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September 06, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
September 06, 2025
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Prince Hisahito concludes his his elaborate "kakan no gi" coming-of-age ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN
Japan prince comes of age as succession crisis looms
By Hiroshi Hiyama
The nephew of Emperor Naruhito, Prince Hisahito, on Saturday received a black silk and lacquer crown at the ceremony, which marks the beginning of his royal adult life.
Prince Hisahito concludes his his elaborate "kakan no gi" coming-of-age ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Saturday.
Mazda cars at the company's main plant in Fuchu, Hiroshima Prefecture, in July.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
U.S. tariffs still spell big pain for Japan's small automakers
By Daniel Leussink and Maki Shiraki
Smaller automakers Mitsubishi Motors, Mazda and Subaru are less able to absorb the tariff shock than bigger rivals like Toyota and Honda.
The Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo. Recent polls paint a bleak picture for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s chances of avoiding an early leadership contest than previous surveys.
JAPAN / Politics
Ruling LDP moving toward calling presidential election, polls show
The latest polls paint a far bleaker picture for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s chances of avoiding an early leadership contest than previous surveys.
U.s. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June 2018. Trump approved a 2019 Navy SEAL operation to plant a listening device in North Korea, a mission that unraveled amid a series of mistakes and resulted in the SEALs killing North Korean civilians.
ASIA PACIFIC
How a top secret SEAL Team 6 mission into North Korea fell apart
By Dave Philipps and MATTHEW COLE
The 2019 operation, greenlit by President Donald Trump, sought a strategic edge. It left unarmed North Koreans dead.
Redevelopment plans for Kawayu Onsen have hit some snags — an example of how bringing tourists back to declining rural communities is far from easy work.
LIFE / Lifestyle
In rural Hokkaido, the stops and starts of tourism revival on full display
By Justin Randall
A new luxury resort might halt the decline of Kawayu, but only if locals and businesses can agree on how to move forward.
Redevelopment plans for Kawayu Onsen have hit some snags — an example of how bringing tourists back to declining rural communities is far from easy work.

JAPAN

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani
Japan defense chief to make first visit to South Korea in 10 years
It will also be the first time since South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's inauguration that the two countries' defense ministers have met in person.
A moment of silence is observed during a memorial service to mark the seventh anniversary of an earthquake in Atsuma, Hokkaido, on Saturday.
Victims of 2018 Hokkaido quake mourned on seventh anniversary of disaster
The powerful earthquake, which struck on Sept. 6, 2018, killed 44 people and partially or fully destroyed more than 2,300 houses.
Japan Times 2000: Prime minister pitches ‘e-Japan’ as way of life
Saitama sinkhole attributed to hydrogen sulfide corrosion
Ishiba reaffirms intent to stay on after tariffs lowered
By Sakura Murakami and Gareth Allan
Japan has ‘strictest standard in the world’ when it comes to CBD products
By Yukana Inoue

BUSINESS

Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's economic revitalization minster, speaks to members of the media at the Japanese Embassy in Washington on Thursday.
Japan says U.S. trade deal not settled, awaits pharma and chip orders
Akazawa said Japan would begin a full analysis of the economic impact of the U.S. auto tariff changes.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner with members of his Cabinet and members of Congress, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Friday.
Trump signs order offering some tariff exemptions to countries with U.S. trade deals
The exemptions could come for trading partners who strike deals on exports of certain metals, as well as pharmaceutical compounds and chemicals.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent calls for big changes at Fed
Trump threatens trade actions after EU fines Google over ads
Tesla offers unprecedented $1 trillion pay package to Musk
Japan to hike minimum wage by record amount, backing BOJ’s rate hikes
By Erica Yokoyama and Keiko Ujikane

WORLD

Mourners pray during the funeral of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire on Friday, in Gaza City on Saturday.
Israeli military urges Gaza City residents to leave, bombs high-rise tower
The assault threatens to displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering there from nearly two years of fighting.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung meets with U.S. President Donald Trump meets at the White House in Washington on Aug. 25.
South Korean president vows support to citizens arrested in U.S. immigration raid
By Hyunjoo Jin
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said the government has set up a team to respond to Thursday's arrest of over 300 South Koreans at the facility in the southern state of Georgia.
Thailand's next PM reaffirms promise for fresh election
Killing for points on Ukraine's front line
By Barbara WOJAZER and Daria ANDRIIEVSKA
U.S. yet to approve any help following Afghanistan earthquake, sources say
By Jonathan Landay
Suspected 'large shark' kills man off Sydney beach

Sports

Jannik Sinner pumps his fist during his semifinal win over Felix Auger-Aliassime at the U.S. Open in New York on Friday.
Sinner downs Auger-Aliassime to set up blockbuster U.S. Open final with Alcaraz
Shortly after Alcaraz wove his magic to dismantle Novak Djokovic, Sinner prevailed in four sets to ensure a third successive major final with the Spaniard.
New Zealand holds off South Africa close battle in Auckland
Gasly staying at Renault-owned Alpine F1 until 2028
Legendary Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden, a six-time Cup winner, dies at 78
Power struggle in U.S. Open final as Sabalenka faces Anisimova

Opinion

East Asia’s fertility plunge is driven not just by financial costs but by perfectionist cultural expectations that burden parents with intense educational and social demands.
‘Confugenics’ and East Asia's demographic crisis
Waka Ikeda
The numbers are staggering when you dig into them. Parents in Japan covered half of higher education costs in 2024 — more than double the OECD average.
Putin sees only U.S. weakness in Ukraine
By Max Hastings
China looks to the past to signal its future
AI doesn’t just lie — it can make you believe it
By F.D. Flam
Who’s winning the U.S.-China artificial intelligence race?
By Stephen S. Roach

ENVIRONMENT

Scorched land following a wildfire in the village of San Vicente de Leira, in Galicia, Spain, on Aug. 21.
How Europe lost an area the size of Cyprus to wildfires this year
By Laura Millan and Joe Wertz
Climate change is playing a major role in Europe, the world's fastest-warming continent, as searing heat and drought fueled this summer’s blazes.
Scientists assail ‘cherry-picking’ of Trump administration climate report
By Eric Roston
New wave: Sea power turned into energy at Los Angeles port
By Romain FONSEGRIVES
Ancient tombs unearthed in Iraq due to drought
How Tokyo's Ueno Zoo helps their animals cope with extreme heat
By Carolina Pichardo

CULTURE

“The Summer Hikaru Died” is a slow-burn horror and a coming-of-age narrative, but its thematic layers and queer undertones open conversations about friendship and belonging.
Dark folklore meets teenage angst in ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’
By Mike Fu
Slow-burn horror in the countryside coupled with queer undertones makes for a memorable anime adaptation.
‘Swallows' untangles the murky ethics of selling motherhood
By Kris Kosaka
‘How Dare You’ turns environmental activism into a youthful adventure
By Mark Schilling
‘A Pale View of Hills’: A chilling, borderless adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel
By Mark Schilling
English textbook targets a skills gap in Japan’s growing anime industry
By Matt Schley

LIFE

At Syn, chef Naoto Ohno's playfulness is evident in the "Apple," a replica fruit filled with applejack-flavored foie gras and served on a plate decorated with a familiar logo.
With a global approach, Syn gives French cuisine plenty of latitude
By Phoebe Amoroso
Up-and-coming chef Naoto Ohno draws from his rich travel experiences to redefine cooking traditions at his restaurant in Fukuoka.
Racehorses, anime girls and gambling: Umamusume’s recipe for success
By Owen Ziegler
Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani dead at 91
By Ella IDE
Vogue appoints Chloe Malle to replace fashion doyenne Anna Wintour
Mark Japan’s Sleep Day by making some lifestyle changes
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

The Betsukai Pilot Spirits welcomed new players (left to right) Yuta Yamanaka, Roman Guthrie, Scott Bellina and Leo Jiminian this year, pictured here with Yassir Lachkar of the Ishikari Red Phoenix.
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
By Justin Randall
The residents of Betsukai, Hokkaido — where cows outnumber people 7-to-1 — have extended a warm welcome to five players from overseas who joined the Pilot Spirits.
Smiley, spirited Hampen will run into your arms
Jesse Kirkwood: ‘Languages are entire cultural universes with all sorts of baggage’
By Kris Kosaka
More Than Music makes space for creative communion
By Shyam Bhardwa
Seri Yanai: ‘We mix modern and analog to create something new’
By Ayako Nakano

Editors' Picks

SUMO
London’s calling and sumo’s top division — along with Hello Kitty — are ready to answer
By John Gunning
Yokozuna Hoshoryu and Hello Kitty, an ambassador for sumo's upcoming tour to London, at Tokyo's Kokugikan on Tuesday
BUSINESS
Resonac creates 27-member consortium to pursue advanced chip developments
By Kazuaki Nagata
Representatives from member companies of JOINT3, a consortium working together on semiconductor-related developments announced by Resonac, pose for a photo in Tokyo on Wednesday.
CULTURE
Haru Nemuri’s radical new album refuses easy listening
By Patrick St. Michel
Musician Haruna Kimishima, better known as Haru Nemuri, confronts Japan’s politics, nationalism and censorship on her recent output.
COMMUNITY
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
By Justin Randall
The Betsukai Pilot Spirits welcomed new players (left to right) Yuta Yamanaka, Roman Guthrie, Scott Bellina and Leo Jiminian this year, pictured here with Yassir Lachkar of the Ishikari Red Phoenix.
ASIA PACIFIC
Xi — joined by Kim and Putin — delivers stark warning at military parade
By Jesse Johnson
Chinese leader Xi Jinping walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing on Wednesday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

COMMENTARY
Bangladesh is a South Asian time bomb
By Brahma Chellaney
Many Bangladeshis hoped that the overthrow of long-time leader Sheikh Hasina last year would revitalize the country’s democracy after an authoritarian lurch under the “iron lady.” Instead it has led to proliferating human-rights abuses, intensifying repression and widespread Islamist violence.
COMMENTARY
‘Confugenics’ and East Asia's demographic crisis
By Waka Ikeda
East Asia’s fertility plunge is driven not just by financial costs but by perfectionist cultural expectations that burden parents with intense educational and social demands.
JAPAN
Tropical Storm Peipah brings heavy rain to parts of western Japan
Tropical Storm Peipah made landfall in western Japan on Friday, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue warnings of landslides and other disasters due to heavy rainfall in several areas.
BUSINESS
Trump signs order reducing tariffs on Japanese autos
By Francis Tang
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, shake hands.
BUSINESS
Tamagotchi hatches 100 million shipments worldwide thanks to ’90s nostalgia
By Elizabeth Beattie
The latest version of Tamagotchi, called Tamagotchi Paradise, is awarded the best digital toy at Tokyo Toy Show on Aug. 28.