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TOKYO
August 15, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 15, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
Trade deal
WWII ANNIVERSARY
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GDP grew at an annualized pace of 1% in the three months through June from the prior period, surpassing economists’ forecast of a 0.4% gain, according to the Cabinet Office.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan growth beats forecasts, boosting rate-hike case for BOJ
By Erica Yokoyama
Better-than-expected economic growth has given Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba some good news as he fends off calls to resign after July's election setback.
GDP grew at an annualized pace of 1% in the three months through June from the prior period, surpassing economists’ forecast of a 0.4% gain, according to the Cabinet Office.
U.S. President Donald Trump in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump and Putin to spar over Ukraine peace and arms control at Alaska summit
By Andrew Osborn
The meeting of the Russian and U.S. leaders in Alaska comes amid Ukrainian and European fears that Trump might sell Kyiv out.
Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
JAPAN / History / Longform
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
By Tomoko Otake
An decades-long effort to recover the remains of those who died during World War II, most of them abroad, may be entering its final phase.
The Rausu mountain range at Hokkaido's Shiretoko National Park. A man in his 20s has gone missing after being attacked by a bear while hiking down Mount Rausu.
JAPAN
Hiker goes missing after brown bear attack in Hokkaido
Local police and rescuers have found the missing man’s wallet, wristwatch, hat and a shirt with bloodstains.
Osaka Asian Film Festival, which will hold its 21st edition early to draw on Expo 2025 visitors, is set to open on Aug. 29 with a restoration of “Tracing to Expo ’70.” The Taiwanese film follows a Japan-raised Taiwanese woman whose search for her long-lost benefactor takes her to the 1970 Osaka Expo.
CULTURE / Film
Osaka Asian Film Festival gets an expo boost
By Matt Schley
In a rare double bill, the Osaka Asian Film Festival will stage a special summer edition to make the most out of interest in the ongoing world's fair.
Osaka Asian Film Festival, which will hold its 21st edition early to draw on Expo 2025 visitors, is set to open on Aug. 29 with a restoration of “Tracing to Expo ’70.” The Taiwanese film follows a Japan-raised Taiwanese woman whose search for her long-lost benefactor takes her to the 1970 Osaka Expo.

JAPAN

Mitsuko Arakaki talks about life on Tinian Island and the situation after the U.S. military landing, on July 12 in the village of Nakagusuku, Okinawa Prefecture.
'Why do humans wage war?': Woman recalls escaping death on Tinian island in WWII
When U.S. air raids began in 1944, life changed overnight for the around 13,000 Japanese civilians living on Tinian.
Dried cannabis confiscated by police shown to media in Tokyo on Wednesday
Japan makes its biggest drug bust ever
Authorities have seized roughly a metric ton of dried cannabis smuggled by ship from Vietnam worth around ¥5.2 billion ($35.2 million).
Agriculture minister Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine
For the disabled, WWII was a terror of another level
South Korea’s Lee calls Japan indispensable partner before visit
By Soo-hyang Choi
Beyond A-bombs, grandchildren unite for nuclear-free world

BUSINESS

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.
Criminals started hijacking online brokerage accounts in Japan and using them to drive up penny stocks around the world earlier this year.
Japan brokers seek to identify hackers after fraud surges
By Takashi Nakamichi
Criminals started hijacking online brokerage accounts in Japan and using them to drive up penny stocks around the world earlier this year.
Meta AI rules let bots hold ‘sensual’ chats with kids and offer false info
By Jeff Horwitz
Dentsu plans to cut overseas workforce by about 3,400 to trim costs
By Kanoko Matsuyama
Welcoming foreign residents benefits Japan, three quarters of economists say
By Elizabeth Beattie
Tokyo’s record-beating stock rally ends as Bessent jawbones Japan on rates
By Francis Tang

WORLD

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at a news conference regarding the E1 settlement scheme, near the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Thursday.
Far-right Israeli minister announces plan to 'bury' idea of Palestinian state
By Rami Amichay and Alexander Cornwell
The Palestinian government, allies and campaign groups have condemned the plan to divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, calling it illegal.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a visit to the Kennedy Center in Washington on Wednesday.
Which Donald Trump will negotiate with Putin in Alaska?
By Steve Holland
A tough negotiator or a conciliatory one — the world is waiting to see which version of Trump shows up in Anchorage on Friday.
Online cockfighting thrives in Philippines despite ban and murders
By Pam Castro
Desperate Myanmar villagers scavenge for food as hunger bites
Why is Putin talking about a new nuclear weapons treaty with the U.S.?
By Mark Trevelyan
Gaza's young musicians sing and play in the ruins of war
By Dawoud Abu Alkas

Sports

Masahiro Tanaka walks off the field after the end of the fifth inning during the Giants' game against the Dragons at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday.
Masahiro Tanaka still two giant steps away from Meikyukai
By Jason Coskrey
The Giants pitcher's pursuit of 200 career victories between NPB and MLB remains stuck at 198.
Los Angeles Olympics to sell naming rights to venues in first
Angels spoil Shohei Ohtani's return to mound in Anaheim by beating Dodgers
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says experimental drug saved him after cancer diagnosis
Venus Williams receives wild card for U.S. Open

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

The Parque da Cidade, the main venue for the COP30 summit, under construction in Belem, Brazil, on May 5.
Lula’s plan for COP30 in Amazon risks becoming a logistical mess
By John Ainger, Daniel Carvalho and Gabriel Diniz Tavares
With fewer than 100 days to go, Brazil is under fire from countries concerned about a shortage of hotel rooms and soaring accommodation costs.
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
Hedge funds flip on green energy and start betting against oil
By Natasha White, Liza Tetley and Ishika Mookerjee
Momentum sagging at U.N. plastic pollution treaty talks
By Robin Millard

CULTURE

Filmmakers interview the general manager of a Bald Men's club for an upcoming Flix Oven documentary that will be available via the streaming platform Samansa.
Samansa bets on commuter cinema
By Ryne Hisada
As attention spans get shorter, a Japanese startup is banking on short films as easily digestible entertainment.
‘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
‘Natasha’ distills global zeitgeist on the opera stage
By Kris Kosaka
Futuristic mermaid tale ‘ChaO’ makes a splash
By Matt Schley

LIFE

People walk past a time board at Hakata Station in Fukuoka. Luckily for those trying to catch a train, reading a clock is universal.
Reading the Japanese clock: Are times a-changin'?
By Peter Backhaus
Learn how the Japanese tell time — from zero o’clock to 27 o’clock, and why 10 minutes "before" isn’t always clear.
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
Tokyo’s WWII museums hold diverse views on war and peace
By Mark Schreiber
Brave the Bon holiday traffic to discover tourism gems off the beaten path
By Yuko Tamura

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

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.
LIFE
At Himawari Shokudo 2, Italian food with a Japanese soul
By Robbie Swinnerton
At Himawari Shokudo 2, chef Hozumi Tanaka serves Italian-inspired fare with a focus on Toyama produce, such as this appetizer of lightly blanched "hotaru ika" (firefly squid) served atop mixed wild plants and a crepe prepared from "yamato-imo" yam.

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

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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 Hosts Sunflower Planting Event with Visitors
Tsunan Sake Brewery Hosts Sunflower Planting Event with Visitors
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.
SUMO
Will Wakatakakage bring balance to the banzuke?
By John Gunning
Wakatakakage during a ring entering ceremony in February 2020
JAPAN
Taiwanese drama 'Zero Day Attack' on Chinese invasion to stream in Japan
A scene from the Taiwanese television drama "Zero Day Attack," which will stream in Japan from Friday.
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.
WORLD
Ukraine war has transformed North Korean military: Kyiv’s military intel chief
By Gabriel Dominguez
An explosion of a drone lights up the sky over Kyiv during a Russian drone strike, on July 30. Moscow has dispatched military specialists to train the Korean People’s Army on how to use combat drones and air-defense systems.