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November 21, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 21, 2025
Sanae Takaichi
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Bear attacks
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The yen has deepened recent lows against the dollar as the 'sell Japan' trade gains steam ahead of big fiscal stimulus.
BUSINESS / Markets
Yen and Japanese bonds continue to retreat as verbal intervention lacking
By Francis Tang
Ahead of superbig fiscal stimulus, officials choose not to talk up the currency.

More coverage

Yen rout brings talk of ¥160 to the dollar and possible intervention
BOJ board member suggests chance of December hike after yen drop
Japan traders' fondness for Turkish lira prompts fears of intervention losses
The yen has deepened recent lows against the dollar as the 'sell Japan' trade gains steam ahead of big fiscal stimulus.
Toshihiro Nikai, then secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party (left), meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing in December 2017.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Tensions highlight lack of Japan lawmakers with China connections
"There's no one in the LDP-JIP coalition who can serve as a brake," a young Komeito lawmaker said.
A brown bear gnaws at the cage it is trapped in, in Sunagawa, Hokkaido, in 2024. Small towns can face cost concerns when responding to bear sightings.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
How a small-town spat in Hokkaido nearly derailed its bear response measures
By Eric Johnston
Tensions brewed after a local politician accused hunters of being money-hungry and inefficient, leading to a weekslong halt in bear-culling operations.
Hosei University President Diana Khor, who herself was an international student, aims to encourage students to look outward and cultivate a global mindset.
JAPAN / Society
First foreign president of Hosei University looks abroad for change
By Elizabeth Beattie
Diana Khor, who was an international student herself, aims to encourage students to look outward and cultivate a global mindset.
The Swallows' Munetaka Murakami has 246 career home runs in eight NPB seasons.
BASEBALL / MLB
Munetaka Murakami headlines quartet looking to move to MLB via posting system
By Jason Coskrey
Tokyo Yakult Swallows’ elite power hitter will be only 26 when he celebrates his next birthday on Feb. 2.
The Swallows' Munetaka Murakami has 246 career home runs in eight NPB seasons.

JAPAN

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass as he walks from Marine One to board Air Force One to depart Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Oct. 29.
The U.S. has Japan’s back in any dispute with China, Glass says
By Alastair Gale
The U.S. ambassador has taken to social media several times since the dispute erupted to criticize China and Chinese officials.
Agriculture minister Norikazu Suzuki (center) looks at dead oysters in the city of Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, on Wednesday.
Hiroshima oyster farmers face crisis amid mass die-offs
Producers in coastal areas of the city of Higashihiroshima have reported mortality rates of 80% to 90%, prompting fears about the industry’s survival.
Japan-China-South Korea ministerial meeting postponed
Xi risks global blowback if China cuts off rare earths for Japan
Japanese restaurant owners in China lament flare-up in diplomatic tensions
By Casey Hall and Go Nakamura
Japan completes PAC-3 missile export to U.S.

BUSINESS

A cooling tower at a nuclear station in Scriba, New York. The U.S. government plans to buy many as 10 new, large nuclear reactors that could be paid for using Japan’s $550 billion funding pledge.
U.S. to own nuclear reactors stemming from Japan’s $550 billion pledge
By Ari Natter and Will Wade
It has been more than a decade since the U.S. last broke ground on a large-scale nuclear power plant that came online.
Flags fly next to a logo of Nexperia at the facade of its factory in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China, on Nov. 7 amid a shortage of chips caused by a diplomatic standoff between China and Netherlands over the company.
Netherlands returns control of Nexperia to Chinese owner
By Patrick Van Oosterom and Sarah Jacob
The move defuses a standoff with Beijing over the maker of “legacy” chips that had begun to hamper automotive production around the world.
Major music labels strike deals with new AI streaming service
By Lucas Shaw
Larry Summers to leave positions at Harvard and OpenAI after Epstein emails
Nvidia’s upbeat forecast soothes fears of AI spending bubble
By Ian King
Japanese companies advised to change mindset about investment in Africa
By Kazuaki Nagata

WORLD

A drone explodes during a Russian drone strike in Kyiv on Nov. 14.
Explosive weapons killed most children on record in 2024: NGO
Save the Children U.K. attributed the surge to conflicts taking place more and more in urban areas.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's crown prince, during the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Wednesday
Behind Trump defense of Saudi crown prince, a deeper U.S. shift on human rights
By Matt Spetalnick, Patricia Zengerle and Simon Lewis
Trump's remarks threw into stark relief just how far his administration has shifted away from the traditional U.S. support for human rights globally.
Trump signs Epstein files bill after fight that split Republicans
By Hadriana Lowenkron
Israeli military steps up strikes in Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah
Saudi crown prince hosted at friendlier U.S. Congress
By Patricia Zengerle and Simon Lewis
Trump's White House tried to slow-walk a vote on the Epstein files. It failed.
By Nandita Bose

Sports

Head coach Hajime Moriyasu (center) and members of the Japan team at National Stadium in Tokyo on Tuesday
Comfortable win over Bolivia marks Moriyasu’s 100th game in charge
By Sam Byford
Japan has now won its last three friendly matches as part of preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
Presence of Shedeur Sanders spices up clash between lowly Browns and Raiders
MLB reveals new 3-year deal with ESPN, NBC and Netflix
Roger Federer set to be inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame
Formula One title contenders brace for high-stakes battle in Las Vegas

Opinion

Chinese consulates in Japan and elsewhere regularly conduct gray-zone operations in the form of “pop-up” events at nondesignated diplomatic facilities.
Beware China’s ‘gray-zone’ activities on Japanese soil
Sze-Fung Lee
China’s wolf-warrior diplomacy and belligerent social media posts are not the only unsettling activity carried out by Chinese diplomats in Japan.
Japan’s cultural heritage and its aging guardians
By Sebastien Raineri
The U.S. Congress draws the line at Jeffrey Epstein
By Nia-Malika Henderson
Europe seeks to end U.S. tech giants' hold on digital infrastructure
By Robin Berjon
Want students to thrive? Lock up their phones.
By Mary Ellen Klas

ENVIRONMENT

A Japanese government panel has proposed making offshore wind projects eligible for long-term decarbonization power auctions.
Japan plans to boost support for offshore wind as costs swell
The government expanding public support comes as the global offshore wind industry falters on high interest rates and expensive raw materials.
As COP30 discusses end of fossil fuels, are renewables ready?
By Clar NiChonghaile
Decades-long contracts chain Asia to coal-fired power
By Sudarshan Varadhan
Clamor for change builds inside the world's COP30 climate negotiations
By Kate Abnett, Simon Jessop and Lisandra Paraguassu
With more heat and storms, can COP30 boost front-line resilience?
By Clar NiChonghaile

CULTURE

Aya Ogawa, Japanese American playwright and performer based in New York, is bringing her award-winning “The Nosebleed” to Japan for the first time.
Theater beyond borders: Eriko Ogawa's tenure at the NNTT has a global vision
By Kris Kosaka
Over the last decade, Eriko Ogawa has worked to expand the international connections of the New National Theatre, Tokyo.
Mamoru Hosoda’s ‘Scarlet’ takes on ‘Hamlet’ with bold visual departure
By Matt Schley
‘Blonde’: Conformist classrooms get a satirical makeover
By Mark Schilling
New ‘Demon Slayer’ film becomes first Japanese movie to break ¥100 billion
Pina Bausch’s 2008 masterpiece to be performed in Japan by the original cast
By Kris Kosaka

LIFE

As bear attacks spike across northern Japan, the country's community of nature enthusiasts say that while the risk might be high now, enjoying the outdoors is still possible with the proper precautions.
‘Be bear aware’: Japan’s outdoor pros sound off on ursine risks
By Drew Damron
Japan’s nature researchers, hunters and trail runners reflect on how a spike in bear activity affects their professions and hobbies.
Old-man puns are getting a Gen Z glow-up as 'neo-dajare'
By Alyssa I. Smith
A dictionary revision illustrates how Japanese keeps on evolving
By Yaeko Kabe
Good fortune, wrapped in fried tofu
By Elizabeth Andoh
At Ginza’s newest hotel, luxury is a private treasure
By Owen Ziegler

COMMUNITY

Located near the Imperial Palace, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan prides itself on the accessibility of its events and the support it offers to budding and established journalists. The club is currently headed by Dan Sloan, a former reporter for Reuters.
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan celebrates 80 years at the forefront of press freedom
By Gendel Gento
Since its founding in 1945, the club has been an important professional hub and played host to a startling array of political and cultural figures from around the world.
Happy-go-lucky Omochi loves to make friends
Jon Homewood: ‘There’s beauty in what we throw away’
By Joseph Tame
Young Indonesians in Japan find their political voice
By Nadila
Wielding a weapon of yore at a community dojo
By Monique Bae

Editors' Picks

SUMO
Onosato stumbles in quest for first perfect championship
By John Gunning
Yoshinofuji (left) beats Onosato by <i>oshidashi</i> at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday.
JAPAN
The reality of human trafficking in Japan
By Yukana Inoue
A view of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward at night. Last year in Japan, 66 people were put in protective custody as victims of human trafficking. Among them, 58 — including all 41 minors — were Japanese nationals. International pressure to act on human trafficking led Japan to make efforts to crack down on the crime, such as a tightening of conditions in 2005 for entertainer visas.
CULTURE
Why we can’t get enough of the sham of the rental family
By Thu-Huong Ha
“Rental Family,” directed and co-written by the single-named Hikari, follows out-of-work actor Phillip (Brendan Fraser), who is hired as the “token white guy” at a Tokyo agency called Rental Family.
JAPAN
Economic security minister stresses crackdown on rule-breaking foreign nationals
By Yukana Inoue
Economic security minister Kimi Onoda speaks during a group interview in Tokyo on Monday.
CULTURE
How Band-Maid brought anime energy into the hard-rock sound of ‘Scooooop’
By Patrick St. Michel
Members of Band-Maid combine heavy riffs and maid-inspired visuals in their latest project, "Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty."

Podcast

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

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo
By Kathryn Wortley

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

COMFACTS

New Food Products Utilizing Tsunan Sake Brewery’s Sake Lees Unveiled at “TORANOMON JUST RIGHT NEW FOOD” Tasting Event
New Food Products Utilizing Tsunan Sake Brewery’s Sake Lees Unveiled at “TORANOMON JUST RIGHT NEW FOOD” Tasting Event
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japanese court orders Cloudflare to pay ¥500 million over manga piracy
Cloudflare has been ordered to pay ¥500 million after four major publishing firms accused the firm of copyright infringement for its role in hosting sites that distribute pirated copies of manga titles.
JAPAN
The reality of human trafficking in Japan
By Yukana Inoue
A view of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward at night. Last year in Japan, 66 people were put in protective custody as victims of human trafficking. Among them, 58 — including all 41 minors — were Japanese nationals. International pressure to act on human trafficking led Japan to make efforts to crack down on the crime, such as a tightening of conditions in 2005 for entertainer visas.
COMMENTARY
Beware of China’s strategic distortion of reality
By Stephen R. Nagy
China holds a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3. 
BUSINESS
Yen rout brings talk of ¥160 to the dollar and possible intervention
By Francis Tang
The yen has been weak against the U.S. dollar in recent weeks, with some analysts expecting the retreat to continue.
JAPAN
China to reimpose ban on Japanese seafood imports amid row over Taiwan, reports say
By Jesse Johnson
A sign reading, "Suspend the sales of all fish products imported from Japan" is displayed in an area home to Japanese restaurants in Beijing in August 2023. China will reimpose a ban on imports of Japanese seafood, media reports in Tokyo said Wednesday, as a diplomatic spat between the two countries deepens.