This is Beirut

Trump Pushes Japan to Import More American Rice, a Major Political Challenge for Tokyo

This is Beirut, 10/07 10:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump’s demand that Japan, described as “spoiled”, buy more American rice is creating additional pressure for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is already facing a tough election that could bring his time in office to an end after less than a year. Japan is one of more than 20 countries receiving letters this week from the US ...

Trump Slaps Allies Japan, South Korea with 25% Tariffs

This is Beirut, 07/07 20:48 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States South Korea Tariffs Japan

US President Donald Trump said Monday he was slapping 25 percent tariffs on Japan and South Korea in his first letters to trading partners ahead of a deadline to reach a deal with Washington. Trump had said at the weekend that starting from Monday he would send a first batch of up to 15 letters to countries informing them that he would reimpose ...

Hokusai’s Masterpieces on Display in France for the First Time

This is Beirut, 27/06 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Exhibition Art Hokusai Japan France Culture

For the first time, 160 works by Japanese painter and printmaking master Katsushika Hokusai are leaving Japan to be exhibited in France. The Nantes History Museum, in western France, will host the show starting this Saturday, running throughout the summer. The collection of prints, paintings, drawings, and folding screens comes from the ...

The World Wants Matcha but Japan Struggles to Keep Up

This is Beirut, 26/06 16:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Matcha Japan

The global matcha craze is putting serious pressure on Japanese producers. In Los Angeles, some matcha bars are nearly out of stock. Now, Japan faces the challenge of meeting demand while preserving tradition.

Record-Breaking Japan Striker 'King Kazu' Plays at 58

This is Beirut, 16/06 16:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

King Kazu Japan Football

The record-breaking striker Kazuyoshi Miura played in Japan's fourth tier at aged 58 for his 40th season as a professional footballer. Former international Miura, fondly known as "King Kazu", is the oldest professional in Japan and almost certainly beyond. He came on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Atletico Suzuka Club on Sunday and helped them ...

Nintendo’s Switch 2 Becomes Fastest-Selling Console in History

This is Beirut, 11/06 09:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nintendo Japan Gaming Switch 2

The Switch 2 has smashed records to become the fastest-selling console ever after gamers snapped up 3.5 million units in its first four days, Nintendo said Wednesday. Featuring a bigger screen and more processing power, the console is an upgrade to the original Switch – the third best-selling console of all time. It was released last Thursday ...

Four Injured in Explosion at US air Base in Japan

This is Beirut, 09/06 09:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Japan

An explosion injured four men at a Japanese facility for storing unexploded bombs at a US air base in Okinawa on Monday, a fire official said, with their condition reportedly not critical. Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) members at the facility at Kadena Air Base were trying to wipe rust off items at the facility to re-assess if they were bombs, ...

Ghibli at 40: Beloved, Award-Winning, But Uncertain Future

This is Beirut, 06/06 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Ghibli Japan Animation Culture Art Drawing

Japan's Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month with two Oscars and legions of fans, young and old, won over by its complex plots and fantastical hand-drawn animation. But the future is uncertain, with the latest hit, The Boy and the Heron, likely — but not certainly — the final feature from celebrated co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, now 84. The studio ...

Gamers Get Hold of Nintendo's Hotly Awaited Switch 2

This is Beirut, 05/06 12:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Japan Nintendo Switch 2

Gamers finally got their hands on Nintendo's new Switch 2 on Thursday, the console that could score record early sales for the Japanese "Super Mario" creator. The device, which features a bigger screen and more processing power, is an upgrade to the Switch that became a global phenomenon with hit games such as "Animal ...

Japan Core Inflation Tops Forecasts as Rice Prices Almost Double

This is Beirut, 23/05 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Japan economy inflation Rice

Japanese inflation spiked at a two-year high in April, data showed Friday, as rice prices almost doubled, turning focus on the central bank as it mulls more interest rate hikes amid Donald Trump's trade war. The news also puts pressure on Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of elections in July and after a minister was forced to resign over a ...

Moody’s Slashes Global Growth Forecasts for 2025–2026

This is Beirut, 09/05 18:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Moody’s Australia France Italy Japan

Credit rating agency Moody’s has sharply downgraded its global economic growth forecasts for 2025 and 2026, revising them to 1.9% and 2.3% respectively, down from the 2.5% predicted last February. This significant drop is mainly attributed to rising tariffs on key industrial goods such as steel and aluminum—a trend that is hindering ...

Baby Artist: 'Thumbelina''s First Solo Exhibition in Tokyo

This is Beirut, 23/04 15:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Japan Exhibition Painting Toddler artist Thumbelina Culture

Gripping paintbrush and crayon, the artist known as Thumbelina splodges and splats with merry abandon, the one-year-old star of a Tokyo exhibition that goes on way past her bedtime. Abstract paintings by the toddler are on sale for 33,000 yen ($230) at her debut show at hip gallery Decameron, tucked above a bar in the Kabukicho red-light ...

Japan