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September 27, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
September 27, 2025
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U.S. President Donald Trump is rolling out a number of new tariffs on Oct. 1.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan might be spared Trump's 100% tariffs on pharmaceuticals
By Francis Tang
The country has a most-favored-nation agreement with the U.S. that should cover these products.
U.S. President Donald Trump is rolling out a number of new tariffs on Oct. 1.
Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Sept. 16. All five candidates in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race demonstrated a tougher stance on foreign tourists and nationals.
JAPAN / Politics
LDP presidential hopefuls take hard-line stance on immigration
By Himari Semans
Unruly tourists, visa overstayers and increasing land purchases by foreign nationals were some of the issues spotlighted during debates.
Visitors wait in line to enter the Tech World pavilion at the Osaka Expo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Taiwan showcases chipmaking prowess as a private exhibitor at Osaka Expo
By Tomoko Otake
The expo’s guidebook makes only brief references to Taiwan's food and lifestyles, but the structure of its pavilion and exhibits are rich in symbolism.
Payments using the PayPay app will soon be possible in South Korea.
BUSINESS / Companies
SoftBank’s PayPay to become available in South Korea as company looks outward
By Yukana Inoue
Japan’s largest mobile payment platform decided on South Korea because it is the most popular country for people in Japan to visit.
Professional models cosplay characters from Persona 5: The Phantom X, one of many titles on display at Tokyo Game Show, Japan's largest gaming industry event.
LIFE / Digital
Tokyo Game Show 2025 leans into renewal and rebirth
By Gendel Gento
Japan’s largest games industry show returns with its largest spread of exhibitors yet.
Professional models cosplay characters from Persona 5: The Phantom X, one of many titles on display at Tokyo Game Show, Japan's largest gaming industry event.

JAPAN

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (left), former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi (center) and agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi arrive for a news conference with other candidates in the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Koizumi leads in support among LDP lawmakers, survey shows
With about a quarter of all LDP lawmakers having not decided who to back in the party's presidential election, the race is still fluid.
Police have arrested a 75-year-old woman after she allegedly confessed to keeping her adult daughter's body in a freezer for 20 years.
Woman in Japan arrested for keeping daughter's body in freezer for 20 years
Keiko Mori, 75, told police the body was that of her daughter who was born in 1975. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death.
Four municipalities to be banned from hometown tax program after overspending
Shimomura asked for resumption of kickbacks, LDP ex-accountant testifies
Koizumi apologizes over campaign's soliciting of favorable online comments
LDP presidential candidate Hayashi sees need for backup of Tokyo

BUSINESS

Concern about prices in Japan is at or near record highs.
Inflation and ‘food situation’ concerns top key Japan survey
By Francis Tang
Rising prices have not been this much of a worry since just after the 1973 oil shock.
Pokemon said it has not given permission to use its upbeat theme music and imagery for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's deportation video posted on X and TikTok.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security doubles down on Pokemon-themed deportation video
By Elizabeth Beattie
The Pokemon Co. said they had no involvement in the Pokemon-themed arrest and deportation video.
Itochu mulls first dollar note issue in five years to diversify
By Takahiko Hyuga and Koh Yoshida
Mitsubishi Estate breaks ground on London complex project
Nippon Steel to invest $300 million in U.S. Steel
China has more robots working for it than the rest of the world combined
By Meaghan Tobin and Keith Bradsher

WORLD

A Russian MIG-31 fighter jet flies above the Baltic sea after violating Estonian air space last week.
Europeans privately tell Russia they’re ready to shoot down jets
By Patrick Donahue, Andrea Palasciano and Alex Wickham
NATO’s eastern members have faced a series of airspace violations this month that have posed an unprecedented test of the alliance’s resolve.
James Comey, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is sworn in remotely from his home during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing exploring the FBI's investigation of the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian election interference, in Washington, in September 2020.
FBI ex-chief Comey criminally charged as Trump targets critics
By Andrew Goudsward, Sarah N. Lynch and Kanishka Singh
If convicted, Comey could face up to five years in prison. He faces charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation.
Danish prime minister apologizes to victims of Greenland forced contraception
By Camille BAS-WOHLERT
Former French President Sarkozy handed 5-year jail term in stunning downfall
By Juliette Jabkhiro, Lucien Libert and Ingrid Melander
South China cleans up after powerful Typhoon Ragasa
By Peter CATTERALL and Joy Chiang
Chinese drone experts worked with sanctioned Russian arms maker, sources say

Sports

Tomokazu Harimoto waits for China's Wang Chuqin to serve during the men's singles final at the WTT Champions Yokohama 2025 tournament on Aug. 11.
Can Japan crack the China code in table tennis?
By Mai Yoshikawa
Japan has much more work to do if it is to be a proper rival for its neighbor.
Shintaro Mochizuki aiming to succeed Kei Nishikori as Japan's top male player
By Jim Armstrong
U.S. turns to Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas to launch Ryder Cup bid
Donald Trump says World Cup matches will be moved if host cities are not safe
UEFA poised for vote on whether to suspend Israel from European competition

Opinion

Liberal Democratic Party presidential candidates attend a debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Wednesday.
'Speed dating' — with an LDP twist
Edo Naito
It feels like one of the speed dating events that used to be on Japanese television years ago, where the candidates court prospective partners one after the other.
A painful display at the United Nations
China is winning its power play for the Global South
By David Fickling
Russia’s probes of NATO airspace demand a unified response
By Linas Kojala
Turning the tide back toward peace in the Middle East
By Jose Manuel Albares Bueno

ENVIRONMENT

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses members of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday. At a climate summit hosted by Guterres on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 7%-10% from its peak by 2035.
Beijing takes the lead with new climate plans amid Washington’s denial
By Valerie Volcovici and Yukun Zhang
China's reduction target marked the first time the world's biggest emitter pledged a cut in emissions, rather than just limiting their growth.
In bid to upend global energy policy, Trump denies climate change in U.N. speech
By Brian Kahn
The unexpected upside of Canada's wildfires 
By Ed White
NASA scientist starts food crisis hotline with tech giant funding
By Agnieszka de Sousa
International treaty protecting world's oceans to take effect

CULTURE

Yuanhui Li's illustration is one of the awardees in the student category of the American Society of Architectural Illustrators' annual award for artists.
Architecture art exhibition highlights unsung industry artists
By Zoria Petkoska
For only the second time in its 39-year history, the “Architecture in Perspective” exhibition will take place in Japan's capital.
‘Hero’s Island’: Okinawa-set epic is lavishly realized but lacks bite
By James Hadfield
The familiar is made surreal in ‘After the Quake’
By Mark Schilling
Finding jazz in J-pop: Patrick Bartley’s musical second language
By Ryne Hisada
Tokyo film festival to open with Everest and close with some Shakespeare
By Alyssa I. Smith

LIFE

Located in the village of Kanagaso in Ishikawa Prefecture, Auberge Eaufeu is housed in a former elementary school that has been converted into a French-style inn.
Auberge Eaufeu brings French flair to a quiet village in Ishikawa
By Robbie Swinnerton
Housed in a former elementary school, the restaurant is a brilliant showcase of the creative mind of chef Shota Itoi.
Tokyo retains Michelin crown with 160 starred restaurants for 2026
By Weiwen Lin
Myaku-Myaku gets the Labubu treatment at the Osaka Expo
By Alyssa I. Smith
Oh, Ed(o)! Where have all the vowels gone?
By Peter Backhaus
With new Tokyo bar, Shingo Gokan's bartending journey comes full circle
By Melinda Joe

COMMUNITY

Originally from Brisbane, Australia, Linda Joyce moved to rural Tochigi Prefecture in 2024 for a career shift from teaching to hospitality and sustainable tourism.
Linda Joyce: ‘We hope people recognize the benefits of exploring rural areas’
By Louise George Kittaka
Former teacher Linda Joyce shifted careers to the tourism industry in 2024 and now works at a historic property in rural Tochigi Prefecture.
A friendly Kai ken dog with a big heart
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan
By Christoph Sponsel
When a typhoon isn’t really a typhoon, I’ll be there to tell you about it
By Daniel Traylor
Calisthenic companions bridge cultures and generations
By Swastika Jajoo

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Japanese corporate boards have changed dramatically in recent years
By Kazuaki Nagata
Most Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Section companies have independent directors now.
ENVIRONMENT
As Japan keeps buying gas, Aboriginal Australians pay the price
By Mara Budgen
Paulina “Jedda” Puruntatameri with Antonia Burke and Tiwi fisher Clinton offshore of Melville Island, one of the Tiwi Islands, in Australia's Northern Territory. Together with other Tiwi, Jedda has been campaigning for years to stop Australian company Santos and its backers, including Japanese investors, from drilling for natural gas at the Barossa gas field.
JAPAN
Who’s who in the LDP presidential race?
By Eric Johnston
(Clockwise from top left) Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi; former foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi; Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shinjiro Koizumi; former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi; and former minister of state for economic security Sanae Takaichi
COMMUNITY
Tax-advantaged investments no lost cause for U.S. residents of Japan
By Gendel Gento
While some American taxpayers assume they are ineligible to participate in Japan’s tax-deferred savings schemes, certified public accountant Rick Gundlach says that this is no longer the case.
CULTURE
Aichi Triennale’s message from the world: Free Palestine
By Thu-Huong Ha
“Between Currents and Bloom,” an eye-popping crocheted seascape by Indonesian artist Mulyana, dazzles with Instagram-ready cuteness while recalling a vibrant ocean now threatened by warming seas.

Podcast

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

Longform

"Shake hands with Lima-chan," a statue that shares the name of the Peruvian capital looks in the direction of Peru, where a sister statue, "Sakura-chan," is located. Erected in Yokohama's Rinko Park in 1999, it commemorates Peruvian-Japanese friendship.
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan
By Christoph Sponsel

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Autumn to be cut short as harsh winter arrives suddenly
By Jessica Speed
A short-lived autumn is expected this year, with temperatures staying unseasonably high through October before plunging in late November, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
JAPAN
Woman in Japan arrested for keeping daughter's body in freezer for 20 years
Police have arrested a 75-year-old woman after she allegedly confessed to keeping her adult daughter's body in a freezer for 20 years.
JAPAN
JICA scraps Africa ‘hometown’ agreement after migration mixup
By Yukana Inoue
The “Africa Hometown Initiative,” announced by the Japan International Cooperation Agency at an African development conference in Yokohama in August, sought to foster exchanges that would help bridge four municipalities in Japan with four countries in Africa.
ASIA PACIFIC
India aims to challenge global shipbuilding giants
By Gabriel Dominguez
Cargo ships are docked in Navi Mumbai, India, in February. Only 5% of India's exports and imports are carried on Indian-flagged ships.
JAPAN
Court rules sex change appearance requirement unconstitutional
The Sapporo Family Court on Friday ruled that a legal provision requiring individuals to undergo genital surgery to change their legal gender is unconstitutional and invalid.