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August 14, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 14, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
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WWII ANNIVERSARY
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French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and others attend a video conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, at Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas, France, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump threatens 'severe consequences' if Putin blocks Ukraine peace
By Andrea Shalal, Thomas Escritt and Tom Balmforth
The U.S. president did not specify what the consequences could be, but he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting with Putin proves fruitless.
French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and others attend a video conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, at Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas, France, on Wednesday.
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in north Gaza on Tuesday
WORLD
Israel pounds Gaza City, with 123 dead in last 24 hours
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose
The 24-hour death toll was the worst in a week and added to the massive fatalities from the nearly two-year war.
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 / Politics / EXPLAINER
Will Ishiba's critics be able to garner enough support for a leadership race?
By Eric Johnston
The only way to remove an LDP president from office — other than a resignation — is to invoke the recall clause and hold a leadership race.
Among the middle school students who admitted to abusing over-the-counter medication, the majority — around 64% — said they got them from pharmacies while a third said they had access to them in their own households.
JAPAN / Science & Health
1 in 55 Japanese middle schoolers abuse over-the-counter drugs, survey shows
By Yukana Inoue
Most of them got the drugs from pharmacies and their own households.
Katsutoshi Takegami, 77, in his storehouse attic where he discovered his father's Unit 1644 documents
JAPAN / History
Hidden rosters and the legacy of Japan’s germ warfare
By Tomoko Otake
In a dusty box, a Nagano man finds proof his father served in Nanjing, China, with Unit 1644, part of Japan’s covert biological weapons network during World War II.
Katsutoshi Takegami, 77, in his storehouse attic where he discovered his father's Unit 1644 documents

JAPAN

Setsuko Kawai, who lost her mother and two younger brothers in the March 1945 bombing, has fought for recognition of the victims.
Civilian air raid survivors fight for recognition 80 years after war's end
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
After drafting a bill to provide concrete relief to survivors this spring, a bipartisan group of lawmakers failed to submit it to parliament days before the session’s closure.
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
By Tomoko Otake
For 95-year-old Hideo Shimizu, the 4½ months he spent with the biological and chemical warfare unit of the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Army were just like yesterday.
Two men arrested for ¥28 million robbery at Fukushima pachinko parlor
War must never be repeated, says WWII guerilla commander
Starto Entertainment fans targeted by social media phishing scam
Akita woman recounts one of the last air raids of WWII

BUSINESS

A rendering of East Japan Railway's next-generation E10 series of Shinkansen bullet train
India wants more Japan involvement in its high-speed rail project
India expects Japan to submit bids for routes other than the one under construction in western India that is set to utilize the Shinkansen bullet train technology,
The Maruti Suzuki India e-Vitara electric vehicle unveiled during the Bharat Mobility Global Expo in New Delhi in January
Suzuki’s India unit doubles down on SUVs as small cars slide
By Alisha Sachdev
The nation’s top carmaker is scrambling to counter slowing demand for its bread-and-butter small cars.
Trump’s deal with Nvidia offers path forward in global trade war
By Joe Deaux, Jennifer A Dlouhy and Josh Wingrove
Thailand’s Delta sees AI boom boosting sales for coming years
By Eduard Gismatullin
Chinese investors eyeing Indonesia to avoid tariffs and tap local market
Rakuten Bank to refrain from JGB buying as more rate hikes seen
By Hideki Suzuki and Min Jeong Lee

WORLD

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a news conference in Berlin on Wednesday.
How a call from Trump ignited a frantic week of diplomacy by Ukraine
By Constant Meheut
A call by Trump to Zelenskyy and other European leaders raised concern over negotiations with Putin and set off a flurry of diplomacy ahead of the Friday summit.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China, in 2018
China and India discuss resuming border trade after five-year pause
By Sudhi Ranjan Sen
The normalizing of ties between the two countries comes against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump imposing a 50% tariff rate on Indian exports to the U.S.
EU security measures cut illegal arrivals, but migrants take riskier routes
By Beatrice Tridimas
Trump and Putin: A strained relationship
By Leon Bruneau
Hong Kong court to hear closing arguments in mogul Jimmy Lai's trial
U.S. court lets Trump block billions of dollars in foreign aid
By Zoe Tillman

Sports

Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani sued over $240 million Hawaii development
Ohtani and his agent allegedly "exploited their celebrity leverage to destabilize and ultimately dismantle Plaintiffs' role in the project ... for financial self-interest."
Angels spoil Shohei Ohtani's return to mound in Anaheim by beating Dodgers
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says experimental drug saved him after cancer diagnosis
Venus Williams receives wild card for U.S. Open
NBA approves sale of Celtics for $6.1 billion

Opinion

Shinto priests holding traditional umbrellas walk to the main shrine for a ritual to cleanse themselves during the annual Spring Festival at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo in April 2016.
Dispelling the myth of Yasukuni Shrine
Edo Naito
The shrine has been a lightning rod — especially as it has been used by some of Japan's neighbors as a convenient means to shift attention away from their domestic issues.
The real nuclear moonshot is here on Earth
By Liam Denning
Putin is about to outplay Trump again in Alaska
By Marc Champion
Trump’s transactional approach shapes U.S.-China rivalry
By Brad Glosserman
The bullish case for oil is real — but far, far away
By Javier Blas

ENVIRONMENT

An Emerald Toucanet. Nearly half of all bird species are found in biodiversity-rich tropical regions.
Climate heat extremes driving tropical bird decline: study
By Julien MIVIELLE
Intensifying temperatures caused a 25% to 38% reduction in tropical bird populations between 1950 and 2020, compared to a scenario without global warming.
The airline industry's dirty secret: Clean jet fuel failures
By Joanna Plucinska, Joe Brock, Marleen Kaesebier and Paul Carsten
Hedge funds flip on green energy and start betting against oil
By Natasha White, Liza Tetley and Ishika Mookerjee
Momentum sagging at U.N. plastic pollution treaty talks
By Robin Millard
How Canadian wildfire smoke is jeopardizing health across North America
By Robert Tuttle, Brian K Sullivan and Danielle Bochove

CULTURE

Filmmakers interview the general manager of a Bald Men's club for an upcoming Flix Oven documentary that will be available via the streaming platform Samansa.
Samansa bets on commuter cinema
By Ryne Hisada
As attention spans get shorter, a Japanese startup is banking on short films as easily digestible entertainment.
‘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
‘Natasha’ distills global zeitgeist on the opera stage
By Kris Kosaka
Futuristic mermaid tale ‘ChaO’ makes a splash
By Matt Schley

LIFE

At Himawari Shokudo 2, chef Hozumi Tanaka serves Italian-inspired fare with a focus on Toyama produce, such as this appetizer of lightly blanched "hotaru ika" (firefly squid) served atop mixed wild plants and a crepe prepared from "yamato-imo" yam.
At Himawari Shokudo 2, Italian food with a Japanese soul
By Robbie Swinnerton
Punching above its own weight, the intimate restaurant is one of the growing number of quality establishments that are helping to cement Toyama's status as a dining destination.
In a coffee-mad neighborhood, a gin distillery is a clear alternative
By Melinda Joe
A walk through Kokura, the city spared nuclear destruction
By Edward J. Taylor
Tokyo’s WWII museums hold diverse views on war and peace
By Mark Schreiber
Brave the Bon holiday traffic to discover tourism gems off the beaten path
By Yuko Tamura

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.
Fluffy poodle Ginger, forever young at heart
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
‘Mad cute’ Scottish fold to brighten your day

Editors' Picks

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.
LIFE
At Himawari Shokudo 2, Italian food with a Japanese soul
By Robbie Swinnerton
At Himawari Shokudo 2, chef Hozumi Tanaka serves Italian-inspired fare with a focus on Toyama produce, such as this appetizer of lightly blanched "hotaru ika" (firefly squid) served atop mixed wild plants and a crepe prepared from "yamato-imo" yam.
MORE SPORTS
Cheer with caution: Expert advises sports fans have game plan for extreme heat
By Mai Yoshikawa
A Cardinals fan fans himself during the seventh inning of a game against the Pirates in St. Louis, Missouri, in June 2022.
JAPAN
Australia's warship selection signals Japanese defense industry's arrival
By Gabriel Dominguez
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami-class frigate. Australia's selection of an upgraded version of the Mogami-class warship for its next frigate class could prove to be a watershed moment for Japan’s defense industry.
BUSINESS
Japan's inheritance tax is high, unforgiving and sometimes avoidable
By James Wongvipat
The National Tax Agency at the Ministry of Finance, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. Japanese tax authorities can bill foreign residents in Japan for assets inherited globally.

Podcast

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

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person
By Naoko Abe

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy
Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

COMFACTS

GO SPARKLING by Tsunan Sake Brewery Wins “Good Design Award” at Milano Sake Challenge 2025
GO SPARKLING by Tsunan Sake Brewery Wins “Good Design Award” at Milano Sake Challenge 2025
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Britain’s Prince of Wales aircraft carrier makes Japan debut
By Gabriel Dominguez
HMS Prince of Wales arrives into the Port of Darwin, Australia, in July during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.
JAPAN
Japanese students who want to study abroad looking at options in Asia
By Elizabeth Beattie
The number of Japanese students who applied to the National Taiwan University in Taipei in 2025 is more than 60% higher than last year due partly to affordability and proximity.
JAPAN
Controversial theories continue to swirl around 1985 JAL jet crash
By Kazuaki Nagata
Kimi Ozawa, who lost her husband in the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet, prays in front of his memorial marker on Tuesday in the village of Ueno, Gunma Prefecture.
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
Taiwanese drama 'Zero Day Attack' on Chinese invasion to stream in Japan
A scene from the Taiwanese television drama "Zero Day Attack," which will stream in Japan from Friday.