月: 2025年9月

1. Some US government offices may close from Wednesday as Republicans and Democrats remain divided over federal funding. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said they made proposals to the president on health care, which they think the American people are for. He said if the president will accept some of the things they asked for, a shutdown can be avoided. He said, “but there are still large differences between us.”
2. The Bank of Japan left interest rates unchanged in September, but a summary of the meeting shows more policymakers are leaning toward a rate hike in the near future. Two policymakers at the meeting did propose raising the central bank’s policy rate, but they were overvoted. However, the summary shows other policymakers indicated the bank will need to soon consider hiking interest rates.
3. Japanese beverage maker Suntory Spirits says it will change its mainstay beer-like drinks to regular beer to tap demand for beer that is expected to grow thanks to a tax. Suntory announced on Monday that the change of its Kinmugi brand will take place in or after October 2026.

1. The organizer of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka says the number of visitors has exceeded the break-even point with 15 days remaining before the event closes. The organizer announced on Sunday that preliminary data shows that the number of ticketed visitors surpassed 22 million on Saturday. That figure has been seen as the number needed to avoid a loss.
2. Yokozuna Onosato clinched his fifth sumo title on Sunday after defeating fellow grand champion Hoshuryu in a playoff.
3. US Vice President JD Vance says the United States is considering supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles, which have a long-range capacity that can reach the Russian capital Moscow from Ukraine.

1. US President Donald Trump has held talks with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and called on him to stop buying Russian oil. Trump appears to be aiming for a breakthrough in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by obtaining Turkey’s cooperation. The country is a NATO member, but also geographically near Russia and Ukraine, and has close relations with both of them.
2. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told an American news outlet he has received support from the US. He said President Donald Trump backs him up carrying out retaliatory strikes against Russian energy targets and arms factories. News site Axios released the interview on Thursday. In it, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces are seeking additional long-range weaponry from Washington and that, if they get it, they “will use it.” He added that this should serve as a warning to leaders in Moscow. Zelenskyy said, “They have to know where their bomb shelters are. If they will not stop the war, they will need it in any case.”
3. Ukrainian officials have appealed for Japanese investment in defense and other industries to help the country rebuild from the destruction caused by Russian attacks. Organizations including the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce in Japan held an investment forum in Tokyo on Thursday. A senior official of the Ukrainian government’s investment promotion office outlined forms of preferential treatment, such as one related to corporate taxation. The deputy of Ukraine’s Sumy regional council stressed that investment will be needed in various fields to revitalize the economy after the fighting ends.

1. Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has called for the lifting of all sanctions to support the country’s reconstruction. He made the remarks at a speech Wednesday at the United Nations General Assembly. Syrian and other media say he is the first Syrian leader to address the assembly in 58 years.
2. The Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA, says it will withdraw an exchange program between Japanese municipalities and African nations due to a continuing backlash from misinformation. JICA officials told reporters that incorrect information is still circulating, and protest phone calls and emails are becoming an excessive burden for the municipalities.
3. An apartment fire in Tokyo has sent six people to hospitals. Police and firefighters believe the blaze was sparked by a mobile battery charger. Police and others say a resident of the five-story building in Suginami Ward reported that a battery charger erupted in flames, shortly before 2:00 a.m. on Thursday.

1. Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has called for a reform of the United Nations Security Council, and indicated Japan may recognize Palestinian statehood if Israel takes further actions to block a “two-state solution.”
2. US President Donald Trump said NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they violate NATO airspace. His comment came after Russian fighters and military drones have entered the NATO airspace in recent weeks.
3. Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jets have arrived at an air base in Germany for defense exchanges. F-15 fighter jets have been dispatched to the United States, Canada, Britain and Germany from September 14 to October 1. Germany is the last destination. The mission is designed to strengthen cooperation with the countries through defense exchanges.

1. Russia has been condemned at an emergency UN Security Council meeting for its alleged violation of Estonian airspace.
2. Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru is on his way to New York to attend the UN General Assembly.
3. French President Emmanuel Macron said that France recognizes Palestinian statehood during a speech at the United Nations in New York on Monday.

1. The race to lead Japan’s main ruling Liberal Democratic Party has officially kicked off. Five lawmakers filed their candidacy papers on Monday morning in the hopes of succeeding Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. Here are the candidates: Former Economic Security Minister Kobayashi Takayuki, the party’s former Secretary-General Motegi Toshimitsu, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa, former Economic Security Minister Takaishi Sanae, and Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro.
2. US President Donald Trump has appealed to conservative supporters for solidarity at a memorial service for political activist Charlie Kirk. Kirk was shot and killed during a campus event at a university in the western state of Utah on September 10, allegedly by a 22-year-old male. Kirk was a leading inspiration for pro-Trump MAGA youth.
3. Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal have officially recognized Palestine as a state. Their announcements on Sunday came while the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip continues to further deteriorate.

1. The Bank of Japan says it will keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at around half a percent.
2. The organizer of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka says the number of general visitors has surpassed 20 million. The Expo opened in April and runs until October 13.
3. US broadcaster ABC’s decision to suspend the late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live” for comments on the death of a political activist that has sparked a debate about government pressure on the media and free speech.

1. US President Donald Trump received the royal treatment on his trip to the United Kingdom on Wednesday. He is the only American president to be hosted for two state visits in modern history. Trump and First Lady Melania were welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle. The king hosted a lavish state banquet for Trump at the ancient castle outside London.
2. Policymakers at the US Federal Reserve have cut their benchmark interest rate for the first time this year. They approved a cut of 0.25 percentage points on Wednesday following their two-day policy meeting. The Fed’s target rate range is now between 4 and 4.25 percent. It is the first time policymakers have lowered rates in President Donald Trump’s current term, and the decision comes after steady pressure from Trump for a cut.
3. Higher stock prices are driving up financial assets held by individuals in Japan. The Bank of Japan says the total value hit an all-time high at the end of June.

1. A senior official of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, says the alliance is looking at ways to counter unmanned aircraft, other than shooting them down with fighter jets. The official made the plan known on Tuesday. On September 9 and 10, 19 unmanned Russian aircraft violated Poland’s airspace. Fighter jets from NATO member countries intercepted some of the drones.
2. A sustained rise in Japan’s land prices has started to attract younger buyers, with an increasing number of them looking to pick up condominiums as investment properties. A survey by the ministry of land shows average prices nationwide as of July 1st climbed 1.5 percent year on year. Gains accelerated in the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas.
3. American actor and director Robert Redford has died. He was 89. US media say Redfort passed away at his home in the western state of Utah on Tuesday. Redford played a con man in “The Sting,” and went on to firmly establish himself as one of the finest actors of his time with his portrayal of a journalist in “All the President’s Men.”