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July 30, 2025
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July 30, 2025
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Supporters of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba take part in a rally across the street from the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Why Ishiba refuses to quit even amid intense pressure for him to go
By Eric Johnston
With the U.S. tariff deal not yet implemented, a leadership change now would create a political vacuum and may put the agreement at risk.

More coverage

At LDP’s post-election meeting, calls intensify for Ishiba’s resignation
Japan’s neighbors anxiously assess Upper House election results
Supporters of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba take part in a rally across the street from the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda. The central bank is expected to remain cautious until the fall.
BUSINESS / Economy
Bank of Japan likely to hold key rate at 0.5% as tariff breakthrough evaluated
By Kazuaki Nagata
Political uncertainty may also weigh on the policy board's decision this week.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Panmunjom, South Korea, on June 30, 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
North Korea says Trump must drop denuclearization policy if he wants to meet Kim
By Jesse Johnson
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea’s leader, called personal ties between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump "not bad.”
Prolonged high prices for food and other goods have pushed down consumer sentiment and real wages, according to the Annual Report on the Japanese Economy and Public Finance for fiscal 2025.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan should take all possible measures to raise wages, white paper says
Prolonged high prices for food and other goods have pushed down consumer sentiment and real wages, while predictions for continued price climbs have curbed consumption.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya speaks at a rally in Tokyo on July 21, a day after the Upper House election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
A fringe or political force: Will the real Sanseito stand up?
Edo Naito
There were a few things that might raise eyebrows, but nothing especially scary. Sanseito's published policy platform is relatively benign.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya speaks at a rally in Tokyo on July 21, a day after the Upper House election.

JAPAN

Ground Self-Defense Force troops fire a Type-12 anti-ship missile as part of the RIMPAC 24 sinking exercise around the Hawaiian Islands in July last year.
Japan eyes locations for deploying longer-range standoff missiles
By Jesse Johnson
The defense minister said that the location for the weapons, due to be deployed by next March, has yet to be decided — though reports called Kumamoto Prefecture a top candidate.
Photos of Nazca Line geoglyphs newly discovered by a team of researchers at Yamagata University, on Monday in the city of Osaka
Japanese researchers discover 248 Nazca Line geoglyphs in Peru
The team conducted field surveys on sites selected from aerial photographs using artificial intelligence.
Japan startup transplants iPS cells for heart treatment in clinical trial
Last soldiers of Imperial Japanese Army have a warning for younger generations
By Martin Fackler
Japan expands aid for the elderly and people with disabilities in emergencies
Senior 'JP Dragon' crime ring member jailed for 42 months

BUSINESS

Hideyuki Okamoto, ice pop maker Akagi Nyugyo's marketing team leader, says the public is more accepting of price hikes as he holds the company's flagship Garigari-kun ice pop.
Enough apologies: How Japan is shaking off its price hike phobia
By Makiko Yamazaki and Takahiko Wada
A shift in consumer mindset about such increases is driven by the biggest pay hikes in three decades and has given companies more confidence to pass on rising costs.
A bottle of Suntory's Yamazaki whisky
Suntory will gauge U.S. consumer sentiment for whisky price hike
CEO Takeshi Niinami also said the company is "overreliant on the U.S. and Japan” and has realized the importance of emerging markets.
Finance Ministry upgrades economic view on Okinawa
Delayed pricing policy for cleaner ethanol keeps India burning food for fuel
By Bhasker Tripathi
Apple to shutter a retail store in China for the first time ever
By Mark Gurman
The world’s biggest passenger plane keeps breaking down
By Angus Whitley and Danny Lee

WORLD

A billboard in Columbus, Indiana displays a message that is part of the Democratic National Committee's campaign against U.S. President Donald Trump's tax-cut and spending bill, in this image obtained on July 24.
Early 2026 U.S. midterm ads focus on Medicaid access and Trump tax cuts
By Helen Coster and James Oliphant
Democrats are focusing their message on health care access while Republicans are countering that the tax provisions will enrich voters.
Palestinians carry aid supplies which entered Gaza through Israel in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, on Sunday.
Gaza death toll hits 60,000 as global monitor demands action to avert famine
By Michelle Nichols and Olivia Le Poidevin
Famine is unfolding in Gaza and immediate action is needed to end fighting and allow unimpeded aid access, the hunger monitor said.
Outrage in China after reports exploitative images of Chinese women shared in Telegram groups
By Laurie Chen
'Absolute madness': Thailand's pet lion problem
By Sara Hussein and Chayanit ITTHIPONGMAETEE
Floods kill dozens after Beijing records almost a year of rainfall in days
By Liz Lee and Xiuhao Chen
Taiwan's Lai calls off trip with U.S. transit as Trump seeks Xi summit
By Jenny Leonard and Yian Lee

Sports

“Yakyu / Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game” is set to remain on display in Cooperstown for at least five to 10 years — and possibly indefinitely.
Behind the scenes at the Baseball Hall of Fame's new Yakyu/Baseball exhibit
By Joshua Mellin
The exhibit tells a sweeping, richly visual story about the deep and evolving connection between Japan and America’s shared national pastime.
Red Bull adviser confirms Max Verstappen staying for 2026
Lakers' Luka Doncic shows off summer shred in Men's Health
England's women maintained belief through bumpy run to Euro glory
By Lori Ewing
I'm no genius, says 12-year-old Yu after just missing podium at worlds

Opinion

Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya speaks at a rally in Tokyo on July 21, a day after the Upper House election.
A fringe or political force: Will the real Sanseito stand up?
Edo Naito
There were a few things that might raise eyebrows, but nothing especially scary. Sanseito's published policy platform is relatively benign.
Who buys the F-150s, and more Japan deal mysteries
By Gearoid Reidy
Trump is trying to build a far-right international alliance
By Jan-Werner Mueller
Iran is more prepared for democracy than many realize
By Kian Tajbakhsh
Freezing rent is easy. Making NYC housing affordable isn’t.
By Justin Fox

ENVIRONMENT

People ride in a boat past a newly built concrete barrier in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Egypt, on April 20.
Rising seas and shifting sands attack ancient Alexandria from below
By Heba Fouad and Ahmed Fahmy
The warming waters of the Mediterranean are rising due to climate change, leading to coastal erosion and undermining buildings from below.
In the Philippines, informal e-waste dismantling poses health risks
By Pam Castro
New Zealand farmers battle pine forests to 'save our sheep'
By Ben Strang
Germans are finally embracing air conditioning, even renters
By Nick Heubeck and Carolynn Look
World court climate ruling: nonbinding but game changing
By Kelly Macnamara

CULTURE

Rural, a three-day techno festival, was held July 18 to 21 at Nowhere Camp in Fukushima Prefecture.
How Japan made techno its own
By Arjan Rietveld
Once inspired by Berlin and Detroit, Japanese techno now moves on its own wavelength — deep, immersive, and unmistakably local.
‘Demon Slayer’ movie slashes its own box office records
By Matt Schley
Hitsujibungaku’s pop-fueled rise to stardom
By Patrick St. Michel
National Ballet of Japan stages first overseas performance in London
Behind the scenes: Inside Fuji Rock’s strategy for staying on top
By Philip Brasor

LIFE

Located in Patina Osaka, P72 doesn't have a fixed menu, opting instead to rely on whatever is available from local suppliers and its on-site garden to create its innovative plant-based cuisine.
P72 sows the seeds for a dynamic plant-based cuisine
By Jessica Kozuka
With an ever-changing menu dictated by what's available from its garden and suppliers, the Osaka-based restaurant injects creativity and spontaneity into its green cuisine.
Communal knead: A Turkish baker in Kamakura draws queues
By Alex Michael Dwyer
As summer soars, the tomato offers a lesson in staying bright and cool
By Makiko Itoh
Traditional Japanese swordsmanship — with modern matches
By Johan Brooks
How a single current keeps Shiga’s ‘village of water’ in concert
By Joanna Kawecki

COMMUNITY

Wakana, a Japanese fan of Thai BL, visits a temple in Thon Buri, Bangkok featured in the Thai adaptation of the Japanese series “Cherry Magic.” Her media consumption kindled an interest in Thai culture and language, and ultimately led her to relocate to Thailand. “I fell in love with the whole country,” she says.
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio
Thailand has become a top producer of BL (boys’ love) dramas — and audiences in Japan are among the most ardent consumers.
A big, beautiful Bengal cat named Pupu
Ayaka Ohira: ‘Being outside of the traditional path gave me more freedom’
By Zoria Petkoska
The mothers holding up Japan's Vietnamese community
By Nguyen Bao Anh
Lilimi settles into a new life

Editors' Picks

ENVIRONMENT
Amid fossil fuel shift in U.S., hope emerges for India and Japan tie-up on solar
By Nithin Coca
A technician works on the assembly line at a solar panel manufacturing hub on the outskirts of New Delhi last October.
JAPAN
Japan and NATO to launch defense-industrial talks, top envoy says
By Gabriel Dominguez
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte looks at military equipment on the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami stealth frigate during a visit to the MSDF's naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in April.
JAPAN
‘Killer satellites’ beware: Japan unveils first space defense guidelines
By Jesse Johnson
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks to reporters during a visit to the Air Self-Defense Force's Space Situation Awareness radar in Sanyo-Onoda, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on Monday.
BASEBALL
Three decades and a pile of notebooks: The beat writer who chronicled Ichiro’s career
By Mai Yoshikawa
Reporters and photographers, including long-time baseball beat writer Keizo Konishi, swarm around Ichiro Suzuki during the World Baseball Classic in San Diego in 2009.
JAPAN
Tokyo is the No. 2 choice for international students
By Elizabeth Beattie
The University of Tokyo. International students are increasingly flocking to Asia, with affordability being a particularly important metric.

Podcast

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

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear
By Jason Coskrey

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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan to start new residency system for foreign workers
Students hoping to work in Japan attend a Japanese class at a job placement company in Hanoi in October 2022.
JAPAN
Japan to regularly accept assistant language teachers from India
Indian assistant language teachers pose for a photo with Japanese Ambassador Keiichi Ono (center) at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Friday.
JAPAN
At LDP’s post-election meeting, calls intensify for Ishiba’s resignation
By Gabriele Ninivaggi and Eric Johnston
Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba, flanked by LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama (left) and LDP Vice President Yoshihide Suga, speaks at a meeting of party lawmakers and executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Why Ishiba refuses to quit even amid intense pressure for him to go
By Eric Johnston
Supporters of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba take part in a rally across the street from the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
JAPAN
Vietnamese technical intern arrested over Saga murder
Saga Prefectural Police officials speak during a news conference held in the city of Imari, Saga Prefecture, early Monday following the arrest of a Vietnamese man a day earlier on suspicion of murder.