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July 29, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 29, 2025
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Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba, flanked by LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama (left) and LDP Vice President Yoshihide Suga, speaks at a meeting of party lawmakers and executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
At LDP’s post-election meeting, calls intensify for Ishiba’s resignation
By Gabriele Ninivaggi and Eric Johnston
The prime minister apologized to his fellow party members over the loss of its majority in the Upper House, but remains determined to stay on.

More coverage

Japan’s neighbors anxiously assess Upper House election results
Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba, flanked by LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama (left) and LDP Vice President Yoshihide Suga, speaks at a meeting of party lawmakers and executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Panmunjom, South Korea, on June 30, 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
North Korea says Trump must drop denuclearization policy if he wants to meet Kim
By Jesse Johnson
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea’s leader, called personal ties between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump "not bad.”
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks to reporters during a visit to the Air Self-Defense Force's Space Situation Awareness radar in Sanyo-Onoda, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
‘Killer satellites’ beware: Japan unveils first space defense guidelines
By Jesse Johnson
The guidelines outline plans to protect Japanese satellites, while promoting cooperation between the public and private sectors on cutting-edge tech.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte looks at military equipment on the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami stealth frigate during a visit to the MSDF's naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in April.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan and NATO to launch defense-industrial talks, top envoy says
By Gabriel Dominguez
The talks will aim to explore new areas of cooperation and facilitate coordination between the two sides’ defense and security industries.
A soldier from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and his comrade cross a stream toward the front line in Laiza, Kachin state, in 2013.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Trump team hears pitches on access to Myanmar's rare earths
By Trevor Hunnicutt, David Brunnstrom, Devjyot Ghoshal and Poppy McPherson
If the ideas are ever acted upon, Washington may need to strike a deal with the ethnic rebels controlling most of Myanmar's rich deposits of heavy rare earths.
A soldier from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and his comrade cross a stream toward the front line in Laiza, Kachin state, in 2013.

JAPAN

Police officers investigate the area where six passersby were allegedly attacked by a knife-wielding man in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Monday evening.
Six injured in stabbing spree in Ibaraki Prefecture
The victims, between the ages of 27 and 75, are all conscious and their injuries are not life-threatening, Ibaraki Prefectural Police said.
Students hoping to work in Japan attend a Japanese class at a job placement company in Hanoi in October 2022.
Japan to start new residency system for foreign workers
The aim is to systematically develop foreign human resources and ensure they stay in Japanese workplaces for the long term.
Number of children on after-school care waiting lists drops to 17,000
Japan's Foreign Ministry to set up economic security division
Almost 80 years on, 'Hiroshima Panels' pass on memories of atomic bombing
Japanese researchers discover 248 Nazca Line geoglyphs in Peru

BUSINESS

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the launch of the Global Biofuels Alliance at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023.
Delayed pricing policy for cleaner ethanol keeps India burning food for fuel
By Bhasker Tripathi
The Indian government wants petrol sold in the country to contain 20% ethanol by October 2025, and has ramped up production by diverting food crops, but could use waste instead.
Hideyuki Okamoto, ice pop maker Akagi Nyugyo's marketing team leader, says the public is more accepting of price hikes as he holds the company's flagship Garigari-kun ice pop.
Enough apologies: How Japan is shaking off its price hike phobia
By Makiko Yamazaki and Takahiko Wada
A shift in consumer mindset about such increases is driven by the biggest pay hikes in three decades and has given companies more confidence to pass on rising costs.
Apple to shutter a retail store in China for the first time ever
By Mark Gurman
Suntory will gauge U.S. consumer sentiment for whisky price hike
The world’s biggest passenger plane keeps breaking down
By Angus Whitley and Danny Lee
Japan should take all possible measures to raise wages, white paper says

WORLD

People who fled their homes near the border between Cambodia and Thailand gather at a food distribution site on the grounds of a pagoda in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, on Monday.
Thai army accuses Cambodia of breaking truce
By Chayanit ITTHIPONGMAETEE and Suy SE
"Thailand is compelled to respond appropriately, exercising its legitimate right to self-defense," a Thai army spokesperson said after stating Cambodia had violated the ceasefire.
Bohdana Zhupanyna, a 30-year-old mother-to-be, stands inside her apartment that was damaged by a Russian drone strike in Kyiv on July 23.
Trump sets new deadline of 10 or 12 days for Russia to act on Ukraine
By Andrew MacAskill and Andrea Shalal
The U.S. president has threatened sanctions on both Russia and buyers of its exports unless progress is made.
Taiwan's Lai calls off trip with U.S. transit as Trump seeks Xi summit
By Jenny Leonard and Yian Lee
China rolls out childcare subsidy to boost birth rate
By Karoline Kan
Russia at the gates: How Ukraine defended a strategic city for months
By Anastasiia Malenko, Maria Tsvetkova and Manuel Ausloos
Ceasefire takes effect between Thailand and Cambodia after five-day border battle
By Chayut Setboonsarng, Danial Azhar and Shoon Naing

Sports

Hajime Kawano and his family traveled from Japan to see Ichiro Suzuki be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, on Sunday.
Ichiro's Hall of Fame induction becomes family affair for some fans
By Joshua Mellin
Some traveled from Japan to the United States to be part of Ichiro's big moment.
I'm no genius, says 12-year-old Yu after just missing podium at worlds
Man jailed for stalking and harassing Fever star Caitlin Clark
Legendary Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg dies at 65
Bouchard extends career with first-round win at Canadian Open
By Rory Carroll

Opinion

Sanseito supporters celebrate at a rally in Tokyo on July 21, a day after the party’s strong showing in the Upper House election.
Japan’s neighbors anxiously assess Upper House election results
Elizabeth Wishnick and Carita Reid
Most notably, the far-right, anti-immigrant Sanseito won 14 seats, increasing its total seats from one to 15.
Trump is trying to build a far-right international alliance
By Jan-Werner Mueller
Iran is more prepared for democracy than many realize
By Kian Tajbakhsh
Freezing rent is easy. Making NYC housing affordable isn’t.
By Justin Fox
The Fed needs to tread carefully with this strange dollar
By Jonathan Levin

ENVIRONMENT

People ride in a boat past a newly built concrete barrier in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Egypt, on April 20.
Rising seas and shifting sands attack ancient Alexandria from below
By Heba Fouad and Ahmed Fahmy
The warming waters of the Mediterranean are rising due to climate change, leading to coastal erosion and undermining buildings from below.
New Zealand farmers battle pine forests to 'save our sheep'
By Ben Strang
Germans are finally embracing air conditioning, even renters
By Nick Heubeck and Carolynn Look
World court climate ruling: nonbinding but game changing
By Kelly Macnamara
‘Unprecedented’ ocean heat waves in 2023 suggest climate tipping point
By Danielle Bochove

CULTURE

Fuji Rock still excites Hitsujibungaku — (from left) bassist Yurika Kasai, lead singer and guitarist Moeka Shiotsuka and drummer Hiroa Fukuda — even as its flock grows abroad.
Hitsujibungaku’s pop-fueled rise to stardom
By Patrick St. Michel
Rock trio Hitsujibungaku is set to make its fourth appearance at Fuji Rock this weekend on its most primetime stage yet — the White Stage right before headliner Haim.
‘Demon Slayer’ movie slashes its own box office records
By Matt Schley
National Ballet of Japan stages first overseas performance in London
‘Rainy Blue’: Behind-the-scenes drama tarnishes an intriguing debut
By James Hadfield
Marunouchi Toei closes as Japan’s cinema landscape evolves
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

Located in Patina Osaka, P72 doesn't have a fixed menu, opting instead to rely on whatever is available from local suppliers and its on-site garden to create its innovative plant-based cuisine.
P72 sows the seeds for a dynamic plant-based cuisine
By Jessica Kozuka
With an ever-changing menu dictated by what's available from its garden and suppliers, the Osaka-based restaurant injects creativity and spontaneity into its green cuisine.
Communal knead: A Turkish baker in Kamakura draws queues
By Alex Michael Dwyer
As summer soars, the tomato offers a lesson in staying bright and cool
By Makiko Itoh
Traditional Japanese swordsmanship — with modern matches
By Johan Brooks
How a single current keeps Shiga’s ‘village of water’ in concert
By Joanna Kawecki

COMMUNITY

Wakana, a Japanese fan of Thai BL, visits a temple in Thon Buri, Bangkok featured in the Thai adaptation of the Japanese series “Cherry Magic.” Her media consumption kindled an interest in Thai culture and language, and ultimately led her to relocate to Thailand. “I fell in love with the whole country,” she says.
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio
Thailand has become a top producer of BL (boys’ love) dramas — and audiences in Japan are among the most ardent consumers.
A big, beautiful Bengal cat named Pupu
Ayaka Ohira: ‘Being outside of the traditional path gave me more freedom’
By Zoria Petkoska
The mothers holding up Japan's Vietnamese community
By Nguyen Bao Anh
Lilimi settles into a new life

Editors' Picks

ENVIRONMENT
Amid fossil fuel shift in U.S., hope emerges for India and Japan tie-up on solar
By Nithin Coca
A technician works on the assembly line at a solar panel manufacturing hub on the outskirts of New Delhi last October.
BASEBALL
Three decades and a pile of notebooks: The beat writer who chronicled Ichiro’s career
By Mai Yoshikawa
Reporters and photographers, including long-time baseball beat writer Keizo Konishi, swarm around Ichiro Suzuki during the World Baseball Classic in San Diego in 2009.
CULTURE
Behind the scenes: Inside Fuji Rock’s strategy for staying on top
By Philip Brasor
In recent years, Fuji Rock has had fewer blockbuster performers and showcased more top-selling Japanese acts and international musicians' first-time performances in Japan.
JAPAN
Tokyo is the No. 2 choice for international students
By Elizabeth Beattie
The University of Tokyo. International students are increasingly flocking to Asia, with affordability being a particularly important metric.
BUSINESS
Japan leans into homegrown AI amid rising competition
By Elizabeth Beattie
McKinsey’s 2025 Technology Trends Outlook, published Wednesday, says that the use of “sovereign AI” is a trend gaining significant global traction, including in Japan.

Podcast

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

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear
By Jason Coskrey

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan to start new residency system for foreign workers
Students hoping to work in Japan attend a Japanese class at a job placement company in Hanoi in October 2022.
JAPAN
Japan to regularly accept assistant language teachers from India
Indian assistant language teachers pose for a photo with Japanese Ambassador Keiichi Ono (center) at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Friday.
BASEBALL
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear
By Jason Coskrey
Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
CULTURE
‘Demon Slayer’ movie slashes its own box office records
By Matt Schley
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” is the first installment in a trilogy that's set to wrap the anime adaptation of Koyoharu Gotoke's manga about sword-wielding heroes fighting man-eating demons.
JAPAN
Kyoto University researchers find mechanism behind malignant pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer, the third-leading cause of cancer death in Japan, has the lowest five-year survival rate of any cancer at just 8.5%.