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May 20, 2025
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May 20, 2025
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Police officers stand guard on May 7 outside Todaimae Station in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward after a random stabbing that injured a University of Tokyo student.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Random stabbing cases in Japan raise fears: Could the next victim be me?
By Karin Kaneko
Experts say these incidents often reflect a deeper issue at the societal level.
Police officers stand guard on May 7 outside Todaimae Station in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward after a random stabbing that injured a University of Tokyo student.
Agriculture minister Taku Eto has come under fire for saying at the weekend that he receives so much rice from his supporters that he has enough to sell it.
JAPAN / Politics
Amid rice shortage, farm minister comes under fire for saying he gets plenty
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Agriculture minister Taku Eto reportedly said at a fundraiser that he gets so much rice from supporters, he has enough to sell it.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (left) U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (second from left), U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (second from right) and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's economic revitalization minster, pose for a photo ahead of a meeting in Washington on May 1.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
China-U.S. trade truce prompts nations to consider tougher tactics
After China’s tough negotiating tactics earned it a favorable deal, nations taking a more diplomatic and expedited approach are questioning whether that’s the right path.
A Musee Platinum hair removal salon in the city of Saitama on Monday
BUSINESS / Companies
Hair removal chain Musee Platinum owes ¥1.5 billion, say former staff
By Yukana Inoue
More than 2,000 former employees of the company went unpaid between January and April.
A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb
By Alex K.T. Martin
A tragic accident in Saitama shows how aging pipes, soft soil and climate threats are straining the country’s infrastructure.
A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.

JAPAN

Osaka's Kita Ward. Two men died Monday morning in the ward after a man fell from a high-rise condominium and struck a passing cyclist below, according to local police.
Man falls to his death from Osaka condo, killing cyclist below
A 70-year-old plummeted from a high-rise condo in Osaka's Kita Ward, striking a man cycling below.
An automated delivery robot carries items during a demonstration in the city of Hachioji in Tokyo on Monday.
Seven-Eleven testing delivery robots in Japan
The four-wheeled box-type robots, which can travel up to 6 kph, are designed to run on sidewalks while following traffic lights and dodging obstacles.
BIE head suggests later Osaka Expo close time
Ishiba rebuffs tax cut demands with Greek debt comparison
By Yoshiaki Nohara
Nippon Ishin submits bill to give legal validity to maiden names
Civil service contract workers fear lack of job security

BUSINESS

Sakana AI Chief Operating Officer Ren Ito (left) and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group President Hironori Kamezawa in Tokyo on Friday. The companies have entered into a ¥5 billion ($34 million) deal to automate the creation of banking documents.
Sakana AI and MUFG sign agreement to automate creation of banking documents
By Himari Semans
The AI Scientist, which was originally designed for automating scientific discovery, including manuscript writing and peer review, will be used.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato has said he will seek an opportunity for currency talks with his U.S. counterpart Scott Bessent this week.
Hedge funds reload long yen trades ahead of Kato-Bessent meeting
By David Finnerty
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said he will seek an opportunity for currency talks with his U.S. counterpart, Scott Bessent, this week.
Nvidia CEO unveils new technologies to protect AI chip lead
By Ian King and Vlad Savov
China consumption miss overshadows factory strength amid tariffs
China slaps antidumping duties on plastics from U.S., EU, Japan and Taiwan
By Colleen Howe
High times for German cannabis firm amid medical boom

WORLD

A projected 8 million deepfakes — manipulated video or audio made using artificial intelligence — will be shared worldwide in 2025, about a fifth of which will be part of romance scams, according to cyber firm McAfee.
Deep love or deepfake: Dating in the time of AI
Scammers are increasingly using deepfakes — manipulated video or audio made using artificial intelligence — to look and sound real on dating apps.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (center) and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (right) take part in a flag-raising ceremony at the Presidential Office in Taipei, on Jan. 1.
Taiwan's Lai Ching-te tied up by political chaos after year in office
By Allison JACKSON and Joy Chiang
Analysts say the current dysfunction is distracting lawmakers and eroding public confidence — to the benefit of Beijing.
South Korean conservative presidential candidate open to discussing U.S. troop costs
$TRUMP dinner blurs lines between profit and politics
By Alex PIGMAN
In Indonesia, fears grow that new history books may rewrite dark past
China gave Pakistan satellite support, Indian defense group says

Sports

Tomomi Bitoh, seen crossing the finish line in Antarctica, on the first stop of the World Marathon Challenge, is one of the very few Japanese athletes to speak publicly about her experience with egg freezing.
The race for more time: Japanese runner decided to freeze eggs for her future
By Mai Yoshikawa
More women in Japan are expressing interest or following through with freezing their eggs in recent years, but only a few athletes in Japan have spoken about it publicly.
Giants' Trey Cabbage not weighed down by pressure to replace Kazuma Okamoto
By Jason Coskrey
WNBA vows to investigate racial comments directed at Angel Reese during opener
Robert Shwartzman wins pole position for Indy 500 in stunner; Takuma Sato second
Coco Gauff hopes to break through at French Open after losing two finals on clay

Opinion

Moody’s downgrade of the U.S. credit rating reflects growing concern over Washington’s unwillingness to confront rising debt, soaring deficits and interest costs — even as global investors keep piling into Treasuries.
Moody’s tells us what we already know about U.S. debt
Robert Burgess
Take the firm’s decision to strip the country of its top AAA credit rating seriously, not literally.
German rearmament is a welcome 'war dividend'
By John Authers
U.S. Navy faces tough resource allocation challenges
By Keitaro Ushirogata
The true cost of ocean plastic pollution
By Romain Trouble
China’s defense industry is getting a DeepSeek moment
By Shuli Ren

ENVIRONMENT

Founded with a mission of promoting electric vehicles, Formula E has always placed sustainability at the forefront of its raison d’etre.
For Formula E, ‘sustainability is at the heart’
By Joel Tansey
Now in its 11th season, Formula E's efforts to reduce emissions and promote electric vehicles are paying off.
Polar bear biopsies shed light on Arctic pollutants
By Olivier MORIN and Etienne FONTAINE
A 26-year-old asked to help shape Japan’s climate goals has a warning
By Shoko Oda
Huge ice falls at Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier stir awe and concern
By Bernat Parera
Australian seaweed farm tackles livestock burps to combat climate change
By Gregory PLESSE

CULTURE

Austrian singer Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, celebrates with the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest trophy after winning the grand final at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland, on Sunday.
On a high: Austria's JJ wins Eurovision 2025
After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel on 357 and Estonia on 356.
Traditional performing arts are plugging into modern audiences
By Phoebe Amoroso
Netflix to stream Studio Ghibli's 'Grave of the Fireflies' in Japan
‘Kaneko's Commissary’ explores prison culture from the outside in
By Mark Schilling
Emerging Asian artists converge at the 'world’s most beautiful museum'
By Kim Kahan

LIFE

With the weather warming up, there's no better time to make a bowl of chilled "surinagashi-jiru" (pureed soup).
Flaunt your seasonal greens with Japan’s traditional pureed soup
By Elizabeth Andoh
Get the best flavor out of your peas and pods by simmering them in a dashi-based broth.
A Japanese dining icon gets a (minor) facelift
By Weiwen Lin
Fighting Osaka Expo fatigue? Walk the 21-km Loop Line for a cure.
By Edward J. Taylor
Closing the gap between what you learn and what you say in Japanese
By Yuko Tamura
Speak like you scroll: A roundup of recent Japanese slang
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

FemUniti was founded in 2024 by Setsu Suzuki (right) and Meagan Ward (second from left) to empower women entrepreneurs and connect them to resources and opportunities.
Detroit-Nagoya network empowers women-owned businesses around the world
By Jessica Kozuka
Supporting women in business is a “blueprint for the future,” says the cofounder of femUniti — and she has the data to back it up.
A new chapter for a gentle dog
Ayano Kikuchi: ‘People need to take care of themselves holistically’
By Olivia Boissel
Kotomi Li: 'I refuse to choose death'
By Kat Joplin
Reclaiming Sanya, one meal at a time
By Kim Kahan

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Agnes b. Japan CEO hopes to evolve the brand with focus on sustainability
By Elizabeth Beattie
Laurent Patouillet, the CEO and president of Agnes b. Japan, says the focus of its business is to remain independent, and evolve and adapt.
LIFE
In Nintendo’s backyard, foreign indie game devs are thriving
By Gendel Gento
Kyoto's gaming landscape is dominated by Nintendo's headquarters, but a contingent of foreign-born indie developers is also working in the gaming giant's shadow.
BUSINESS
Akazawa's dilemma: no tariff deal or a half-baked deal
By Francis Tang
Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in the Oval Office of the White House in April. Since then, Japan's trade negotiations with the U.S. have produced no tangible results.
MORE SPORTS
Nissan hoping to electrify home crowd as Formula E returns to Tokyo
By Sam Byford
Nissan's Oliver Rowland drives during qualifying for Miami E-Prix at Homestead Motor Speedway in Homestead, Florida, on April 12.
CULTURE
For his first feature film, director Ryuya Suzuki created a masterpiece
By Matt Schley
"Jinsei," which follows its protagonist over a century, probes themes of identity and societal issues with a dark comic touch. The director, however, says he created the story without knowing where it would lead.

Podcast

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

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb
By Alex K.T. Martin

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Fujitsu crafts sustainable innovation for itself, society
Fujitsu crafts sustainable innovation for itself, society

WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Australian firm produces heavy rare earth, in first outside China
The Lynas Rare Earths processing plant in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
JAPAN
Random stabbing cases in Japan raise fears: Could the next victim be me?
By Karin Kaneko
Police officers stand guard on May 7 outside Todaimae Station in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward after a random stabbing that injured a University of Tokyo student.
BUSINESS
Nissan to solicit early retirements while eyeing plant closures in Japan
Nissan's Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, may be closed as part of the struggling carmaker's streamlining efforts.
JAPAN
Police arrest Chinese man in Saitama hit-and-run case
Police questioned a man who turned himself in as he closely resembled the driver recorded on the dashcam of another vehicle that happened to pass by the scene of a hit-and-run incident in Saitama Prefecture.
JAPAN
Princess Aiko arrives in Ishikawa to visit quake-hit areas
Princess Aiko is greeted by Ishikawa Gov. Hiroshi Hase (left) at the Kanazawa Station on Sunday.