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August 26, 2025
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August 26, 2025
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U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung attend a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
'Peacemaker’ Trump says he wants to meet North Korea’s Kim this year
By Jesse Johnson
The U.S. president said “big progress” was possible, during a summit with South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung in Washington that also focused on defense and trade issues.
U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung attend a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday.
The number of foreign residents with management status had reached a record 41,615 as of the end of 2024.
BUSINESS
Japan aims to tighten rules for business manager visas from October
By Francis Tang
The move comes amid concerns that foreign nationals are using the visa as an easy loophole to settle in the country.
Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook attends the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's 2025 Jackson Hole economic symposium, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Trump to fire Fed board's first African-American woman over mortgage allegations
By Howard Schneider
The unprecedented step by the U.S. president, who has been pressuring the independent policy body over not lowering interest rates, could test the boundaries of presidential power.
The Metropolitan Police Department has launched an investigation into the fatal shooting of two Japanese tourists in Manila this month.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Tokyo police launch probe into murder of two Japanese in Manila
Hideaki Satori and Akinobu Nakayama were shot shortly after getting out of a taxi near their hotel on Aug. 15.
A screenshot from an AI-generated video showing what could happen to Tokyo if Mount Fuji erupted
JAPAN
Tokyo releases AI-generated video of Mount Fuji erupting
By Yukana Inoue
With Mount Fuji 100 kilometers away, the video from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government aims to inform Tokyoites about how an eruption could still seriously impact their lives.
A screenshot from an AI-generated video showing what could happen to Tokyo if Mount Fuji erupted

JAPAN

A former MUFG Bank employee said in a court hearing that she committed thefts to make up for losses she had suffered from foreign exchange margin trading and horse-race betting.
Ex-MUFG Bank employee reveals ¥1.7 billion safe-deposit thefts
A former MUFG Bank employee said during a court hearing on Monday that she stole items worth ¥1.7 billion to ¥1.8 billion, including cash and gold, from around 100 people, in a high-profile safe-deposit theft case.
Shigeru Ishiba, prime minister and president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), attends the party's plenary meeting in Tokyo on Aug. 8. Ishiba took further criticism from his own party Friday, following a dismal result in an Upper House election last month that has weakened his mandate and triggered some internal momentum to replace him as leader.Bloomberg
No end in sight for LDP drama over Ishiba, whose fate is still up in the air
By Kanako Takahara
It remains to be seen whether those within the party seeking the prime minister’s removal can rally enough support to force a presidential election.
Manga artist Tetsuya Chiba hopes for no more wars
Japan to buy four SeaGuardian aircraft to boost maritime surveillance
Japanese lecturer digitally re-creates post-WWII Siberian detention camp
Authorities apologize to family of former Ohkawara Kakohki adviser

BUSINESS

Nomura Holdings will require employees in Japan to spend two days a week in the office, double the current requirement.
Nomura doubles minimum work-from-office requirement in Japan
By Takashi Nakamichi and Taiga Uranaka
The change is scheduled to take effect in spring next year, putting staff in Japan on par with Nomura’s global employees.
An employee at a wholesaler puts a price tag on a package of sea urchins from Hokkaido at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo on Friday.
Warming seas add to food inflation woes as urchin rice bowls hit ¥18,000
By Yuka Obayashi and Katya Golubkova
Policymakers have mostly blamed rising food prices on the weak yen's upward pressure on import costs, but the effects of global warming now also loom as a risk.
Pinault family is exploring options for Puma, including a sale
By Eyk Henning, Manuel Baigorri, Dong Cao and Vinicy Chan
Japan’s niche chip gear makers left out of Nvidia boom, one CEO says
By Takashi Mochizuki and Yuki Furukawa
Musk sues Apple and OpenAI, saying they hurt AI competition
By Madlin Mekelburg
U.S. weighing sanctions on EU officials implementing Digital Services Act
By Humeyra Pamuk

WORLD

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a family photo ceremony prior to the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.
China's Xi to welcome Putin and Modi in grand display of Global South solidarity
By Laurie Chen
This year's summit will be the largest since 2001, China has said, calling the bloc an "important force in building a new type of international relations."
Members of the national guard patrol near diners in Washington on Aug. 23.
Trump and JD Vance attack 2028 rivals in national guard push
By Mario Parker
Trump has pushed the boundaries of his powers in trying to rid Democratic-run cities of what he says is rampant crime, drawing accusations he is politicizing the military.
Australia expels Iranian ambassador over antisemitic attacks
By David WILLIAMS
Trump suggests many Americans 'like a dictator'
By Danny Kemp
Israel hits Gaza hospital, killing at least 20 people, including five journalists
Suspects in Baltic Sea cable breaches on trial for sabotage in Finland

Sports

Japan's Shohei Ohtani delivers a pitch against the USA during the World Baseball Classic final at LoanDepot Park in Miami on March 21, 2023.
Baseball-hungry Netflix to carry World Baseball Classic in Japan
The news comes as Netflix is reportedly on the verge of entering the MLB fray by picking up the U.S. rights for the Home Run Derby
Alcaraz eases into U.S. Open second round as Venus makes emotional exit
By Amy Tennery
Deaths could spell end for Japanese boxing, says commission chief
By Andrew MCKIRDY
Everton signs Tyler Dibling from Southampton
By Tommy Lund
Cadillac set to name Perez and Bottas as F1 drivers

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.
How much does faith influence British politics?
By Rosa Prince
‘Alternative facts’ aren't a reason to skip vaccines
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
ChatGPT’s mental health costs are adding up
By Parmy Olson
Is the Taliban's Afghanistan a safe haven for terrorist organizations?
By Muhammad Murad

ENVIRONMENT

Margaret John (left) delivers a sack of plastic waste collected in her neighborhood to a Human Needs Project official at a collection point in the Kibera informal settlement of Nairobi on Aug. 11.
'Restoring dignity': Kenya slum exchange offers water for plastic
The Human Needs Project provides water and sanitation services in a part of Kenya where they are scarce and costly.
Spain's 16-day heat wave is 'most intense on record'
Egyptian farmers behind world's perfumes face climate fight alone
By Menna Farouk
World’s climate change crisis has tourists seeking ‘coolcations’
By K. Oanh Ha
Is historically arid Beijing ready for a wetter future?
By Laurie Chen

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.
Healing Oshima Island's history of disease with a touch of art
By Uliana Dobrova
‘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
‘Fires on the Plain’: Haunting imagery in restored 1959 war film stands the test of time
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance makes excellent use of stages dripping with atmosphere to punch up the feel of its tight combat mechanics.
Sega's ninja-themed Shinobi series is back from the dead
By Owen Ziegler
The long-running series hasn’t had a console release since 2003, but the new title is nearly enjoyable enough to make the wait worth it.
Retired Tokyo trains live on as upcycled table lamps
By Joanna Kawecki
Behind Tanikoretani’s quiet facade, a lively world of sake-fueled food
By Robbie Swinnerton
Character-crazed Japan has little appetite for Labubu
By Yuko Tamura
Fingers sore from too much phone time? You might have ‘sumaho yubi.’
By Mai Yoshikawa

COMMUNITY

Musical act Petalhead, comprised of Jaime Alise (left) and Riku Ogura, performs at More Than Music’s beachside event in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture.
More Than Music makes space for creative communion
By Shyam Bhardwa
Since 2018, Tokyo-based duo Justin Sachs and Atsuko Sunaga have been organizing live shows and curating a community with shared passions.
Seri Yanai: ‘We mix modern and analog to create something new’
By Ayako Nakano
Carl J. Green, mentor to a generation of ‘Japan hands,’ dies at 85
By Matthew Goodman
Handsome cat looking for brighter days ahead
Solidarity with Tokyo’s homeless residents, one day at a time
By Shyam Bhardwa

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Japanese prefectures break with labor ministry on minimum wage
By Kazuaki Nagata
The ministry of labor has suggested a 6% minimum wage increase, but most prefectures reporting so far are opting to go slightly higher.
ASIA PACIFIC
Philippines quietly deepening ‘unofficial’ defense ties with Taiwan
By Gabriel Dominguez
Filipino soldiers take part in a flag-raising ceremony on Mavulis Island during a visit by the Philippines' Armed Forces chief of staff, in Batanes, the Philippines, in June 2023. Batanes, a group of idyllic islands at the country’s northernmost tip, sits about 160 kilometers from Taiwan.
ENVIRONMENT
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
By Tomoko Otake
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
LIFE
Germany's first sakemaker offers a bold brew of ideas
By Weiwen Lin
Reigen, Germany's first sake brewery, makes a diverse, nontraditional range of sake that includes fruit-flavored sips and wine barrel-aged renditions.
CULTURE
Alicia Keys closed Summer Sonic, but J-pop owned it
By Patrick St. Michel
Summer Sonic’s 2025 lineup demonstrated its strength, showcasing the latest in J-pop, including “new kawaii” act Fruits Zipper.

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

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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

LIFE
Character-crazed Japan has little appetite for Labubu
By Yuko Tamura
A pop-up advertisement for the newly opened Chiikawa Park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro neighborhood demonstrates how the country is chockful of cute characters — to the detriment of trends like Labubu.
ENVIRONMENT
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
By Tomoko Otake
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
JAPAN
JICA to designate four Japanese cities as 'hometowns' for African nations
By Yukana Inoue
The Japanese flag (left) with the flag of the African Union
JAPAN
Man arrested in Kobe stabbing had been staying at hotel near victim’s home
Masashi Tanimoto arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a woman in Kobe, is sent to prosecutors on Sunday.
BUSINESS
Japanese prefectures break with labor ministry on minimum wage
By Kazuaki Nagata
The ministry of labor has suggested a 6% minimum wage increase, but most prefectures reporting so far are opting to go slightly higher.