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July 30, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 30, 2025
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Police officers ask a man to evacuate from an empty beach following a tsunami warning, in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Japan on edge but prepared for tsunami after huge Kamchatka earthquake
By Tomoko Otake, Gabriele Ninivaggi, Francis Tang and Alex K.T. Martin
Tsunami waves measuring up to 1.3 meters were observed off the Pacific coast of Japan, with authorities urging people in coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground.

More coverage

Powerful quake off Russia sparks Pacific tsunami
Police officers ask a man to evacuate from an empty beach following a tsunami warning, in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
Japan's temperature soared to a record 41.2 degrees Celsius in Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture, on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high of 41.1 C.
JAPAN / Breaking
Japan marks highest-ever temperature of 41.2 C in Hyogo
By Tomoko Otake
The mercury hit the above-human temperature of 41.2 C in the city of Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture, as authorities urged people to take precautions to avoid heatstroke.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (left) is escorted by Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya at the start of their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan-South Korea top diplomats’ meeting shows ties on solid footing
By Jesse Johnson
In an unusual move, Seoul’s foreign minister visited Tokyo before Washington, as the Asian neighbors emphasized the importance of maintaining stable relations.
Fuji TV headquarters in Tokyo's Minato Ward. Fuji TV came under fire over the manner in which it handled a case of “sexual trouble” involving former boy band member Masahiro Nakai and a female announcer.
JAPAN / Media / FOCUS
How the Japanese TV industry is changing
By Yukana Inoue
After a series of major scandals in recent years, Japan’s TV industry appears to be growing more sensitive to issues of harassment and misconduct.
Rural, a three-day techno festival, was held July 18 to 21 at Nowhere Camp in Fukushima Prefecture.
CULTURE / Music
How Japan made techno its own
By Arjan Rietveld
Once inspired by Berlin and Detroit, Japanese techno now moves on its own wavelength — deep, immersive, and unmistakably local.
Rural, a three-day techno festival, was held July 18 to 21 at Nowhere Camp in Fukushima Prefecture.

JAPAN

The number of car accidents in Japan resulting in death or serious injury that were caused by foreign drivers in the first half of 2025 totaled 258, up by 19 from a year earlier and exceeding 250 for the first time since 2008, according to the National Police Agency.
Ratio of serious car accidents caused by foreign drivers hits record 2.1%
A total of 258 of such accidents, which caused death or serious injury, occurred in the first half of 2025, according to National Police Agency data.
The officials of Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation speak during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Debris removal at Fukushima nuclear plant pushed back to 2037 or later
This delay may push the completion of the plant's decommissioning process beyond the target year of 2051 set by the government and Tepco.
Tepco ordered to pay ¥100 million in damages over 2011 disaster
Ruling and opposition parties agree to scrap provisional gas tax by year-end
Hokkaido's Tomari nuclear reactor passes safety screening
Record number of heatstroke sufferers taken by ambulance to hospital

BUSINESS

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks to reporters at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday. The party’s loss in the July 20 Upper House election has become the defining factor for the yen.
Yen option traders brace for more weakness ahead of BOJ decision
By Mia Glass and David Finnerty
Analysts warn that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may resort to populist spending to shore up support for his weakened coalition.
U.S. and Chinese flags flutter outside Sweden's government offices "Rosenbad" in Stockholm on Tuesday, ahead of the second day of trade talks between China and the U.S.
U.S., China agree to continue talks on tariff truce extension
By Jenny Leonard, Olivia Tam and Charlie Duxbury
The Stockholm negotiations marked the third round of U.S.-China trade talks in less than three months.
Toyota logs record global sales despite Trump tariff turmoil
By Nicholas Takahashi
Varied sales channels may have triggered rice price surge
Japan releases guidelines for IT giants regarding smartphone apps
U.S. could resist Cosco inclusion in CK Hutchison port sale
By James Pomfret, Clare Jim and Davide Barbuscia

WORLD

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te attends an annual coast guard drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on June 8.
Taiwan president’s bad week hangs on U.S. trade deal outcome
By Yian Lee, Jenny Leonard and Cindy Wang
Whether Washington uses Taipei as a bargaining chip in its trade talks with China is the biggest issue facing Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One en route from Scotland to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Tuesday.
Trump says he fell out with Epstein because he was taking Mar-a-Lago spa staff
U.S. President Donald Trump gave some of his most expansive public comments yet about his falling out with Jeffrey Epstein.
How Syrian attackers killed: One hand on the gun, another on the camera
By Deniz Uyar, Monica Naime and Pola Grzanka
U.S. to complete review of AUKUS defense pact in fall
By Gabriel Dominguez
Trump administration slashed federal funding for gun violence prevention
By Bianca Flowers
Australia adds YouTube to teen social media ban, tearing up exemption
By Renju Jose and Byron Kaye

Sports

Kotoshoho celebrates winning his first Grand Sumo Tournament at IG Arena in Nagoya on Sunday.
Kotoshoho's shock first Emperor's Cup could reinvigorate his career
By John Gunning
Kotoshoho's first Grand Sumo Tournament win in Nagoya on Sunday was perhaps even more surprising than early leader Ichiyamamoto’s would have been.
Olympic champion Mullojonov provisionally suspended for banned substance
By Pearl Josephine Nazare
'Most accessible ever' tickets planned for Australia's 2027 Rugby World Cup
By Nick Mulvenney
'I didn't feel safe': Banned Canada coach explains move to New Zealand
By Ben Strang
Two former China soccer officials sentenced for corruption

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses a news conference in Tokyo on Monday. He repeated his pledge to stay on to prevent a political vacuum from forming after his party's poor performance in the Upper House election.
The LDP struggles to define its future after election flub
Brad Glosserman
The public doesn’t know what it wants — other than “not this” — so indecision by the LDP and other parties is understandable.
As China advances and the U.S. retreats, Japan-India ties grow stronger
By Manoj Joshi
China’s AI strategy relies on frenzy and frenemies
By Catherine Thorbecke
ASEAN+3 in an age of global uncertainty
By Yasuto Watanabe
A fringe party or political force: Will the real Sanseito stand up?
By Edo Naito

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.
In the Philippines, informal e-waste dismantling poses health risks
By Pam Castro
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

CULTURE

“Memory of Lines” is Chiharu Shiota’s second art installation on Teshima as part of the Setouchi Triennale.
Artist Chiharu Shiota weaves a hidden marvel on Teshima
By Thu-Huong Ha
The artist cherished for her red-thread installations creates a new work in one of Japan’s famed art islands.
‘Demon Slayer’ movie slashes its own box office records
By Matt Schley
Hitsujibungaku’s pop-fueled rise to stardom
By Patrick St. Michel
National Ballet of Japan stages first overseas performance in London
Behind the scenes: Inside Fuji Rock’s strategy for staying on top
By Philip Brasor

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
How a single current keeps Shiga’s ‘village of water’ in concert
By Joanna Kawecki
Study first, screens later: Japanese kids have summer projects to do
By Yuko Tamura

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

JAPAN
Why Ishiba refuses to quit even amid intense pressure for him to go
By Eric Johnston
Supporters of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba take part in a rally across the street from the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
BASEBALL
Behind the scenes at the Baseball Hall of Fame's new Yakyu/Baseball exhibit
By Joshua Mellin
“Yakyu / Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game” is set to remain on display in Cooperstown for at least five to 10 years — and possibly indefinitely.
COMMUNITY
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio
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.
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.
LIFE
Traditional Japanese swordsmanship — with modern matches
By Johan Brooks
This year marked the eighth annual championship put on by the Hogyokukai school of traditional Japanese swordsmanship.

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

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy
Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Develops “Yukigesho Castella” as Part of Sake Upcycling Project
Tsunan Sake Brewery Develops “Yukigesho Castella” as Part of Sake Upcycling Project
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan on edge but prepared for tsunami after huge Kamchatka earthquake
By Tomoko Otake, Gabriele Ninivaggi, Francis Tang and Alex K.T. Martin
Police officers ask a man to evacuate from an empty beach following a tsunami warning, in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
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
Last soldiers of Imperial Japanese Army have a warning for younger generations
By Martin Fackler
Kunshiro Kiyozumi, 97, who was the youngest crew member of the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58 in World War II, on his way to a restaurant to have lunch in Matsuyama, Japan, on April 29.
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.
JAPAN
At LDP’s post-election meeting, calls intensify for Ishiba’s resignation
By Gabriele Ninivaggi and Eric Johnston
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.