US sanctions Russian oil majors over Ukraine, sending prices up

Latest move by Trump administration prompts jitters in India and China

24 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago in 2017.
International relations

Trump says he sees trade deal with Xi, will discuss Russian oil purchases

China could be added to possible deal with Moscow on nuclear arms, president says

23 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a joint press conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on Aug. 15.
International relations

Trump-Putin summit planned for Budapest is on hold, US official says

Decision to hold off meeting likely to relieve European leaders

22 October 2025
An unmanned excavator that performed such work as piling up and transporting dirt and sand at a Kyiv test site in October. (Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism)
Ukraine war

Japan to support Ukraine war debris removal with remote equipment

Government eyes use of homegrown technology to aid reconstruction

22 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Oct.17.
Ukraine war

In talks with Zelenskyy, Trump appears to press pause on fresh support

US leader does not rule out supplying long-range Tomahawk missiles

18 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump described the more than two-hour-long phone call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as productive.
Ukraine war

Trump says he will meet Putin in Budapest to discuss ending Ukraine war

Leaders hold phone call as Zelenskyy heads to White House

17 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House in Washington in February.
Trump administration

Trump says India agrees to halt Russian oil purchases

US president cites Modi's assurance, but trade to resume after Ukraine war ends

16 October 2025
China’s Premier Li Qiang and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk as they meet on the day of an event marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, Oct. 9.
North Korea tensions

North Korean defector gives glimpse into tricky Russia, China ties

Ex-diplomat reveals divisions over Ukraine war, awkward 'blood alliance' with Beijing

10 October 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attend a meeting in Tajikistan on Oct. 9. (Sputnik/pool via Reuters)
Ukraine war

Putin tells Azerbaijan's Aliyev how Russian defenses downed passenger jet

38 died after missiles detonated near plane; Putin pledges compensation for 2024 incident

10 October 2025
The administration of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has expressed its commitment to cooperating with international sanctions.
Ukraine war

Taiwan in spotlight over world-leading imports of Russian naphtha

Sixfold surge since 2022 signals economic security risk in semiconductor industry

8 October 2025
Cars produced by Chinese automaker Chery are displayed at a dealership in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in September 2024. The company says Russia's contribution to its revenue will soon be "negligible."
Automobiles

Chinese carmakers diverge in Russia under sanctions, protectionism

While Chery withdraws, Great Wall Motor 'doubles down'

2 October 2025
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, seen in June 2023.
Ukraine war

Ukraine nuclear plant without offsite power for 6 days, IAEA chief says

Kyiv wants IAEA stewardship for Russian-held Zaporizhzhia station, citing radiation risks

30 September 2025
Indian Air Force MiG-21 jet fighter aircraft perform during a parade at an airbase in Tezpur, India, Nov. 21 2014.
Aerospace & Defense Industries

India finally says goodbye to Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter jets

Advanced indigenous aircraft to replace iconic jet that served for over 60 years

26 September 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, meets with U.S. President Donald Trump during the 80th United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23.
Ukraine war

Trump says Ukraine can retake all its land from Russia

Zelenskyy hails US president's comment as a 'big shift'

24 September 2025
Countries participating in the Drone Coalition are using experience gained from the Ukraine war to refine their own drone technologies. (Photo by Takayuki Tanaka)
Interview

Latvia invites Japan into coalition supporting Ukraine drones

Latvian foreign minister says Tokyo could offer nonlethal units in war serving as tech testbed

23 September 2025
A Russian MiG-31 fighter jet carrying a Kinzhal missile takes off from the Hemeimeem air base in Syria on June 25, 2021.
International relations

Estonia says Russian jets breach airspace in 'brazen' incursion

Incident follows recent Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace

20 September 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae, attends a ceremony for the launch of a "new multipurpose destroyer" in Nampo, North Korea, in April.
Opinion

Beijing and Moscow bless Kim Jong Un's heir apparent

Daughter Ju Ae's diplomatic appearances mark next act in North Korea's nuclear dynasty

18 September 2025
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic predicts the fighting between Russia and Ukraine will last for at least six more months. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Interview

Sanctions against Russia won't solve the problem: Serbian president

Belgrade seeks EU membership, but bloc has lost appeal with many people, says Vucic

16 September 2025
Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko speaks to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. 
14 September 2025
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a ceremony at the Pentagon to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on Sept. 11 in Washington.
Ukraine war

Trump calls on all NATO countries to stop buying Russian oil

US president say members should impose 50% to 100% tariffs on China

13 September 2025
A Russian-flagged crude oil tanker transits the Bosphorus in Istanbul. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sept. 12 that additional sanctions on Russian oil were an option.
13 September 2025
The tail of a Polish military jet is seen at a base in the country in August 2023. The nation's military command said on Sept. 10 that drones had repeatedly violated Polish airspace during a Russian attack across the border, in western Ukraine.
International relations

Poland shoots down drones in its airspace during Russian attack on Ukraine

US senator warns that Putin is testing NATO resolve to protect the area

10 September 2025
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks to the media at the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 7.
International relations

Brazil's Lula urges tighter BRICS trade ties as tariffs bite

He rips 'tariff blackmail' in meeting with bloc leaders including Modi, Xi

9 September 2025
Trump has repeatedly threatened Moscow with further sanctions but withheld them as he pursued peace talks.
Ukraine war

Trump ready for 'phase two' of Russia sanctions over Ukraine conflict

US president stops short of saying what action he would take

8 September 2025
Long lines form at a gas station in Vladivostok, Russia, in late August. Sale of the fuel was suspended in other areas.
Commodities

Gasoline prices soar in Russia after Ukraine drones hit refineries

Pressure on household spending threatens to further stunt slowing economy

6 September 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, center, holds the hands of Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, left, and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as they shake hands during a trilateral signing event at the White House in Washington on Aug. 8.
Opinion

A rare US diplomatic win, and the lessons it offers

The Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal shows what Washington can achieve when it stays the course

6 September 2025
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin on Monday. 
International relations

Cozy Modi-Putin photos make Europe squirm and look away

EU suffers collateral damage from US-India trade spat, but analysts cite opportunities

5 September 2025