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July 25, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 25, 2025
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U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, the day after he agreed to an 11th-hour trade deal with Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Big unanswered questions follow Japan's big, beautiful deal with the U.S.
By Francis Tang
The $550 billion investment plan, in particular, is the subject of doubt and discussion.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, the day after he agreed to an 11th-hour trade deal with Japan.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, walks past a poster after meeting with party executives at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Political turmoil continues as Ishiba’s fate hangs in the balance
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
While there are demands for the ruling party's leadership to resign, the weakening of past factional ties makes it hard for those opposing the prime minister to join forces.
The diffusion index on living conditions in Japan is at its lowest level in nearly 16 years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan might be in a technical recession already
By Kazuaki Nagata
GDP appears to have declined for a second consecutive quarter, while wages remain stagnant and consumer sentiment weak.
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures after signing executive orders in Washington on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Trump says Tokyo agreed to buy U.S. defense gear, but questions remain
By Jesse Johnson and Francis Tang
Touting the surprise trade agreement with Japan, the U.S. president claimed that Tokyo agreed to buy billions of dollars in defense equipment.
Ichiro presents then-Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson with the bat he used to break the single-season hits record in 2004.
BASEBALL / MLB
Hall of Fame always held deeper meaning for Ichiro
By Jason Coskrey
Ichiro, who will be inducted into the Hall on Sunday, is so familiar with the storied museum that he could probably lead the tour that new inductees receive.
Ichiro presents then-Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson with the bat he used to break the single-season hits record in 2004.

JAPAN

The National Police Agency will begin a trial run of wearable cameras starting in late August.
Police in Japan to trial wearable cameras from late August
Officers will clearly indicate when recording is taking place using illuminated lights, stickers or armbands.
Water-related accidents across Japan rose to 1,535 in 2024 and involved 1,753 people — the highest number in a decade, according to the National Police Agency.
Authorities warn of dangers surrounding water-related activities this summer
By Jessica Speed
Ten people died and two remain missing following a string of water-related accidents over the long weekend.
Junglia, Japan’s newest theme park, opens in northern Okinawa
By Owen Ziegler
Police detect 889 threatening posts ahead of Upper House poll
U.S. Osprey makes emergency landing at Iwate airport
Japan ties with South Korea for second most powerful passport
By Elizabeth Beattie

BUSINESS

As U.S. tariffs caused global uncertainty, Japanese carmakers in particular have been losing momentum as the industry faced pressure from levies.
Firms in Japan likely to log lower profits amid tariff and political uncertainty
By Reina Sasaki
While tariffs caused global uncertainty, Japanese carmakers in particular have been losing momentum as the industry faced pressure from the levies.
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.
Japan leans into homegrown AI amid rising competition
By Elizabeth Beattie
Japan is among the countries aiming to develop localized artificial intelligence models to target national priorities.
Toy makers nix batteries and other materials to save costs amid tariff war
By Arriana McLymore, Nicholas P. Brown and Samantha Marshak
Japan’s top global pension fund keeps strategy amid volatility
By Hideyuki Sano and Nao Sano
Fujitsu and Nagoya University develop AI-based tech to spread ride-hailing
Japan and EU launch trade ‘alliance’ amid concerns over U.S. and China
By Gabriel Dominguez

WORLD

An Israeli APC seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border on Monday
Brazil prepares to join South Africa's Gaza genocide case against Israel at ICJ
By Lisandra Paraguassu
South Africa filed the case in 2023 asking the ICJ to declare that Israel was in breach of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Cambodian soldiers reload a multiple rocket launcher in Preah Vihear province on Thursday.
Thailand fighter jet bombs Cambodian targets as border clash escalates
By Panu Wongcha-um and Chayut Setboonsarng
Weeks of tension escalated into fresh clashes that have killed at least nine civilians.
Passenger plane crashes in Russia's far east, nearly 50 people on board feared dead
Millions go hungry in Nigeria as aid dries up and jihadists surge
By Susan Njanji
U.S.-funded contraceptives for poor nations to be burned in France: sources
By Ammu KANNAMPILLY, Jennifer Rigby and Jonathan Landay
800,000 U.S. taxpayer-funded vaccine doses may expire, lawmakers say
By Patricia Zengerle

Sports

Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is greeted by teammate Andy Pages after his first-inning home run on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Ohtani extends homer streak to five in Dodgers win
The home run was Ohtani's National League-leading 37th of the season.
Barcelona cancels friendly against Vissel Kobe, citing contractual breaches
Sinner reappoints fitness coach he let go during doping scandal
Spain reaches Euro 2025 final after extra-time win over Germany
By Philip O'Connor
'It feels like home': Rashford joins Barcelona on loan from Manchester United

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s last-minute trade deal with the U.S. may calm tariff fears but has cost him politically, leaving Japan’s ruling party divided and his leadership on the brink.
‘Mr. Japan’ bends the knee — and falls on his sword
Gearoid Reidy
Shigeru Ishiba’s trade deal with Donald Trump will be his last act as leader
Japan trade deal offers U.S. automakers relief, not new markets
By Liam Denning
Britain and Europe are changing together
By Mark Leonard
Why markets may soon call America’s tariff bluff
By Penelopi Koujianou Goldberg
Trump’s tariffs undermine America's security, business and credibility
By Diana DeGette and Ami Bera

ENVIRONMENT

President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Yuji Iwasawa (center) and other members issue an advisory opinion on nations' legal obligations to address climate change, at The Hague on Wednesday.
Top U.N. court says treaties compel wealthy nations to curb global warming
By Stephanie van den Berg and Alison Withers
The International Court of Justice said countries must address the "urgent and existential threat" of climate change.
Trump staff cuts force firefighters to clean toilets, critics say
By Andrew Hay
Restoring sea floor after mining may not be possible, researchers warn
By Amelie Bottollier-Depois
Pakistan's quiet solar rush puts pressure on national grid
By Zain Zaman Janjua
How schools are being built for extreme heat — without air conditioning
By Emma Batha

CULTURE

Before multiplexes entered the Japanese theatrical market in the early 1990s, moviegoers frequented “roadside theaters” — cinemas located in central urban areas near train lines. The Marunouchi Toei, which will close July 27, is the last of such theaters in Tokyo.
Marunouchi Toei closes as Japan’s cinema landscape evolves
By Mark Schilling
As audiences gravitate toward the luxury, tech and varied lineups of multiplexes, Tokyo’s last "roadside theater" closes after 65 years, marking the end of an era in moviegoing.
Behind the scenes: Inside Fuji Rock’s strategy for staying on top
By Philip Brasor
‘Rainy Blue’: Behind-the-scenes drama tarnishes an intriguing debut
By James Hadfield
Heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne dead at 76
By Peter HUTCHISON
‘Noto Democracy’ and the slow work of civic change
By Moe Shimizu

LIFE

It is recommended that screen time for children should be kept to under two hours a day.
Study first, screens later: Japanese kids have summer projects to do
By Yuko Tamura
From book reports to free research, parents are helping kids build good habits — and grammar — over summer break.
In microbes we trust: Embracing the nature of fermented food
By Simon Daly
Touring the Silk Road — without leaving Tokyo
By Kimberly Hughes
In Gaza-made obi, Palestinian embroidery meets Japanese kimono
By Anna Sakamoto
Dancers, festivals and one very useful Japanese grammar point
By Yaeko Kabe

COMMUNITY

Ayaka Ohira (center) celebrated the launch of “Shinsei Galverse” with interpreter Himari Lala Shimizu and executive producer Jack Baldwin.
Ayaka Ohira: ‘Being outside of the traditional path gave me more freedom’
By Zoria Petkoska
Anime director Ayaka Ohira talks about her newly launched ‘Shinsei Galverse’ series and how she navigates the industry as a self-taught female artist.
A big, beautiful Bengal cat named Pupu
The mothers holding up Japan's Vietnamese community
By Nguyen Bao Anh
Lilimi settles into a new life
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa

Editors' Picks

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.
BASEBALL
Induction of Ichiro has Cooperstown fretfully preparing
By Evan Drellich
Ichiro Suzuki will soon become the first Japanese player to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
CULTURE
JT picks: What not to miss at Fuji Rock 2025
By Johan Brooks, Alyssa I. Smith, Patrick St. Michel, Mark Thompson and Philip Brasor
Fuji Rock Festival turns the green slopes of Niigata Prefecture’s Naeba Ski Resort into a summer escape that offers soundtracks for every mood.
ENVIRONMENT
Japan’s top brands get tied up in the great sunscreen debate
By Tomoko Otake
A coral reef in Okinawa in July 2022. Some jurisdictions around the world have moved to ban certain sunscreens in a bid to protect coral reefs, but some say the impact on reefs is far from clear.
WORLD
Pentagon looks to unleash ‘military drone dominance’
By Gabriel Dominguez
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a drone demonstration at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on July 10.

Podcast

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

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan
By Alex K.T. Martin

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WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Japan and U.S. reach tariff deal with ‘reciprocal’ rate at 15%
By Francis Tang
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Japan on Tuesday, saying the agreement would create "hundreds of thousands of jobs."
JAPAN
Ishiba denies reports he will resign next month, leaving his fate unclear
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba looks on after meeting with the Liberal Democratic Party executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Japan and U.S. both claim win in surprise 11th-hour tariff deal
By Francis Tang
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan chief tariff negotiator, in Tokyo
COMMENTARY
Ignore the election hype, foreign residents are here to stay
By Edo Naito
Sohei Kamiya, founder of the Sanseito, which campaigned on a “Japanese first” message and tough immigration rhetoric, speaks at a rally in Gunma Prefecture on July 6.
BUSINESS
Japan and EU launch trade ‘alliance’ amid concerns over U.S. and China
By Gabriel Dominguez
European Council President Antonio Costa (left) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) join hands with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba prior to a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.