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July 26, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 26, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
Trade talks
Ichiro Hall of Fame
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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a speech at an event in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on Friday afternoon.
BUSINESS
Ishiba rules out joint document on U.S. tariffs as deal's details trickle out
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has faced criticism from the opposition as numerous details about the agreement remain unclear.

More coverage

'#Ishiba don't quit': Unlikely support grows for embattled PM
Various tactics to force Ishiba out of power emerge within the LDP
Big unanswered questions follow Japan's big, beautiful deal with the U.S.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a speech at an event in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on Friday afternoon.
The U.S. military base at Kadena in Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN
South Korean military plane apparently entered Japan ADIZ without notice
Seoul said that a transport aircraft bound for Guam urgently landed at the U.S. Air Force's Kadena base in Okinawa Prefecture on July 13 as it ran out of fuel.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media after arriving at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, in Prestwick, Scotland, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
EU’s Von der Leyen to meet Trump in bid to clinch trade deal
By Alberto Nardelli
After months of talks and shuttle diplomacy between Brussels and Washington, the two sides have been zeroing in on an agreement.
A pagoda damaged by Thai artillery in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province on Friday
ASIA PACIFIC
Death toll rises in Thai-Cambodian clashes despite ceasefire call
Cambodia's defense ministry said 13 people were now confirmed killed in the fighting, including eight civilians and five soldiers, with 71 people wounded.
Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
BASEBALL
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear
By Jason Coskrey
Across his 28 seasons of professional baseball, Ichiro grew to become a superstar — first in Japan and then in North America — and then an icon.
Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.

JAPAN

Investigators examine the area outside a sushi restaurant on Friday where an employee said he had stabbed to death a coworker in Tokyo's Toshima Ward.
Sushi restaurant worker arrested over killing of colleague in Tokyo
Masahito Ishioka has admitted to killing Tomoyuki Iwata, 32, saying that he lost his temper after his relationship with the victim soured, informed sources said.
By 2040, demand for cancer surgeries in Japan is projected to decrease by 5% by 2040, while that for radiotherapy is projected to increase by 24%.
Health ministry panel calls for consolidating cancer care provision
A health ministry panel has called for consolidating surgeries and radiotherapies for cancer treatment, citing such reasons as the dwindling number of surgeons in Japan.
Japan to regularly accept assistant language teachers from India
Japan's average life expectancy in 2024 almost unchanged from 2023, data shows
Move to abolish gasoline tax is LDP-Komeito coalition’s first post-election test
By Eric Johnston
Police in Japan set up website to support crime victims

BUSINESS

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
Trump tariffs leave costly China supply question unanswered
The U.S. president has threatened to rocket rates up to 40% for products deemed to be transshipped, or re-routed, through Southeast Asia.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Saturday.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang takes aim at AI ‘monopoly’ as U.S. effort quickens
China will spearhead the creation of an international organization to jointly develop AI, the country’s No. 2 official said.
SmartNews planning to hire Mitsubishi UFJ and Nomura for Tokyo listing
China’s stealthy solar exports stay one step ahead of U.S. tariffs
BOJ is said to see potential rate hike environment this year
By Toru Fujioka and Sumio Ito
Intel posts higher revenue after trimming workforce
By Glenn CHAPMAN

WORLD

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a meeting with journalists in Kyiv on Thursday.
Zelenskyy plans to ask Europe to help pay Ukraine’s soldiers
With a mobilization campaign in Ukraine increasingly unpopular among a population fatigued by the war, Zelenskyy’s government wants to attract more volunteers by boosting pay.
People vote in a recall election, at a polling station in Taipei on Saturday.
Taiwan votes in high-stakes recall election
The high-stakes recall election to oust Kuomintang lawmakers could give President Lai Ching-te's Democratic Progressive Party control of parliament.
U.S. diplomats asked if nonwhites qualify for Trump's South African refugee program
By Ted Hesson, Humeyra Pamuk and Kristina Cooke
Philippine court says Sara Duterte impeachment unlawful
Top U.S. Justice Department official questions Epstein accomplice for second day
U.S. judge reaffirms injunction on Trump birthright citizenship order

Sports

Tadej Pogacar leads rival Jonas Vingegaard during the ascent of La Plagne on Friday in the French Alps.
Master Pogacar has Tour de France peloton under his thumb
By Julien Pretot
The contrast with Pogacar's almost effortless style on the last mountain day was striking as the three-time champion controlled his chief rival.
Nick Kurtz ties MLB record with four homers as A's pound Astros
All-Star Games may be flawed but still a boon for professional sports leagues
By Frank Pingue
Golden Summer beckons for swimming world championships in Singapore
By Ian Ransom
Sabathia and Ichiro lead intriguing Hall of Fame class into Cooperstown

Opinion

The Liberal Democratic Party’s historic Upper House defeat leaves the party fragmented and searching for a capable leader who can reunite conservatives, modernize its appeal, deliver real policies and rebuild its internal power structure.
Who will save the Liberal Democratic Party?
Michael MacArthur Bosack
The LDP is now faced with two fundamental questions: what tasks must it accomplish to restore its political dominance and who is actually capable of accomplishing them?
RFK Jr. is making America sick again. Republicans need a cure.
By Michael R. Bloomberg
Voter revolt shatters Japan’s ruling coalition, empowers smaller parties
Is Japan drifting toward fragmented and ineffective politics?
By Kuni Miyake
Japan trade deal offers U.S. automakers relief, not new markets
By Liam Denning

ENVIRONMENT

Children play on the splash pad in Miami Beach, Florida, on Friday as the region came under an extreme heat warning.
World court climate ruling: nonbinding but game changing
By Kelly Macnamara
By saying that all countries were firmly bound to a swathe of legal obligations, experts say the ruling will influence climate decisions globally.
‘Unprecedented’ ocean heat waves in 2023 suggest climate tipping point
By Danielle Bochove
Top U.N. court says treaties compel wealthy nations to curb global warming
By Stephanie van den Berg and Alison Withers
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

CULTURE

Fuji Rock still excites Hitsujibungaku — (from left) bassist Yurika Kasai, lead singer and guitarist Moeka Shiotsuka and drummer Hiroa Fukuda — even as its flock grows abroad.
Hitsujibungaku’s pop-fueled rise to stardom
By Patrick St. Michel
Rock trio Hitsujibungaku is set to make its fourth appearance at Fuji Rock this weekend on its most primetime stage yet — the White Stage right before headliner Haim.
‘Demon Slayer’ movie slashes its own box office records
By Matt Schley
National Ballet of Japan stages first overseas performance in London
‘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

Located in Patina Osaka, P72 doesn't have a fixed menu, opting instead to rely on whatever is available from local suppliers and its on-site garden to create its innovative plant-based cuisine.
P72 sows the seeds for a dynamic plant-based cuisine
By Jessica Kozuka
With an ever-changing menu dictated by what's available from its garden and suppliers, the Osaka-based restaurant injects creativity and spontaneity into its green cuisine.
Traditional Japanese swordsmanship — with modern matches
By Johan Brooks
How a single current keeps Shiga’s ‘village of water’ in concert
By Joanna Kawecki
Study first, screens later: Japanese kids have summer projects to do
By Yuko Tamura
In microbes we trust: Embracing the nature of fermented food
By Simon Daly

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

CULTURE
Behind the scenes: Inside Fuji Rock’s strategy for staying on top
By Philip Brasor
In recent years, Fuji Rock has had fewer blockbuster performers and showcased more top-selling Japanese acts and international musicians' first-time performances in Japan.
BASEBALL
Hall of Fame always held deeper meaning for Ichiro
By Jason Coskrey
Ichiro presents then-Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson with the bat he used to break the single-season hits record in 2004.
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.
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.

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

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Tokyo is the No. 2 choice for international students
By Elizabeth Beattie
The University of Tokyo. International students are increasingly flocking to Asia, with affordability being a particularly important metric.
JAPAN
Junglia, Japan’s newest theme park, opens in northern Okinawa
By Owen Ziegler
In Junglia’s Dinosaur Safari attraction during a media preview on Thursday, a casual drive through a habitat for the prehistoric creatures goes haywire when several Tyrannosaurus rexes break out of containment.
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
Extreme heat grips Japan, even Hokkaido
By Tomoko Otake
The city of Obihiro in Hokkaido amid scorching heat on Thursday
CULTURE
‘Demon Slayer’ movie slashes its own box office records
By Matt Schley
“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.