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May 15, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
May 15, 2025
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Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's tariff czar, after the first round of talks in Washington. Media reports indicate he may be headed back to the United States next week for the third round of negotiations.
BUSINESS / Economy
Third round of U.S.-Japan tariff talks may be held next week: report
By Francis Tang
Akazawa’s two previous visits to Washington yielded no tangible results.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's tariff czar, after the first round of talks in Washington. Media reports indicate he may be headed back to the United States next week for the third round of negotiations.
Self-Defense Forces personnel collect apparent parts of an Air Self-Defense Force T-4 training jet from a reservoir in Inuyama, Aichi Prefeture, on Thursday. The jet crashed shortly after takeoff a day earlier.
JAPAN
Two crew feared dead after ASDF training jet crashes in Aichi
By Jesse Johnson
Pieces of the T-4 training aircraft and some of the crew's equipment have been recovered from the crash site — a large reservoir in Inuyama.
Mount Fuji fills the skyline above a bridge connecting stores at a popular outlet shopping center in the city of Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in November 2024.
JAPAN / Society
Irresponsible climbing prompts debate over who should pay for Mount Fuji rescues
By Yukana Inoue
Rescue teams put themselves in grave danger, and the cost of flying a helicopter for a rescue can be up to between ¥600,000 and ¥800,000.
In part due to low awareness that placing bets using overseas sports gambling sites is illegal, access to such platforms in Japan has surged in recent years.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Illegal wagers on overseas sports betting sites top ¥6.4 trillion, study finds
By Jessica Speed
The findings, reported by a sports organization, comes after two baseball players were sent to prosecutors earlier this month for allegedly placing bets from Japan.
“Ambient, Environment, Circumstances — The Typography of Contemporary Art —” is Simose Art Museum’s first contemporary art exhibition.
CULTURE / Art
Emerging Asian artists converge at the 'world’s most beautiful museum'
By Kim Kahan
The Shigeru Ban-designed Simose Art Museum celebrates its Prix Versailles architectural award with its first contemporary art exhibition.
“Ambient, Environment, Circumstances — The Typography of Contemporary Art —” is Simose Art Museum’s first contemporary art exhibition.

JAPAN

The Saitama Prefectural Police headquarters. A motorist plowed into a group of elementary school students in the city of Misato, Saitama Prefecture, on Wednesday afternoon, injuring four boys before fleeing.
Four elementary students injured in Saitama hit-and-run
Four 11-year-old boys were injured in the incident on Wednesday, with one of them believed to have suffered a fractured leg, leaving him in serious condition.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Russia to conduct drill in waters near disputed island off Hokkaido
The Japanese government has lodged a protest with Russia over the planned drills near Shikotan.
Five arrested for alleged credit card fraud over tobacco purchases
Japanese American museum head laments Trump-led cuts to financing
Children from low-income families take fewer after-school private lessons
Over-the-counter drugs to be made available at convenience stores

BUSINESS

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group’s clients are becoming cautious about making deals and investments amid uncertainties over U.S. tariffs.
Sumitomo Mitsui braces for tariff fallout with more buffers
By Taiga Uranaka and Hideki Suzuki
Japan’s second-largest lender expects net income to climb about 10% to ¥1.3 trillion in the year that started in April.
Rakuten Group's stock dropped after the Japanese e-commerce firm reported a 19th straight quarterly loss, fueling concerns about the financial drag from its ailing mobile business.
Rakuten Group shares sink on worse-than-expected quarterly loss
By Alice French
The stock plunged as much as 10% in Tokyo on Thursday, its biggest intraday drop since April 7.
MUFG expects record profit and joins rivals in buying back shares
By Taiga Uranaka and Hideki Suzuki
Trump’s tariffs spare Europe-dominated hearing aid industry
By Lisa Pham
Apple readies feature that lets Vision Pro users scroll with their eyes
By Mark Gurman
FTC orders sesame oil-makers to halt price cartel, issuing ¥21.98 million fine

WORLD

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump walk during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019.
Putin and Trump to skip Ukraine's peace talks that Russian leader proposed
By Steve Holland and Tom Balmforth
The absence of the Russian and U.S. presidents lowers the expectations for a major breakthrough in the war Russia started in February 2022.
Solar panels on display at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, on April 16
Rogue communication equipment found in Chinese-made solar power inverters
By Sarah McFarlane
The rogue components provide undocumented communication channels that could allow security measures to be circumvented remotely, sources said.
Trump's Greenland threats spark Iceland jitters
MAGA goes east: Romania's presidential frontrunner rides hard-right wave
By Krisztina Than and Luiza Ilie
Trade chiefs jostle for time with Greer at APEC meeting in South Korea
By Yoshiaki Nohara and Soo-hyang Choi
Syrian leader's path from global jihad to meeting Trump
By Tom Perry and Timour Azhari

Sports

Japan's Shohei Ohtani carries the Japanese flag onto the field before the start of the World Baseball Classic final against the United States in Miami on March 21.
Historian Rob Fitts discovers earliest ever reference to baseball in Japan
By Jason Coskrey
The widely held belief is that American Horace Wilson introduced the sport to Japan in 1872. Fitts' discovery revises the timeline to 1869.
Relaxed Rory McIlroy unburdened by pressure to chase 'north star'
Timberwolves finish off Warriors to reach Western Conference finals
Derrick Henry and Ravens reach agreement on $30 million extension
FIA reduces penalty for swearing after driver backlash

Opinion

With Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition in crisis, the opposition divided and the Democratic Party for the People gaining momentum, Japan’s upcoming Upper House election could trigger a major political realignment.
Nervous parties gird for a high-stakes Upper House vote
Edo Naito
With Ishiba in place, the fear that the LDP could next lose its current majority in the Upper House in July is pervasive.
The U.S. will never win a trade war with China
By Kuni Miyake
Nissan is dying and taking globalization with it
By David Fickling
How much will we risk in the name of AI?
By Maya Sobchuk
American exceptionalism meets its maker
By Barry Eichengreen

ENVIRONMENT

Supervisor David Lindsay in the chilling plant beneath the headquarters of the United Nations in New York
As world heats up, U.N. cools itself the cool way — with water
By Amelie Bottollier-Depois
As more and more people want to stay cool in a planet that is steadily heating up, energy experts point to this kind of water-based system as a good alternative.
Australian seaweed farm tackles livestock burps to combat climate change
By Gregory PLESSE
Indians buy 14 million air conditioners a year, and need many more
By Abhaya SRIVASTAVA
World's richest 10% caused two-thirds of global warming, study finds
By Marlowe Hood
Climate change takes spice from Indonesia clove farms
By Jack Moore

CULTURE

Though the protagonist of “Jinsei” (voiced by rapper Ace Cool) is an emotional blank slate, his journey throughout the film takes wild turns.
‘Jinsei’: Ryuya Suzuki’s solo animation is a singular debut
By James Hadfield
The 30-year-old wrote, directed, animated, edited and soundtracked in isolation — creating one of the most striking films of 2025 so far.
‘Kaneko's Commissary’ explores prison culture from the outside in
By Mark Schilling
Taiwanese war drama 'wake-up call' to Chinese invasion threat
Japan’s slam poetry scene is all about raw vulnerability
By Eric Margolis
‘My Edison’: Family-made sci-fi comedy is a real charmer
By James Hadfield

LIFE

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?
By Tomoko Otake
The number of Japanese centenarians is on the rise, providing new models for how to live in a super-aging society.
Sculpted waves, sleek updos: Showa hairstyles are back in fashion
By Carol R.H. Malasig
In China’s ‘Michelin Guide,’ Tokyo leads overseas listings with 30 entries
By Tan Pin Yen
The world’s biggest natural wine festival returns to Tokyo
By Weiwen Lin
Trump once called it his favorite word. Now, the Japanese version is all over the news.
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

Ayano Kikuchi began practicing yoga in 2014 to alleviate her chronic back pain, and now shares her knowledge with the Karuizawa community as the manager of W Tree House.
Ayano Kikuchi: ‘People need to take care of themselves holistically’
By Olivia Boissel
How a corporate office worker in Tokyo became a yoga studio manager in Karuizawa
A new chapter for a gentle dog
Kotomi Li: 'I refuse to choose death'
By Kat Joplin
Reclaiming Sanya, one meal at a time
By Kim Kahan
Arunima Mazumdar: ‘Japanese literature has a niche but deeply engaged readership in India’
By Megha Wadhwa

Editors' Picks

SUMO
Sumo title contenders already emerging in early stages of Tokyo meet
By John Gunning
Onosato (left) battles Abi on Day 3 of the Summer Basho in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Harmfully hot days for pregnant women in Japan nearly doubled over past five years
By Tomoko Otake
New research by a U.S. climate scientists’ group reveals that extreme heat has increased the risks of preterm births and other pregnancy complications in Japan, nearly doubling the number of days that are harmfully hot for pregnant women over the past five years.
BUSINESS
Japanese automakers looking at a ¥1 trillion hit from Trump tariffs 
By Kazuaki Nagata
Cars on display at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama on Tuesday. The automaker posted a massive annual net loss and confirmed that it plans to cut thousands of jobs worldwide.
BUSINESS
Tokyo Stock Exchange wants stocks to be affordable for the average investor
By Kazuaki Nagata
The Tokyo Stock Exchange building in Nihonbashi. The exchange wants companies to lower the entry cost of investing in their shares.
JAPAN
Consumption tax set to dominate Upper House election debate
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?
By Tomoko Otake

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Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
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JAPAN
Transport ministry issues warning to Haneda Airport operator
The operator of Tokyo's Haneda Airport has been warned by the government over its inappropriate transactions.
ASIA PACIFIC
Success of Chinese-made fighter jets against India raises alarm in Asia
By Josh Xiao and Yian Lee
Chinese J-10 fighter jets from the People's Liberation Army Air Force August 1st Aerobatics Team perform during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, in November 2015.
JAPAN
One month on, Osaka Expo urged to boost heat and crowd control measures
A gate to the Osaka Expo site is crowded with visitors on Monday.
BUSINESS
Xi defiance pays off as Trump meets most China trade demands
Then-Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visits a school in South Gate, California, in February 2012. Experts say Xi won big in his standoff with U.S. President Donald Trump.
JAPAN
Japanese retailers turn to California rice for cheaper alternative
By Yukana Inoue
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass eats California rice at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday along with Mitsuko Tsuchiya, vice president of retailer Aeon.