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September 02, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
September 02, 2025
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Takeshi Niinami, chief executive officer of Suntory Holdings, in May 2024
BUSINESS / Companies
Suntory CEO Takeshi Niinami to resign over alleged illegal drug possession: Nikkei
A news conference is set to be held at the company's headquarters in Tokyo at around 3 p.m.
Takeshi Niinami, chief executive officer of Suntory Holdings, in May 2024
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief negotiator, said he will be watching legal developments in the United States as tariff cases there move forward.
BUSINESS / Economy
Hope in Tokyo as Trump tariffs declared illegal
By Francis Tang
The decision is seen as potentially having some significance.
Police investigate an area around the scene where a woman was killed in a knife attack in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Korean man arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of killing ex-girlfriend
By Jessica Speed
Police had told the suspect to leave the country after the victim reached out for help, and they saw him go through a security check at Narita Airport days before her death.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travels by train as he leaves Pyongyang to attend China's celebration of Japan's surrender in World War II, in this picture released Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
North Korea’s Kim set to arrive in Beijing for debut on multilateral stage
By Jesse Johnson
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to join Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a military parade on Wednesday.
During a survey to collect the remains of victims from the Taito Maru, one of the vessels involved in the Three Ships Incident, a metal helmet was found near the stern of the vessel on Aug. 5, 1984, at Rumoi Port. No human remains were discovered.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Why Stalin didn’t invade Hokkaido still largely unknown, 80 years after WWII
By Eric Johnston
Declassified cables between U.S. President Harry Truman and Soviet leader Josef Stalin reveal the Soviets had advanced plans to invade Hokkaido and occupy half of it.
During a survey to collect the remains of victims from the Taito Maru, one of the vessels involved in the Three Ships Incident, a metal helmet was found near the stern of the vessel on Aug. 5, 1984, at Rumoi Port. No human remains were discovered.

JAPAN

Losses in Japan due to special fraud cases reached ¥72.21 billion during the period from January to July, surpassing the worst-ever annual total of ¥71.88 billion in 2024, according to the National Police Agency.
Losses due to special fraud cases from January to July exceed 2024 record
Two-thirds of the cases involved "fake police," with offenders posing as police officers to swindle targets out of money, National Police Agency data shows.
Brand-new toilet paper and other items are displayed at secondhand goods store PX in the city of Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, on Aug. 19.
Tokyo police ensure mountain of lost and found items don't go to waste
The Metropolitan Police Department received some 4.756 million lost items last year — a record number.
System launched to support regional cooperation across prefectures
Musk voices support for anti-immigration rally in Japan
Chinese ex-staffer ordered to pay NHK ¥11 million over unscripted radio remarks
Shooting bears in residential areas made easier in Japan

BUSINESS

The latest version of Tamagotchi, called Tamagotchi Paradise, is awarded the best digital toy at Tokyo Toy Show on Aug. 28.
Tamagotchi hatches 100 million shipments worldwide thanks to ’90s nostalgia
By Elizabeth Beattie
Fueled by nostalgia and "kidults," the Tamagotchi boom shows no sign of slowing.
Japan Post Bank plans to introduce DCJPY as a yen-backed digital currency.
Japan Post Bank to issue yen deposit backed digital currency in fiscal 2026
The currency will allow instant settlement for digital purchases and be subject to deposit insurance protection.
Dollar inches up as gold hovers near record high
By Gregor Stuart Hunter
Japanese companies near $100 billion milestone in global bond issuance
By Finbarr Flynn
Road trips are getting cleaner and quieter as RVs go electric
By Kyle Stock
Nigerian designer pushes 'Afro-lux' onto the global fashion scene
By Kadiatou SAKHO

WORLD

Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations unit at a traffic checkpoint in the Ivy City neighborhood in Washington on Thursday
Trump’s ‘startling’ rapid deportation policy paused by U.S. judge
The decision puts on hold a rule enacted in January that has become a key element of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation effort.
The plane transporting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her staff lifts off from the tarmac of Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, in Mihail Kogalniceanu, near Constanta, Romania, on Monday.
GPS system of EU chief's plane jammed, with Russian interference suspected
The EU did not address the question of whether it believe European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's airplane had been deliberately targeted.
In Indo-Pacific deployment, U.K. carrier group boosts warfighting capability, says commander
By Gabriel Dominguez
Indian delegation to Shanghai summit will give China's parade a miss
German town that welcomed migrants finds adding people won't fix fundamentals
By Riham Alkousaa
South Korean doctors end 18-month walkout in relief to hospitals
By Hyonhee Shin and Shinhye Kang

Sports

Naomi Osaka in action against Coco Gauff in the fourth round of the women’s singles at the U.S. Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on Monday
Osaka crushes Gauff as Sinner and Swiatek roll into quarters
By Martyn WOOD
The Japanese star powered past third seed Gauff 6-3, 6-2 in a highly-anticipated but lopsided fourth-round showdown of former U.S. Open champions.
Padres All-Star reliever Jason Adam ruptures quadriceps tendon
2030 Commonwealth Games to be held in India or Nigeria
By Lori Ewing
Brazil's Dora wins first surfing world title in Fiji
By Lincoln Feast
Premier League clubs spend record £3 billion in summer frenzy
By Martyn Herman

Opinion

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping attend the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, on Oct. 23.
Realism and realpolitik rule Indian foreign policy
Brad Glosserman
A decade from now, there is likely to be heated debate in the United States over “who lost India,” an accounting that may rival the “who lost China?”
Indonesia’s protests may fade. The fury won’t.
By Karishma Vaswani
What is a ‘Japanese conservative’ in this day and age?
By Edo Naito
The global perils of China’s new ‘superdam’ project
By Brahma Chellaney
Lee Jae Myung had a very good week

ENVIRONMENT

Floaters are released into the water during a demonstration of Eco Wave Power electricity generation technology using the power of ocean waves in the harbor at AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California, on Aug. 26.
New wave: Sea power turned into energy at Los Angeles port
By Romain FONSEGRIVES
A pilot project aims to use a 13-kilometer breakwater to harness enough wave energy to power 60,000 U.S. homes.
Ancient tombs unearthed in Iraq due to drought
Sky-high electricity costs hindering the U.K.'s progress toward net zero
By Kate Holton and Susanna Twidale
Record wildfires burn more than 1 million hectares of EU land this year
By Kate Abnett
Are bridges near you safe? This MRI-like scan may prevent disaster
By Coco Liu

CULTURE

“Sympathy Tower Tokyo” is centered around Sara Machina, a star architect designing a new experimental prison in central Tokyo.
ChatGPT controversy is the least interesting part of 'Sympathy Tower Tokyo'
By Thu-Huong Ha
In Rie Qudan’s futuristic Tokyo, AI and architects take on the prison system.
YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global
By Patrick St. Michel
Sakurazaka46 wants the world to dance along
By Patrick St. Michel
In pictures: Koenji Awa Odori 2025
By Johan Brooks
Virtual singer Kaf's music becomes magic in 'Kamitsubaki City Under Construction'
By Alicia Haddick

LIFE

Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones
By Saki Toi
Tokyo’s tattoo artists say natural dyes and ‘made-to-fade’ inks are helping to push back on the long-held stigma against body art.
A fuss-free Okinawan stir-fry to boost your energy in the heat
By Makiko Itoh
Sip a bespoke coffee for ¥4,000
By Melinda Joe
How to complain politely: Lessons from the McDonald’s Pokemon debacle
By Yuko Tamura
Sega's ninja-themed Shinobi series is back from the dead
By Owen Ziegler

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.
Jesse Kirkwood: ‘Languages are entire cultural universes with all sorts of baggage’
By Kris Kosaka
Tosca turns a new leaf in a new home
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

JAPAN
More sweltering days forecast for September after hottest summer on record
By Jessica Speed
By the end of August, 8,341 people had been transported by ambulance for heatstroke in Tokyo alone.
ASIA PACIFIC
Surrounded by Chinese bases, a tiny Philippine island stands firm
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Philippine Navy sailor looks at a China Coast Guard vessel just off the coast of Pag-asa Island in the disputed South China Sea last month.
JAPAN
‘Mount Fuji Lawson’ becomes a symbol of Japan’s overtourism problem
By Jessica Speed
A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
BUSINESS
‘Cool’ Patagonia wants to take used items into the mainstream
By Elizabeth Beattie
"It's not just about sales. It's about system change," said Marty Pomphrey, general manager of Patagonia Japan, on Aug. 6.
ENVIRONMENT
How Tokyo's Ueno Zoo helps their animals cope with extreme heat
By Carolina Pichardo
A polar bear at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Thursday. The Arctic animals are among the most vulnerable species to Japan's scorching summer heat and zookeepers have to take a number of precautions in order to keep them safe.

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

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

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

JAPAN
‘Mount Fuji Lawson’ becomes a symbol of Japan’s overtourism problem
By Jessica Speed
A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
JAPAN
Woman dies after possible knife attack in Setagaya
By Jessica Speed
Police investigate the scene where a woman was found bleeding on a street in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on Monday.
JAPAN
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
By Jessica Speed
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
JAPAN
More sweltering days forecast for September after hottest summer on record
By Jessica Speed
By the end of August, 8,341 people had been transported by ambulance for heatstroke in Tokyo alone.
ENVIRONMENT
How Tokyo's Ueno Zoo helps their animals cope with extreme heat
By Carolina Pichardo
A polar bear at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Thursday. The Arctic animals are among the most vulnerable species to Japan's scorching summer heat and zookeepers have to take a number of precautions in order to keep them safe.