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U.S. strikes Iran in response to attack on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz

The Japan Times

U.S. strikes Iran in response to attack on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz US President Donald Trump speaks during the Faith & Freedom Coalition event in Washington on Friday. Washington/Dubai - The U.S. military attacked Iran on Friday in response to an Iranian drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, further straining the fragile peace deal agreed last week between the two countries. U.S. Central Command said aircraft struck missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites. CNN, citing an unnamed U.S. official, reported the U.S. operation had concluded. Iranian media said a projectile struck the area around a pier in Sirik in southern Iran. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps on Saturday said it targeted U.S. military positions in the region, in response to the U.S. strike.


Sony discontinues Japan sales of Aibo robot puppy

The Japan Times

Sony is halting sales of its Aibo robotic dog in Japan, ending an era for the interactive pet that became an instant hit and developed its own personality. Sony is halting sales of its Aibo robotic puppy in Japan, the company has said, eight years after the latest model of its interactive android pet became an instant hit. The Thursday announcement marks the end of an era for loyal fans of the high-tech toy, which develops its own personality and can perform tricks like waving and mimicking its owner. It was also a big comeback for Sony's robot dog. The first iteration of Aibo came out in 1999, followed by numerous models over the years -- from angular metallic-silver bots to more cuddly round-faced versions -- with more than 150,000 units sold. But by 2006, Sony, facing a tough business environment, pulled the plug on Aibo, seen as something of a frivolous luxury.


Takeda sees return to growth within three years, new CEO says

The Japan Times

Takeda Pharmaceutical is targeting a return on equity of at least 5% over that time, the company's newly appointed Chief Executive Officer Julie Kim said at her first news conference after assuming the top job this week. Takeda Pharmaceutical's newly appointed Chief Executive Officer Julie Kim says the company will return to growth in two to three years as it gears up for a wave of product launches. The company is targeting a return on equity of at least 5% over that time, Kim said at her first news conference after assuming the top job this week. Takeda is planning three major launches, including narcolepsy drug Oveporexton and psoriasis medication Zasocitinib in the next 12 months, while advancing a pipeline of five additional late-stage assets. It will ensure resiliency of its core therapeutic and business areas, which makes up more than half of its revenue. The company is also looking to leverage artificial intelligence, particularly in research and development, where it can accelerate the time it takes to run through pre-clinical work and improve decision making, according to Kim.


No fuel, no sleep: Ukrainian strikes seek to cut off Crimea

The Japan Times

Smoke rises from Crimea Bridge on Monday. The Ukrainian army is pounding supply routes and striking energy facilities across Crimea. Warsaw - For Yulia, a 23-year-old resident of Crimea, nights have become sleepless due to increased Ukrainian drone attacks on the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Kyiv's army is pounding supply routes and striking energy facilities across the Black Sea territory -- a campaign it sees as fair retribution for Moscow's daily barrages of Ukrainian cities, and one that it hopes will turn the tide of the four-year war in its favor. On Thursday, the Moscow-installed governor of Crimea announced power cuts across the peninsula, which despite the war had been a popular holiday destination for Russians. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.


U.S. defense firm Anduril in talks for Nissan plant to build drones in Japan, sources say

The Japan Times

U.S. defense firm Anduril in talks for Nissan plant to build drones in Japan, sources say U.S. defense firm Anduril Industries is in talks to acquire the plant to build military drones in Japan, sources say. U.S. defense firm Anduril Industries is in talks to acquire Nissan Motor's Oppama assembly plant near Tokyo as the maker of autonomous weapons looks to build military drones in Japan, according to three sources familiar with the matter. While they say no decision has been made, any deal could transform one of Japan's first large-scale postwar car factories, long a symbol of its industrial revival, into an arms-making hub. The talks over Oppama, which are being reported for the first time, come as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government seeks to expand defense manufacturing amid growing concern that a Taiwan Strait crisis could draw in Japan and run down weapons stocks. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.


Anthropic accuses Alibaba of 'illicitly' accessing AI models

The Japan Times

Anthropic accuses Alibaba of'illicitly' accessing AI models Alibaba's American depositary receipts sank to a session low on the news, falling more than 3% to $99.10 at 3:38 p.m. in New York on Wednesday. Anthropic accused Chinese technology giant Alibaba Group Holding of waging a large-scale effort to "illicitly" access its Claude artificial intelligence model using thousands of fraudulent accounts that undermine the U.S. AI developer's decision to keep its products out of China. Anthropic claimed that a campaign by operators linked to Alibaba's Qwen AI lab targeted Claude's most prized capabilities, including software engineering and agentic reasoning, according to a letter that the AI startup sent to several U.S. senators and White House officials. The company said it was the biggest attempt so far by a Chinese company to piggyback on the work of top U.S. labs. In its letter, Anthropic claimed that the effort involved 28.8 million exchanges with Claude between April and June through almost 25,000 fraudulent accounts, according to people familiar with the document and a copy seen by Bloomberg News. The company said the Alibaba campaign resembled past efforts by other Chinese developers that Anthropic flagged in a blog post earlier this year.


Thai stock market thriving as surprise beneficiary of AI boom

The Japan Times

People visit the Delta Electronics booth during the annual Computex trade show in Taipei, Taiwan, on June 3, 2026. Thailand's stock market is having the best year among Southeast Asian peers, as investors discover an unlikely source of exposure to the global artificial-intelligence boom. Much of that gain has come from Delta Electronics (Thailand). The maker of power systems for AI data centers has surged more than 80% this year and became Thailand's first $100 billion company, large enough to be worth more than the next four largest Thai stocks combined. While the country lacks the semiconductor champions of Taiwan or South Korea, investors are increasingly recognizing its role in supplying the infrastructure behind AI. "Thailand isn't a pure AI market, but its exposure to data centers, electronics, power systems and digital infrastructure gives investors a new way to view Thai equities beyond the traditional tourism, banks and domestic consumption cycle," Bloomberg Intelligence Strategist Sufianti said in a note. Delta's rise is the clearest evidence of that shift.


Japanese railway firms adopt AI safety systems at crossings

The Japan Times

An artificial intelligence-equipped camera system shows a person trapped inside a railway crossing gate during a test by Kintetsu Railway. A growing number of Japanese railway operators are introducing artificial intelligence (AI)-based systems to help prevent accidents involving trains at level crossings. The technology can automatically detect and report abnormalities, such as stalled vehicles or people trapped on the tracks, enabling train drivers and other railway staff to respond more quickly. Industry officials view AI as an effective tool for improving crossing safety, while the government has started offering financial support to encourage wider adoption. Kintetsu Railway, based in the city of Osaka, has tested an AI-equipped camera system at a crossing on the Kyoto Line in the town of Seika, Kyoto Prefecture.


First global rules adopted for self-driving cars, U.N. says

The Japan Times

First global rules adopted for self-driving cars, U.N. says Safety concerns and costs have long slowed progress on autonomous vehicles. The first global regulations for fully autonomous vehicles were adopted Wednesday, a U.N. agency said, establishing uniform international safety requirements that could pave the way for larger-scale rollouts of self-driving cars. Safety concerns and the cost of developing next-level systems have long slowed progress on autonomous vehicles. As self-driving cars have begun to hit the road in a growing number of cities, the fragmented national approaches to regulation have spurred manufacturer fears that vehicles developed for one market could be blocked from others. In a bid to address that issue, a meeting of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations at the United Nations in Geneva decided to introduce a global regulatory framework for vehicles equipped with fully autonomous driving systems (ADS).


Nvidia seeks to make humanoid AI robots safer around humans

The Japan Times

People stand near humanoid robots on display at the Nvidia booth during the China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing, China June 22, 2026. Nvidia Corp. is working to make humanoid robots safer around people, arguing that they'll need to handle split-second decisions before they can be trusted to work closely with humans. The chipmaker is offering software and semiconductors that will allow humanoids to enter the workplace and truly interact with people -- even making physical contact if necessary. Nvidia's Halos software, developed from systems used for self-driving vehicles, will be the basis of computers that give robots a much better awareness of what's happening around them, the company said in a statement Monday. Nvidia and its Silicon Valley peers are racing to develop technology for robotics, billing it as the next big market for artificial intelligence. The machines will evolve into a market with billions of devices, tech executives predict.