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TOKYO
August 16, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 16, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
Trade deal
WWII ANNIVERSARY
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U.S. President Donald Trump looks on next to Russian leader Vladimir Putin during a news conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump-Putin summit yields no deal on ending war in Ukraine
No agreement to resolve or pause Moscow's war in Ukraine emerged from the highly anticipated summit, despite both leaders calling the talks productive.

More coverage

Trump’s pause on Ukraine aid hurt its readiness, watchdog finds
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on next to Russian leader Vladimir Putin during a news conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump greeets Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka in June 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Trump says Xi told him he wouldn’t invade Taiwan while U.S. leader is in office
By Jesse Johnson
But the U.S. president said Xi had also delivered an implicit warning about Taiwan’s future, telling him that he is “very patient, and China is very patient.”
Toyota Motor Land Cruisers are parked, bound for shipment, at the Port of Nagoya in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
Listed Japan firms log 11% quarterly profit drop
The decreases comes as tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump weighed heavily on automakers.
A screen displays share prices inside the Kabuto One building in Tokyo. The Nikkei 225 closed at a record high of 43,378.31 on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Tokyo stocks hit closing-price record as GDP surprises
By Francis Tang
The Japanese economy grew much faster than expected in the second quarter.
Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
JAPAN / History / Longform
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
By Tomoko Otake
An decades-long effort to recover the remains of those who died during World War II, most of them abroad, may be entering its final phase.
Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.

JAPAN

People take part in a silent prayer to pay their respects during a visit to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Friday, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
When did WWII end? 1 in 4 Japanese can’t say, survey shows
By Yukana Inoue
The online study, conducted in June, had 1,200 participants ranging from ages 10 and over.
Dried cannabis confiscated by police shown to media in Tokyo on Wednesday
Japan makes its biggest drug bust ever
Authorities have seized roughly a metric ton of dried cannabis smuggled by ship from Vietnam worth around ¥5.2 billion ($35.2 million).
Taisho Democracy: A turbulent, tenuous era of conflicting ideals
By Michael Hoffman
Secretary of LDP's Hagiuda fined over funds scandal
Hiker missing in Hokkaido after bear attack found dead
Stateless man of Japanese descent in Philippines eager for Japan citizenship

BUSINESS

Japanese mobile payment service provider PayPay has taken a step for its public listing in the United States, though the exact schedule, size and price for the public listing have yet to be determined.
PayPay takes step for U.S. listing
The exact schedule, size and price for the public listing have yet to be determined, the mobile payment service provider said.
PayPay is the most popular payment app in Japan, with 70 million users.
SoftBank's PayPay prepares for listing on a U.S. exchange
By Francis Tang
It has filed registration documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Trump's attack on Goldman could prompt watering down of Wall Street's independent analysis
By Suzanne McGee and Saeed Azhar
Modi slams ‘economic selfishness’ in defiance of U.S. tariffs
By Swati Gupta
Air Canada and union deadlocked despite government plea for deal to avert Saturday strike
By Allison Lampert
Tokyo stocks hit closing-price record as GDP surprises
By Francis Tang

WORLD

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks during a news conference at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington on July 29.
Draft of Trump’s health blueprint avoids industry crackdown
The draft was dated Aug. 11, but could still see changes before it’s finalized, according to people familiar with the discussions.
U.S. National Guard members patrol at Union Station in Washington on Friday.
Washington, D.C., police chief remains in command under White House deal
Trump administration lawyers conceded that Pamela Smith would remain in command of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department.
'Doomsday' monsoon rains lash Pakistan, killing almost 200 people
Taliban mark fourth year in power in Afghanistan
Online cockfighting thrives in Philippines despite ban and murders
By Pam Castro
Desperate Myanmar villagers scavenge for food as hunger bites

Sports

Masahiro Tanaka walks off the field after the end of the fifth inning during the Giants' game against the Dragons at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday.
Masahiro Tanaka still two giant steps away from Meikyukai
By Jason Coskrey
The Giants pitcher's pursuit of 200 career victories between NPB and MLB remains stuck at 198.
U.S. legend Michael Phelps slams USA Swimming and calls for overhaul
Michael Phelps makes a splash with Ravens' swimming lessons
Wales' Louis Rees-Zammit returns to rugby after NFL dream ends
Los Angeles Olympics to sell naming rights to venues in first

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering issuing a formal statement on the 80th anniversary of WWII’s end. There is no shortage of opposition to the idea in his own party.
Why Ishiba shouldn’t issue a WWII 80th anniversary statement
Kuni Miyake
I’m not saying Japan shouldn’t have apologized, but rather that Japan has sincerely worked to resolve international issues, especially in the past 30 years.
Operation Highmast reinforces claims that ‘security is indivisible’
Precautionary Osprey landings signal safety, not alarm
By Robert D. Eldridge
The real nuclear moonshot is here on Earth
By Liam Denning
Dispelling the myth of Yasukuni Shrine
By Edo Naito

ENVIRONMENT

Plastic bottles and other refuse collected from Border Field State Park Beach in San Diego in May
Tough U.S. stance casts gloom over plastics pollution deal after Geneva flop
By Olivia Le Poidevin and Emma Farge
Many states and campaigners blamed the failure on oil-producers including the U.S, which they said urged others to reject caps on new plastic production.
'Bad actors' blamed as plastic pollution treaty talks end again without deal
By Robin Millard
With waters at 32 C, Mediterranean tropicalization shifts into high gear
By Remi BANET
Climate heat extremes driving tropical bird decline: study
By Julien MIVIELLE
The airline industry's dirty secret: Clean jet fuel failures
By Joanna Plucinska, Joe Brock, Marleen Kaesebier and Paul Carsten

CULTURE

The inverted cone, one of Atsushi Kitagawara’s six signature elements in architecture, is a key feature of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection museum building.
Atsushi Kitagawara’s exhibition finds poetry in architecture
By Gendel Gento
Award-winning architect Kitagawara's work is displayed at the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection museum he designed, making it both a venue and a centerpiece of the exhibition.
Osaka Asian Film Festival gets an expo boost
By Matt Schley
Samansa bets on commuter cinema
By Ryne Hisada
‘Yukikaze’ turns fabled warship into floating snoozefest
By James Hadfield
The early bird gets the bangers at this year’s Summer Sonic
By Patrick St. Michel

LIFE

Chef Kei Kobayashi is France's only Japanese chef with three Michelin stars.
In Paris, chefs Chizuko Kimura and Kei Kobayashi make their mark
By Kyoko Nakayama
One is the world’s first Michelin-starred female sushi chef, while the other is France’s only three-Michelin-starred Japanese chef.
In preserving Japanese hospitality, ‘details are everything’
By Melinda Joe
A seaside hotel built on competitive Japanese cycling
By Jessica Kozuka
Reading the Japanese clock: Are times a-changin'?
By Peter Backhaus
In a coffee-mad neighborhood, a gin distillery is a clear alternative
By Melinda Joe

COMMUNITY

Francisco Villarreal moved to Japan in 2014 to attend a teacher training program and has forged deep ties to the kindergarten in Tokyo's Asakusa district where he has worked since 2018.
Kindred spirits, kindergarten connections: From Buenos Aires to east Tokyo
By Francisco J. Villarreal
An Argentinian teacher finds echoes of his hometown in the working-class neighborhoods of eastern Tokyo.
A campaign to preserve Hiroshima’s historic trees for another 1,000 years
By Patrick Parr
Briton brings artistic view to Japanese buildings
By Louise George Kittaka
The international artists supporting Japan’s craft legacy
By Laura Pollacco
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio

Editors' Picks

MORE SPORTS
Recent deaths of Japanese boxers underline importance of emergency action plans
By Mai Yoshikawa
The Japan Boxing Commission's safety protocols have been thrust into the spotlight following the deaths of Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa, who suffered fatal brain injuries while fighting on the same card on Aug. 2.
JAPAN
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
By Tomoko Otake
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.
JAPAN
Will Ishiba's critics be able to garner enough support for a leadership race?
By Eric Johnston
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's political survival likely hinges on whether a leadership race will take place within the Liberal Democratic Party following its decision to have its election committee canvass the opinions of party members and prefectural chapters on the subject.
JAPAN
Hidden rosters and the legacy of Japan’s germ warfare
By Tomoko Otake
Katsutoshi Takegami, 77, in his storehouse attic where he discovered his father's Unit 1644 documents
ENVIRONMENT
Osaka Expo highlights the challenge of holding events in Japan's scorching summer
By Joel Tansey
People huddle near a large fan blowing icy-cold mist at the Osaka Expo on July 12. Amid Japan's relentless summer heat, organizes have put myriad measures in place in order to keep guests safe.

Podcast

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

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
By Tomoko Otake

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
By Tomoko Otake
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.
JAPAN
Japanese star convicted of indecent assault in Hong Kong
J-pop idol Kenshin Kamimura leaves the West Kowloon Law Courts on bail in Hong Kong on Wednesday, after he was found guilty of indecent assault of a woman who worked as his interpreter at a restaurant in Mong Kok district in March this year.
JAPAN
Tens of thousands left stranded at Osaka Expo by train service interruption
By Yukana Inoue
Visitors rest inside the Osaka Expo venue early Thursday morning
BUSINESS
Welcoming foreign residents benefits Japan, three quarters of economists say
By Elizabeth Beattie
The streets of Tokyo's Ginza district in April. The number of foreign residents in Japan hit a record high at 3.76 million as of the end of last year, comprising just over 3% of the population.
JAPAN
Hiker missing in Hokkaido after bear attack found dead
The Rausu mountain range at Hokkaido's Shiretoko National Park. A man in his 20s who went missing after being attacked by a bear while hiking on Mount Rausu has been found dead.