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October 12, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
October 12, 2025
Sanae Takaichi
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After a runup marked by apathy, organizers soon found they had the opposite problem as crowd control became a concern.
JAPAN / FOCUS
As the Osaka Expo comes to a close, what will its legacy be?
By Joel Tansey and Tomoko Otake
The mega-event was a resounding success, taking in some 28 million visitors over 184 days. But how its legacy will look in the decades to come remains a question mark.
After a runup marked by apathy, organizers soon found they had the opposite problem as crowd control became a concern.
U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington during a trilateral exercise including the United States, Japan and South Korea in the East China Sea in November last year
JAPAN
Japan and U.S. leaders may tour U.S. aircraft carrier
According to sources, the two sides plan to have their leaders visit the Yokosuka base during U.S. President Donald Trump's upcoming trip to the Asian nation later this month.
People walk amid the destruction in Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Saturday, a day after an Israel-Hamas ceasefire took effect.
WORLD
Gazans stream back home as Israel-Hamas ceasefire holds
Thousands of Palestinians streamed north along the coast of Gaza on Saturday, trekking by foot, car, and cart back to their abandoned homes as a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas appeared to be holding.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to reporters at the Diet in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
After ruling bloc breakup, CDP and Komeito eye unified PM candidate
The move comes as the Democratic Party for the People appears no longer willing to hold coalition talks with the LDP, putting new ruling party chief Sanae Takaichi in a tough spot.
The Gas Pavilion had welcomed around 500,000 visitors by the end of August, making it one of the most popular exhibits at the Osaka Expo.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
At Osaka Expo, gas giants promote a greener future. But is it a lot of hot air?
By Joel Tansey
While major Japanese gas companies have lauded e-methane as key in fighting climate change, experts paint a different picture.
The Gas Pavilion had welcomed around 500,000 visitors by the end of August, making it one of the most popular exhibits at the Osaka Expo.

JAPAN

On a per capita basis, the expenses paid to medical institutions for the treatment of illness and injury in the year through March 2024 expanded 3.5% to ¥386,700, also an all-time high, according to a final report released Friday.
Medical expenses in Japan hit record ¥48 trillion in fiscal 2023
The rise in medical costs is attributed to an increase in influenza cases, an aging population and costly medical treatments using advanced technologies.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers remarks at a memorial service for Self-Defense Forces personnel who died in the line of duty, on Saturday at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo.
Ishiba attends memorial for fallen SDF members
The prime minister pledged to "do everything we can to protect the lives and the peace of the people of Japan."
After ruling bloc collapses, LDP and opposition scramble to find needed votes for PM
By Eric Johnston
Internet becomes Japan's top daily news source for 1st time
Japan group to launch AI service for saury size predictions
Hidankyo, others hold event 80 years after atomic bombings

BUSINESS

A container ship sails at the port in Qingdao, China, on Thursday.
China blames U.S. for raising trade tensions, defends rare earth curbs
Beijing's decision not to immediately respond to Trump's opening salvo could leave the door open for both countries to negotiate a deescalation.
In a ranking of the best-performing equity indexes this year, the U.S. doesn’t crack the Top 50. You need to go all the way to No. 66 before the world’s most valuable equity index shows up — one of the worst relative performances since the global financial crisis for the U.S. benchmark.
A great year for U.S. stocks? Not compared with rest of the world.
By Michael Msika, Winnie Hsu and Sagarika Jaisinghani
The underperformance, market participants say, owes just as much to a broader shift in the mindset among foreign investors
Trump’s dealmaking diplomacy grows fragile as China fires back
Bessent’s big gamble on Argentina has a narrow road to pay off
The world’s chip supply chain is bracing for fallout from China’s rare-earth curbs
By Dasha Afanasieva, Debby Wu and Maggie Eastland
Trump ratchets up U.S.-China trade war with new levies and export controls

WORLD

The U.S. Capitol in Washington on Friday. The current government shutdown is the most acute symptom of a general lack of goodwill in Washington, where bipartisan deal-making has increasingly gone out of vogue.
Trump layoffs and broken trust harden Democrats’ shutdown stand
By Steven T. Dennis
Democrats have expressed doubts that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver a health care fix unless forced to do so.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Oct. 5.
Trusting Trump: Why Hamas gambled on giving up Gaza hostages
The U.S. president's handling of Israel's Qatar attack on Hamas officials gave the group more faith that he was serious about ending the war in Gaza.
How can Europe protect its skies against 'escalating' drone menace?
By Fabien Zamora
U.S. appeals court says national guard sent to Illinois can stay, but not deploy
U.S. military will use R&D money to pay troops if shutdown persists
Major win for Trump on Gaza, but will it stand test of time?
By Leon Bruneau

Sports

Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn celebrates after hitting a home run during the fourth inning of Milwaukee's Game 5 win over the Cubs on Saturday.
Brewers oust Cubs and will face Dodgers in MLB playoffs
The win sets up a showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a place in the World Series.
Las Vegas Aces flip the odds to cap WNBA season comeback for the ages
Treading fine line, NBA money machine kicks into gear on China return
By Holmes Chan
From Sauber to Audi, Wheatley prepares to disrupt in F1 revolution
By Nick Mulvenney
Yoshitomo Tsutsugo produces vintage performance in Climax Series opener
By Jason Coskrey

Opinion

Then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and then-Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Sanae Takaichi mark a win by a party candidate in the July 2013 Upper House election. There is ongoing debate over whether Takaichi's economic approach will mirror the former prime minister's Abenomics.
The 'Takaichi trade' isn’t Abenomics 2.0, and that’s OK
Gearoid Reidy
Party leader Takaichi has been left with one of the poorest positions imaginable. The LDP is a minority in both houses of parliament.
A deal that might heal — or haunt — the Middle East
By Imran Khalid
Pragmatism, not ideology, must guide Takaichi
How Asia can reduce its dollar dependence
By Yasuto Watanabe and Hiro Ito
Global lessons from a press in peril
By Martin Baron

ENVIRONMENT

A worker feeds shrimp in Pandeglang, Banten province, Indonesia, on July 29.
Indonesia says no to scrap metal after shrimp radiation scare
By Chandra Asmara
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said the pause aims to ensure that the local steel-recycling industry meets radiation safety standards.
Trump calls climate change a con; science braces for more
By David Sherfinski
Global renewable power output overtakes coal for the first time, report says
Swiss glaciers hit by light snowfall and heat wave, scientists say
By Cecile Mantovani and Denis Balibouse
Wildlife advocate and primate expert Jane Goodall dies at 91
By Susan Heavey

CULTURE

In "Weathering," 10 performers create a sculpture composed of bodies, sounds, scents, liquids and objects.
Autumn Meteorite stages a month of inventive theater in Tokyo
By Jessica Kozuka
The inaugural performing arts festival brings a variety of shows, from monodramas to 20-people, multivenue ensemble productions.
Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton dead at 79
Iyo Sky takes flight: How the ‘Genius of the Sky’ turned risk into art and fear into fun
By Adam Davidson
Hungarian 'master of the apocalypse' Laszlo Krasznahorkai wins Nobel Prize in literature
‘Hokusai’s Daughter’ captures the ferocity of a forgotten painter
By James Hadfield

LIFE

This year’s World's 50 Best Bars list features bars from 29 cities worldwide, including debuts from Eastern Europe.
Tokyo earns three spots on World’s 50 Best Bars list
By Weiwen Lin
Bar Benfiddich climbs ranks, but Hong Kong steals the show with Bar Leone making history as the first bar in Asia to be named No. 1 in the listing.
Nara inn offers room, board and an ancient burial mound
By Kimberly Hughes
From straight to curly: Getting your hair done in Japanese
By Mishu Callan
Roasted green tea gets a milky makeover
By Simon Daly
Eat your balloons: The culinary theater of Grant Achatz comes to Tokyo
By Weiwen Lin

COMMUNITY

Shrunali Ranade moved to Japan in 2015 and has carved a niche for herself as both an engineer and a cricket player.
Shrunali Ranade: ‘Stepping back isn’t failure but another form of strength’
By Megha Wadhwa
As an engineer and member of the women’s national cricket team in Japan, Shrunali Ranade has carved out her own niche over the past 10 years.
Student groups nurture Japan-South Korea dialogue and cultural ties
By Moe Shimizu
Linda Joyce: ‘We hope people recognize the benefits of exploring rural areas’
By Louise George Kittaka
Stirred, not shaken: Kyoto business platform blends local and global
By Samantha Seghers
Tax-advantaged investments no lost cause for U.S. residents of Japan
By Gendel Gento

Editors' Picks

LIFE
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
By Owen Ziegler
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
BUSINESS
‘Takaichi trade’ starts unwinding as political calculus upended by Komeito exit
By Kazuaki Nagata
Less than a week ago, Sanae Takaichi seemed set to become Japan's first female prime minister.
JAPAN
‘Save the Ring’ calls intensify as Osaka Expo’s end nears
By Tomoko Otake
Visitors lounge on the grassy hill on the top of the Grand Ring during the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka in May.
CULTURE
A Japanese comedian walks into an Aussie bar … and stays there
By Zoria Petkoska
Takashi “Waka” Wakasugi stopped by the Tokyo Comedy Bar in Shibuya Ward last month following his stint at Edinburgh Festival Fringe performing his show “Comedy Samurai.”
JAPAN
Chemistry Nobel winner Kitagawa says downtime helped him think up new material
By Tomoko Otake
Susumu Kitagawa speaks to reporters at Kyoto University on Wednesday after receiving the news that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry the same day.

Podcast

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

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons
Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Participates in ASEAN Green Transformation (GX) Sustainability Forum 2025
Tsunan Sake Brewery Participates in ASEAN Green Transformation (GX) Sustainability Forum 2025
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
University of Tokyo lands its highest spot ever in global higher education ranking
By Elizabeth Beattie
The University of Tokyo in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward
JAPAN
‘Save the Ring’ calls intensify as Osaka Expo’s end nears
By Tomoko Otake
Visitors lounge on the grassy hill on the top of the Grand Ring during the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka in May.
JAPAN
Takaichi's PM bid faces further headwinds with coalition split
By Kanako Takahara, Himari Semans and Gabriele Ninivaggi
LDP leader Sanae Takaichi and Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito attend a party leaders' meeting on Friday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
After ruling bloc breakup, CDP and Komeito eye unified PM candidate
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to reporters at the Diet in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Tokyo named world’s best big city for second straight year
By Jessica Speed
Tokyo was ranked the world's best large city for the second year in a row in the Conde Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.