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September 12, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
September 12, 2025
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Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi speaks in Tokyo on Thursday. He is attempting to become Liberal Democratic Party president for the second time.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Will a more conservative leader emerge from the LDP presidential election?
By Himari Semans
Conservative members of the party are looking to elect such a leader, but there is a possibility that their votes might be split between two presidential hopefuls.
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi speaks in Tokyo on Thursday. He is attempting to become Liberal Democratic Party president for the second time.
Sheremetyevo international airport in Moscow. Japan has partially eased its travel restrictions to Russia, allowing unavoidable travel.
JAPAN
Japan partially eases travel restrictions to Russia
By Eric Johnston
Tokyo says unavoidable travel — such as those for humanitarian, business, study, research, education, or artistic purposes — are allowed.
Shigeko Kagawa, Japan's oldest person at 114, in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, on July 30
JAPAN
Aging Japan’s centenarian population nears 100,000
By Jessica Speed
The number has grown steadily in recent years and comes as the birth rate continues to plummet.
Forbes and Unforgettable Travel Company have ranked Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture as Asia's most beautiful village.
JAPAN
‘Fairytale’ Shirakawago ranked one of the world’s most beautiful villages
By Elizabeth Beattie
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Shirakawago is famed for its verdant landscape and gasshō-zukuri farmhouses, which are hundreds of years old.
Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life and 7-Eleven, a chain that began in the U.S. in 1927, opened its first store in Japan in 1974 — and then became wholly Japanese-owned in 2005 through parent company Seven & I Holdings.
BUSINESS / Companies
Is America ready for Japanese-style 7-Elevens?
By River Akira Davis
Facing a stagnant and highly competitive retail market in Japan, Seven & I’s growth is expected to come from overseas.
Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life and 7-Eleven, a chain that began in the U.S. in 1927, opened its first store in Japan in 1974 — and then became wholly Japanese-owned in 2005 through parent company Seven & I Holdings.

JAPAN

Agricultural minister Shinjiro Koizumi is planning to run in the Liberal Democratic Party's upcoming presidential poll, sources said.
Koizumi plans to run for LDP president, sources say
Koizumi plans to inform his supporters in his electoral district about the decision on the weekend and hold a news conference next week to formally announce his bid.
Police issued third arrest warrants on Thursday for two elementary school teachers involved in an online chat group that shared secretly taken images and videos of girls.
Teachers arrested for allegedly sharing images of girls face more charges
The total number of children victimized by the group has risen to at least 25, according to the police.
Two people injured after United Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Osaka
Japan expands sanctions against Russia
Japan starts discussing basic plan for AI use, development
Emperor Naruhito and family pay their respects in Nagasaki

BUSINESS

Jose Munoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor
Hyundai battery plant faces startup delay after U.S. raid, CEO says
By Nora Eckert
The plant, part of a $7.6 billion factory complex to make battery-powered models, was slated to come online later this year.
A booth from the town of Betsukai in Hokkaido at an Amazon Japan furusato nо̄zei promotion event, on Sept. 5 in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
People rush to make furusato nozei donations ahead of tighter rules
Website operators are holding events and campaigns to lure customers before the government bans them from giving reward points to donors, effective next month.
U.S. and Japan pledge not to manipulate forex for competitive advantage
By Erica Yokoyama and Takashi Umekawa
Top Japan leaser Orix plans to boost property fund size by 33%
By Ryo Horiuchi
Government reviews Mitsubishi-led group's exit from offshore power projects
Activist AVI poised to boost holdings of Japan small-cap shares
By Kentaro Tsutsumi

WORLD

A police officer stands in front of a tent after U.S. right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday.
Trump says suspect in Charlie Kirk murder in custody
Kirk's killer had eluded police and federal agents after Wednesday's shooting, in which a sniper fired a single gunshot that killed the right-wing activist.
Palestinians transport their belongings as they evacuate Gaza City toward southern areas of the Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
Palestinians displaced in Gaza return to a city under Israeli assault
By Ramadan Abed and Mahmoud Issa
Many are arriving to find no space for shelter, even in an area designated by Israel as a humanitarian zone.
Spain wants to save rural areas — and it's finding creative ways to do it
France to deploy three jets to 'help protect Polish airspace,' Macron says
U.N. Security Council condemns strikes on Qatar, without naming Israel
Brazil's Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years after landmark coup plot conviction
By Ricardo Brito, Luciana Magalhaes and Manuela Andreoni

Sports

Defending champion javelin thrower Haruka Kitaguchi is likely to be the center of attention for Japanese fans during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
10 stars to look out for at the 2025 World Athletics Championships
By Jason Coskrey
The world championships are back in Tokyo for the first time since 1991.
Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred looking to add world title to Olympic gold in 100
England's Football Association charges Chelsea with 74 breaches of rules
National Stadium to finally fulfill destiny years after hosting Olympics without fans
By Sam Byford
Canada's Evan Dunfee hopes to create race walk to remember at world championships
By Jason Coskrey

Opinion

A soldier on a tank waves an Israeli flag amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas near the Israel-Gaza border in January 2024. 
War responsibility across borders and generations
Kumiharu Shigehara
The Asia-Pacific War is often remembered for the culpability of leaders, but this overlooks the multitudes who filled the ranks below.
Israel’s Doha strike has destroyed American credibility
By Daoud Kuttab
America’s politics turn bloody
Japan needs an immigration debate, not social media myths
By Gearoid Reidy
Gen-Z protesters across Asia are challenging the old guard
By Karishma Vaswani

ENVIRONMENT

An Exxon Mobil refinery at the Port of Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands
Scientists link major carbon emitters to worsening heat waves
By Coco Liu and Eric Roston
The more emissions a company releases, the bigger role it plays in worsening heat waves.
Drought hit over half of Europe in mid-August, EU data shows
China’s green push may cut global fossil use by 2030, says think tank
Polluted and poor: Blighted U.S. cities tackle 'toxic soup'
By Carey L. Biron
How Europe lost an area the size of Cyprus to wildfires this year
By Laura Millan and Joe Wertz

CULTURE

Polish pianist Hania Rani took the audience on a synth odyssey at the first Japan edition of Unsound Osaka over the weekend.
Unsound turns Osaka into a laboratory of avant-garde music
By James Hadfield
Long-running Polish music festival Unsound channels Expo ’70 at its first Japan edition.
Mei Ehara’s third album finds clarity in the noise
By Patrick St. Michel
‘100 Meters’ brings kinetic energy to rivalry drama
By Matt Schley
Tokyo International Comedy Festival doubles down on diversity and scale
By Moe Shimizu
'Faking Beethoven’: Comedic musical biopic forgets to have fun
By James Hadfield

LIFE

Sensing a bleak future for the local "awamori" liquor, Mizuho Distillery ventured into rum production, releasing a collection of eight rums made from "kokutō" (partially refined or unrefined sugar) sourced from various islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
The sweet rise of Okinawan rum
By Miriam Gradel
The spirit is emerging out of the shadow of the local “awamori” liquor, thanks to a growing band of producers who are keen to tell the tale of the islands' traditional agriculture.
'He's a regular man, not unlike us': Marking 40 years of Mario games
By Kilian Fichou and Mathias Cena
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s announcement hits all the right notes in Japan
By Yuko Tamura
Overnight mulberry matcha oats are the perfect answer to a busy morning
By Simon Daly
Racehorses, anime girls and gambling: Umamusume’s recipe for success
By Owen Ziegler

COMMUNITY

Melos Han-Tani is a game designer of eclectic interests whose upcoming releases, Angeline Era and Danchi Days, are set in alternate-history Ireland and a public housing complex in Japan, respectively.
Melos Han-Tani: ‘Figuring out what you value is valuable for any artist’
By Gendel Gento
A designer, programmer and composer, Han-Tani draws inspiration from a wide range of sources and channels his creativity through games, music and writing.
Gentle care is the key to Cymbal’s heart
Canadian-born politician tackles Ibaraki’s issues big and small
By Gendel Gento
Smiley, spirited Hampen will run into your arms
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
By Justin Randall

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
By Kazuaki Nagata
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.
JAPAN
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.
ENVIRONMENT
Shizuoka farmers fight to preserve sustainable tea method that’s steeped in tradition
By Kai Wilson
As of August 2024, the number of confirmed chagusaba farmers had fallen to 302, just over half the 582 reported in 2015, according to the Shizuoka Chagusaba Farming Method Promotion Council.
BUSINESS
Search is on for loopholes in Japan’s $550 billion investment pledge
By Francis Tang
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick argues that U.S. President Donald Trump has sole authority to invest Japan's promised $550 billion.
LIFE
In rural Hokkaido, the stops and starts of tourism revival on full display
By Justin Randall
Redevelopment plans for Kawayu Onsen have hit some snags — an example of how bringing tourists back to declining rural communities is far from easy work.

Podcast

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

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight
By Mai Yoshikawa

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Tokyo Gas lights the way to carbon neutrality
Tokyo Gas lights the way to carbon neutrality

COMFACTS

The 7th RD20 Conference to be held in Tsukuba, Japan — Registration for Press Briefing and the Conference Now Open
The 7th RD20 Conference to be held in Tsukuba, Japan — Registration for Press Briefing and the Conference Now Open
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Workers say corporate South Korea was warned about questionable U.S. visas before Hyundai raid
By Hyunjoo Jin, Heekyong Yang and Heejin Kim
Activists holding signs that reads "No one is illegal!" protest against a huge immigration raid last week in the U.S. state of Georgia, in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday.
JAPAN
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.
JAPAN
Thousands without power in Tokyo as heavy rain batters Kanto region
By Jessica Speed
Heavy rain hit Tokyo and surrounding areas Thursday afternoon, causing thousands to lose power, prompting flood warnings, grounding flights and causing transportation issues.
JAPAN
Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture
JAPAN
Japan's cutting-edge railgun successfully strikes target vessel
By Gabriel Dominguez
The Defense Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) conducted a ship-board railgun shooting test from June to early July this year with the support of the Maritime Self-Defense Force.