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March 20, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
March 20, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
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Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference in January in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Bank of Japan holds steady at 0.5% as trade war escalates and inflation rises
By Kazuaki Nagata
The move was widely expected, with economists unanimous in seeing back-to-back rate increases as unlikely from the central bank, which made one in January.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference in January in Tokyo.
A signed picture by photographer Joe Rosenthal of U.S. Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima is shown as part of a display at the new National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia, in November 2006.
JAPAN / Politics
‘DEI’ purge prompts Pentagon to remove webpage on Iwo Jima flag-raiser
By Jesse Johnson
The Pentagon said that the page and others, which were removed under the Trump administration’s wide-ranging crackdown on diversity measures, were being restored.
Tourists visit a park in front of the Imperial Palace amid snowfall in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Japan's record snow in February attributed to global warming
By Tomoko Otake
The Meteorological Agency said global warming contributed to the record snowfall in northern and eastern Japan last month.
A 7-Eleven convenience store, operated by Seven & I Holdings, at the company's headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Seven & I signs confidentiality pact with Canada’s Couche-Tard
By Kanoko Matsuyama
The nondisclosure agreement (NDA) will pave the way for discussions around antitrust issues in the United States, Seven & I said.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waits for a session of the House of Councillors Budget Committee to begin in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Explainer
What's the fuss over Ishiba's gift vouchers?
By Himari Semans and Gabriele Ninivaggi
The prime minister's standing has worsened following reports that he handed out gift vouchers worth ¥100,000 ($668) each to rookie lawmakers from his party.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waits for a session of the House of Councillors Budget Committee to begin in Tokyo on Friday.

JAPAN

The number of foreign visitors to Japan exceeded 3 million in February, the first time for the month.
Japan records 3.25 million visitors in February
The number shot up 16.9% from a year before, boosted mainly by an increase in travelers from China during the Lunar New Year holiday period.
Snow falls on a narrow drinking alley in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward on Wednesday morning.
Snowfall in Tokyo as storm sweeps country
By Jessica Speed
A rapidly intensifying low-pressure system was unleashing heavy snow and strong winds across much of Japan.
Man indicted over '06 and '07 Hyogo elementary school girl attacks
Former judge admits to insider trading
Japan, China and South Korea's top diplomats to meet in Tokyo
Former member of Aum Shinrikyo expresses regret 30 years on

BUSINESS

Japan's shipments abroad have advanced in the first two months of this year, as Japanese companies brace for the rollout of higher tariffs in the United States.
Japan’s exports rose more quickly in February ahead of Trump tariffs
By Yoshiaki Nohara
Global trade flows face potential major disruptions as the U.S. continues to escalate its tariff campaign, targeting nations where Japanese carmakers have manufacturing bases.
Alain Bouchard (left), chairman and founder of Alimentation Couche-Tard, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on March 13.
Couche-Tard meets privately with Seven & I investors, pressing case for takeover
By Lisa Du and Kanoko Matsuyama
The Canadian firm has sought to reassure the public and key stakeholders that it's not considering a hostile takeover, despite a monthslong standoff with Seven & I.
Malaysia's Silicon Valley ambitions face tough challenges
By Isabelle LEONG
Tariff threats spur TSMC’s Taiwan peers to seek U.S. expansion
By Jane Lanhee Lee and Debby Wu
JX Advanced Metals surges on debut after biggest Japan IPO since 2018
By Yasutaka Tamura
Trump still intends for reciprocal tariffs to kick in on April 2

WORLD

Soldiers take part in the first day of the annual Han Kuang military drills in Taoyuan, Taiwan, in July last year.
Taiwan defense drills identify 2027 for potential China invasion for first time
The Taiwanese Defense Ministry unveiled the date in a document released Tuesday to brief lawmakers on upcoming war games simulating an attack by the Chinese military.
After U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin's phone call, talks aimed at advancing toward a broader peace plan will begin immediately, the White House, though it was unclear whether Ukraine will be involved.
Putin spurns a Ukraine ceasefire but Trump calls talk a win
The Russian leader agreed only to limit attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with experts saying Moscow could be playing for time.
What happens to the human body in deep space?
By Issam AHMED
Trump releases JFK assassination documents
By Steve Holland and Julia Harte
USAID suspension shutters Colombia programs, endangering FARC peace deal
By Alfie Pannell
Elon Musk’s team evicts officials at the U.S. Institute of Peace
By Aishvarya Kavi

Sports

Roki Sasaki throws the first pitch of his MLB career to open the Dodgers' game against the Cubs at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday.
Shohei Ohtani homers to help Dodgers earn second straight win over Cubs
By Jason Coskrey
The Dodgers swept the two-game Tokyo Series.
New Japanese baseball exhibit to open at Baseball Hall of Fame in July
By Jason Coskrey
Tokyo Series gives diehard American baseball fans the ideal gateway into Japan
By Joshua Mellin
Japan’s twin obsessions meet as MLB visits sumo’s heartland
By John Gunning
Osaka battles back to advance in Miami

Opinion

Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader Shigeru Ishiba is facing a political funding scandal that has damaged his reputation and sparked speculation that internal efforts to remove him are underway.
Japan’s leader didn’t read the job description
Gearoid Reidy
The lastest scandal comes amid broader concerns over the LDP's misuse of political funds, further damaging Prime Minister Ishiba’s reputation.
Musk says aid cuts haven’t killed anyone. That's not true.
By Nicholas Kristof
Pakistan’s economy is back. But so is terrorism.
By Mihir Sharma
Trump's actions and the ‘new national security economy’
By Brad Glosserman
It’s time to flip Russia’s script on North Korean nukes
By Maya Sobchuk

ENVIRONMENT

Saul Luciano Lliuya in his home in Huaraz, Peru, on March 2. Lliuya is pursuing a lawsuit against German energy utility RWE, whose emissions he says have contributed to the melting of Andean glaciers, swelling a lake above his hometown to dangerous levels.
Facing glacial melt-water flood risk, Peruvian farmer tests global climate law
By Alexander Villegas, Riham Alkousaa and Alfredo Galarza
Lawyers in the case say German energy firm RWE is responsible for 0.5% of global emissions, so should pay 0.5% of the costs for a local $3.5 million flood defense project.
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
From oil spills to new species: How tech reveals the ocean
By Sara Hussein

CULTURE

Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time” won the award for best film at the 48th Japan Academy Film Prize ceremony.
‘A Samurai in Time’ wins top prize at Japan’s premier film event
By Alyssa I. Smith
This country’s answer to the Oscars also saw awards go to “Oppenheimer” and “Faceless.”
Japanese singer and actor Ayumi Ishida dies at 76
Augmented reality artist Omega C navigates a precarious scene for XR art
By Erik Augustin Palm
K-Ballet Tokyo marks 25 years of passion and perseverance
By Kris Kosaka
The sci-fi satire 'Mickey 17' might be a classic — someday
By Mark Leydorf

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 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
How a Canadian missionary found spiritual transformation in Shikoku
By Suzanne Kamata

Editors' Picks

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.
JAPAN
Private clubs quietly open in Tokyo for free-spending Chinese businesspeople
By Takehiro Masutomo
Sources say a hui suo — a private club, which in Japan caters mainly to Chinese businesspeople — will soon open on the upper floors of the Moutai Building in the Ginza district of Tokyo.
ENVIRONMENT
Japan’s youth climate activists still searching for a breakthrough
By Eric Margolis
While climate demonstrations around the world often draw thousands of participants, in Japan such demonstrations rarely break the 100-person barrier.

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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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Snowfall in Tokyo as storm sweeps country
By Jessica Speed
Snow falls on a narrow drinking alley in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward on Wednesday morning.
JAPAN
‘DEI’ purge prompts Pentagon to remove webpage on Iwo Jima flag-raiser
By Jesse Johnson
A signed picture by photographer Joe Rosenthal of U.S. Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima is shown as part of a display at the new National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia, in November 2006.
ASIA PACIFIC
China sends most military aircraft near Taiwan since October
By Jesse Johnson
A Taiwanese military honor guard holds Taiwanese flags during an open day event for the public at the Keelung port on the island Monday.
JAPAN
Tokyo pub hit with first-ever closure order for illegal street tables
One pub in Tokyo's Shimbashi district received more than 60 warnings from law enforcement for setting up tables on the street, blocking the way for traffic.
CULTURE
Japanese singer and actor Ayumi Ishida dies at 76
Singer and actor Ayumi Ishida was well known for her hit song "Blue Light Yokohama."