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February 02, 2026
 

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February 2026
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JAPAN

Ski fields in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture, which rose to national prominence during Japan’s 1980s and early 1990s ski boom and hosted the 1998 Nagano Olympics, remain central to the village’s winter economy.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Feb 2, 2026
In Hakuba, getting the tourism balance right
By Tomoko Otake
As tourism surges, a ski town in Nagano Prefecture weighs economic revival against rising costs, crowds and cultural clashes.
The front page of The Japan Times on Feb. 6, 1976, carried the first of many stories aiming to get to the bottom of the Lockheed bribery scandal.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Feb 2, 2026
Japan Times 1976: Lockheed paid Kodama $7 million to win deal
This month 25 and 50 years ago saw the beginnings of stories that would go on to become significant historical moments.

ASIA PACIFIC

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu attends a meeting at a residence outside Moscow in August 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 2, 2026
Shoigu backs China’s position on Taiwan, says Russia watching Japan’s ‘militarization’
China and Russia have forged close ties in ‍recent years and declared a “no limits” strategic partnership days before the war in Ukraine started in 2022.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Friday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 2, 2026
Ruling Thai party runs on nationalist, establishment vote pitch
By Patpicha Tanakasempipat
An embrace of the military, and apparent backing of the country’s conservative establishment, has given the prime minister's Bhumjaithai Party an edge in the Feb. 8 vote.

WORLD

Eric Trump (right) — the U.S. President Donald Trump's middle son — and Zach Witkoff — the son of U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff — speak in Dubai on May 1, 2025.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2026
UAE firm quietly took stake in the Trump family’s crypto company
By David Yaff-Bellany and Eric Lipton
The Trump family’s business dealings with the UAE have blurred the line between government and private enterprise, alarming ethics experts and congressional Democrats.
Russian prisoners of war at a detention center in western Ukraine on Nov. 26
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2026
The foreign prisoners of war stuck in Ukrainian prison limbo
By Florent Vergnes
With Russia and their countries of origin having "no interest" in exchanging them, many foreign POWs are held for years, said a spokesperson for Ukraine's POW coordination center.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, attends an interview in Moscow on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2026
Russia's Medvedev praises Trump but questions U.S. submarine threat
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said that behind Donald Trump's approach "lies a completely conscious and competent line."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses Chinese and British business delegations at the House of U.K. reception, in Shanghai on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2026
Starmer renews U.K. bid to join EU defense fund after rejection
In November, the European Union rejected the British bid for its defense companies to be able to benefit from the fund.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran on Sunday,
WORLD
Feb 2, 2026
Iran’s top leader warns of regional war as Trump renews demands
Iran and the U.S. have been on the brink of conflict, following threats by President Donald Trump to attack over Tehran’s deadly crackdown on protests.
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Department of justice on Jan. 30.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2026
Wealthy and powerful in focus after latest Epstein release
Officials said Friday they were releasing some 3 million pages of material, including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Yuyuan Gardens in Shanghai on Friday.
WORLD
Feb 2, 2026
Trump warns U.K. on ‘dangerous’ China moves after Starmer trip
By Alex Wickham and Lucille Liu
London seeking a reset with Beijing, but the U.K. prime minister has been careful not to present it as an effort to hedge against the U.S. under Trump.
Liam Conejo Ramos is held by his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias while boarding an aircraft to return to Minneapolis, in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 2, 2026
Five-year-old boy detained by ICE returned to Minnesota with father, lawmaker says
By Timothy Gardner
A federal judge on Saturday ordered ​their release as the two were held at a detention facility in Texas.
Palestinians walk past the clinic of Doctors Without Borders, or Medecins Sans Frontieres, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on Jan. 11.
WORLD
Feb 2, 2026
Israel to terminate Doctors Without Borders’ work in Gaza for not providing Palestinian staff list
By Jay Deshmukh
Israel last year said it would prevent 37 aid organizations from working in Gaza for failing to submit detailed information about Palestinian employees.

BUSINESS

A man walks past an advertisement in Hong Kong in 2023.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 2, 2026
China AI deals push Hong Kong listings to busiest start of the year
By Dave Sebastian and Julia Fioretti
Initial public offerings fetched about $5 billion last month, the highest total for any January on record.
The Bank of Japan's summary of opinions signals the possibility of Gov. Kazuo Ueda’s board raising the benchmark rate at a faster pace than the market consensus estimate.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2026
BOJ summary suggests emerging urgency around timely rate hikes
By Toru Fujioka
The summary signals the possibility of Gov. Kazuo Ueda’s board raising the benchmark rate at a faster pace than the market consensus estimate.
The yen dropped as much as 0.5% to 155.51 against the dollar on Monday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 2, 2026
Yen drops after Takaichi comment cools intervention speculation
By John Cheng
The currency dropped as much as 0.5% to 155.51 against the dollar on Monday.
An employee serves a customer shopping for pork at a black pork shop in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, China, on Jan. 16.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 2, 2026
Disgruntled with Western pork, China wants to go back to black pigs
By Go Nakamura, Xihao Jiang and Daphne Zhang
For older buyers in particular, black pork evokes childhood, when black-haired ‍pigs were ⁠raised at home and slaughtered around Lunar New Year.
Bridge construction work on the A45 autobahn. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to modernize the country's crumbling infrastructure.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2026
Merz has activated his plan to fix Germany. Now, we’ll find out if it works.
By Kamil Kowalcze and Alexander Weber
If the chancellor’s effort falters, European leaders will find it far harder to muster a convincing response to the threats posed by Moscow, Beijing and Washington.

ENVIRONMENT

A cloud-seeding generator outside the town of Fraser, Colorado produces snow for the Winter Park ski resort, several miles downwind.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Feb 2, 2026
U.S. ski resorts turn to drones to make it snow amid dire drought
By Kyle Stock
Resorts are increasingly seeking solutions to freshen up the brown slopes spanning the American West this winter, even as the East Coast grapples with back-to-back storms.

Sports

Arsenal celebrates after winning the Women's Champions Cup in London on Sunday.
SOCCER
Feb 2, 2026
Arsenal captures inaugural Women's Champions Cup
Arsenal defeated Brazil's Corinthians 3-2 in a rain-soaked final at Emirates Stadium.
Novak Djokovic speaks after receiving the runner-up shield following his loss against Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final in Melbourne on Sunday.
TENNIS
Feb 2, 2026
Novak Djokovic vows fight on after 'bitter' loss in Australian Open final
Djokovic's 10-match unbeaten run in Melbourne Park finals was broken on Sunday as Carlos Alcaraz claimed a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 win at Rod Laver Arena.
Carlos Alcaraz reacts after a point during his match against Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final in Melbourne on Sunday.
TENNIS
Feb 2, 2026
Carlos Alcaraz wins first Australian Open to complete career Grand Slam
The Spaniard was imperious after a slow start in dismissing the 38-year-old, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 at Rod Laver Arena.
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry speaks during a news conference in Milan on Sunday.
OLYMPICS
Feb 2, 2026
IOC expresses confidence amid last-minute push to prepare venues for Olympics
The 2026 Olympics are more spread out than past winter editions.

LIFE

Japanese trains are usually full of advertisements that all fight for your attention.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 2, 2026
How Japanese advertising breaks grammar to get your attention
By Eric Margolis
Japanese advertising may look chaotic, but the strange grammar, puns and omissions are carefully engineered to grab your attention.

COMMUNITY

Known as <i>kikokushijo</i>, Japanese children or teens who go abroad with their families and later return to Japan often struggle with stereotypes and suspicions throughout the course of their lives.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 2, 2026
‘Returnees’ reckon with a Japan that sets them apart
By Eri Yabe
“Kikokushijo” — Japanese youth who live abroad as children or teens and then return to Japan — and the struggles they face reflect a country unsure of what it means to be global.
Chinese advised not to visit Japan after robbery
A Japanese police officer stands guard at the entrance of the Chinese embassy in Tokyo
Japanese actress Ryoko Yonekura not indicted over drug case
Ryoko Yonekura
Takaichi talks up weak yen even as Japan works to counter currency decline
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who also concurrently serves as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, on Tuesday in Tokyo after a campaign speech for the Lower House election
Victims of Haneda incident previously robbed of ¥95 million
Haneda Airport's parking facility in Tokyo's Ota Ward where an attempted robbery occurred on Friday
Iran says progress made toward U.S. talks despite attack jitters
A demonstrator wears a sticker over her mouth with the words "no execution" during a silent march denouncing the Iranian government's deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters in the Islamic Republic, in Paris on Saturday.
The cost of silence: Japan’s diminishing relevance
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi holds talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Nara on Jan. 13. Once a central diplomatic actor, Japan is increasingly absent as global power rivalries intensify.
Time for a revamped Japan-U.K. strategic architecture
British and Japanese flags are displayed ahead of a welcome ceremony as the HMS Prince of Wales, flagship of the U.K. Carrier Strike Group, arrives at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal in August.
Are foreign nationals actually dodging their medical bills in Japan?
Travelers at Narita Airport. A new policy package from Japan's government put a spotlight on foreign patients not paying medical fees as a major topic to address, but it may not only be a matter of them dodging the bill.
JIP struggles with perception and unity ahead of Lower House election
Leader of the Japan Innovation Party Hirofumi Yoshimura delivers his first campaign speech for the House of Representatives election in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan is considering nuclear subs. But are they worth the costs?
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's diesel-electric-powered Uzushio submarine sails during an international fleet review to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the MSDF's founding, in Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in November 2022.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Ski fields in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture, which rose to national prominence during Japan’s 1980s and early 1990s ski boom and hosted the 1998 Nagano Olympics, remain central to the village’s winter economy.
In Hakuba, getting the tourism balance right
By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Japan agency aims for both decarbonization, growth
Japan agency aims for both decarbonization, growth

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