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TOKYO
November 12, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 12, 2025
Sanae Takaichi
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Bear attacks
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Security officials at the site of an explosion in New Delhi on Monday
ASIA PACIFIC
Blasts rock capitals of India and Pakistan, raising tensions
By Dan Strumpf, Tooba Khan and Sudhi Ranjan Sen
Suspicions have been running deep between the neighbors following a four-day military clash earlier this year in which both countries conducted strikes on each other.
Security officials at the site of an explosion in New Delhi on Monday
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a Lower House Budget Committee on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan lawmakers eye firm response to Chinese envoy's threat to behead PM
The LDP adopted a resolution calling for a decisive response to Xue Jian's post on X, including the possibility of expelling the diplomat from Japan.
Public hospitals in Japan are struggling to sustain regional health care systems, with more than 80% of them posting losses.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Public hospitals in Japan face severe financial strain
More than 80% of public hospitals are posting losses as medical service expenses rise faster than revenues.
Sakie Yokota, 89, speaks to reporters in Kawasaki on Tuesday. "Why can't such an important matter be resolved? I'm stunned," she said.
JAPAN
After decades of waiting, mother fears she may never see her abducted daughter returned
Megumi Yokota was taken by North Korea in 1977. Her 89-year-old mother is still waiting for her return, but says she is "completely exhausted now."
Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku (front center) delivers a speech on the first day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center on Sunday. Centuries of belief and tradition still underpin the all-male association's stance of excluding women.
SUMO
As Japan’s female leader rises, can she cross sumo’s sacred line?
By Mai Yoshikawa
Professional sumo’s ring remains off-limits to women and girls — not by law, but by centuries of belief and tradition.
Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku (front center) delivers a speech on the first day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center on Sunday. Centuries of belief and tradition still underpin the all-male association's stance of excluding women.

JAPAN

The Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power station in Niigata Prefecture
Niigata governor’s visit to nuclear reactor raises restart hopes
By Shoko Oda and Stephen Stapczynski
Hideyo Hanazumi is scheduled to visit Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant and an associated training facility on Friday.
Japan may cover half the cost of installing fences around outdoor baths at traditional inns and hotels to prevent bear attacks.
Japan weighs aid for outdoor bath fences amid bear attacks
The Japan Tourism Agency is aiming to cover half the cost of installing fences around outdoor baths at inns and hotels.
Japan to use extra budget to address bear attacks
South Korean politician urges Tokyo to address Takeshima matter calmly
61% of nearby residents negative about Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant restart
Russia bans entry of 30 more Japanese nationals

BUSINESS

SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son is aggressively seeking to capitalize on booming investment in AI and chips, even as he scales back other investments.
SoftBank sells Nvidia stake for $5.8 billion to fund AI bets
By Min Jeong Lee
The Tokyo-based company now boasts a portfolio that includes some of the world’s most sought-after names in artificial intelligence: OpenAI and Oracle.
Sony reported operating profit of ¥429 billion in the quarter through September, beating analyst estimates as sales surged thanks to blockbuster movies like "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle."
Sony lifts profit view on anime strength and tariff revision
By Takashi Mochizuki
The Tokyo-based conglomerate now expects ¥1.43 trillion in operating profit for the year through March, up 7.5% from its previous guidance.
German court rules against OpenAI in copyright case
By Femke COLBORNE and Jan Mueller
Concentration of corporate power a 'huge' concern: U.N. rights chief
By Nina LARSON
Elliott takes Toyota Industries stake and sees buyout price as too low
By Lisa Du and Tsuyoshi Inajima
Japan’s Seven Bank mulls investing in FamilyMart card affiliate
By Hideki Suzuki

WORLD

The world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, seen here in the North Sea on Sept. 24, arrived in Latin America on Tuesday, 2025, escalating a military buildup that Venezuela has warned could trigger a full-blown conflict as it announced its own deployment.
Arrival of U.S. aircraft carrier fuels Venezuelan fears of attack
The vessel’s deployment was ordered nearly three weeks ago, with the stated goal of helping to counter drug trafficking in the region.
A Hamas militant stands guard during a search operation for the bodies of Israeli hostages in eastern Gaza on Nov. 2.
U.S. military considers building a base for 10,000 people near Gaza
By Fola Akinnibi and Sophie Alexander
The move is being weighed as part of its push for a stabilization force of troops from other countries to monitor a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Protesters force their way into COP30 summit venue and clash with security
By Leonardo Benassatto, Lisandra Paraguassu and Sergio Queiroz
Israeli police say settlers arrested after West Bank clashes
Chinese bitcoin fraudster jailed after huge U.K. crypto seizure
By Upmanyu Trivedi
Russian forces roll 'Mad Max'-style into Ukraine's Pokrovsk, video shows
By Soheil Afdjei and Guy Faulconbridge

Sports

Japan's players celebrate their team's victory over Brazil in Chofu, Tokyo, on Oct. 14.
Japan shooting for World Cup final spot, says JFA head Miyamoto
By Michael Church
Recording its first ever win over five-time world champion Brazil in a friendly last month has only fueled the team's ambition further.
China's 13-year-old Yu claims first Asian record at National Games
By Ian Ransom
Red Bull F1 teams to hold 2026 launch in Detroit in January
By Alan Baldwin
Alcaraz fights back to beat Fritz at ATP Finals
Mavericks fire unpopular GM Nico Harrison after 3-8 start

Opinion

Rising bear attacks in Japan, driven by climate change, population decline and a shortage of hunters, have prompted intervention by the Self-Defense Forces as urban areas face growing threats from wildlife.
Along with Japan’s urban bears comes fur and loathing
Gearoid Reidy
What’s unusual is that the majority of these incidents are happening not to unlucky hikers or mountain foragers, but to people in residential areas going about their daily lives.
Can China catch up with the U.S. economically?
By Keun Lee
Continued purges by Xi reveal his insecurity
By Brahma Chellaney
Venus Williams exposed all that's wrong with U.S. health insurance
By Kathryn A. Edwards
Japan should resist the temptation to go nuclear
By Henry Sokolski

ENVIRONMENT

A damaged home in Treasure Beach, Jamaica, following Hurricane Melissa. Its solar panels survived.
Jamaicans have been turning to solar power. It paid off after the storm.
By Hiroko Tabuchi
Solar power is seen as a way for Jamaica and other nations in one of the world’s most hurricane-prone regions to become more resilient to ever-intensifying storms.
Nearly half of all refugees to face extreme climate hazards by 2040, says UNHCR
As Typhoon Kalmaegi wreaks havoc in Southeast Asia, scientists say rising temperatures are to blame
By David Stanway
World leaders punch back at U.S. climate denial ahead of COP30 negotiations
By Valerie Volcovici, Lisandra Paraguassu and William James
How sickly forests are felling Europe's climate ambitions
By Alison Withers, Kate Abnett and Simon Johnson

CULTURE

Tatsuya Nakadai
Renowned Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai dies at 92
By Weiwen Lin
The actor was best known for his role as an aging warlord in Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran.”
What we see when Japanese women photographers shoot back
By Jennifer Pastore
‘Palaver’: A queer story set in Tokyo searches for a home for the heart
By Grace En-yi Ting
‘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

LIFE

Among the long list of Japanese video game innovators, Tetsuya Mizuguchi stands alone for his unique approach to music, rhythm and puzzle-solving gameplay.
Hearing colors and seeing sounds with Tetsuya Mizuguchi
By Gendel Gento
The creator of Japan’s answer to Tetris has long been obsessed with the concept of synesthesia in games.
Brine and dine: A guide to pickling your Japanese vegetables
By Simon Daly
Industry experts weigh sake’s global future at Kyoto summit
By Cindy Bissig
‘Deep Blue,’ ‘Morning Sun,’ ‘Clear Sky’: Japan’s top baby names for 2025
By Yuko Tamura
At Nadaman, a traditional Japanese multicourse meal gets a new format
By Weiwen Lin

COMMUNITY

After a peripatetic childhood around the world, teacher and artist Jon Homewood ended up coming to Japan in 2012 for a professional opportunity.
Jon Homewood: ‘There’s beauty in what we throw away’
By Joseph Tame
Using aluminum cans as his medium, the Tsukuba-based British artist creates intricate sculptures that take months or longer to complete.
Bach the bobtail brightens up a Tokyo household
Young Indonesians in Japan find their political voice
By Nadila
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

Editors' Picks

LIFE
Florist Nicolai Bergmann flourishes outside the box
By Elizabeth Beattie
Florist Nicolai Bergmann shops for fresh flowers at the Ota flower market in Tokyo on Friday.
MORE SPORTS
Jenson Button brings end to an illustrious racing career intertwined with Japan
By Joel Tansey
Jenson Button races for Honda during the Singapore Grand Prix in September 2008.
LIFE
Cleanliness gets competitive at Tokyo’s Spogomi world cup
By Erik Augustin Palm
On Oct. 29, teams from 33 qualifying countries scoured the streets of Shibuya for all manners of trash as part of the Spogomi litter-picking competition.
COMMUNITY
Jon Homewood: ‘There’s beauty in what we throw away’
By Joseph Tame
After a peripatetic childhood around the world, teacher and artist Jon Homewood ended up coming to Japan in 2012 for a professional opportunity.
BUSINESS
High-speed rail is expensive and difficult, but seen as a key to growth
By Kazuaki Nagata
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.

Podcast

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

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years
By Yukana Inoue

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

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

BUSINESS
Tokyo ranked world’s richest city by GDP, with Osaka-Kobe also rated highly
By Elizabeth Beattie
Tokyo has a gross domestic product of $2.55 trillion, just ahead of New York’s $2.49 trillion and Greater Los Angeles’ $1.62 trillion, according to CEOWorld’s global wealth index.
JAPAN
Takaichi stands firm on controversial Taiwan contingency remarks
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions during a session of the House of Representatives' Budget Committee in parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years
By Yukana Inoue
Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
JAPAN
Tokyo looks to keep ‘monster parents’ at bay with new protocols
By Yukana Inoue
New guidelines are addressing struggles by teachers to deal with the burden of parents who make irrational complaints that go beyond what is considered socially acceptable, often referred to as "monster parents," which is overwhelming their workload.
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.