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March 22, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
March 22, 2025
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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
JAPAN / Politics
Pentagon eyeing plan to halt U.S. Forces Japan upgrade, reports say
By Jesse Johnson
The move could create “political risk” for Washington with Tokyo and reduce the scope of command and control in the Indo-Pacific region as the U.S.-China rivalry heats up.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
A Self-Defense Forces officer speaks during a news conference Friday at the Tokyo District Court over a power harassment lawsuit he filed against the state earlier in the day.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
SDF officer sues the state over alleged power harassment
By Karin Kaneko
The officer is seeking more than ¥14 million in damages after being transferred to a post completely different from his field of expertise, which led to mental illness.
Orix Buffaloes pitcher Taisuke Yamaoka speaks to reporters in the city of Osaka on Friday for the first time since he was reported to have participated in a poker tournament run by a foreign casino website.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Cabinet approves strategy to battle illegal online casinos
By Eric Johnston
A National Policy Agency survey released earlier this month showed that nearly 3.37 million Japanese are estimated to have used overseas online casinos to illegally gamble.
Wages are set for another big increase this year as annual negotiations secure generous agreements.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japanese wages likely to rise more than 5% again this year
By Kazuaki Nagata
The average wage increase is key for the central bank, which is counting on steady raises as it ends a decadeslong experiment in ultraloose monetary policy.
Mount Fuji in November. For the first time, the government has released specific guidelines on how residents should act in the event that Mount Fuji erupts.
JAPAN / Society
Stay at home if Mount Fuji erupts, government panel says
By Yukana Inoue
Residents are recommended to store more than a week's worth of emergency supplies at home because volcanic eruptions can last longer than that.
Mount Fuji in November. For the first time, the government has released specific guidelines on how residents should act in the event that Mount Fuji erupts.

JAPAN

Self-Defense Forces officers engage in the decontamination work of a train at Tsukiji Station on March 20, 1995, the day of a sarin nerve gas attack by the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult.
1995 Aum Shinrikyo sarin gas attack seen as a turning point for SDF
The sarin gas attack boosted the Ground Self-Defense Force's chemical weapons operations.
The Fukuoka Prefectural Police Headquarters. Between October 2022 and late September 2023, a Chinese couple developed about 2,300 square meters of land owned by 21 individuals without their consent and opened a campsite, according to police.
Chinese couple arrested for opening campsite at historic Fukuoka ruins
A city official first spotted prefab huts erected at the castle ruins around October 2022 and demanded their removal, but the couple refused to comply, according to police.
Osaka court rejects damages suit over coercive interrogations
'Mentech' starts gaining traction in Japan
Japan, Brazil eye mutual visits by leaders every 2 years
Aum Shinrikyo successors continue to gain new young members

BUSINESS

Toyota's new research and development center in India will begin operations with a team of about 200 people in Bengaluru.
Toyota’s new R&D unit signals its sharper India focus
By Alisha Sachdev
The research facility comes after Toyota last year reorganized India to be the hub of its operations across the Middle East, East Asia and Oceania region.
An economic dialogue between Japan and China will take place in Tokyo on Saturday, the same day as a meeting among top diplomats of the two countries plus South Korea.
Japan and China set for economic talks as U.S. tariff pressure rises
By Sakura Murakami and Yoshiaki Nohara
The scale and proximity of the Chinese market means it is in Japan’s interest to maintain stable relations despite ongoing tensions.
Tokyu Agency fined ¥200 million in Tokyo Games bid-rigging case
Japan's space debris firm Astroscale to tie up with Indian companies
By Kantaro Komiya and Nivedita Bhattacharjee
Japan’s households slash cash at record pace as inflation bites
By Toru Fujioka
Hon Hai gets first major EV-making client in Mitsubishi Motors
By Jane Lanhee Lee

WORLD

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian forces and seen from across the Dnipro River, in Ukraine.
Financial folly or pressure tactic? Trump eyes Ukraine's occupied nuclear plant
By Pavel Polityuk and Tom Balmforth
The vast plant is beset with problems and it would be years before there is even a hope of it making a return on investment.
Ukrainian troops fire a mortar toward Russian troops at a front line near the town of Chasiv Yar, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, on Sunday.
EU leaders vow to continue backing Ukraine, but make no concrete pledge
By Lili Bayer, Andrew Gray and Michel Rose
European Union leaders said on Thursday that they will continue to support Ukraine, but they did not immediately endorse a call by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to provide at least €5 billion ($5.42 billion) for artillery ammunition purchases.
Taiwan names Japan’s ex-SDF chief as Cabinet consultant
Heathrow closed after huge fire at power station, disrupting global flights
Musk set to get access to top-secret U.S. plan for potential war with China
By Eric Schmitt, Eric Lipton, Julian E. Barnes, Ryan Mac and Maggie Haberman
Indonesia parliament passes changes to military law amid protest and concern
By Stefanno Sulaiman and Ananda Teresia

Sports

Japan forward Mina Tanaka dribbles during a SheBelieves Cup match against Australia in Houston on Feb. 20.
How Mina Tanaka evolved into a prolific striker for Nadeshiko Japan
By Alex Bishop
Mina Tanaka is having a moment. The Nadeshiko Japan and Utah Royals striker dominated the SheBelieves Cup, winning both MVP and top scorer as Japan defeated the U.S.
Reigning NBA champion Celtics agree to record-breaking $6.1 billion sale
Jackie Robinson’s legacy vanishes, then reappears on Pentagon site
By Tim Balk
Eddie Jordan was Formula One's 'rock 'n' roll' extrovert
Kirsty Coventry hopes to speak with Donald Trump about 2028 LA Games

Opinion

Despite the high cost of defending Ukraine, voters on both sides of the Atlantic — including Republicans in the United States — remain surprisingly united in their support for the country.
The American and European publics still stand with Ukraine
Mathieu Lefevre and Tim Dixon
Public attitudes in the U.S. are even more striking. When it comes to Ukraine, Americans broadly agree with Europeans.
Thirty years later, Aum Shinrikyo’s horrors are ever-present
Europe’s risk aversion comes with consequences
By Allison Schrager
Billionaire’s private jet angst won’t save the world
By David Fickling
Prime Minister Ishiba’s struggles put his leadership in jeopardy
By Edo Naito

ENVIRONMENT

Ice is seen on the Pastoruri glacier in the Peruvian Andes, Peru, in May 2024.
World's glaciers are losing record ice as global temperatures climb, U.N. says
By Alexander Villegas
Glaciers are disappearing faster than ever, with the last three-year period seeing the largest glacial mass loss on record.
In the remote Amazon, midwives care for women stranded by drought
By Pilar Olivares and Manuela Andreoni
Extreme weather in 2024 forced most people to flee in 16 years
By Aaron Clark
Japan removes 207 species from red list of endangered plants and fungi
'More and faster': U.N. calls to shrink buildings' carbon footprint

CULTURE

AMKK’s latest exhibition, “X-Ray Flowers,” is the culmination of seven years of work aided by CT technologists, who help with the highly specialized imaging techniques.
Avant-garde botanists AMKK illuminate the inner worlds of flowers
By Kim Kahan
The punk florists' latest exhibition immerses visitors in darkness, bathed only in the glow of X-rays and CT scans of plants and flowers.
Virtual idols, real fans: Hololive’s bet on the future of pop
By Patrick St. Michel
‘My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999’ shows that even stoic gamers can fall in love
By Mark Schilling
Indie films vie for views at Niigata animation festival
By Matt Schley
Japanese singer and actor Ayumi Ishida dies at 76

LIFE

Releasing on March 20, Assassin's Creed Shadows excels in atmosphere and open-world gameplay but falls short of narrative expectations.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows puts samurai style over substance
By Owen Ziegler
Ubisoft’s latest game is a gorgeous jaunt through feudal Japan entirely unworthy of the controversy surrounding it.
Tokyo Creative Salon sees the city as both runway and canvas
By Erik Augustin Palm
After a long winter, wild veggies can brighten up any dish
By Makiko Itoh
‘Resorts for the spirit’: Touring Kagawa’s art and architecture
By Jennifer Pastore
Square Enix Cafe had everything going for it, except the ability to adapt
By Isabelle Steen

COMMUNITY

Kyoko Watanabe made a home for herself in Ishinomaki after moving there to participate in disaster relief efforts following 3/11, and now operates a business focused on the creative reuse of <i>akiya</i> (abandoned houses).
From abandoned houses to ‘creative communities’: An Ishinomaki entrepreneur's vision for rural Japan
By Florentyna Leow
Kyoko Watanabe moved to Miyagi Prefecture to help with disaster relief efforts following 3/11. She ended up building a company and a vision for revitalizing rural Japan.
A shy cat looking for a new start
A shy Shiba mix is ready to bloom
Hiromi Okuda: 'Humans and emerging tech should exist symbiotically'
By Jessica Kozuka
Redevelopment and resistance in historic Nishiogikubo
By Aviraj Gokool

Editors' Picks

BASEBALL
In pictures: Tokyo's weeklong celebration of baseball's best
Shohei Ohtani belts a home run in the fifth inning of the second game of the Tokyo Series between the Dodgers and Cubs.
JAPAN
What's the fuss over Ishiba's gift vouchers?
By Himari Semans and Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waits for a session of the House of Councillors Budget Committee to begin in Tokyo on Friday.
BASEBALL
At Tokyo Dome, a stage so big that even Shohei Ohtani felt nervous
By Jason Coskrey
Shohei Ohtani tips his batting helmet during the opening game of the MLB season between the Dodgers and Cubs on Tuesday at Tokyo Dome
LIFE
Assassin’s Creed Shadows puts samurai style over substance
By Owen Ziegler
Releasing on March 20, Assassin's Creed Shadows excels in atmosphere and open-world gameplay but falls short of narrative expectations.
LIFE
At Ventinove, Tuscan specialties taken to new heights
By Robbie Swinnerton
Tucked away behind the historic Tsuchida sake brewery, Ventinove's location and sleek, angular architecture make for impressive destination dining.

Podcast

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

Longform

Passengers that were on a morning train attacked by members of the Aum Shinrikyo group wait for medical assistance outside Kasumigaseki Station on March 20,1995.
The day a religious cult brought terror to Tokyo
By Alex K.T. Martin

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
By Yukana Inoue
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
ASIA PACIFIC
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
By Claire Lee
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
JAPAN
Toyoko Kids: The lonely street children of Tokyo
By Yukana Inoue
Many young people who feel neglected at home flock to the Toyoko area to find a community where they can fit in.
LIFE
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
By Kathryn Wortley
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.
COMMENTARY
Don’t worry about global population collapse
By F.D. Flam
Most projections show the world will hit peak humanity in the 21st century as people choose to have smaller families and women gain power over their own reproduction.