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TOKYO
November 14, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 14, 2025
Sanae Takaichi
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Bear attacks
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The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani was named National League MVP for the second straight season on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Shohei Ohtani collects fourth MVP Award with 2025 NL honor
By Jason Coskrey
Ohtani joined Barry Bonds as the only players to win at least four MVP awards.
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani was named National League MVP for the second straight season on Thursday.
Noritaka Okabe, CEO of JPYC, acknowledges a number of potential risks related to stablecoins.
BUSINESS / Tech
Stablecoins: boring goes big, and now in Japan
By Kazuaki Nagata
They are designed not to fluctuate in value, and that's precisely what makes them attractive.
Police cars leave the Akita Prefectural Police headquarters to cull bears, in the city of Akita on Thursday.
JAPAN / Explainer
As attacks surge, who can cull bears in Japan?
By Yukana Inoue
In Japan, few people typically own guns, and the process to qualify for a license to hunt the animals takes time and effort.
The Japan Innovation Party has long sought to get Osaka designated as Japan's backup capital.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
What would a ‘backup capital’ look like for Japan?
By Eric Johnston
The concept faces tough questions on its substance and whether its true purpose is to realize the Japan Innovation Party's goal of making its Osaka base the natural choice.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments that a Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan would constitute a threat to Japan have drawn criticism from China and some circles domestically.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Takaichi and a shift in 'strategic ambiguity' over Taiwan
Kuni Miyake
Takaichi's statement points out the obvious: That if a conflict over Taiwan involves the use of force, it could become a "crisis situation" that threatens the nation's survival.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments that a Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan would constitute a threat to Japan have drawn criticism from China and some circles domestically.

JAPAN

A plane takes off from Haneda Airport.
Japan may triple departure tax to tackle overtourism
The specific size of the increase will be discussed during fiscal 2026 tax system reform talks at the end of the year.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) attends a session of the House of Councilors Budget Committee at the Diet in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Takaichi says she sleeps only 2-4 hours a night
The revelation about how little she sleeps came after Takaichi raised eyebrows last week by arranging a 3 a.m. staff meeting in her office to prepare for a parliamentary session.
Niigata governor inspects Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant
Imperial couple to visit disaster-hit northeast in 2026
LDP and JIP to advance talks over constitutional revision
Ocean activist wanted by Japan vows to continue fight at COP30
By Lisandra Paraguassu — Lais Morais

BUSINESS

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Friday that Japanese businesses are focusing too much on shareholders, expressing frustration that companies are not using more capital to raise wages.
Takaichi pushes back against company's focus on shareholders
By Sakura Murakami — Alice French
The Prime Minister's comments flicked at her frustration with firms for not using more capital to raise wages.
Japan Airlines is looking to streamline the number of jet types it operates and expand use of smaller aircraft to boost efficiencies and cost savings.
Japan Airlines seeks up to 70 new jets in regional fleet overhaul
By Danny Lee — Siddharth Philip
The airline is looking to streamline the number of jet types it operates to boost efficiencies and cost savings.
Profitable firms cut jobs as activist investors and TSE seek stronger returns
By Kanoko Matsuyama
Japan Exchange looks at ways to curb crypto hoarding firms
By Alice French — Yasutaka Tamura
Japanese chip sector’s earnings show AI appetite and auto slump
By Reina Sasaki
U.S. airlines knocked sideways by shutdown are getting back on track
By Allyson Versprille — Lucia Kassai

WORLD

Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s visited Brussels last week, telling lawmakers that “global prosperity depends on a strong and free Taiwan.”
Taiwan makes inroads into Europe as China hits rough patch with West
By Gabriel Dominguez
The self-ruled, democratic island is circumventing diplomatic obstacles despite Beijing’s efforts to ostracize it.
Ukrainian emergency personnel work at the scene of a drone attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday.
Intel shows Putin not ready for Ukraine deal, Britain's ex-MI6 chief says
By Alex Wickham
Richard Moore, who stepped down as head of MI6 in September, also said there could be consequences in terms of Chinese activity if the West didn’t help Ukraine prevail.
Meteorite hunters scour the Sahara for riches from outer space
By Souhail Karam
U.S. announces new military operation in Latin America
U.S. and South Korea discuss jointly building nuclear-powered submarines
By Josh Wingrove — Soo-Hyang Choi
War-torn Myanmar embraces solar power due to necessity, not climate goals
By Shoon Naing — Sudarshan Varadhan

Sports

Sports fan Tadashi Yokoyama streams basketball and fencing on three screens.
Japan fully enters sports streaming era as fans face new dilemmas
By Mai Yoshikawa
Japan, where viewing habits have been slow to change, is now fully in the streaming era, though not everyone is ready to come along for the ride.
France punches World Cup ticket on 10th anniversary of 2015 Paris attacks
Wales' Louis Rees-Zammit to return to starting lineup against Japan
LeBron James practices with Lakers' G League squad
Sergio Perez urges Formula One fans to respect race winners

Opinion

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi talks with Japan’s then-leader, Shinzo Abe, her mentor, at the Lower House of Parliament in December 2014. Takaichi, under so-called Abenomics 2.0, must convert the nation’s asset boom into broad-based economic prosperity benefiting all. 
How Takaichi can make 'Abenomics 2.0' succeed
Jesper Koll
For now, there is absolutely no evidence that the rise in Japanese asset prices — both stocks and real estate — is feeding a positive wealth effect.
Chinese diplomat crosses the line
How Takaichi should navigate Beijing’s diplomatic threats
By Stephen R. Nagy
ASEAN hedges as the South China Sea bubbles over
By Brad Glosserman
What if the COVID-19 vaccine could save cancer patients too?
By Lisa Jarvis

ENVIRONMENT

Ernesto Katsunori Suzuki holds a cacao fruit at his farm in Tome-Acu in northern Brazil last month.
Japanese immigrants gain attention with farming method in the Amazon
Anticipation is rising that the agricultural method, involving nurturing a forest to grow crops there, can help the rainforest bounce back.
Deadly heat worldwide prompts $300 million for climate health research at COP30
By Simon Jessop - Lais Morais - Anna Portella
World's fossil fuel emissions to hit new record in 2025, study says
By Kelly Macnamara
Nearly half of all refugees to face extreme climate hazards by 2040, says UNHCR
Jamaicans have been turning to solar power. It paid off after the storm.
By Hiroko Tabuchi

CULTURE

While Fan Bingbing brings emotional energy to the lead role in Chong Keat Aun’s “Mother Bhumi,” the film’s narrative layers don’t coalesce in a satisfying way and ultimately leave the viewer adrift.
At TIFF, East Asia’s veteran stars tread new territory with mixed results
By Mike Fu
Fan Bingbing, Zhang Ziyi and Takeshi Kaneshiro stepped into their darkest roles yet — but the stories didn’t rise to meet them.
Predictability weighs down ‘A Light in the Harbor’
By James Hadfield
‘Tokyo Taxi’: A simple fare becomes a voyage through time
By Mark Schilling
Renowned Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai dies at 92
By Weiwen Lin
What we see when Japanese women photographers shoot back
By Jennifer Pastore

LIFE

Industry professionals gathered in Kyoto to discuss sake at the Sake Samurai Summit.
Industry experts weigh sake’s global future at Kyoto summit
By Cindy Bissig
Participants at the Sake Samurai Summit in Kyoto discussed how global enthusiasm and domestic headwinds are reshaping Japan’s sake trade.
Tokyo's viral Muscle Girls bar flexes a brawny sort of beauty
By Kim Kyung Hoon - Satoshi Sugiyama
PokePark Kanto set for February opening in Tokyo suburb
By Gendel Gento
Hearing colors and seeing sounds with Tetsuya Mizuguchi
By Gendel Gento
Brine and dine: A guide to pickling your Japanese vegetables
By Simon Daly

COMMUNITY

After a peripatetic childhood around the world, teacher and artist Jon Homewood ended up coming to Japan in 2012 for a professional opportunity.
Jon Homewood: ‘There’s beauty in what we throw away’
By Joseph Tame
Using aluminum cans as his medium, the Tsukuba-based British artist creates intricate sculptures that take months or longer to complete.
Young Indonesians in Japan find their political voice
By Nadila
Wielding a weapon of yore at a community dojo
By Monique Bae
Florian Wiltschko: ‘Shinto helps me understand and live within Japanese culture’
By Samantha Seghers
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.
By Thu-Huong Ha — Mike Fu

Editors' Picks

SPORTS
Japan fully enters sports streaming era as fans face new dilemmas
By Mai Yoshikawa
Sports fan Tadashi Yokoyama streams basketball and fencing on three screens.
CULTURE
Tatsuya Nakadai: A masterful leading man and postwar icon
By Mark Schilling
Tatsuya Nakadai had the look of a leading man in his youth, but his large and searching eyes suggested the pain and loneliness of an old soul.
SUMO
As Japan’s female leader rises, can she cross sumo’s sacred line?
By Mai Yoshikawa
Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku (front center) delivers a speech on the first day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center on Sunday. Centuries of belief and tradition still underpin the all-male association's stance of excluding women.
JAPAN
Takaichi doesn’t mince words on Taiwan, but dramatic policy shift unlikely
By Jesse Johnson
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions during a House of Representatives Budget Committee session in parliament on Tuesday.
LIFE
Florist Nicolai Bergmann flourishes outside the box
By Elizabeth Beattie
Florist Nicolai Bergmann shops for fresh flowers at the Ota flower market in Tokyo on Friday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years
By Yukana Inoue

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

COMFACTS

New Food Products Utilizing Tsunan Sake Brewery’s Sake Lees Unveiled at “TORANOMON JUST RIGHT NEW FOOD” Tasting Event
New Food Products Utilizing Tsunan Sake Brewery’s Sake Lees Unveiled at “TORANOMON JUST RIGHT NEW FOOD” Tasting Event
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

WORLD
From France to Mali, a deportee's struggle far from home
By Sofia Christensen - Juliette Jabkhiro - Layli Foroudi
Moussa Sacko, a Malian deported from France — where he had lived since he was a young child — stands on a street in Bamako, Mali, in December. Compared with his home in France, Bamako feels like a different planet, Sacko said.
JAPAN
Descendants in Philippines denied Japanese citizenship
JAPAN
As attacks surge, who can cull bears in Japan?
By Yukana Inoue
Police cars leave the Akita Prefectural Police headquarters to cull bears, in the city of Akita on Thursday.
JAPAN
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years
By Yukana Inoue
Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
COMMENTARY
Government and bad actors are at the root of the foreign national issue
By Edo Naito
A maiko walks down a street crowded with tourists in Kyoto. Challenges that come with a massive influx of overseas visitors and foreign nationals buying up real estate are just some of the immigration problems that have become hot-button political issues in Japan.