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September 27, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
September 27, 2025
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks before signing executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Sept. 19.
BUSINESS / Economy
Trump’s 100% pharmaceutical tariffs won’t apply to Japan and EU
A U.S.-Japan joint statement says American tariff rates on Japanese drugs and semiconductors should not exceed those applied to others, including the EU.

More coverage

Trump mulls tariffs on foreign electronics based on number of chips
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks before signing executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Sept. 19.
The average salary for men was ¥5.87 million, up 3.2%, and that of women was ¥3.33 million, up 5.5%, both marking record highs.
BUSINESS
Japan private-sector pay hits record in 2024
The average grew for the fourth consecutive year. The pace of increase exceeded 3% for the first time in 33 years.
A newspaper headline in Japanese about a possible Nankai Trough earthquake. In a report issued Friday, the government's Earthquake Research Committee widened the probability range for a magnitude 8 to 9 earthquake occurring off the country's Pacific coast within the next 30 years from "around 80%" to 60% to 94.5% or higher.
JAPAN
Japan revises 30-year probability rate of Nankai Trough megaquake
A government panel has said that it now thinks a huge earthquake will occur along the Nankai Trough with a probability of 60% to 94.5% or higher within the next 30 years.
A parody Mount Rushmore sculpture depicts the faces of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (second from right) and U.S. President Donald Trump (right), as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a shopping mall in Bangkok on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Seoul says it can’t rule out Kim-Trump meeting during APEC summit
By Jesse Johnson
A report quoting a South Korean official appeared to reverse Seoul’s earlier position that North Korea’s participation in the summit was unlikely.
Tokyo's current crop of three-Michelin-starred establishments includes six Japanese restaurants, five specializing in French cuisine and one that does Chinese cuisine.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Tokyo retains Michelin crown with 160 starred restaurants for 2026
By Weiwen Lin
This year’s figure, though 10 fewer than the year prior, does little to dent the capital’s reputation as a leading gourmet destination.
Tokyo's current crop of three-Michelin-starred establishments includes six Japanese restaurants, five specializing in French cuisine and one that does Chinese cuisine.

JAPAN

Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Sept. 16. All five candidates in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race demonstrated a tougher stance on foreign tourists and nationals.
LDP presidential hopefuls take hard-line stance on immigration
By Himari Semans
Unruly tourists, visa overstayers and increasing land purchases by foreign nationals were some of the issues spotlighted during debates.
An empty street is seen in the abandoned town of Okuma, in Fukushima Prefecture, during a temporary return visit by evacuees in February 2012.
Ukrainian YouTuber arrested in Japan over Fukushima livestream
The arrest is the latest in a string of incidents involving fame-seeking foreign nationals behaving badly in the country.
Four municipalities to be banned from hometown tax program after overspending
Shimomura asked for resumption of kickbacks, LDP ex-accountant testifies
Koizumi apologizes over campaign's soliciting of favorable online comments
LDP presidential candidate Hayashi sees need for backup of Tokyo

BUSINESS

Concern about prices in Japan is at or near record highs.
Inflation and ‘food situation’ concerns top key Japan survey
By Francis Tang
Rising prices have not been this much of a worry since just after the 1973 oil shock.
Visitors wait in line to enter the Tech World pavilion at the Osaka Expo on Thursday.
Taiwan showcases chipmaking prowess as a private exhibitor at Osaka Expo
By Tomoko Otake
The expo’s guidebook makes only brief references to Taiwan's food and lifestyles, but the structure of its pavilion and exhibits are rich in symbolism.
Japanese power and city gas suppliers to raise rates next month
Itochu mulls first dollar note issue in five years to diversify
By Takahiko Hyuga and Koh Yoshida
Mitsubishi Estate breaks ground on London complex project
Japan might be spared Trump's 100% tariffs on pharmaceuticals
By Francis Tang

WORLD

President Donald Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold his planned rollback of automatic birthright citizenship, a move that will test a Trump executive order that lower courts have uniformly concluded runs afoul of the Constitution, federal immigration law and Supreme Court precedent.
Trump asks U.S. Supreme Court to curb birthright citizenship
President Donald Trump's administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to review the legality of his bid to limit birthright citizenship in the United States, teeing up a major test of one of his most contentious policies that could alter how the U.S. Constitution has long been understood on the...
A federal agent aims a less-lethal launcher at protesters outside the Broadview ICE processing facility, after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an increased federal law enforcement presence to assist with crime prevention, in Broadview, Illinois, on Friday.
ICE tactics inflame tensions in New York, Chicago and other cities
Immigration officers are pepper spraying protesters and manhandling detainees in overt displays of force.
In India's Mumbai, the largest slum in Asia is for sale
By Philippe Alfroy
Quake-hit Myanmar city becomes epicenter of junta election offensive
FBI fires agents pictured kneeling during racial justice protest in 2020
U.S. to revoke Colombian president's visa over 'incendiary actions'

Sports

Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia takes part in a practice session ahead of the Japanese MotoGP in Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture, on Saturday.
Marc Marquez on brink of MotoGP title as Bagnaia wins Japan sprint
Ducati's Marquez is on the verge of winning his first world championship crown since 2019 and can seal the deal if he finishes second in Sunday's race at Motegi.
U.S. won't 'panic' after difficult start to Ryder Cup
Ohtani tops MLB jersey sales for third straight season
Shintaro Mochizuki aiming to succeed Kei Nishikori as Japan's top male player
By Jim Armstrong
U.S. turns to Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas to launch Ryder Cup bid

Opinion

Liberal Democratic Party presidential candidates attend a debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Wednesday.
'Speed dating' — with an LDP twist
Edo Naito
It feels like one of the speed dating events that used to be on Japanese television years ago, where the candidates court prospective partners one after the other.
A painful display at the United Nations
China is winning its power play for the Global South
By David Fickling
Russia’s probes of NATO airspace demand a unified response
By Linas Kojala
Turning the tide back toward peace in the Middle East
By Jose Manuel Albares Bueno

ENVIRONMENT

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses members of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday. At a climate summit hosted by Guterres on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 7%-10% from its peak by 2035.
Beijing takes the lead with new climate plans amid Washington’s denial
By Valerie Volcovici and Yukun Zhang
China's reduction target marked the first time the world's biggest emitter pledged a cut in emissions, rather than just limiting their growth.
In bid to upend global energy policy, Trump denies climate change in U.N. speech
By Brian Kahn
The unexpected upside of Canada's wildfires 
By Ed White
NASA scientist starts food crisis hotline with tech giant funding
By Agnieszka de Sousa
International treaty protecting world's oceans to take effect

CULTURE

Yuanhui Li's illustration is one of the awardees in the student category of the American Society of Architectural Illustrators' annual award for artists.
Architecture art exhibition highlights unsung industry artists
By Zoria Petkoska
For only the second time in its 39-year history, the “Architecture in Perspective” exhibition will take place in Japan's capital.
‘Hero’s Island’: Okinawa-set epic is lavishly realized but lacks bite
By James Hadfield
The familiar is made surreal in ‘After the Quake’
By Mark Schilling
Finding jazz in J-pop: Patrick Bartley’s musical second language
By Ryne Hisada
Tokyo film festival to open with Everest and close with some Shakespeare
By Alyssa I. Smith

LIFE

Located in the village of Kanagaso in Ishikawa Prefecture, Auberge Eaufeu is housed in a former elementary school that has been converted into a French-style inn.
Auberge Eaufeu brings French flair to a quiet village in Ishikawa
By Robbie Swinnerton
Housed in a former elementary school, the restaurant is a brilliant showcase of the creative mind of chef Shota Itoi.
Myaku-Myaku gets the Labubu treatment at the Osaka Expo
By Alyssa I. Smith
Oh, Ed(o)! Where have all the vowels gone?
By Peter Backhaus
Tokyo Game Show 2025 leans into renewal and rebirth
By Gendel Gento
With new Tokyo bar, Shingo Gokan's bartending journey comes full circle
By Melinda Joe

COMMUNITY

Originally from Brisbane, Australia, Linda Joyce moved to rural Tochigi Prefecture in 2024 for a career shift from teaching to hospitality and sustainable tourism.
Linda Joyce: ‘We hope people recognize the benefits of exploring rural areas’
By Louise George Kittaka
Former teacher Linda Joyce shifted careers to the tourism industry in 2024 and now works at a historic property in rural Tochigi Prefecture.
A friendly Kai ken dog with a big heart
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan
By Christoph Sponsel
When a typhoon isn’t really a typhoon, I’ll be there to tell you about it
By Daniel Traylor
Calisthenic companions bridge cultures and generations
By Swastika Jajoo

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
LDP presidential hopefuls take hard-line stance on immigration
By Himari Semans
Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Sept. 16. All five candidates in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race demonstrated a tougher stance on foreign tourists and nationals.
BUSINESS
Japanese corporate boards have changed dramatically in recent years
By Kazuaki Nagata
Most Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Section companies have independent directors now.
ENVIRONMENT
As Japan keeps buying gas, Aboriginal Australians pay the price
By Mara Budgen
Paulina “Jedda” Puruntatameri with Antonia Burke and Tiwi fisher Clinton offshore of Melville Island, one of the Tiwi Islands, in Australia's Northern Territory. Together with other Tiwi, Jedda has been campaigning for years to stop Australian company Santos and its backers, including Japanese investors, from drilling for natural gas at the Barossa gas field.
COMMUNITY
Tax-advantaged investments no lost cause for U.S. residents of Japan
By Gendel Gento
While some American taxpayers assume they are ineligible to participate in Japan’s tax-deferred savings schemes, certified public accountant Rick Gundlach says that this is no longer the case.
CULTURE
Aichi Triennale’s message from the world: Free Palestine
By Thu-Huong Ha
“Between Currents and Bloom,” an eye-popping crocheted seascape by Indonesian artist Mulyana, dazzles with Instagram-ready cuteness while recalling a vibrant ocean now threatened by warming seas.

Podcast

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

Longform

"Shake hands with Lima-chan," a statue that shares the name of the Peruvian capital looks in the direction of Peru, where a sister statue, "Sakura-chan," is located. Erected in Yokohama's Rinko Park in 1999, it commemorates Peruvian-Japanese friendship.
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan
By Christoph Sponsel

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Autumn to be cut short as harsh winter arrives suddenly
By Jessica Speed
A short-lived autumn is expected this year, with temperatures staying unseasonably high through October before plunging in late November, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
JAPAN
Woman in Japan arrested for keeping daughter's body in freezer for 20 years
Police have arrested a 75-year-old woman after she allegedly confessed to keeping her adult daughter's body in a freezer for 20 years.
JAPAN
JICA scraps Africa ‘hometown’ agreement after migration mixup
By Yukana Inoue
The “Africa Hometown Initiative,” announced by the Japan International Cooperation Agency at an African development conference in Yokohama in August, sought to foster exchanges that would help bridge four municipalities in Japan with four countries in Africa.
ASIA PACIFIC
India aims to challenge global shipbuilding giants
By Gabriel Dominguez
Cargo ships are docked in Navi Mumbai, India, in February. Only 5% of India's exports and imports are carried on Indian-flagged ships.
BUSINESS
Japan might be spared Trump's 100% tariffs on pharmaceuticals
By Francis Tang
U.S. President Donald Trump is rolling out a number of new tariffs on Oct. 1.