Home page

 
Menu
Search
 
Menu
Search
Tokyo Weather 33℃
TOKYO
August 22, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 22, 2025
Nikkei
Trade deal
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Latest News
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
A Ukrainian service member throws a grenade during training in the Donbas region, Ukraine, in April. Russia controls about 88% of the Donbas region, according to U.S. estimates and open-source data.
WORLD / Politics
Putin demands Ukraine give up Donbas, not join NATO and no Western troops: sources
By Guy Faulconbridge
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly dismissed the idea of withdrawing from internationally recognized Ukrainian land as part of a deal.

More coverage

Doubts grow on Ukraine security plan as Russia demands role
A Ukrainian service member throws a grenade during training in the Donbas region, Ukraine, in April. Russia controls about 88% of the Donbas region, according to U.S. estimates and open-source data.
The Environment Ministry plans to increase subsidies to local governments to fund projects such as setting up fences to prevent bears from encroaching into populated areas, as well as training personnel who can react when there are sightings.
JAPAN
Environment Ministry to boost support for local governments facing bear attacks
By Yukana Inoue
It plans to allocate roughly ¥3.7 billion for designated wildlife control measures to enable municipalities to secure and train staff able to respond to incidents involving bears.
Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi (center) attends a Lower House session on Aug. 1. Locking Koizumi into the Cabinet is Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s way of turning a potential rival into a team player, according to one expert.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
As farm minister, Koizumi is held ‘hostage’ by Ishiba
By Himari Semans
By naming the popular lawmaker to his Cabinet, the beleaguered prime minister turned a potential rival into a member of his team — at least, for now.
Police have issued a warning over the existence of online message boards promoting extreme sexual role play that are, in reality, serving as hubs for actual crimes involving sexual violence.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Police warn of internet forums soliciting sexual violence
A woman was attacked in her apartment in Tokyo after an acquaintance of hers found a man via an internet board willing to commit sexual assault.
Kazuhiro Nomura, president of BK Japan Holdings, which operates Burger King in Japan
BUSINESS / Companies
Big burgers and bigger ambitions for Japan's Burger King
By Kazuaki Nagata
The fast-food chain has grown fourfold in just six years.
Kazuhiro Nomura, president of BK Japan Holdings, which operates Burger King in Japan

JAPAN

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung meet ahead of a summit in Kananaskis, Canada, in June. The two leaders will meet again on Saturday.
Japan and South Korea to expand working holiday program
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung are expected to agree on the matter when they meet in Tokyo on Saturday.
An All Nippon Airways passenger plane landed on a runway where a work vehicle was operating at Wakkanai Airport in Hokkaido on Wednesday, according to the transport ministry.
'Serious incident' to be probed after ANA plane lands while vehicle on runway
The Japan Transport Safety Board has appointed two aviation accident investigators to begin an investigation into the event at Wakkanai Airport in Hokkaido.
Japanese American museum blasts Trump's use of internment camp to detain people
LDP mulls pushing back deadline for review of Upper House election
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin
JR East cancels luxury train run over crew's boozing

BUSINESS

Nissan's popular "<i>kei</i> car" Roox is seen displayed outside the company's global headquarters in Yokohama in November.
Nissan updates popular 'kei car' as it revamps aging lineup
By Emi Tanimoto
The fourth-generation Roox, better mileage, more safety features and built-in connectivity, will go on sale by the end of the year for ¥1.6 million.
The Port of Los Angeles. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said European carmakers could see relief from the current U.S. tariffs within "hopefully weeks."
EU pushes for reduced U.S. auto tariffs to apply retroactively from Aug. 1
By Andrea Shalal and David Lawder
The statement came as the partners set out details of a framework trade deal struck in July.
Eric Trump to visit Japan in September amid crypto push
By Alice French and Annie Massa
Nvidia CEO says in talks with U.S. over new China chip
By Ben Blanchard and Wen-Yee Lee
Japan eyes 2.6% provisional rate for government bonds in FY2026, Yomiuri says
By Erica Yokoyama
Japan’s inflation hovers well above BOJ’s goal even as it slows
By Toru Fujioka

WORLD

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was cleared of royal defamation charges on Friday.
Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra acquitted of royal insult charges
By Montira Rungjirajittranon
The ruling eases one of the threats to Thaksin's embattled dynasty, which has dominated the nation's politics for two decades.
The World Health Organization's funding squeeze was sparked by the U.S. decision to leave the agency, announced on day one of Donald Trump’s presidency in January this year.
WHO plans to relocate units, cease some work under pressure from U.S. withdrawal
By Jennifer Rigby and Emma Farge
The organization cut its 2026-27 budget by 21% in May, has already halved its management team, and has seen over 400 staff depart since January.
Judge orders halt to new construction at 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention center
By Kanishka Singh
U.S. Supreme Court lets Trump administration cut millions worth of medical grants
By Greg Stohr
In huge win for Trump, court throws out half-billion-dollar fraud penalty
By Jonathan Stempel and Luc Cohen
Taiwan president ups defense spending target to 5% of GDP

Sports

A boxing match at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Feb. 29, 2016. Japanese boxing has been rocked by a series of serious injuries and deaths.
Japanese amateur boxer in intensive care after latest incident
The JBF, which oversees amateur boxing in Japan, said the man had not fought a match for over 10 years and had been in training to make a comeback.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz joins Forest from Juventus
By Pearl Josephine Nazare
South African Wallis pushes wingsuit flying to global heights
By Sisipho Skweyiya
All Blacks' 'big bodies' look to outmuscle Pumas in Buenos Aires
By Ian Ransom
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart cleared after injury scare

Opinion

U.S. President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as they meet in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15.
Peace in Ukraine is within reach — if the world holds firm
Peace prospects swing with Trump’s erratic diplomacy. Allies, including Japan, need to stress unity and rule of law as they prepare to fill gaps and stabilize support for Ukraine.
Was Trump’s Russia-Ukraine summit doomed from the beginning?
By Kuni Miyake
Ads ruined social media. Now they’re coming to AI.
By Parmy Olson
Why Jimmy Lai’s persecution should worry Japan
By Mark L. Clifford
Urban mining eases the critical minerals crunch 
By Brad Glosserman

ENVIRONMENT

A commuter uses a portable fan on an underground train at rush hour during a heat wave in the City of London financial district.
As temperatures soar in London, regulations, not costs, put cooling beyond reach
By Olivia Rudgard
The British capital has seen a surge in demand for air-conditioning units in high-end homes as climate change raises summer temperatures.
Is historically arid Beijing ready for a wetter future?
By Laurie Chen
Tourism deal puts one of Egypt's last wild shores at risk
By Lobna Monieb
Mozambique's illegal miners reap risky rewards but land suffers
By Samuel Come
Man who bred world’s biggest rhino herd charged with horn smuggling
By Antony Sguazzin

CULTURE

In what is billed as the first major production in English of Hisashi Inoue's "The Face of Jizo,” the Japanese play will have performances at the Seymour Centre in Sydney both in English and in Japanese.
'The Face of Jizo': Hisashi Inoue's play staged in Sydney commemorates WWII victims
By Kris Kosaka
Billed as the first major English-language production of the play, "The Face of Jizo" also increases the variety of roles for Japanese actors in Australia.
‘Happy Life’ brings dignity to family’s struggle with grief and poverty
By James Hadfield
‘Seaside Serendipity’: A pastel-soaked reverie on youthful creativity
By Mark Schilling
Alicia Keys closed Summer Sonic, but J-pop owned it
By Patrick St. Michel
‘Fires on the Plain’: Haunting imagery in restored 1959 war film stands the test of time
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

A lot of Japanese workers join online group texts to communicate with their coworkers, but at what point do those chats threaten a healthy work-life balance?
Expressing annoyance with work group chats in Japanese
By Yaeko Kabe
Some employees value the convenience; others feel trapped by after-hours texts and social expectations embedded in office messaging culture.
Fingers sore from too much phone time? You might have ‘sumaho yubi.’
By Mai Yoshikawa
From a piquant paste to a crisp crust, sesame shines in many forms
By Simon Daly
In preserving Japanese hospitality, ‘details are everything’
By Melinda Joe
A seaside hotel built on competitive Japanese cycling
By Jessica Kozuka

COMMUNITY

In honor of his longstanding ties and contributions to Japan's business, legal and nonprofit communities, Carl J. Green was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2018.
Carl J. Green, mentor to a generation of ‘Japan hands,’ dies at 85
By Matthew Goodman
A lawyer and scholar with deep ties to Tokyo’s business and legal communities, Green opened the Ford Foundation’s Tokyo office.
Seri Yanai: ‘We mix modern and analog to create something new’
By Ayako Nakano
Handsome cat looking for brighter days ahead
Solidarity with Tokyo’s homeless residents, one day at a time
By Shyam Bhardwa
Kindred spirits, kindergarten connections: From Buenos Aires to east Tokyo
By Francisco J. Villarreal

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Tokyo crowned No.1 'workation' spot
By Elizabeth Beattie
Workations were a burgeoning trend in the corporate world for years before the COVID-19 pandemic turbocharged it.
CULTURE
Atsushi Kitagawara’s exhibition finds poetry in architecture
By Gendel Gento
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.
BASEBALL
Candidates preparing to make final pitches for Sawamura Award
By Jason Coskrey
Hawks pitcher Livan Moinelo has a 1.13 ERA in 19 starts this season.
JAPAN
Winning warship bid gives Japan confidence boost as Tokyo eyes more exports
By Gabriel Dominguez
Australia’s decision to select Japan's upgraded Mogami-class warship, seen in this computer-generated image, has been “well received across Japanese industry," a Defense Ministry official said.
LIFE
In Paris, chefs Chizuko Kimura and Kei Kobayashi make their mark
By Kyoko Nakayama
Chef Kei Kobayashi is France's only Japanese chef with three Michelin stars.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Ex.Portal By Synergy Media Specialists

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy
Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

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

COMMENTARY
Demystifying the manufacturing success of China
By Zhang Jun
China’s massive scale, strong education system and competitive local governance have enabled it to reach the technological frontier and dominate high-tech manufacturing despite its low per capita gross domestic product.
JAPAN
Japan to revise romanization rules for first time in 70 years
The Agency for Cultural Affairs is recommending replacing the government’s long-standing Kunrei system with more widely used Hepburn-style spellings.
BUSINESS
Japanese manufacturers moving headquarters out of central Tokyo
A building in Kawasaki housing Toshiba's new headquarters
SUMO
Is sumo becoming a victim of its own popularity?
By John Gunning
A training session at Shikoroyama stable in June 2016. Sumo training sessions are increasingly simulated or the preserve of group tours.
JAPAN
Japanese man suspected of ordering double murder in Manila
Two suspects arrested over the killing of two Japanese last week are held in restraints in Manila on Tuesday.