Home page

 
Menu
Search
 
Menu
Search
Tokyo Weather 34℃
TOKYO
August 23, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 23, 2025
Nikkei
Trade deal
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Latest News
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung meets with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Ishiba and South Korea's Lee meet for talks as leaders eye stable ties
By Jesse Johnson and Gabriele Ninivaggi
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday made Japan his first destination abroad as leader, inviting Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to visit his country at a later date.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung meets with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on Saturday.
Tatsuaki Igarashi, mayor of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, exits a ride-sharing vehicle at Tsukuba Station in January.
BUSINESS
Japan to boost support for joint ride-hailing services
There is currently just one joint ride-hailing service in the country, despite 2,057 areas nationwide where transportation options are limited or unavailable.
Masashi Tanimoto, 35, the suspect in the deadly stabbing a 24-year-old woman, is taken into custody in Kobe on Friday night.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Man arrested over deadly stabbing of woman in Kobe
The victim was found bleeding from multiple stab wounds on the sixth-floor landing of an apartment building Wednesday.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell attends the Kansas City Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium in Moran, Wyoming, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
U.S. Fed chair opens door to rate cut as Trump steps up pressure
But Fed chief Jerome Powell also continued to argue that policymakers must guard against the prospect that President Donald Trump’s tariffs lead to persistent inflation.
Summer Sonic’s 2025 lineup demonstrated its strength, showcasing the latest in J-pop, including “new kawaii” act Fruits Zipper.
CULTURE / Music
Alicia Keys closed Summer Sonic, but J-pop owned it
By Patrick St. Michel
Summer Sonic 2025 showcased Japan’s pop power: Mrs. Green Apple, Hikaru Utada and rising stars outshone the festival’s headliners.
Summer Sonic’s 2025 lineup demonstrated its strength, showcasing the latest in J-pop, including “new kawaii” act Fruits Zipper.

JAPAN

A computer-generated image of the new HTV-X space station supply vehicle immediately after rocket separation
Japan to launch new ISS resupply vehicle in October
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has said that it will launch the first HTV-X new resupply vehicle to the International Space Station on Oct. 21.
Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin
One man’s experience traces the capital's arc from wartime devastation to modern megacity in a story of resilience and reinvention.
Japan corrects number of potential megaquake evacuees
Japanese city proposes two-hour daily limit for smartphone use
Environment Ministry to boost support for local governments facing bear attacks
By Yukana Inoue
TICAD adopts Yokohama Declaration to strengthen multilateral trade

BUSINESS

Under a new agreement, the U.S. will receive 433.3 million shares of common stock — representing 9.9% of the fully diluted common shares in Intel — according to a statement from the company.
U.S. takes nearly 10% Intel stake, clinching unorthodox deal
Under the agreement, the U.S. will receive 433.3 million shares of common stock — representing 9.9% of the fully diluted common shares in the firm.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney walks after speaking, as Canada announced that it is removing many retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods as a goodwill gesture designed to restart stalled trade talks, during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday.
Carney’s tariff shift helps business and creates a political headache
On Friday, Carney announced the end of 25% retaliatory tariffs imposed by his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, on a wide range of food and other consumer goods.
EU pushes for reduced U.S. auto tariffs to apply retroactively from Aug. 1
By Andrea Shalal and David Lawder
Eric Trump to visit Japan in September amid crypto push
By Alice French and Annie Massa
Nvidia CEO says in talks with U.S. over new China chip
By Ben Blanchard and Wen-Yee Lee
Japan eyes 2.6% provisional rate for government bonds in FY2026, Yomiuri says
By Erica Yokoyama

WORLD

Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during a news conference in New York in July 2020.
U.S. Justice Department releases Ghislaine Maxwell transcripts
The accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein said U.S. President Donald Trump was friendly with the convicted sex offender but was "never inappropriate with anybody."
A North Korean soldier stands guard in a watch tower next to a giant loudspeaker near the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas on June 12.
Seoul says fired warning shots after North Korean troops crossed border
Pyongyang's state media said earlier Saturday that the incident occurred as North Korean soldiers worked to permanently seal the frontier dividing the peninsula.
Troop costs and China in focus when South Korea's Lee meets Trump
FBI raids home of outspoken Trump critic John Bolton
With no Ukraine peace deal, Trump again threatens Russia sanctions
In latest purge, Hegseth removes head of Pentagon intelligence agency, others

Sports

A boxing match at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Feb. 29, 2016. Japanese boxing has been rocked by a series of serious injuries and deaths.
Japanese amateur boxer in intensive care after latest incident
The JBF, which oversees amateur boxing in Japan, said the man had not fought a match for over 10 years and had been in training to make a comeback.
AFL under fire as another player banned for homophobic slur
By Ian Ransom
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz joins Forest from Juventus
By Pearl Josephine Nazare
South African Wallis pushes wingsuit flying to global heights
By Sisipho Skweyiya
All Blacks' 'big bodies' look to outmuscle Pumas in Buenos Aires
By Ian Ransom

Opinion

U.S. President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as they meet in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15.
Peace in Ukraine is within reach — if the world holds firm
Peace prospects swing with Trump’s erratic diplomacy. Allies, including Japan, need to stress unity and rule of law as they prepare to fill gaps and stabilize support for Ukraine.
Was Trump’s Russia-Ukraine summit doomed from the beginning?
By Kuni Miyake
Ads ruined social media. Now they’re coming to AI.
By Parmy Olson
Why Jimmy Lai’s persecution should worry Japan
By Mark L. Clifford
Urban mining eases the critical minerals crunch 
By Brad Glosserman

ENVIRONMENT

Tourists from abroad get water mist sprayed on them to cool down on the street at Tsukiji Outer Market, a popular sightseeing spot, as the Japanese government issued a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures due to a heat wave on Friday.
World’s climate change crisis has tourists seeking ‘coolcations’
By K. Oanh Ha
Record heat waves are transforming the world’s tourism industry as holidaymakers struggle to deal with the havoc wrought by climate change.
Is historically arid Beijing ready for a wetter future?
By Laurie Chen
As temperatures soar in London, regulations, not costs, put cooling beyond reach
By Olivia Rudgard
Tourism deal puts one of Egypt's last wild shores at risk
By Lobna Monieb
Mozambique's illegal miners reap risky rewards but land suffers
By Samuel Come

CULTURE

Artist Nikita Kadan and dancer Min Tanaka modeled their art and choreography respectively on prosthetic limbs as commentary on the island’s history of being a center for isolating people with Hansen’s disease.
Healing Oshima Island's history of disease with a touch of art
By Uliana Dobrova
Min Tanaka opened the Setouchi Triennale’s summer session on Oshima, Kagawa Prefecture, with a site-specific dance at Nikita Kadan’s sculpture, an allegory for support.
'The Face of Jizo': Hisashi Inoue's play staged in Sydney commemorates WWII victims
By Kris Kosaka
‘Happy Life’ brings dignity to family’s struggle with grief and poverty
By James Hadfield
‘Seaside Serendipity’: A pastel-soaked reverie on youthful creativity
By Mark Schilling
‘Fires on the Plain’: Haunting imagery in restored 1959 war film stands the test of time
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

Reigen, Germany's first sake brewery, makes a diverse, nontraditional range of sake that includes fruit-flavored sips and wine barrel-aged renditions.
Germany's first sakemaker offers a bold brew of ideas
By Weiwen Lin
Yellowish and high in acidity, German sake won't please the purists, but open-minded consumers, especially wine drinkers, may find something appealing.
Character-crazed Japan has little appetite for Labubu
By Yuko Tamura
Expressing annoyance with work group chats in Japanese
By Yaeko Kabe
From a piquant paste to a crisp crust, sesame shines in many forms
By Simon Daly
In preserving Japanese hospitality, ‘details are everything’
By Melinda Joe

COMMUNITY

Seri Yanai and Daniel Wishes founded the shadow puppetry company Mochinosha in 2012 when they were students at the London School of Puppetry.
Seri Yanai: ‘We mix modern and analog to create something new’
By Ayako Nakano
The co-founder of Mochinosha, a shadow puppetry company based in Saitama Prefecture, talks about her journey to the stage and her artistic inspirations.
Carl J. Green, mentor to a generation of ‘Japan hands,’ dies at 85
By Matthew Goodman
Handsome cat looking for brighter days ahead
Solidarity with Tokyo’s homeless residents, one day at a time
By Shyam Bhardwa
Kindred spirits, kindergarten connections: From Buenos Aires to east Tokyo
By Francisco J. Villarreal

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Is the LDP’s catch-all approach to politics still effective?
By Eric Johnston
Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi visits Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Aug. 15. Political commentator Toru Hashimoto has suggested that Takaichi ought to lead a group of like-minded hawkish politicians out of the Liberal Democratic Party and form their own party.
LIFE
Fingers sore from too much phone time? You might have ‘sumaho yubi.’
By Mai Yoshikawa
A catch-all term for tendonitis and arthritis caused by excessive smartphone use, 'sumaho yubi' may be difficult to treat for gadget-crazy Japan.
JAPAN
As farm minister, Koizumi is held ‘hostage’ by Ishiba
By Himari Semans
Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi (center) attends a Lower House session on Aug. 1. Locking Koizumi into the Cabinet is Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s way of turning a potential rival into a team player, according to one expert.
BUSINESS
Big burgers and bigger ambitions for Japan's Burger King
By Kazuaki Nagata
Kazuhiro Nomura, president of BK Japan Holdings, which operates Burger King in Japan
JAPAN
Tokyo crowned No.1 'workation' spot
By Elizabeth Beattie
Workations were a burgeoning trend in the corporate world for years before the COVID-19 pandemic turbocharged it.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Ex.Portal By Synergy Media Specialists

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan to revise romanization rules for first time in 70 years
The Agency for Cultural Affairs is recommending replacing the government’s long-standing Kunrei system with more widely used Hepburn-style spellings.
JAPAN
JR East cancels luxury train run over crew's boozing
East Japan Railway said Thursday that it will cancel one trip of a luxury overnight sleeper service, which was originally scheduled to depart from Ueno Station in Tokyo on Aug. 30, after crew members were found to have been drinking alcohol on duty.
ASIA PACIFIC
Women-only communities flourish in China
By Ludovic Ehret
Chen Yani (right), nicknamed "Keke," eats lunch with friends and guests in a female co-living space she founded called "Keke's Imaginative Space" in Hangzhou, in eastern China's Zhejiang province, on July 14.
COMMENTARY
Demystifying the manufacturing success of China
By Zhang Jun
China’s massive scale, strong education system and competitive local governance have enabled it to reach the technological frontier and dominate high-tech manufacturing despite its low per capita gross domestic product.
JAPAN
Infectious diseases to watch for in Japan this summer amid surge of cases
By Tomoko Otake
An illustration of a colony of the Bordetella pertussis bacterium that causes pertussis, or whooping cough. As of Aug. 10, there were 64,467 cases reported this year, according to the latest data from the Japan Institute for Health Security.