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August 16, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 16, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
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WWII ANNIVERSARY
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U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin shake hands as they meet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
‘Dear neighbor’: A red carpet for Putin, no ceasefire for Trump
By Flavia Krause-Jackson, Hadriana Lowenkron and Eric Martin
There was a lot the two presidents left unsaid at the end of an inconclusive summit, with details of a tantalizing agreement the pair had mentioned kept under wraps.

More coverage

Trump speaks with Zelenskyy, NATO leaders after summit with Putin
Trump’s pause on Ukraine aid hurt its readiness, watchdog finds
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin shake hands as they meet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
Wang Yi
JAPAN / Politics
On anniversary of WWII's end, China urges Japan to make the 'right choice'
"Only by remembering the past can straying onto the wrong path again be avoided," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was quoted as saying.
U.S. President Donald Trump greeets Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka in June 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Trump says Xi told him he wouldn’t invade Taiwan while U.S. leader is in office
By Jesse Johnson
But the U.S. president said Xi had also delivered an implicit warning about Taiwan’s future, telling him that he is “very patient, and China is very patient.”
Toyota Motor Land Cruisers are parked, bound for shipment, at the Port of Nagoya in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
Listed Japan firms log 11% quarterly profit drop
The decreases comes as tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump weighed heavily on automakers.
Beniya Mukayu, a traditional "ryokan" inn located in Ishikawa Prefecture, considers itself at "the heart of onsen towns, local residents, farmers, fishermen, sake brewers and artisans" — all of which need new, sustainable methods of serving visitors to survive into the future.
LIFE / Travel
In preserving Japanese hospitality, ‘details are everything’
By Melinda Joe
As part of a new UNESCO initiative, the elite Relais & Chateau hospitality group will empower its Japan-based members to preserve the country’s “omotenashi” culture.
Beniya Mukayu, a traditional "ryokan" inn located in Ishikawa Prefecture, considers itself at "the heart of onsen towns, local residents, farmers, fishermen, sake brewers and artisans" — all of which need new, sustainable methods of serving visitors to survive into the future.

JAPAN

U.S. President Donald Trump during a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday
Trump releases message on WWII victory over Japan
The U.S. leader stated that "the Japanese Empire was defeated" and the world was "spared from the oppressive clutches of destruction and tyranny."
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung makes a speech at a news conference for foreign media in Taipei in July last year.
Taiwan foreign minister's visit puts damper on Japan-China relations
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung's latest trip has put a damper on bilateral ties, with Beijing canceling a meeting in Japan at the last minute.
Taisho Democracy: A turbulent, tenuous era of conflicting ideals
By Michael Hoffman
Secretary of LDP's Hagiuda fined over funds scandal
Hiker missing in Hokkaido after bear attack found dead
Stateless man of Japanese descent in Philippines eager for Japan citizenship

BUSINESS

PayPay is the most popular payment app in Japan, with 70 million users.
SoftBank's PayPay prepares for listing on a U.S. exchange
By Francis Tang
It has filed registration documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange. Analysts say some cash-rich, big tech firms in Japan have failed to respond to the TSE’s yearslong campaign to improve valuations and capital efficiency.
Investors seek bigger payouts from Japanese tech firms’ cash hoard
By Kentaro Tsutsumi
Growth companies that had been getting a free pass amid the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s yearslong campaign to improve valuations and capital efficiency are now facing closer scrutiny.
Listed Japan firms log 11% quarterly profit drop
Trump's attack on Goldman could prompt watering down of Wall Street's independent analysis
By Suzanne McGee and Saeed Azhar
Modi slams ‘economic selfishness’ in defiance of U.S. tariffs
By Swati Gupta
Air Canada and union deadlocked despite government plea for deal to avert Saturday strike
By Allison Lampert

WORLD

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks during a news conference at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington on July 29.
Draft of Trump’s health blueprint avoids industry crackdown
The draft was dated Aug. 11, but could still see changes before it’s finalized, according to people familiar with the discussions.
U.S. National Guard members patrol at Union Station in Washington on Friday.
Washington, D.C., police chief remains in command under White House deal
Trump administration lawyers conceded that Pamela Smith would remain in command of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department.
Canada conservative leader mounts comeback after Trump-linked defeat
'Doomsday' monsoon rains lash Pakistan, killing almost 200 people
Taliban mark fourth year in power in Afghanistan
Online cockfighting thrives in Philippines despite ban and murders
By Pam Castro

Sports

Athletes compete in the final of the women's 100 meter hurdles at the Paris Olympics in August last year.
New gene tests system in disarray ahead of world championships in Tokyo
With the world championships in Tokyo looming, athletics federations are struggling to comply with new rules concerning gene tests for female athletes.
Liverpool strikes late to beat Bournemouth as Jota remembered in Premier League opener
By Kieran CANNING
Alcaraz survives to reach Cincinnati semis as Rybakina topples No. 1 Sabalenka
U.S. legend Michael Phelps slams USA Swimming and calls for overhaul
Michael Phelps makes a splash with Ravens' swimming lessons

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering issuing a formal statement on the 80th anniversary of WWII’s end. There is no shortage of opposition to the idea in his own party.
Why Ishiba shouldn’t issue a WWII 80th anniversary statement
Kuni Miyake
I’m not saying Japan shouldn’t have apologized, but rather that Japan has sincerely worked to resolve international issues, especially in the past 30 years.
Operation Highmast reinforces claims that ‘security is indivisible’
Precautionary Osprey landings signal safety, not alarm
By Robert D. Eldridge
The real nuclear moonshot is here on Earth
By Liam Denning
Dispelling the myth of Yasukuni Shrine
By Edo Naito

ENVIRONMENT

Plastic bottles and other refuse collected from Border Field State Park Beach in San Diego in May
Tough U.S. stance casts gloom over plastics pollution deal after Geneva flop
By Olivia Le Poidevin and Emma Farge
Many states and campaigners blamed the failure on oil-producers including the U.S, which they said urged others to reject caps on new plastic production.
'Bad actors' blamed as plastic pollution treaty talks end again without deal
By Robin Millard
With waters at 32 C, Mediterranean tropicalization shifts into high gear
By Remi BANET
Climate heat extremes driving tropical bird decline: study
By Julien MIVIELLE
The airline industry's dirty secret: Clean jet fuel failures
By Joanna Plucinska, Joe Brock, Marleen Kaesebier and Paul Carsten

CULTURE

The inverted cone, one of Atsushi Kitagawara’s six signature elements in architecture, is a key feature of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection museum building.
Atsushi Kitagawara’s exhibition finds poetry in architecture
By Gendel Gento
Award-winning architect Kitagawara's work is displayed at the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection museum he designed, making it both a venue and a centerpiece of the exhibition.
Osaka Asian Film Festival gets an expo boost
By Matt Schley
Samansa bets on commuter cinema
By Ryne Hisada
‘Yukikaze’ turns fabled warship into floating snoozefest
By James Hadfield
The early bird gets the bangers at this year’s Summer Sonic
By Patrick St. Michel

LIFE

Chef Kei Kobayashi is France's only Japanese chef with three Michelin stars.
In Paris, chefs Chizuko Kimura and Kei Kobayashi make their mark
By Kyoko Nakayama
One is the world’s first Michelin-starred female sushi chef, while the other is France’s only three-Michelin-starred Japanese chef.
A seaside hotel built on competitive Japanese cycling
By Jessica Kozuka
Reading the Japanese clock: Are times a-changin'?
By Peter Backhaus
In a coffee-mad neighborhood, a gin distillery is a clear alternative
By Melinda Joe
A walk through Kokura, the city spared nuclear destruction
By Edward J. Taylor

COMMUNITY

Francisco Villarreal moved to Japan in 2014 to attend a teacher training program and has forged deep ties to the kindergarten in Tokyo's Asakusa district where he has worked since 2018.
Kindred spirits, kindergarten connections: From Buenos Aires to east Tokyo
By Francisco J. Villarreal
An Argentinian teacher finds echoes of his hometown in the working-class neighborhoods of eastern Tokyo.
A campaign to preserve Hiroshima’s historic trees for another 1,000 years
By Patrick Parr
Briton brings artistic view to Japanese buildings
By Louise George Kittaka
The international artists supporting Japan’s craft legacy
By Laura Pollacco
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio

Editors' Picks

MORE SPORTS
Recent deaths of Japanese boxers underline importance of emergency action plans
By Mai Yoshikawa
The Japan Boxing Commission's safety protocols have been thrust into the spotlight following the deaths of Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa, who suffered fatal brain injuries while fighting on the same card on Aug. 2.
JAPAN
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
By Tomoko Otake
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.
JAPAN
Will Ishiba's critics be able to garner enough support for a leadership race?
By Eric Johnston
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's political survival likely hinges on whether a leadership race will take place within the Liberal Democratic Party following its decision to have its election committee canvass the opinions of party members and prefectural chapters on the subject.
JAPAN
Hidden rosters and the legacy of Japan’s germ warfare
By Tomoko Otake
Katsutoshi Takegami, 77, in his storehouse attic where he discovered his father's Unit 1644 documents
ENVIRONMENT
Osaka Expo highlights the challenge of holding events in Japan's scorching summer
By Joel Tansey
People huddle near a large fan blowing icy-cold mist at the Osaka Expo on July 12. Amid Japan's relentless summer heat, organizes have put myriad measures in place in order to keep guests safe.

Podcast

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

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
By Tomoko Otake

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

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
By Tomoko Otake
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.
JAPAN
Japanese star convicted of indecent assault in Hong Kong
J-pop idol Kenshin Kamimura leaves the West Kowloon Law Courts on bail in Hong Kong on Wednesday, after he was found guilty of indecent assault of a woman who worked as his interpreter at a restaurant in Mong Kok district in March this year.
JAPAN
Tens of thousands left stranded at Osaka Expo by train service interruption
By Yukana Inoue
Visitors rest inside the Osaka Expo venue early Thursday morning
BUSINESS
Welcoming foreign residents benefits Japan, three quarters of economists say
By Elizabeth Beattie
The streets of Tokyo's Ginza district in April. The number of foreign residents in Japan hit a record high at 3.76 million as of the end of last year, comprising just over 3% of the population.
JAPAN
Hiker missing in Hokkaido after bear attack found dead
The Rausu mountain range at Hokkaido's Shiretoko National Park. A man in his 20s who went missing after being attacked by a bear while hiking on Mount Rausu has been found dead.