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December 11, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
December 11, 2024
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A protester holds a poster with an image of South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol during a candlelight rally calling for the ouster of the president in Gwanghwamun in Seoul on Dec. 5.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
South Korean police raid Yoon's office amid martial law probe
By Claire Lee
Yoon is already under a travel ban as part of an "insurrection" probe into his inner circle after his short-lived suspension of civilian rule on Dec. 3.
A protester holds a poster with an image of South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol during a candlelight rally calling for the ouster of the president in Gwanghwamun in Seoul on Dec. 5.
U.S. President Joe Biden — born in U.S. Steel’s home state of Pennsylvania — has long signaled opposition to the company's sale to Nippon Steel.
BUSINESS
U.S. says review of Nippon Steel bid ongoing as U.S. Steel shares tumble
By Jasper Ward and Alexandra Alper
The companies are poised to pursue litigation over the process if U.S. President Joe Biden decides to block the merger, sources added.
One of the representatives of 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winner Nihon Hidankyo, Terumi Tanaka, speaks during the Nobel Peace Prize awarding ceremony in Oslo City Hall on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nobel Peace Prize winner Nihon Hidankyo calls for a world without nukes
By Pierre-Henry Deshayes
The atomic bomb survivors urged countries to abolish the weapons resurging as a threat 80 years after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
Keidanren chief Masakazu Tokura speaks to reporters in the city of Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture on Nov. 20.
BUSINESS / Economy
Keidanren urges tax hike for rich with eye on ¥1 quadrillion GDP
By Himari Semans
Such a move will help the nation achieve a “virtuous cycle of growth and distribution,” Keidanren chief Masakazu Tokura says.
Yurie Collins is a bilingual comedian based in Tokyo. In addition to being a prize-winning roast comic, her dating-themed "Tokyo Hoe Tales" shows have proven to be a hit with women of all nationalities.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Yurie Collins: ‘Everyone seems sedated, fed-up … that’s why they turn to comedy’
By Zoria Petkoska
Yurie Collins is a bicultural stand-up comedian who has opened for comedian Atsuko Okatsuka and the upcoming Iliza Shlesinger show in Tokyo.
Yurie Collins is a bilingual comedian based in Tokyo. In addition to being a prize-winning roast comic, her dating-themed "Tokyo Hoe Tales" shows have proven to be a hit with women of all nationalities.

JAPAN

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks in Pyongyang on Nov. 21. North Korea is believed to have been engaging in nuclear development since the era of the late Kim Il Sung, the country's founder and the current leader's grandfather.
Unstable global environment reduces NPT to mere shell
Some countries are moving to acquire nuclear weapons in an attempt to either maintain their dictatorial regimes or to strengthen deterrence.
Manabu Sasaki, who runs a painting company, is one of four suspects arrested on suspicion of murdering 56-year-old Osamu Takano.
Victim of alleged staged suicide was subjected to years of abuse
Tokyo police arrested four men on Sunday on suspicion of murdering a colleague by staging a "suicide" on a railway crossing.
Nihon Hidankyo continues to inspire push toward nuclear disarmament
Japan and Finland agree to boost security cooperation
Former chief prosecutor of Osaka to plead not guilty over rape in shift
Japanese announcer Tomoaki Ogura dies at 77

BUSINESS

The Bank of Japan's tankan quarterly survey for December is expected to show slightly weaker business sentiment among both major manufacturers and nonmanufacturers.
BOJ quarterly survey likely to show weaker business sentiment in Japan
A slowdown in foreign economies, especially those of China and Europe, and the growing trend to spend less amid inflation, are seen weighing on sentiment.
Inflation in Japan’s corporate goods prices accelerated to the fastest pace in 16 months, an outcome that points to growing inflationary pressure in the economy and supports the central bank’s further normalization of policy.
Japan's wholesale inflation accelerates, keeps BOJ rate-hike plan in focus
By Leika Kihara
Agricultural and fishery goods prices spiked 31% in November from year-before levels, after a 28.1% gain in October, due largely to the soaring price of rice.
China makeup mogul is a billionaire post hot Hong Kong debut
Scrappy studio boss feeds Tencent’s lofty global game ambitions
Europe’s big battery ambitions are failing, and China is benefiting
By Stefan Nicola, Wilfried Eckl-Dorna, Tom Fevrier and William Wilkes
Nippon Life in talks to buy Resolution Life in deal worth $8.2 billion
By Anton Bridge

WORLD

A Taiwanese Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter jet is seen to prepare for landing at an air force base in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Tuesday.
Taiwan detects 53 Chinese military aircraft around island as tensions rise
By Jesse Johnson
The tally is the highest for a single day since China’s military last held massive drills around Taiwan in October.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands inside the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris ahead of a ceremony to mark its reopening following a 2019 fire, on Sunday.
Trump plays 'shadow president' on world stage
By Danny Kemp
He does not take office until Jan. 20, but he is already acting as if he is U.S. president.
China begins annual economic meeting to hash out stimulus plan
Israel's Netanyahu dismisses allegations in corruption trial
By Sharon ARONOWICZ
U.S. mulls new Russia oil sanctions to weaken Putin ahead of Trump
By Annmarie Hordern, Jenny Leonard, Viktoria Dendrinou and Alberto Nardelli
Macron aims to deter French far right with bid to avoid vote
By Ania Nussbaum, William Horobin and Samy Adghirni

Sports

Roki Sasaki delivers a pitch during the first inning of the World Baseball Classic semifinal against Mexico in Miami in March 2023.
45-day negotiation window set to begin as Marines post Roki Sasaki
By Jason Coskrey
The right-handed flamethrower has until 7 a.m. (JST) on Jan. 24 to sign with an MLB team.
City's Foden and Kovacic not expected to face Juventus, says Guardiola
Scheffler voted PGA Tour Player of the Year for third straight time
By Rory Carroll
Ferrari to supply Cadillac F1 team with engines in 2026
Tiger and Charlie Woods set to compete in next week's PNC

Opinion

A truck pulls the head of a toppled statue of late Syrian President Hafez Assad, the father of ousted-President Bashar Assad, through the streets of Hama on Friday.
Assad’s fall shows Russia, Iran and Hamas made a bad bet
Hal Brands
That’s not to say the Middle East is entering a bright new era of peace. The collapse of Assad’s regime could cause a revival of the Islamic State.
A restart of Senkaku firing ranges is long overdue
By Robert D. Eldridge
India’s statistical challenges mirror China’s past issues
By Mihir Sharma
DOGE's best idea yet is permanent daylight saving time
By Mary Ellen Klas
Does a savage war of partition await Ukraine?
By Nina L. Khrushcheva

ENVIRONMENT

No new turbines have been ordered in Sweden since the first quarter, according to the latest data from industry group Svensk Vindenergi, the longest such stretch in two years.
Free green power in Sweden is crippling its wind industry
By Lars Paulsson
The country has one of the greenest grids in the world. But even more is needed to electrify the rest of its economy.
Tokyo Gas eyes wind power projects in Southeast Asia
Scientists behind ‘net zero’ concept say nations are getting it wrong
By Eric Roston
Barbados completes world's first debt swap for climate resilience
By Virginia Furness
Glittering dreams: India's big push for solar power
By Philippe Alfroy

CULTURE

“Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron" provides an in-depth look into the octogenarian auteur’s creative process and personal reflections.
‘Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron’ documentary meditates on auteur's creativity and legacy
By Erik Augustin Palm
Filmed with unparalleled access to Studio Ghibli, director Kaku Arakawa captures the vulnerability and genius behind master animator Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature.
'Emilia Perez,' 'The Brutalist' lead Golden Globe film nominations
By Lisa Richwine and Danielle Broadway
'Squid Game' premieres in Seoul after martial law declaration
By Claire Lee
Documentarian praises the positives of stricter schooling
By Mark Schilling
Miho Nakayama, known for 'Love Letter' and her music, dies at 54
By Yukana Inoue

LIFE

People in cities across Japan will pop into their local convenience store for any number of products they believe will help them with a night of drinking.
Hangover cures are everywhere in Japan — but do they work?
By Thu-Huong Ha
Japan’s suspect remedies make up 20% of the world’s market for hangover cures, but their success lies more in marketing than science.
After 12 years, Designtide Tokyo returns with a lineup of sensory dialogue
By Erik Augustin Palm
Did Kanye West really discover Tokyo’s best jerk chicken spot?
By Patrick St. Michel
Futaba pivots to 'hope tourism' to revive its fortunes
By Mike Fu
Beyond beeps and boops: Video game music has grown up
By Samantha Low

COMMUNITY

Yurie Collins is a bilingual comedian based in Tokyo. In addition to being a prize-winning roast comic, her dating-themed "Tokyo Hoe Tales" shows have proven to be a hit with women of all nationalities.
Yurie Collins: ‘Everyone seems sedated, fed-up … that’s why they turn to comedy’
By Zoria Petkoska
Yurie Collins is a bicultural stand-up comedian who has opened for comedian Atsuko Okatsuka and the upcoming Iliza Shlesinger show in Tokyo.
President of L’Oreal Japan leverages innovation
By Louise George Kittaka
Seven strangers and an algorithm: Can this new dinner app help you make friends?
By Phoebe Amoroso
Kumiko Shichijo: ‘Living abroad helped me appreciate Japanese etiquette’
By Ansel Swindells
How a solo yoga teacher built a wellness community in the Japanese Alps
By Samantha Mythen

Editors' Picks

ENVIRONMENT
As Japan nears new climate goal, criticism of policy process ramps up
By Tomoko Otake and Chris Russell
The government is preparing to set Japan’s new Nationally Determined Contribution, an emissions reduction commitment made by members of the United Nations climate framework's Paris Agreement.
JAPAN
Winter chill, hot baths and the risk of heat shock: How to stay safe
By Kathleen Benoza
A health ministry survey showed that 5,824 people age 65 and older died in a bathtub in their home or other residential facilities in 2022, more than double the number of people who died in a traffic accident.
BASEBALL
45-day negotiation window set to begin as Marines post Roki Sasaki
By Jason Coskrey
Roki Sasaki delivers a pitch during the first inning of the World Baseball Classic semifinal against Mexico in Miami in March 2023.
BUSINESS
Hundreds of izakaya going bust as prices rise and customers change
By Elizabeth Beattie
Dining habits have changed since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, with alcohol consumption experiencing a drop.
LIFE
Welcome to Yama, Japan’s first Michelin-starred dessert restaurant
By Haru Beaufort
Koichi Katsumata is the first chef to receive a Michelin star in Japan for an 'assiette dessert' (dessert course) restaurant

Podcast

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

Longform

People in cities across Japan will pop into their local convenience store for any number of products they believe will help them with a night of drinking.
Hangover cures are everywhere in Japan — but do they work?
By Thu-Huong Ha

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono
The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

WHAT’S TRENDING

COMMENTARY
Firms should quit turning foreign workers into Japanese ones
By Takashi Kumon
Filipino housekeepers undergo training to work for a Japanese staffing company. By applying the same criteria when hiring overseas and local workers, Japanese firms tend to underutilize the unique skills that foreign nationals can bring.
BUSINESS
Hundreds of izakaya going bust as prices rise and customers change
By Elizabeth Beattie
Dining habits have changed since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, with alcohol consumption experiencing a drop.
ASIA PACIFIC
South Korea's Yoon banned from foreign travel as leadership crisis deepens
Protesters tear signs, depicting the names of ruling People Power Party lawmakers who didn't vote during the impeachment motion against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol last Saturday, as they attend a rally calling for the impeachment of Yoon, who declared and quickly reversed a martial law order last week, in front of the PPP's headquarters in Seoul on Monday.
JAPAN
Tokyo police arrest four men on suspicion of staging colleague’s suicide
Police officers reinvestigate a Tobu Tojo Line railroad crossing in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward on Dec. 27, 2023, after a man was fatally hit by a train weeks earlier.
COMMENTARY
DOGE's best idea yet is permanent daylight saving time
By Mary Ellen Klas
Elon Musk, a co-leader of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, carries his son X Æ A-Xii Musk following a meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday.