This Month
Trump wants to slash the US trade deficit with Japan
The president said he believes that a resolution can be found without the need for punitive action, though he’s keeping tariffs are on the table for now.
- Aamer Madhani and Mari Yamaguchi
Billionaires Altman and Son bet big on each other
Tech entrepreneur Sam Altman and SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son lead talks over a record deal to make the Japanese investor the biggest backer of the ChatGPT-maker.
- David Keohane, George Hammond and Arash Massoudi
BP puts its $600m Perth clean fuel refinery plans on ice
The British petroleum giant had expected to decide on the development later this year, but said on Monday that it would delay work on the project.
- Updated
- Tom Rabe
January
Google Maps to rename Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’
The Trump administration declares that the Gulf of Mexico has been renamed, making good on a campaign promise.
- David Shepardson and Kenrick Cai
China narrows gap on US in AI arms race as Australia stands idle
Donald Trump’s Stargate announcement promised big bucks for development of artificial intelligence as advancing Chinese capability underlines America’s determination to preserve its leadership.
- Updated
- Paul Smith
- Opinion
- AI
Australia’s head not in the AI game
The prime minister’s rambling answer to a press club question on Australia’s engagement in the AI arms race shows how complacent political and business leaders are.
- Updated
- Sandy Plunkett
Quad could get surveillance role under Trump: Wong
Foreign Minister Penny Wong met other members of the Quad security dialogue in Washington, including US Security of State Marco Rubio.
- Matthew Cranston
Meet Japan’s original decluttering guru (no, not that one)
Hideko Yamashita pushes her clients to examine what overabundance and obsession do to their emotional states.
- River Akira Davis and Hisako Ueno
- Analysis
- Video games
Nintendo’s Switch 2 Is Here. Now it’s all about the games
After all the rumours and years of anticipation, we know what Nintendo’s next console is. It’s the Switch 2.
- Gearoid Reidy
South Korea president detained in huge law-enforcement effort
The South Korean leader said he agreed to submit to questioning to prevent a “bloody” clash between his bodyguards and the police.
- Choe Sang-Hun and Jin Yu Young
Japan’s enduring fascination with kamikaze pilots
Japanese tourists still flock to memorial sites to remember the young men who crashed their planes into Allied warships.
- Alexander Wooley
Australian bosses hooked on migrants, global survey shows
A global survey has found that rather than investing locally, Australian employers want migration to do the heavy lifting to fill skills shortages.
- Michelle Bowes
Tariffs alone won’t strengthen industry, Nippon Steel boss warns Trump
At the heart of the debate is whether an acquisition of US Steel by a company based in Japan, a crucial Washington ally, would weaken the American steel sector.
- Harry Dempsey
These 10 charts show how our region is preparing for war
Alarm over China’s ‘one-sided’ surge in military spending has prompted a regional arms race – and Australia is part of it.
- Andrew Tillett
December 2024
Vic Libs get new leader; ASX extends advance; Nissan merger ‘terrible’
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
- Analysis
- Electric vehicles
Why the Nissan-Honda merger is a ‘terrible thought bubble’
The tie-up would create the world’s third-largest car maker by sales. But the deal appears driven more by desperation than strategic thinking.
- Jessica Sier
How this Aussie golf pro got the ear of billionaire Masayoshi Son
An injury led Paul Jones to the fairways of country Victoria and on to the upper echelons of Japan’s most intriguing technology investor at SoftBank.
- Jessica Sier
Japan’s car industry consolidates: Honda and Nissan reveal merger plan
The Japanese car giants will merge to create the world’s third-largest automotive group by 2026, as the two companies struggle to keep up with global competitors.
- Jessica Sier
- Opinion
- World politics
Why the world’s leading democracies are in crisis
The majority of G7 governments are now so burdened with domestic political problems that they are incapable of steering their own countries – let alone the free world.
- Gideon Rachman
Foxconn throws curveball in Nissan-Honda merger talks
The iPhone maker has thrown a potential spanner in the works by approaching struggling Nissan about acquiring a stake, according to sources and media reports.
- Nicholas Takahashi