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November 14, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 14, 2024
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Then-vice minister of finance for international affairs, Masato Kanda, on Jan. 31, 2022
BUSINESS
As pain from weak yen deepens, Japan's ex-currency chief Masato Kanda warns of action
By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Makiko Yamazaki
Kanda's warning came as the Japanese currency weakened to a three-month low of near ¥155 to the dollar.
Then-vice minister of finance for international affairs, Masato Kanda, on Jan. 31, 2022
The U.S. Capitol reflected in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump wins Republican trifecta as GOP retains house majority
By Billy House
The GOP sweep sharply diminishes any hope for Democrats to curtail Trump’s sway over trillions of dollars in expiring tax provisions.
Seven & I Holdings on Wednesday said that it has received a nonbinding offer for the company from Junro Ito, a vice president and representative director of the company, and Ito Kogyo, a company connected to him.
BUSINESS / Companies
Seven & I considers massive management buyout offer
By Francis Tang
The offer brings together a member of the company’s founding family, a giant trading company and some of Japan’s largest banks.
An expert committee convened by the health ministry has proposed introducing a limit on consecutive workdays.
JAPAN / Society
Japan to ban employees from working for 14 consecutive days
By Kathleen Benoza
Employers are currently required to provide one day off a week, but loopholes mean some employees can work up to 48 days in a row.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other Cabinet members and lawmakers attend a session of the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Trump return leaves Japan’s leader with no time to snooze
Gearoid Reidy
The prime minister drew headlines for a moment after he was caught napping in parliament during proceedings for his own nomination as Japanese leader.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other Cabinet members and lawmakers attend a session of the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Monday.

JAPAN

Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tsuruga nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture in 2017
Tsuruga reactor formally ruled noncompliant with safety standards
The Nuclear Regulation Authority ruled the Tsuruga No. 2 reactor did not meet the safety standards after a screening process taking nearly nine years.
Daisuke Tanaka's profile photo on his Instagram account
Host arrested on suspicion of coercing client into prostitution
A host club employee in Tokyo’s Kabukicho entertainment district was arrested for allegedly attempting to force a female client into prostitution.
Japan OKs insurance coverage of Alzheimer's drug donanemab
Chinese national held over swindling of Ibaraki woman who lost ¥809 million
By Karin Kaneko
Onagawa nuclear reactor in northeastern Japan restarted after issue
Municipalities in Japan turn to AI and digital maps to prevent bear encounters

BUSINESS

Nippon Steel Chairman and CEO Eiji Hashimoto told a local weekly that a lawsuit is possible if the company's proposed buyout of U.S. Steel gets blocked without proper procedures being followed.
Nippon Steel does not rule out lawsuit if U.S. Steel deal nixed, CEO says
By Francis Tang
If the deal falls through without a legitimate reason or proper procedures, the Japanese steelmaker would consider suing the U.S. government, CEO Eiji Hashimoto says.
The corporate goods price index rose 3.4% in October from a year earlier, Bank of Japan data showed, above market forecasts for a 3.0% gain.
Japan's wholesale inflation heightens uncertainty on rate hike timing
By Leika Kihara
A spike in the price of rice, coupled with the increasing cost of nonferrous metals, food and oil, pushed up overall wholesale inflation.
Rakuten sells Mizuho 15% of credit card arm for $1.1 billion
By Takahiko Hyuga and Taiga Uranaka
Kadokawa warned over unfair payment practices
By Jessica Speed
SoftBank plans first supercomputer with Nvidia Blackwell chips
By Ian King, Min Jeong Lee and Yuki Furukawa
Japan to promote the joint transportation of local goods

WORLD

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping after a signing ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in April 2023.
Lula’s embrace of Xi sets up a clash over Trump’s China policy
By Simone Iglesias, Daniel Carvalho and Beatriz Reis
Brazil’s geography and colonial history meant that it has traditionally looked to the Atlantic for commerce. Now it’s deepening ties with the Asia Pacific.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump gestures as he meets with House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday.
Trump's team drawing up list of Pentagon officers to fire, sources say
By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali
It is unclear if Donald Trump will endorse the firings, although in the past he has railed extensively against defense leaders who have criticized him.
Matt Gaetz is Trump’s pick for attorney general
By Takahiko Hyuga, Taiga Uranaka, Glenn Thrush and Devlin Barrett
Europe pushes for resolution against Iran at IAEA, diplomats say
By John Irish and Francois Murphy
China is flouting Palau's ocean boundaries, president says
Philippines says China is pushing it to cede claims in South China Sea
By Peter Hobson and Lewis Jackson

Sports

Onosato (above) defeats Hiradoumi on the first day of the Kyushu Basho in Fukuoka on Sunday.
The good, the bad and the sumo: Kyushu Basho gets underway
By John Gunning
To no one’s surprise, new ozeki Onosato continues to tear through the top division with ease.
Sydney and Perth to host bulk of 2026 Women's Asian Cup
Indonesia goes Dutch in pursuit of World Cup dreams
By Satya Adhi and Jack Moore
'New balls, please,' plead top men's tennis players
By Jerome Rasetti
Inspired Sinner battles past Fritz to claim second win in Turin

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other Cabinet members and lawmakers attend a session of the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
Trump return leaves Japan’s leader with no time to snooze
Gearoid Reidy
The prime minister drew headlines for a moment after he was caught napping in parliament during proceedings for his own nomination as Japanese leader.
A blueprint for youth inclusion in climate diplomacy
By Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak
Living in Trump’s world
By Mark Leonard
Voters to elites: Ignore the working class at your own peril
By David Brooks
Trump’s market honeymoon won't last much longer
By Robert Burgess

ENVIRONMENT

Andrew Harper, climate advisor for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), looks on during a visit to a neighborhood partially destroyed by the floods that hit Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on June 23.
Climate crisis worsening 'hellish' conditions for displaced people, U.N. reports
By Nina LARSON
Weather-related causes have displaced approximately 60,000 people per day over the past decade, data shows, adding to those uprooted by other disasters.
Global warming is already on the cusp of 1.5 C, new research finds
By Eric Roston
COP29: U.S. climate envoy says work will continue despite Trump's return
By Valerie Volcovici, Nailia Bagirova and Kate Abnett
A guide to COP29 climate vocabulary
By William James
Who are the key voices at the COP29 climate summit in Baku?
By Gloria Dickie and Kate Abnett

CULTURE

Izumi Suzuki’s autobiographical novel “Set My Heart on Fire” is the first novel by the author and actor to appear in English.
‘Set My Heart on Fire’: Izumi Suzuki captures the heady cravings of youth
By Thu-Huong Ha
The cult writer’s autobiographical novel follows its unapologetic groupie narrator as she romps through Yokohama’s underground music scene in the 1970s.
U.K. writer Samantha Harvey wins 2024 Booker with space novel
Beyonce leads Grammy nods after trailblazing country album
By Maggy Donaldson
Late Ryuichi Sakamoto's final solo piano work nominated for Grammy
Festival glory for a dark Japanese comedy
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

As the weather gets colder, we are seeing an uptick in cases of influenza as well as COVID-19.
The Japanese you need to get vaccinated before winter comes
By Eric Margolis
With strains of both COVID-19 and the flu circulating, learn the words that will help you navigate a visit to the clinic.
The winter sweet that matches perfectly with autumn
By Elizabeth Andoh
Is Okinawa ready for a bar like El Lequio?
By Owen Ziegler
The sound of silence: Japan's no-conversation services
By Mai Yoshikawa
Americans are traveling abroad as a post-election salve
By Sara Ruberg

COMMUNITY

Gary Perlman has developed a kabuki adaptation of “Madame Butterfly” that he hopes will be performed 100 years from now.
Gary Perlman: ‘Kabuki is pure entertainment … the characters and themes are universal’
By Ansel Swindells
In adapting "Madame Butterfly" for kabuki, the man behind the production hopes to reframe the tale with stronger female characters.
How Fugetsu-Do survived the evolution of Little Tokyo in LA
By Meghan McCarron
Japan’s ‘meibutsu’-industrial complex is a wonder to behold
By Jordan Allen
Andrijana Cvetkovikj: ‘We have to create more opportunities for women to be playing on equal ground’
By Zoria Petkoska
Can you drink in Shibuya and Shinjuku this Halloween? It depends.
By Ansel Swindells

Editors' Picks

WORLD
Trump's picks: A Fox News host, an ex-spy chief and the world's richest man
By Jesse Johnson
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump is interviewed by "Fox and Friends" co-host Pete Hegseth at the White House in Washington in April 2017. Trump nominated Hegseth to be the next U.S. defense secretary on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Ishiba in for a bumpy ride as CDP takes Budget Committee post
By Himari Semans
The Lower House plenary session on Monday
JAPAN
Government set to postpone submission of cyberdefense bill to next year
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Digital minister Masaaki Taira, who has jurisdiction over a bill to introduce an “active cyberdefense” system, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Tuesday.
CULTURE
‘Set My Heart on Fire’: Izumi Suzuki captures the heady cravings of youth
By Thu-Huong Ha
Izumi Suzuki’s autobiographical novel “Set My Heart on Fire” is the first novel by the author and actor to appear in English.
BASEBALL
Posting ace Roki Sasaki will leave Marines in awkward position
By Jason Coskrey
Roki Sasaki waves to fans after the Marines' final home game of the 2024 season.

Podcast

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

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono
The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
India set to overtake Japan in GDP rankings
By Elizabeth Beattie
An infrastructure project in the city of Mumbai. The International Monetary Fund forecasts 7.0% growth for India in 2024 and 6.5% in 2025, compared with 0.3% growth for Japan this year and 1.1% next year.
JAPAN
Condition of hospitalized Japanese Princess Yuriko, 101, deteriorates
Princess Akiko, who left for Britain on Thursday to attend an international conference in London, returned to Tokyo on Saturday morning and visited to visit her ailing grandmother, Princess Yuriko.
JAPAN
Imperial family members visit ailing Princess Yuriko at hospital
By Yukana Inoue
Princess Yuriko in May 2023. At 101 years old, she is the oldest member of the imperial family.
JAPAN
Japan to ban employees from working for 14 consecutive days
By Kathleen Benoza
An expert committee convened by the health ministry has proposed introducing a limit on consecutive workdays.
ASIA PACIFIC
35 killed, dozens wounded in south China car ramming: police
By Isabel Kua and Michael ZHANG
People burn incense near floral tributes placed outside a sports center where a deadly hit-and-run attack took place in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China, on Tuesday.