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July 25, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 25, 2025
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U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, the day after he agreed to an 11th-hour trade deal with Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Big unanswered questions follow Japan's big, beautiful deal with the U.S.
By Francis Tang
The $550 billion investment plan, in particular, is the subject of doubt and discussion.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, the day after he agreed to an 11th-hour trade deal with Japan.
The city of Obihiro in Hokkaido amid scorching heat on Thursday
JAPAN
Extreme heat grips Japan, even Hokkaido
By Tomoko Otake
Several cities in Hokkaido experienced record-high temperatures on Thursday, and Hokkaido Railway has suspended portions of its rail lines as a safety precaution.
The University of Tokyo. International students are increasingly flocking to Asia, with affordability being a particularly important metric.
JAPAN / Society
Tokyo is the No. 2 choice for international students
By Elizabeth Beattie
Amid rising costs of living, affordability is a key factor for students when deciding where to study abroad.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, walks past a poster after meeting with party executives at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Political turmoil continues as Ishiba’s fate hangs in the balance
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
While there are demands for the ruling party's leadership to resign, the weakening of past factional ties makes it hard for those opposing the prime minister to join forces.
Ichiro presents then-Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson with the bat he used to break the single-season hits record in 2004.
BASEBALL / MLB
Hall of Fame always held deeper meaning for Ichiro
By Jason Coskrey
Ichiro, who will be inducted into the Hall on Sunday, is so familiar with the storied museum that he could probably lead the tour that new inductees receive.
Ichiro presents then-Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson with the bat he used to break the single-season hits record in 2004.

JAPAN

The National Police Agency will begin a trial run of wearable cameras starting in late August.
Police in Japan to trial wearable cameras from late August
Officers will clearly indicate when recording is taking place using illuminated lights, stickers or armbands.
Water-related accidents across Japan rose to 1,535 in 2024 and involved 1,753 people — the highest number in a decade, according to the National Police Agency.
Authorities warn of dangers surrounding water-related activities this summer
By Jessica Speed
Ten people died and two remain missing following a string of water-related accidents over the long weekend.
Kyoto University researchers find mechanism behind malignant pancreatic cancer
Agency warns of fire risks from lithium-ion batteries
Japanese fighter jets scramble 157 times in April-June period
Koike seeks to attract U.N. functions to Tokyo

BUSINESS

While the pace of gains in consumer prices in the capital slowed in July from a year earlier, the data send a fresh reminder that households are still coping with higher living costs overall.
Tokyo inflation slows while staying well above BOJ’s target
By Toru Fujioka
A decline in utility costs helped slow the overall gauge, but households are still coping with higher living costs overall.
As U.S. tariffs caused global uncertainty, Japanese carmakers in particular have been losing momentum as the industry faced pressure from levies.
Firms in Japan likely to log lower profits amid tariff and political uncertainty
By Reina Sasaki
While tariffs caused global uncertainty, Japanese carmakers in particular have been losing momentum as the industry faced pressure from the levies.
Intel posts higher revenue after trimming workforce
By Glenn CHAPMAN
Japan’s top pension fund keeps strategy amid volatility
By Hideyuki Sano, Nao Sano, Aaron Clark and Takashi Umekawa
Trump says not ‘necessary’ to fire Powell after getting Fed tour
By Josh Wingrove and Amara Omeokwe
DeepSeek, Trump’s plan steer agenda at China’s premier AI forum

WORLD

A Thai mobile artillery unit fires toward Cambodia on Friday in Surin, Thailand.
Thailand warns of war with Cambodia as 138,000 flee fighting
The conflict is still considered "an armed clash involving heavy weaponry" currently, acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said.
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas (right) meets then-French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron, now France's president, in the West Bank city of Ramallah in 2015.
France to recognize Palestinian state in September, Macron says
By Samy Adghirni
The French president's announcement prompted a harsh response from Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
How a Chinese border town keeps Russia’s economy afloat
By Keith Bradsher
Soviet-era passenger plane crashes in Russia's far east, killing all 48 on board
Indian firm shipped explosives to Russia despite U.S. warnings
By Gram Slattery, Tom Balmforth and Shivam Patel
Blaming Hamas, U.S. and Israel recall teams from Gaza truce talks
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose

Sports

Emma Raducanu hits a forehand against Naomi Osaka on day four of the Mubadala Citi DC Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center in Washington on Thursday.
Raducanu beats Osaka in straight sets to reach Washington quarters
By Pearl Josephine Nazare
Raducanu, U.S. Open champion in 2021, next faces former world number three Maria Sakkari after the Greek stunned American second seed Emma Navarro in straight sets.
Liverpool CEO says player spree should quell ownership gossip
By Danny Lee and David Ingles
Kenny Pickett takes first-team reps as Browns may keep four quarterbacks
Verstappen says Horner exit will not influence own F1 future
By Alan Baldwin
No timetable for Caitlin Clark's return to Fever

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s last-minute trade deal with the U.S. may calm tariff fears but has cost him politically, leaving Japan’s ruling party divided and his leadership on the brink.
‘Mr. Japan’ bends the knee — and falls on his sword
Gearoid Reidy
Shigeru Ishiba’s trade deal with Donald Trump will be his last act as leader
Japan trade deal offers U.S. automakers relief, not new markets
By Liam Denning
Britain and Europe are changing together
By Mark Leonard
Why markets may soon call America’s tariff bluff
By Penelopi Koujianou Goldberg
Trump’s tariffs undermine America's security, business and credibility
By Diana DeGette and Ami Bera

ENVIRONMENT

President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Yuji Iwasawa (center) and other members issue an advisory opinion on nations' legal obligations to address climate change, at The Hague on Wednesday.
Top U.N. court says treaties compel wealthy nations to curb global warming
By Stephanie van den Berg and Alison Withers
The International Court of Justice said countries must address the "urgent and existential threat" of climate change.
Trump staff cuts force firefighters to clean toilets, critics say
By Andrew Hay
Restoring sea floor after mining may not be possible, researchers warn
By Amelie Bottollier-Depois
Pakistan's quiet solar rush puts pressure on national grid
By Zain Zaman Janjua
How schools are being built for extreme heat — without air conditioning
By Emma Batha

CULTURE

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” is the first installment in a trilogy that's set to wrap the anime adaptation of Koyoharu Gotoke's manga about sword-wielding heroes fighting man-eating demons.
‘Demon Slayer’ movie slashes its own box office records
By Matt Schley
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” kicks off a new trilogy that is set to bring the anime adaptation of Koyoharu Gotoke's manga to a close.
National Ballet of Japan stages first overseas performance in London
Behind the scenes: Inside Fuji Rock’s strategy for staying on top
By Philip Brasor
‘Rainy Blue’: Behind-the-scenes drama tarnishes an intriguing debut
By James Hadfield
Marunouchi Toei closes as Japan’s cinema landscape evolves
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

It is recommended that screen time for children should be kept to under two hours a day.
Study first, screens later: Japanese kids have summer projects to do
By Yuko Tamura
From book reports to free research, parents are helping kids build good habits — and grammar — over summer break.
In microbes we trust: Embracing the nature of fermented food
By Simon Daly
Touring the Silk Road — without leaving Tokyo
By Kimberly Hughes
In Gaza-made obi, Palestinian embroidery meets Japanese kimono
By Anna Sakamoto
Dancers, festivals and one very useful Japanese grammar point
By Yaeko Kabe

COMMUNITY

Ayaka Ohira (center) celebrates the launch of “Shinsei Galverse” with interpreter Himari Lala Shimizu and executive producer Jack Baldwin.
Ayaka Ohira: ‘Being outside of the traditional path gave me more freedom’
By Zoria Petkoska
Anime director Ayaka Ohira talks about her newly launched ‘Shinsei Galverse’ series and how she navigates the industry as a self-taught female artist.
A big, beautiful Bengal cat named Pupu
The mothers holding up Japan's Vietnamese community
By Nguyen Bao Anh
Lilimi settles into a new life
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Japan leans into homegrown AI amid rising competition
By Elizabeth Beattie
McKinsey’s 2025 Technology Trends Outlook, published Wednesday, says that the use of “sovereign AI” is a trend gaining significant global traction, including in Japan.
BASEBALL
Induction of Ichiro has Cooperstown fretfully preparing
By Evan Drellich
Ichiro Suzuki will soon become the first Japanese player to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
CULTURE
JT picks: What not to miss at Fuji Rock 2025
By Johan Brooks, Alyssa I. Smith, Patrick St. Michel, Mark Thompson and Philip Brasor
Fuji Rock Festival turns the green slopes of Niigata Prefecture’s Naeba Ski Resort into a summer escape that offers soundtracks for every mood.
ENVIRONMENT
Japan’s top brands get tied up in the great sunscreen debate
By Tomoko Otake
A coral reef in Okinawa in July 2022. Some jurisdictions around the world have moved to ban certain sunscreens in a bid to protect coral reefs, but some say the impact on reefs is far from clear.
WORLD
Pentagon looks to unleash ‘military drone dominance’
By Gabriel Dominguez
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a drone demonstration at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on July 10.

Podcast

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

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan
By Alex K.T. Martin

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WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Japan and U.S. both claim win in surprise 11th-hour tariff deal
By Francis Tang
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan chief tariff negotiator, in Tokyo
SUMO
Disappointing start to Nagoya tournament turns into fascinating final stretch
By John Gunning
Ichiyamamoto (left) defeats Gonoyama to secure a winning record at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, at IG Arena on Monday.
COMMENTARY
Ignore the election hype, foreign residents are here to stay
By Edo Naito
Sohei Kamiya, founder of the Sanseito, which campaigned on a “Japanese first” message and tough immigration rhetoric, speaks at a rally in Gunma Prefecture on July 6.
BUSINESS
Big unanswered questions follow Japan's big, beautiful deal with the U.S.
By Francis Tang
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, the day after he agreed to an 11th-hour trade deal with Japan.
JAPAN
Ishiba denies reports he will resign next month, leaving his fate unclear
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba looks on after meeting with the Liberal Democratic Party executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.