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October 27, 2026
 

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SUPPLY CHAINS

A Kawasaki Heavy Industries humanoid platform places a garbage bag in a trash can during an exhibition in Tokyo last December. Japan has long led in humanoid robotics and is well positioned to supply the components behind next-generation automation systems.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Oct 26, 2026
The key to 91AV原创 growth strategy: ‘proactive’ economic security
The challenge is to turn ambition into sustainable growth by strengthening economic security and developing technologies that can compete globally.
TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, has surveyed suppliers on using rare-earth-free motors in factory-automation equipment, according to informed sources.
BUSINESS
Oct 22, 2026
TSMC seeks factory-equipment alternatives to thwart China’s rare earths grip, sources say
Rare-earth magnets are used in motors that power moving parts in industrial equipment, including machinery found in highly automated factories.
China accounts for almost two-thirds of rare earth mining production and 92% of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency.
BUSINESS
Oct 22, 2026
Supplies of rare earth yttrium have ‘stalled,’ industry ministry official says
The official described a “supply-demand crunch,” with the Financial Times reporting that Tokyo is months away from running out of the critical metal.
A technician handles a wafer on a production line at Dutch semiconductor company Nexperia in Hamburg, Germany, in June 2024.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2026
Tech sovereignty is fantasy. Control over choices is not.
Sovereignty is a tough nut to crack in a deeply interconnected, digital world.
Japan and China are pouring billions into reducing their reliance on each other even as their massive trade ties keep them bound together, a hedging dilemma faced by other countries as well.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 11, 2026
With bilateral trade booming, why are Japan-China tensions rising?
In our new era of “weaponized interdependence,” economic ties can create strategic vulnerabilities.
A rare earth open-pit mine in Mountain Pass, California. In retaliation for U.S. President Donald Trump's April 2025 tariffs, China announced a new licensing regime for a handful of critical minerals including yttrium.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2026
U.S., Japanese officials discussed China’s yttrium curbs ahead of Trump-Xi meeting, document shows
Yttrium is a silvery rare earth metal with no easy substitute.
Tungsten is a metal that attracts far less attention than rare earths but is no less vital to modern industry.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Sep 19, 2026
How Austria can loosen China’s grip over a key critical mineral
Plansee Group is building one of the West’s most formidable critical minerals operations outside China.
U.S. President Donald Trump is likely to extend a trade truce with China reached last year when Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the White House next week.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 16, 2026
Trump has few good options to slow China’s rise as AI superpower
The main challenge for the U.S. is keeping China at bay without prompting Beijing to further restrict rare earths.
With Huawei’s history of security concerns in mind, China is causing concern as it pushes technologies that could lock other countries into long?term dependence on its infrastructure.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 9, 2026
Tiny technology deepens the geopolitical divide
Adoption of particular technologies — reflected to some degree in brands and standards — will determine with which side a country aligns itself.
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are visible near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 26, 2026
Japan energy plan seeks to back pipelines bypassing Hormuz
The plan is part of a new energy strategy that’s aimed at strengthening supply security, according to documents from 91AV原创 Cabinet Office.
Participants discuss the recycling of key minerals during a joint event between the Japanese and Indian governments held at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2026
Japan and India hold first event focused on recycling of key minerals
The global market for critical minerals, including rare earths, is dominated by China, making it necessary for both Japan and India to rely heavily on imports.
U.S. President Donald Trump during an American mining industry roundtable discussion at the State Department in Washington on Friday
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2026
U.S. to invest $3 billion in minerals projects to boost supply chains
Minerals including rare earths, tungsten, germanium and scandium are essential for precision-guided missiles and other advanced weapons.
Pedestrians walk past the SK Hynix headquarters in Icheon on July 29. SK Hynix has facilities in Dalian and Wuxi in China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 5, 2026
Samsung and SK Hynix test Chinese chip tools as hedge against U.S. risks
They are wary that future ?restrictions could extend beyond new equipment ?to the servicing, repair or replacement of Western tools already installed at their Chinese plants.
U.S. solar manufacturing has expanded since Congress created tax incentives in 2022.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 5, 2026
U.S. weighs polysilicon tariffs to counter China in solar and chips
The decision, expected to come later this month, aims to protect U.S. polysilicon factories from growing Chinese ambitions in the chip supply chain.
A recent cyberattack impeded systems at major Japanese frozen food maker Nichirei, significantly affecting related industries, including restaurant chains.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2026
Japan adopts cybersecurity policy for early threat detection
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi voiced her hopes for Japan to have “one of the world’s highest levels of cyber defense” during a cybersecurity meeting.
Crushed ore before it is sent to the mill at the MP Materials rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, California, in 2020
BUSINESS
Jul 28, 2026
Trump may need to allow Chinese minerals as U.S. industry struggles to meet 2027 deadline
Partnerships with South Korea and Japan may offer a bridge for manufacturers until U.S. suppliers can ramp up operations.
A container ship bound for the Strait of Malacca enters the Singapore Strait, near Asia's southern most point in Johor, Malaysia.
WORLD
Jul 22, 2026
Hormuz, Malacca and other key straits spawn tensions throughout history
As Iran tightens its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, its Yemeni allies, the Houthi rebels, want to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea.
Nichirei headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2026
Nichirei to fully resume operations as early as next week
The company on Friday partially restarted operations at refrigerated warehouses and food factories, by accepting limited orders from client companies.
Industry minister Ryosei Akazawa says the government will consider stockpiling naphtha.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 16, 2026
Japan considering stockpiling naphtha again
The country procures 40% of its naphtha, a raw material for plastic products and paints, through imports from the Middle East.
The Aeon supermarket chain saw stock shortages due to a supply disruption following a cyberattack on food distributor Nichirei.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 16, 2026
Nichirei getting back online after cyberattack hit KFC supplies
Cyberattacks are becoming a recurring operational risk for Japanese companies, with incidents increasingly disrupting more than just internal IT systems.
Two Japanese climbers die on remote Himalayan peak in Nepal
Rescuers have recovered the bodies of two Japanese climbers missing for over a week on a remote Himalayan mountain.
Aging Japanese village turns to Peru in search of new residents
Guests from Peru's Belen district interact with a baby in Nanmoku village in Gunma Prefecture.
Budget-friendly restaurant chain Saizeriya succumbs to rising costs
A Tokyo branch of Saizeriya, a chain of family-style Italian restaurants
U.S. has for years asked Musk to alter Starlink service in Ukraine and Middle East, sources say
A Ukrainian soldier sets up a Starlink satellite internet system near the frontline in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Oct. 16
U.S. military bans Chinese-made BYD cars from key air base in Okinawa
An F-22 Raptor lands at Kadena Air Base in Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture on Oct. 9. The base is a crucial hub for U.S. military operations in the region.
A dramatic bear hunt in a midsize Japanese city could be a harbinger of what is to come
Zookeeper Tetsuo Iso at the site of frantic search for a wild bear in Utsunomiya on June 9. Iso, 65, was asked by the prefectural government to help capture the bear and it was his shot with a tranquilizer gun that put an end to the saga.
How this long-term resident avoids the annoying tourist label in Japan
Tourists enjoy themselves while crossing the famous Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo on Oct. 12.
What can Asia do to avoid crossing crucial climate tipping points?
Motorists drive through a road covered with smog from wildfires nearby in Ogan Ilir in Indonesia's South Sumatra province on Sept. 25.
Baku championships showcase rising standards in global sumo
Ryan Roddy (second from left back) is pictured with the Ireland sumo team at this month's World Sumo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.
91AV原创 permanent residency reform has a glaring blind spot
Japan's immigration reforms risk creating uncertainty by tying permanent residency more closely to language proficiency before clear assessment standards and supporting infrastructure are in place.

Podcast

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

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

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