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June 06, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
June 06, 2025
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The trouble between U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk started brewing days ago, when Musk denounced Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill.
WORLD / Politics
Trump threatens Musk's government deals as their feud explodes over tax-cut bill
By Nandita Bose and Andrea Shalal
Within hours of Trump criticizing Musk in the Oval Office, the once-close relationship had disintegrated in full public view.

More coverage

Tesla plunges after conflict between Musk and Trump spills into open
The trouble between U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk started brewing days ago, when Musk denounced Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill.
From left: CTO for Ispace Ryo Ujiie, founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada, CFO and director Jumpei Nozaki speak at a news conference in Tokyo. The company said it had aborted a mission to the moon after losing contact with its lander Resilience during a daunting final descent.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Japanese space startup Ispace fails in second moon-landing mission
By Jessica Speed
The company had aiming to become the first private company outside the United States to achieve a soft landing on the moon.
A tax-free shop in Kyoto in April 2024. Last week, members of a Liberal Democratic Party study group drafted a proposal seeking to scrap the country's tax-free shopping system altogether.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Japan eyes tougher rules for foreign residents and tax hike for tourists
By Jessica Speed
Ideas range from stricter driver's license tests for foreign nationals to increasing taxes on foreign visitors.
If Japan Post loses its general cargo vehicle license, it would be barred from reapplying for a new one for five years.
JAPAN / Society
Japan Post may lose cargo license over widespread driver check failures
By Karin Kaneko
A transport ministry audit in April revealed enough instances of missed checks in the Kanto region to surpass the threshold for license revocation.
Detail of Takashi Murakami, “Rakuchu-Rakugai-zu Byobu: Iwasa Matabei RIP” (2023-25)
CULTURE / Art
New Naoshima museum bets on Asia, not the West
By Thu-Huong Ha
The Naoshima New Museum of Art is Tadao Ando’s 10th contribution to the popular art islands.
Detail of Takashi Murakami, “Rakuchu-Rakugai-zu Byobu: Iwasa Matabei RIP” (2023-25)

JAPAN

Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, meet with survivors of the war as they visit the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum in Itoman on Wednesday.
Imperial family mourns WWII victims in two-day visit to Okinawa
The visit was Princess Aiko's first to Okinawa, which reflected the imperial couple's wish that memories of the war be passed onto the next generation.
National Police Agency data showed a 24.1% increase in stalking-related arrests last year, with 1,341 individuals detained for violating the anti-stalking law, marking the highest figure since its revision in 2016.
Stalking-related arrests surge by 24% in 2024 to record high
Restraining orders issued under the anti-stalking law also climbed 23% last year, according to the National Police Agency.
Fuji TV to sue former executives over their response to Nakai scandal
Swarms of midges plague Osaka Expo site
Mother of North Korean abductee urges government to have sense of mission over issue
Child abuse cases hit record high in Japan in 2024

BUSINESS

Japanese trading companies' shares gained following comments from Warren Buffett at the Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting that he expects his company to hold the shares for 50 years or more.
Buffett inspires retail investors to bet on Japan trading houses
By Aya Wagatsuma and Toshiro Hasegawa
Japanese trading companies shares gained following comments from Warren Buffett that he expects his company to hold the shares for 50 years or more.
A customer picks up a bag of stockpiled rice at a Lawson convenience store in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on Thursday.
Lawson and FamilyMart begin selling government-stockpiled rice
Their sales are expected to make it easier for consumers to access stockpiled rice after it sold out quickly at major supermarkets and other places.
April household spending drop deals blow to Japan's shrinking economy
By Toru Fujioka
Real wages in Japan fell 1.8% year on year in April
By Kazuaki Nagata
Alphabet CEO expects to keep hiring engineers while AI advances
By Julia Love
South Korean beauty brands bet boom in U.S. demand outlasts tariff pain
By Hyunsu Yim and Hyunjoo Jin

WORLD

The highly anticipated call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping came in the middle of a dispute over "rare earths" minerals that threatened to tear up a fragile truce in the trade war.
Trump and Xi pledge more talks as trade disputes brew
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Yukun Zhang
In a rare call, Trump and Xi pledged to resume trade talks, but tensions over rare earth minerals and Taiwan remained unresolved.
Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
Hamas says ready for 'serious' Gaza truce talks, as rescuers say scores killed
Talks aimed at brokering a new ceasefire have failed to yield a breakthrough since the last brief truce fell apart in March.
Trump administration imposes sanctions on four ICC judges in unprecedented move
By Humeyra Pamuk and Stephanie van den Berg
Dismay and disbelief as Trump bans visitors from a dozen countries
By Jeff Mason
Germany’s Merz lets Trump do the talking and survives Oval Office meeting
By Arne Delfs
After courting and criticizing Trump from afar, Merz now set to meet U.S. leader
By Arne Delfs

Sports

Hideo Nakata, deputy mayor of Nagoya, waves the Olympic Council of Asia flag as Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura watches during the closing ceremony of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Oct. 8, 2023.
Organizers to house athletes on 'floating village' during 2026 Asian Games
By Andrew MCKIRDY
Organizers will lease a luxury cruise liner that will be docked at Nagoya's port.
Portugal heaps praise on Cristiano Ronaldo after Nations League win
Leon Draisaitl scores in overtime to lift Oilers in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final
Four-division world champion Kosei Tanaka retires at 29 due to eye injuries
Steelers respond to fans after QB Mason Rudolph attends Trump rally

Opinion

Akio Toyoda’s involvement in the $33 billion buyout of Toyota Industries signals a potential corporate comeback, and that’s a good thing despite criticism.
For Toyota, more Akio Toyoda would be a good thing
Gearoid Reidy
This opposition is nonsensical. Akio turned Toyota into the biggest automaker in the world during a period of intense industry change.
Mark Zuckerberg finally found a use for his Metaverse — war
By Dave Lee
A new generation of 'Japan hands' and a changing world
By Joshua W. Walker
South Korea's new president has a chance to clean up
By David Fickling
The ground is fertile for Japan-India green economy partnerships
By Ajay Mathur

ENVIRONMENT

The small village of Blatten in the Swiss Alps was destroyed by a landslide after part of a glacier collapsed last week.
How Switzerland's Birch glacier collapsed
By Robin Millard
There are strong theories on the causes, and to what degree it is linked to climate change — but these are yet to be confirmed by scientific analysis.
Swiss glacier collapse is a lesson on climate disaster management
By Laura Millan
Octopus invasion in English Channel flags marine heat wave risks
By Joe Wertz
Half the world has faced an extra month of extreme heat, study finds
China is eroding Japan's LNG dominance. How does that affect Japanese buyers?
By Nithin Coca

CULTURE

Lee Sang-il’s “Kokuho,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year, follows the life of an "onnagata," a male kabuki actor who plays female roles, from his childhood as the son of a yakuza boss in 1960s Nagasaki to his official designation as a living national treasure.
'Kokuho' illuminates the high price of becoming a national treasure
By Matt Schley
Director Lee Sang-il turns a long-held vision into reality with his sumptuously shot film that reveals the dedication, sacrifice — and loneliness — behind kabuki greatness.
'Godzilla The Art Exhibition' reimagines film icon as monstrous muse for modern art
By Matt Schley
Anime's big night out is getting bigger — and more surreal
By Patrick St. Michel
Atsuko Okatsuka brings big 'dad' energy to new special
By Zoria Petkoska
‘I Have a S/e/c/r/e/t’ gives teen angst a whimsical twist
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

Reports claim that children with unusual names were being bullied at school and facing difficulties finding jobs.
What’s in a name? With new guidelines, the Japanese government wants to know.
By Yuko Tamura
Japan now requires official furigana for names in the family register, aiming to limit overly creative "kira-kira" readings.
In Elden Ring Nightreign, the FromSoftware formula goes awry
By Owen Ziegler
Waves of umami: Awaji Island's culinary trove
By Kathryn Wortley
The empanada that’s secretly a ‘gyōza’ inside
By Simon Daly
How ‘hikikomori’ shut-ins ‘start to have dreams for the future’
By Eric Margolis

COMMUNITY

Since moving to Tokyo from New York City in 2014, Hiraku Morilla has been promoting Keith Haring’s legacy in his professional life and advocating for LGBTQ+ community.
Hiraku Morilla: ‘Pride means respect for those who walked so we could run’
By Gendel Gento
The New York-raised director of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection reflects on his queer, multiracial identity and LGBTQ+ rights in Japan.
‘A garden is a grand teacher’: The Kamakura Gardener nurtures via YouTube
By Alex Michael Dwyer
Mateusz Urbanowicz: ‘Miyazaki inspired me to put the audience first’
By Naomi Oren
This charming Shiba enjoys life’s simple pleasures
A moving meditation: Finding serenity in tea ceremony across space and time
By Michele Laudig

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
New Naoshima museum bets on Asia, not the West
By Thu-Huong Ha
Detail of Takashi Murakami, “Rakuchu-Rakugai-zu Byobu: Iwasa Matabei RIP” (2023-25)
JAPAN
Japan’s prison reform focuses on rehabilitation
By Karin Kaneko
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday. Suzuki said preparations for the changes that will focus more on rehabilitation are being actively made at each correctional facility.
CULTURE
Six months into 2025, J-pop is having a full-on identity crisis (and a great time)
By Patrick St. Michel
The year so far is only proving that Mrs. Green Apple is the biggest band in Japan. Their success also seems to be hinting at a change in the musical landscape more broadly.
BUSINESS
Nintendo’s Switch 2 console is finally here
By Owen Ziegler
The Switch 2 is Nintendo's first new gaming console in eight years.
SUMO
Hakuho’s departure highlights worrying sumo trend
By John Gunning
Former <i>yokozuna</i> Hakuho performs a ring-entering ceremony at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in February 2020.

Podcast

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

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan’s fertility rate hits record low despite government push
By Erica Yokoyama
The total number of births dropped to about 686,000, marking the first time the figure has fallen below 700,000, according to a health ministry release on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Japan eyes tougher rules for foreign residents and tax hike for tourists
By Jessica Speed
A tax-free shop in Kyoto in April 2024. Last week, members of a Liberal Democratic Party study group drafted a proposal seeking to scrap the country's tax-free shopping system altogether.
SUMO
Hakuho’s departure highlights worrying sumo trend
By John Gunning
Former <i>yokozuna</i> Hakuho performs a ring-entering ceremony at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in February 2020.
JAPAN
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic
By Alex K.T. Martin
After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
JAPAN
Is Japan ready to say goodbye to tax-free shopping?
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Arrows lead to the tax-free counter at a branch of discount retailer Don Quijote in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward.