Home page

 
Menu
Search
 
Menu
Search
Tokyo Weather 25℃
TOKYO
October 04, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
October 04, 2025
LDP Election
Real Estate
GAZA
Latest News
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi attend a Liberal Democratic Party presidential election candidate debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Sept. 24. The two headed to a runoff in Saturday's LDP presidential election.
Breaking News
JAPAN / Politics
Takaichi and Koizumi head to runoff in LDP leadership race
By Himari Semans
Sanae Takaichi, 64, came in first with 183 votes, while Shinjiro Koizumi, 44, won 164 votes, before moving on to a final vote to become party president — and most likely PM.

More coverage

LDP presidential election could be turning point for Komeito
No matter who wins the LDP presidential race, prospects for change are dismal
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi attend a Liberal Democratic Party presidential election candidate debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Sept. 24. The two headed to a runoff in Saturday's LDP presidential election.
Employees select sheets of Green Virginia tobacco leaves for processing at a Japan Tobacco cigarette plant in Senta, Serbia. While rivals have set ambitious targets for "smoke-free” products, Japan Tobacco has focused more on conventional combustible tobacco products.
BUSINESS / Companies
Japan Tobacco is doubling down on cheap cigarettes
By Sabah Meddings and Fiona Rutherford
While rivals have set ambitious targets for "smoke-free” products, Japan Tobacco has focused more on conventional combustible tobacco products.
A Swedish snowboard instructor works at the Niseko ski resort area on Hokkaido, in Kutchan, in December 2022
JAPAN / Society
A Japanese ski resort town is roiled by a debate over immigration
By River Akira Davis and Kiuko Notoya
Residents are protesting a planned housing facility for foreign workers, exposing the conflict between labor needs and worries over immigration.
A bear warning sign. More and more wild bears have been spotted in Japan in recent years, even in residential areas, due to factors including a declining human population and climate change.
JAPAN
One dead, one missing in Japan after bear attack
More and more wild bears have been spotted in recent years due to factors including a declining human population and climate change.
Avant-garde chef Grant Achatz and his team from Alinea are in Tokyo for a three-week residency.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Eat your balloons: The culinary theater of Grant Achatz comes to Tokyo
By Weiwen Lin
The man behind Chicago’s iconic Alinea restaurant shares insights on modernist cuisine and his Tokyo pop-up.
Avant-garde chef Grant Achatz and his team from Alinea are in Tokyo for a three-week residency.

JAPAN

Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on July 20.
CDP doesn’t rule out cooperation with LDP
By Erica Yokoyama and Akemi Terukina
Noda’s comments come as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party prepares to elect a new leader, who will need opposition support in order to govern.
With six people having been in a car that rolled over in Nabari, Mie Prefecture, the minivehicle may have exceeded its seating capacity of five when it crashed, according to the police.
Minivehicle rolls over in Mie Prefecture, killing five aboard
With six people having been in the car, the minivehicle may have exceeded its seating capacity of five when it crashed, according to the police.
Woman sentenced to 17 years for killing ex-boyfriend
Japan enters its second-earliest flu season in 20 years
Ruling bloc and Nippon Ishin affirm foreigners' tuition-free ineligibility
Ex-lawmaker Kameoka pleads not guilty over cash distribution

BUSINESS

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos speaks at the main panel of Italian Tech Week 2025 in Turin, Italy, on Friday.
Data centers in space? Jeff Bezos says it's possible
The Amazon founder predicted that gigawatt-scale data centers will be built in space within the next 10 to 20 years.
China's Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport confirmed that direct flights between India and China will resume later this month.
India and China to resume direct flights after five-year freeze
There have been no direct flights between China and India since 2020, even though China is India's biggest bilateral trade partner.
China trials 'energy-saving' underwater data centers
By Emily Wang
Sumitomo Life takes unusual step to avoid marking JGB losses
By Nao Sano and Taiga Uranaka
Japan and U.S. business leaders call for transparency in trade and investment
Japan Fair Trade Commission to warn JR Central and others over bid-rigging

WORLD

The U.S. Capitol in Washington. The leaders of both parties are sticking to their talking points as the first shutdown in nearly seven years stretches into its third day.
Shutdown drags on as senators leave Washington amid impasse
The leaders of both parties are sticking to their talking points as the first shutdown in nearly seven years stretches into its third day.
Hamas said on Friday that it had agreed to release all of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza, in response to the peace proposal introduced by President Donald Trump earlier this week.
Hamas agrees to release Israeli hostages but sets conditions
The statement was a positive step that still raised questions about whether the promise would be sufficient to end the conflict.
China urges Trump to lift security curbs in push for deals
Hong Kong to install surveillance cameras with AI facial recognition
U.S. military strikes another alleged drug boat off Venezuela
U.S. Supreme Court lets Trump strip temporary status from Venezuelan migrants

Sports

Yotaro Sato and Tomoka Sato perform during the artistic swimming mixed duet competition at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka on July 16, 2023.
Artistic swimming welcoming more men into pool ahead of LA Olympics
By Mai Yoshikawa
Yotaro Sato used to hide the fact that he’s an artistic swimmer. Now, he’s part of a growing number of men taking up a sport that was long exclusive to women.
PGA CEO to apologize to Rory McIlroy and European team over Ryder Cup abuse
Niners hold off Rams to win overtime thriller
Caitlin Clark voices support of Napheesa Collier's criticism of WNBA leadership
Broncos coach Sean Payton set for duel with Eagles defensive mastermind Vic Fangio

Opinion

Afghan soldiers stand guard at the gate of Bagram Air Base, Parwan province, Afghanistan, on July 2, 2021, the day the last American troops vacated the facility.
Will Trump strike Afghanistan over Bagram Air Base?
Imran Khalid
For Afghans, the cost of another military conflict with the U.S. would be ruinous.
Why the most oil-rich country can’t keep the lights on
By David Fickling
What Western media call insurrection at home, they call revolution abroad
By Brahma Chellaney
Trump and Hegseth advance militaristic noise over nuance
The U.S. government shutdown fight has life-or-death consequences
By Lisa Jarvis

ENVIRONMENT

Jane Goodall spun her love of wildlife into a lifelong campaign that took her from a seaside English village to Africa and then across the globe in a quest to better understand chimpanzees.
Wildlife advocate and primate expert Jane Goodall dies at 91
By Susan Heavey
The scientist and global activist was a pioneer in her field, both as a female scientist in the 1960s and for her work studying the behavior of primates.
Swiss glaciers hit by light snowfall and heat wave, scientists say
By Cecile Mantovani and Denis Balibouse
Beijing takes the lead with new climate plans amid Washington’s denial
By Valerie Volcovici and Yukun Zhang
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

CULTURE

Anshul Chauhan’s Japanese film “Tiger” won the Hylife Vision Award for independent films at this year’s Busan International Film Festival.
Japanese films win crowds but few prizes at Busan festival
By Mark Schilling
From art house cinema to commercial hits, 24 films showcased Japan’s range at the 30th edition of the Busan International Film Festival.
‘Cinderella Grey’ gallops past the other sports documentaries
By Patrick St. Michel
Revamped Busan film festival turns 30 with expanded cinematic showcase
By Philip Brasor
Artist Ari Bayuaji materializes monsters from ocean plastic
By Thu-Huong Ha
Pieces fall perfectly into place in the reflective ‘The Last Blossom’
By Matt Schley

LIFE

Avant-garde chef Grant Achatz and his team from Alinea are in Tokyo for a three-week residency.
Eat your balloons: The culinary theater of Grant Achatz comes to Tokyo
By Weiwen Lin
The man behind Chicago’s iconic Alinea restaurant shares insights on modernist cuisine and his Tokyo pop-up.
How a family-run landscaper turned the Osaka Expo green
By Edward Hewes
Japan’s first foreign wine investor plants its roots in Hokkaido
By Weiwen Lin
Don’t poke the bear: Learn how to sort your garbage the right way
By Yuko Tamura
Tokyo's newest stationery store sells 'a slower, more human rhythm'
By Gendel Gento

COMMUNITY

The Kyoto International Entrepreneur Community brings together local and global professionals from a range of industries, backgrounds and ages and collaborates with government-sponsored entities and nonprofit organizations.
Stirred, not shaken: Kyoto business platform blends local and global
By Samantha Seghers
Since its launch in 2018, the Kyoto International Entrepreneur Community has amassed a diverse membership and built solid relationships with local organizations.
Scaredy-cat Kashata is searching for a friend
Linda Joyce: ‘We hope people recognize the benefits of exploring rural areas’
By Louise George Kittaka
Tax-advantaged investments no lost cause for U.S. residents of Japan
By Gendel Gento
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan
By Christoph Sponsel

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
The summer kabuki came roaring back
By Kris Kosaka
Kabuki has been trying for years to attract a new generation of fans. One way to do this has been to adapt manga and anime franchises, such as “Naruto,” for the stage. 
JAPAN
Tea ceremony experts see matcha boom as a big opportunity
By Jessica Speed
Atsuko Mori, founder and director of Kyoto-based tea salon Camellia Tea Ceremony, prepares matcha during a tea ceremony in Kyoto.
JAPAN
Japan's far-right party courts Trump allies and vows not to get 'wacky'
By John Geddie, Tim Kelly and Nathan Layne
Sanseito party leader Sohei Kamiya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Sept. 25.
BASEBALL
How Ohtani has boosted Japan's soft power and made LA even more baseball-obsessed
By Laura Studarus
Fans at Dodger Stadium pose in front of a mural highlighting the Dodgers' Japanese stars from past and present during a game earlier this year.
ENVIRONMENT
Japan faces fresh energy challenge as it seeks to expand power-hungry data centers
By Eric Margolis
Data storage tapes at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center facility in Berkeley, California. Data centers consume massive amounts of electricity and water, and that will only rise as generative artificial intelligence takes off in earnest.

Podcast

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

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Ex.Portal By Synergy Media Specialists

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

WHAT’S TRENDING

LIFE
Tokyo's newest stationery store sells 'a slower, more human rhythm'
By Gendel Gento
Plotter's signature customizable leather binder is just one of many products contributing to the ongoing boom in the popularity of Japanese stationery.
JAPAN
The party that ruled Japan for decades is in danger of crumbling
By Yoshiaki Nohara
Haruo Tsukamoto, a rank-and-file member of the Liberal Democratic Party and a rice farmer in Ibaraki Prefecture, questions if the party still stands for people like him.
JAPAN
8,432 foreign children in Japan seen not attending school
The total number of foreign children registered in Japan as residents eligible for education at elementary or junior high schools stood at 163,358, up by 12,663.
BUSINESS
U.S. federal shutdown affects Americans in Japan and diplomatic talks
By Francis Tang
The U.S. government shut down on Wednesday, though essential services are still being offered.
BUSINESS
Japan’s jobless rate edges up to highest in over a year
By Erica Yokoyama
August’s unemployment figures showed a slight tempering of Japan's job market, but the data still points to overall firmness amid an ongoing labor shortage.