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November 07, 2025
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November 07, 2025
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The U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington. On Wednesday, Supreme Court justices cast doubt on the approach of imposing tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
BUSINESS / Economy
A Trump Supreme Court tariff defeat would add to trade uncertainty
By David Lawder, Andrea Shalal and Ann Saphir
Trump is widely expected to shift to other trade tactics if he faces an adverse ruling, raising the specter of additional chaos.
The U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington. On Wednesday, Supreme Court justices cast doubt on the approach of imposing tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Outlays by households gained 1.8% in September from a year earlier, led by transportation and entertainment, but the rise was lower than expected, reflecting falling spending on housing and education.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japanese households boost spending despite inflation hit
By Yoshiaki Nohara
Outlays by households adjusted for inflation gained 1.8% in September from a year earlier, led by transportation and entertainment.
Oxfam activists wearing big head masks depicting world leaders protest to criticize the inadequacy of decisions made by the world’s largest economies in combating the climate crisis, ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belem, Brazil, on Wednesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
30 years of climate talks: Progress, pitfalls and a planet in peril
By Valerie Volcovici and Richard Valdmanis
As leaders gather for the U.N. climate summit in Brazil this week, the data charting progress in the fight against global warming tells a sobering story.
Achal Khare, former managing director at India’s National High Speed Rail Corporation, gives a presentation during the IHRA Forum 2025 in Tokyo on Oct. 23.
BUSINESS / Companies
High-speed rail is expensive and difficult, but seen as a key to growth
By Kazuaki Nagata
Train fanatic and former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba praised shinkansen technology at a forum hosted by the International High-speed Rail Association.
Made at a time when Japan was still grappling with Yukio Mishima’s legacy, Paul Schrader’s biopic “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” was blocked from screening in the country for decades.
CULTURE / Film
A 40-year wait for ‘Mishima’ ends at TIFF
By James Hadfield
Paul Schrader’s 1985 biopic of the radical author Yukio Mishima finds its Japanese audience at last.
Made at a time when Japan was still grappling with Yukio Mishima’s legacy, Paul Schrader’s biopic “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” was blocked from screening in the country for decades.

JAPAN

Only about half as many people in the Noto Peninsula chose to repair their homes that were damaged by last year's earthquake and heavy rain as those who decided to demolish them, sources said Thursday.
More choosing demolition over repair for Noto homes damaged by disasters
Many applied for publicly funded demolition because fixing the houses on their own would have been much costlier.
A rapid adoption of solar panels by homeowners in Japan has created new targets for aggressive sales tactics and outright scams.
Consumer watchdog warns of solar panel inspection scams
By Jessica Speed
The number of homes equipped with solar panels has skyrocketed in recent years, creating new targets for aggressive sales tactics.
Japan to display past Chinese records on Senkaku Islands
Osaka real estate scammer given 54-month prison sentence
Tokyo police arrest fraud group head and six others
Massage parlor operator arrested for forcing 12-year-old Thai girl into sex work

BUSINESS

While the cost of living isn’t going up nearly as fast as it did in 2022, consumer prices are still up 27% since the onset of the pandemic.
‘Jenga tower’ U.S. economy teeters as middle class pulls back spending
By Catarina Saraiva and Jaewon Kang
The richest 10% of households are fueling nearly half of total U.S. spending, thanks to a stock market surge that has boosted wealth and propelled economic output this year.
The $1 trillion pay agreement puts Elon Musk on track to become the world's first trillionaire.
Tesla shareholders approve $1 trillion pay package for Musk
By Kara Carlson and Tom Maloney
More than 75% of votes were cast in favor of the unprecedented pay plan, the company said Thursday at its annual meeting.
Google planning powerful AI data center on tiny Australian outpost
By Kirsty Needham
Major Japan union group seeks 6% wage hike as BOJ watches
Japan’s trading houses brace for more pain from China steel glut
By Yusuke Maekawa
Nissan sells headquarters to Minth Group in $630 million deal
By Taro Fuse and Ryo Horiuchi

WORLD

Smoke rises following Israeli airstrikes in Tayr Debba, southern Lebanon, on Thursday.
Israel launches airstrikes on southern Lebanon, says it's targeting Hezbollah
The strikes came despite a ceasefire deal agreed a year ago that was meant to end more than a year of fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The Pentagon in Washington
Resolution that would have kept Trump from striking Venezuela blocked
By Patricia Zengerle
The Senate voted 51 to 49, largely along party lines, against a measure that would have brought the war powers resolution up for a vote.
Judge orders Trump administration to fully fund food aid benefits
By Nate Raymond
U.S. shutdown dealmaking hits new roadblocks as tensions flare
By Erik Wasson and Steven T. Dennis
Democratic giant, trailblazer and Trump foe Nancy Pelosi to retire
By Frankie TAGGART
Investigators find 'black boxes' from UPS plane crash that killed at least 12
By David Shepardson, Allison Lampert and Lisa Baertlein

Sports

Fukazaki (right) grapples with Enho at the IG Arena in Nagoya on July 13.
These are the hottest lower-division rikishi to watch right now
By John Gunning
There are potential superstars and immense talent to be found up and down the banzuke.
Alex Ovechkin becomes first NHL player to reach 900 goals
Rory McIlroy appreciative after PGA chief apologizes for Ryder Cup abuse
Australia's Pat Cummins hints at possible return for second Ashes test
Amanda Anisimova rallies past Iga Swiatek to reach semifinals at WTA Finals

Opinion

A news program in Taipei shows the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30.
‘Stability’ in U.S.-China competition isn’t surrender
Brad Glosserman
A recent Rand report urges a stable rivalry between the U.S. and China, emphasizing managed competition and the need for mutual recognition of each other's political legitimacy.
Democrat election wins send an unmistakable warning to Republicans
By Ronald Brownstein
What Chinese leaders really think of Trump
By Mark Leonard
What the U.S.-China summit means for Japan
By Stephen R. Nagy
The Toyota buyout is a major test for Japan’s reforms
By Juliana Liu

ENVIRONMENT

London Mayor Sadiq Khan speaks at an event at Bloomberg’s European Headquarters in London, on June 24.
Climate-friendly mayors find hope in Trump’s election setback
By Peter Millard, Mariana Durao and Beatriz Amat
The results reverberated at a gathering of mayors from around the world in Rio de Janeiro ahead of next week's COP30 United Nations climate talks.
How sickly forests are felling Europe's climate ambitions
By Alison Withers, Kate Abnett and Simon Johnson
Pay to protect: Brazil pitches new forest fund at COP30
By Nick Perry
Brazil's Lula promises 'COP of Truth' as U.N. warns of dangerously high emissions
By Katy Daigle, Simon Jessop and Kate Abnett
Trees, targets and trillions: What’s on the agenda at COP30?

CULTURE

Made at a time when Japan was still grappling with Yukio Mishima’s legacy, Paul Schrader’s biopic “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” was blocked from screening in the country for decades.
A 40-year wait for ‘Mishima’ ends at TIFF
By James Hadfield
Paul Schrader’s 1985 biopic of the radical author Yukio Mishima finds its Japanese audience at last.
‘Palestine 36’ wins top honor as TIFF wraps a 10-day celebration of cinema
By Alyssa I. Smith
Asian auteurs stole the show at this year's TIFF
By Mike Fu
‘The Obsessed’: Charming anime dances to its own tune
By Matt Schley
‘Two Seasons, Two Strangers’ captures the subtle sadness of Yoshiharu Tsuge’s manga
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

Noh theater uses several types of masks, including the "onna" (woman) mask.
Learning to feel noh: The words that unlock its mystery and emotion
By Eric Margolis
Noh theater’s mystery and emotion unfold through careful understanding of the language used.
How airlines are refining their in-flight food in Japan's tourism boom
By Tan Pin Yen
A Sichuan-inspired classic gets an umami boost
By Makiko Itoh
New generations of designers carry Issey Miyake's legacy
By Phoebe Amoroso
Sun-dried and sustainable, Japan’s persimmon dye lives on
By Joanna Kawecki

COMMUNITY

Indonesian students at Hiroshima University hold posters of the 17+8 Demands, demanding transparency and action from their homeland’s government.
Young Indonesians in Japan find their political voice
By Nadila
From Hiroshima to Tokyo, Indonesian diasporic communities in Japan are expressing their support for compatriots back home and building solidarity online and offline.
Genmai the dachshund has a spring in his step
Wielding a weapon of yore at a community dojo
By Monique Bae
Florian Wiltschko: ‘Shinto helps me understand and live within Japanese culture’
By Samantha Seghers
Lovely listener Jimena just needs time and care

Editors' Picks

SUMO
These are the hottest lower-division rikishi to watch right now
By John Gunning
Fukazaki (right) grapples with Enho at the IG Arena in Nagoya on July 13.
CULTURE
Across borders and screens, Tokyo film festival finds humanity in migration
By Erik Augustin Palm
“Mother Bhumi” takes place in a multiethnic rice-farming community where Chinese, Thai and Malay lineages intertwine.
JAPAN
Takaichi’s balancing act: Supporting Taiwan and stabilizing China ties
By Gabriel Dominguez
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shakes hands with Lin Hsin-i, Taiwan’s presidential adviser, on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Saturday in this image posted to Takaichi's official X account.
SPORTS
From 1973 to 2025: A Japanese American skater’s long ride to recognition
By Mai Yoshikawa
Judi Oyama at Winchester Skatepark in San Jose, California, in January 1979. The Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductee and Guinness World Record holder still skates and hopes to inspire older women.
JAPAN
More Japanese universities pushing toward teaching in English
By Jessica Speed
Waseda University in Tokyo

Podcast

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

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

COMFACTS

New Food Products Utilizing Tsunan Sake Brewery’s Sake Lees Unveiled at “TORANOMON JUST RIGHT NEW FOOD” Tasting Event
New Food Products Utilizing Tsunan Sake Brewery’s Sake Lees Unveiled at “TORANOMON JUST RIGHT NEW FOOD” Tasting Event
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

COMMENTARY
The Toyota buyout is a major test for Japan’s reforms
By Juliana Liu
Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor, speaks during a media preview at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Oct. 29. Minority investors are challenging the carmaker's bid to take affiliate Toyota Industries Corp. private.
WORLD
From France to Mali, a deportee's struggle far from home
By Sofia Christensen, Juliette Jabkhiro and Layli Foroudi
Moussa Sacko, a Malian deported from France — where he had lived since he was a young child — stands on a street in Bamako, Mali, in December. Compared with his home in France, Bamako feels like a different planet, Sacko said.
JAPAN
ChatGPT nickname and Trump tariffs nominated for Japan’s buzzword of 2025
By Kanako Takahara
Women hold toys depicting Myaku-Myaku, the official character for the 2025 Osaka Expo, during a media day ahead of the event's public opening day in Osaka in April.
BUSINESS
SoftBank is said to have explored potential takeover of Marvell
By Ryan Gould, Min Jeong Lee, Liana Baker and Josh Sisco
SoftBank explored a potential takeover of U.S. chipmaker Marvell Technology earlier this year, in what would have been the semiconductor industry's largest-ever deal.
BUSINESS
The second life of Japan's net cafes
By Alex K.T. Martin
Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.