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TOKYO
August 15, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 15, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
Trade deal
WWII ANNIVERSARY
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U.S. President Donald Trump in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump says Putin ready to make deal on Ukraine, U.S. hopes to include Zelenskyy
By Nandita Bose, Dmitry Antonov and Olena Harmash
Trump has downplayed talk of a ceasefire emerging from Friday's summit and speculated about a possible second meeting to come, involving more leaders.

More coverage

How a call from Trump ignited a frantic week of diplomacy by Ukraine
Trump and Putin: A strained relationship
U.S. President Donald Trump in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on Monday.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent believes Japan's rates are too low.
BUSINESS / Economy
Tokyo’s record-beating stock rally ends as Bessent jawbones Japan on rates
By Francis Tang
The U.S. treasury secretary argues that Japan has an inflation problem.
Visitors rest inside the Osaka Expo venue early Thursday morning
JAPAN / Society
Tens of thousands left stranded at Osaka Expo by train service interruption
By Yukana Inoue
A power outage caused services on Osaka Metro’s Chuo Line to be suspended for about eight hours from 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The streets of Tokyo's Ginza district in April. The number of foreign residents in Japan hit a record high at 3.76 million as of the end of last year, comprising just over 3% of the population.
BUSINESS
Welcoming foreign residents benefits Japan, three quarters of economists say
By Elizabeth Beattie
Some highlighted the need to avoid conflating foreign nationals who may be in Japan temporarily with long-term foreign residents.
Setsuko Kawai, who lost her mother and two younger brothers in the March 1945 bombing, has fought for recognition of the victims.
JAPAN / History / FOCUS
Civilian air raid survivors fight for recognition 80 years after war's end
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
After drafting a bill to provide concrete relief to survivors this spring, a bipartisan group of lawmakers failed to submit it to parliament days before the session’s closure.
Setsuko Kawai, who lost her mother and two younger brothers in the March 1945 bombing, has fought for recognition of the victims.

JAPAN

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference in Nagasaki on Saturday.
Approval for Ishiba Cabinet has risen to 27.3% in August, poll shows
Respondents who think Ishiba should not resign following the ruling party's setback in last month's House of Councilors election slightly outpacing those who think he should.
Former teacher Satoshi Ito speaks during an interview in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, in June. Ito underwent training for guerrilla warfare at a secret school to prepare for a possible battle in mainland Japan during World War II.
War must never be repeated, says WWII guerrilla commander
Former teacher Satoshi Ito, now 102, said he was a pawn of the military, like many others.
Japan eyes tax relief for barrier-free movie theaters
Gravel carrier captain arrested over deadly yacht collision in Oita
Two men arrested for ¥28 million robbery at Fukushima pachinko parlor
Starto Entertainment fans targeted by social media phishing scam

BUSINESS

The Dentsu Group headquarters building in Tokyo. The company now expects to incur an operating loss of ¥3.5 billion this year, compared with a previous forecast of ¥66 billion in operating profit.
Dentsu plans to cut overseas workforce by about 3,400 to trim costs
By Kanoko Matsuyama
The advertising agency expects to incur an operating loss of ¥3.5 billion this year, compared with a previous forecast of ¥66 billion in operating profit.
A rendering of East Japan Railway's next-generation E10 series of Shinkansen bullet train
India wants more Japan involvement in its high-speed rail project
India expects Japan to submit bids for routes other than the one under construction in western India that is set to utilize the Shinkansen bullet train technology,
Trump’s 50% tariff threatens India’s manufacturing ambitions
By Shruti Srivastava, Dan Strumpf and Satviki Sanjay
Trump’s deal with Nvidia offers path forward in global trade war
By Joe Deaux, Jennifer A Dlouhy and Josh Wingrove
Thailand’s Delta sees AI boom boosting sales for coming years
By Eduard Gismatullin
Chinese investors eyeing Indonesia to avoid tariffs and tap local market

WORLD

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China, in 2018
China and India discuss resuming border trade after five-year pause
By Sudhi Ranjan Sen
The normalizing of ties between the two countries comes against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump imposing a 50% tariff rate on Indian exports to the U.S.
Humanitarian aid waits to be delivered to Gaza, at a logistics site run by the Egyptian Red Crescent outside Arish, Egypt, on Monday.
Turned back from Gaza, aid shipments languish in warehouses and on roadsides
By Alexander Dziadosz
Shipments are rejected for a host of reasons, ranging from minor paperwork issues to concerns over possible dual military use for some of the goods.
Inside the mine that feeds the tech world — and funds Congo’s rebels
By Giulia Paravicini and David Lewis
EU security measures cut illegal arrivals, but migrants take riskier routes
By Beatrice Tridimas
Trump threatens 'severe consequences' if Putin blocks Ukraine peace
By Andrea Shalal, Thomas Escritt and Tom Balmforth
Hong Kong court to hear closing arguments in mogul Jimmy Lai's trial

Sports

Masahiro Tanaka walks off the field after the end of the fifth inning during the Giants' game against the Dragons at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday.
Masahiro Tanaka still two giant steps away from Meikyukai
By Jason Coskrey
The Giants pitcher's pursuit of 200 career victories between NPB and MLB remains stuck at 198.
Angels spoil Shohei Ohtani's return to mound in Anaheim by beating Dodgers
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says experimental drug saved him after cancer diagnosis
Venus Williams receives wild card for U.S. Open
NBA approves sale of Celtics for $6.1 billion

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering issuing a formal statement on the 80th anniversary of WWII’s end. There is no shortage of opposition to the idea in his own party.
Why Ishiba shouldn’t issue a WWII 80th anniversary statement
Kuni Miyake
I’m not saying Japan shouldn’t have apologized, but rather that Japan has sincerely worked to resolve international issues, especially in the past 30 years.
Precautionary Osprey landings signal safety, not alarm
By Robert D. Eldridge
The real nuclear moonshot is here on Earth
By Liam Denning
Dispelling the myth of Yasukuni Shrine
By Edo Naito
Putin is about to outplay Trump again in Alaska
By Marc Champion

ENVIRONMENT

The Parque da Cidade, the main venue for the COP30 summit, under construction in Belem, Brazil, on May 5.
Lula’s plan for COP30 in Amazon risks becoming a logistical mess
By John Ainger, Daniel Carvalho and Gabriel Diniz Tavares
With fewer than 100 days to go, Brazil is under fire from countries concerned about a shortage of hotel rooms and soaring accommodation costs.
Climate heat extremes driving tropical bird decline: study
By Julien MIVIELLE
The airline industry's dirty secret: Clean jet fuel failures
By Joanna Plucinska, Joe Brock, Marleen Kaesebier and Paul Carsten
Hedge funds flip on green energy and start betting against oil
By Natasha White, Liza Tetley and Ishika Mookerjee
Momentum sagging at U.N. plastic pollution treaty talks
By Robin Millard

CULTURE

Filmmakers interview the general manager of a Bald Men's club for an upcoming Flix Oven documentary that will be available via the streaming platform Samansa.
Samansa bets on commuter cinema
By Ryne Hisada
As attention spans get shorter, a Japanese startup is banking on short films as easily digestible entertainment.
Osaka Asian Film Festival gets an expo boost
By Matt Schley
‘Yukikaze’ turns fabled warship into floating snoozefest
By James Hadfield
The early bird gets the bangers at this year’s Summer Sonic
By Patrick St. Michel
‘Natasha’ distills global zeitgeist on the opera stage
By Kris Kosaka

LIFE

People walk past a time board at Hakata Station in Fukuoka. Luckily for those trying to catch a train, reading a clock is universal.
Reading the Japanese clock: Are times a-changin'?
By Peter Backhaus
Learn how the Japanese tell time — from zero o’clock to 27 o’clock, and why 10 minutes "before" isn’t always clear.
In a coffee-mad neighborhood, a gin distillery is a clear alternative
By Melinda Joe
A walk through Kokura, the city spared nuclear destruction
By Edward J. Taylor
Tokyo’s WWII museums hold diverse views on war and peace
By Mark Schreiber
Brave the Bon holiday traffic to discover tourism gems off the beaten path
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

Francisco Villarreal moved to Japan in 2014 to attend a teacher training program and has forged deep ties to the kindergarten in Tokyo's Asakusa district where he has worked since 2018.
Kindred spirits, kindergarten connections: From Buenos Aires to east Tokyo
By Francisco J. Villarreal
An Argentinian teacher finds echoes of his hometown in the working-class neighborhoods of eastern Tokyo.
A campaign to preserve Hiroshima’s historic trees for another 1,000 years
By Patrick Parr
Briton brings artistic view to Japanese buildings
By Louise George Kittaka
The international artists supporting Japan’s craft legacy
By Laura Pollacco
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
By Tomoko Otake
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.
JAPAN
Will Ishiba's critics be able to garner enough support for a leadership race?
By Eric Johnston
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's political survival likely hinges on whether a leadership race will take place within the Liberal Democratic Party following its decision to have its election committee canvass the opinions of party members and prefectural chapters on the subject.
JAPAN
Hidden rosters and the legacy of Japan’s germ warfare
By Tomoko Otake
Katsutoshi Takegami, 77, in his storehouse attic where he discovered his father's Unit 1644 documents
ENVIRONMENT
Osaka Expo highlights the challenge of holding events in Japan's scorching summer
By Joel Tansey
People huddle near a large fan blowing icy-cold mist at the Osaka Expo on July 12. Amid Japan's relentless summer heat, organizes have put myriad measures in place in order to keep guests safe.
LIFE
At Himawari Shokudo 2, Italian food with a Japanese soul
By Robbie Swinnerton
At Himawari Shokudo 2, chef Hozumi Tanaka serves Italian-inspired fare with a focus on Toyama produce, such as this appetizer of lightly blanched "hotaru ika" (firefly squid) served atop mixed wild plants and a crepe prepared from "yamato-imo" yam.

Podcast

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

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person
By Naoko Abe

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Hosts Sunflower Planting Event with Visitors
Tsunan Sake Brewery Hosts Sunflower Planting Event with Visitors
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
By Tomoko Otake
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.
SUMO
Will Wakatakakage bring balance to the banzuke?
By John Gunning
Wakatakakage during a ring entering ceremony in February 2020
JAPAN
Taiwanese drama 'Zero Day Attack' on Chinese invasion to stream in Japan
A scene from the Taiwanese television drama "Zero Day Attack," which will stream in Japan from Friday.
JAPAN
Japanese star convicted of indecent assault in Hong Kong
J-pop idol Kenshin Kamimura leaves the West Kowloon Law Courts on bail in Hong Kong on Wednesday, after he was found guilty of indecent assault of a woman who worked as his interpreter at a restaurant in Mong Kok district in March this year.
WORLD
Ukraine war has transformed North Korean military: Kyiv’s military intel chief
By Gabriel Dominguez
An explosion of a drone lights up the sky over Kyiv during a Russian drone strike, on July 30. Moscow has dispatched military specialists to train the Korean People’s Army on how to use combat drones and air-defense systems.