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July 09, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 09, 2025
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Search and rescue teams work along the shoreline as another passes by on a boat in the Guadalupe River in Center Point, Texas, on Tuesday.
WORLD
More than 160 people still missing days after deadly Texas floods
By Moisés ÁVILA
The death toll includes at least 27 girls and counselors from a nearby youth summer camp, with more still missing.
Search and rescue teams work along the shoreline as another passes by on a boat in the Guadalupe River in Center Point, Texas, on Tuesday.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters in Washington on June 27.
JAPAN
U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent to visit Japan next week for Expo
By Erica Yokoyama and Takashi Umekawa
The visit comes after Donald Trump stated his intention to raise tariffs on all Japanese imports to 25% — slightly higher than the 24% rate initially announced in April.
U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at Morristown Airport, New Jersey, on Sunday. Trump on Monday sent letters to 12 countries notifying them of new "reciprocal" tariff rates effective Aug. 1.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan stands its ground after Trump letter delivers 25% U.S. tariff shock
By Francis Tang
Tokyo holds the line on its negotiating position, especially when it comes to auto exports.
Mourners pay their respects to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday in the city of Nara where he was shot to death while giving a stump speech three years ago.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Three years after Abe's shooting, where do things stand?
By Kanako Takahara
The criminal trial against the alleged shooter is proceeding at a snail's pace due to the sensitivity, complexity and social impact of the case.
Despite months of negotiations and Japan’s key role as a U.S. ally and investor, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces frustration as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats persist — damaging trust and complicating relations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Donald Trump’s ‘copy-and-paste’ tariffs will no doubt rile ‘Mr. Japan’
Gearoid Reidy
Trump's copy-and-paste wording sent to world leaders was virtually identical, including telling Tokyo to open its "heretofore closed trading markets” — whatever that means.
Despite months of negotiations and Japan’s key role as a U.S. ally and investor, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces frustration as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats persist — damaging trust and complicating relations.

JAPAN

Emperor Naruhito delivers a keynote speech via video at the Seventh Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters held at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
Emperor gives video speech at U.N. event on water and disasters
He urged people "to take new action" to tackle water-related issues around the world.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan to set up 'control tower' for crimes by foreign residents
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said the organization at the Cabinet Secretariat will work "to realize an orderly and inclusive society with foreign residents."
Single-seat districts hold promise of success in Upper House election
Premiums and wages at heart of social security debate ahead of Upper House vote
Boosting support for parents of children with disabilities in Japan
Emperor and empress mourn Japanese who died in Mongolia

BUSINESS

U.S. President Donald Trump (center) with Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the White House on Tuesday
Trump vows no tariff extension, hardens threats on copper, drugs
By Stephanie Lai
The U.S. president stresses he would not offer additional extensions on country-specific levies set to now hit in early August.
Yamanashi Chuo Bank's Tokyo office. The regional bank has set up an "investment advisory firm” to get around internal salary limits and attract talent.
Rural bank in Japan finds novel way to attract talent with higher pay
By Taiga Uranaka
Yamanashi Chuo Bank has set up an "investment advisory firm” to get around internal salary limits, showing the lengths it's willing to go to bolster its ranks.
AI video becomes more convincing, rattling creative industry
By Thomas URBAIN
Japan's current account surplus sets record for May as trade deficit shrinks
Despite leadership changes, Kobayashi Pharma still struggling with reform
Japanese agency's affirmation of top U.S. credit rating helps Hong Kong funds
By Takahiko Hyuga and Issei Hazama

WORLD

A law enforcement member works in recovery operations following flooding on the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, on Monday.
Misinformation from left and right sows confusion amid Texas floods
By Anuj Chopra
Liberals baselessly blamed staffing cuts at U.S. weather agencies for flawed warning systems while conservatives ramped up conspiracy theories.
Merchant ships in the southern Red Sea. The resumption of attacks by Houthi militants could once again deter more owners and crews against going through the Red Sea.
Two killed in Houthi attack on cargo ship in Red Sea
By Mohammed Hatem, Verity Ratcliffe, Erik Olsson and Catherine Cartier
The return of Houthi attacks could once again deter more ship owners and crews against going through the Red Sea to cut shipping time.
Trump faces MAGA meltdown over Epstein reversal
By Frankie TAGGART
Brazil’s Lula hosts Modi in bid to turn India into a major trade partner
By Simone Iglesias and Daniel Carvalho
Trump slams Putin again as he backs more weapons for Ukraine
By Josh Wingrove, Ryan Chua and Stephanie Lai
U.K. post office scandal may have caused 13 suicides: inquiry
By Helen ROWE

Sports

Chelsea's Joao Pedro (left) after scoring his club's first goal of its Club World Cup semifinal win over Fluminense on Tuesday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Joao Pedro brace sends Chelsea into Club World Cup final
By Andy Scott
The Brazilian striker dominated his former club Fluminense as Chelsea set up a showdown with either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
Tottenham signs Japan defender Takai from Kawasaki Frontale
Alcaraz and Sabalenka take contrasting routes into Wimbledon semis
By Steven Griffiths
Tottenham signs Japan defender Takai from Kawasaki Frontale
Wimbledon changes line-calling system after embarrassing blunder
By John WEAVER

Opinion

Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends the EU-Japan summit in Brussels in July 2023. Economic cooperation between the EU, Japan and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is showing promise but faces political and structural hurdles that could limit progress.
EU-CPTPP talks highlight shared goals and stubborn obstacles
Brad Glosserman
EU economic cooperation with Japan and the CPTPP shows promise but could face political and structural hurdles that limit progress.
Unchecked and unbalanced: The future of U.S. economic policymaking
By Paul Nadeau
RFK Jr. is playing with babies’ lives
By Mihir Sharma
Central Asia changes its playbook
By Djoomart Otorbaev and Brian Wong
The U.S. bombing of Iran was a win for Putin
By Marc Champion

ENVIRONMENT

A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.
Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste
By Chermaine Lee
Some scholars and activists are raising concerns that Indigenous voices are not being heard amid the debate over whether to host nuclear waste storage facilities.
France worries about Japanese beetles after finding two
China leading BRICS clean-energy boom with shift into solar, report shows
Europe’s climate resolve faces big test as EU unveils 2040 goal
By John Ainger and Ewa Krukowska
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
By Anton L. Delgado

CULTURE

Author Minae Mizumura strolls through the garden of her cottage in Oiwake, Karuizawa, in a photograph taken by her friend and collaborator Toyota Horiguchi.
Between reality and fiction: A summer’s day in Karuizawa with Minae Mizumura
By Hanako Lowry
The author speaks on the Nagano Prefecture town's unique positioning between Japan and the West, literary tradition and artificial intelligence.
Queer-coded yakuza story wins prestigious U.K. crime writing award
By Thu-Huong Ha
‘Try first, figure it out later’: Kom_I and Foodman’s beautiful mess
By Patrick St. Michel
‘Virgin Punk: Clockwork Girl’: Beautiful, brutal and bringing back ’90s anime energy
By Matt Schley
‘I Am Kirishima’ peels back the mystery of a fugitive radical
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

Once a way to transport lumber from the mountains to the coast, log rafting is now Kitayama's biggest attraction.
A tiny mountain hamlet keeps traditional log rafting afloat
By Louise George Kittaka
Log rafting was once a means of transporting timber, but now it’s the tourist draw of a tiny Wakayama village.
Shintaro Awa appointed to head the kitchen of L’Ambroisie in Paris
By Kyoko Nakayama
What’s the first thing you think of when you think of a Japanese summer?
By Yuko Tamura
Beyond the lavender fields in Furano, a whisky distillery emerges
By Simon Daly
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
By Tan Pin Yen

COMMUNITY

Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
By Kat Joplin
Owning a dog in Japan may seem daunting, but having these tools and tips in mind can ease your journey and bring you lots of joy.
Japanese language is your gateway to seeing the world anew
By Damian Flanagan
Miho Koshiba: ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if people looked forward to Mondays?’
By Carina Fushimi
Fine feline twosome on the hunt for a forever home
A singular ensemble: Indian food, science and Fukushima
By Trishit Banerjee

Editors' Picks

MORE SPORTS
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
By Mai Yoshikawa
Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.
JAPAN
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
By Eric Johnston
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
JAPAN
Scams involving police impersonation surge
By Jessica Speed
A video by the National Police Agency warns about fake scams.
JAPAN
Lawson to let visitors use larger parking lots as paid car campsites
By Yukana Inoue
A Lawson convenience store in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture. A new service from the company comes amid the rise in inbound tourists, making hotels and inns harder to book and more expensive.
CULTURE
The future is bright inside the visionary mind of architect Sou Fujimoto
By Zoria Petkoska
The exhibition of Fujimoto’s architecture surveys his career to date, as well as looks ahead as shown in his proposal of a future floating city designed in collaboration with data scientist Hiroaki Miyata.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
By Eric Johnston
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
BUSINESS
Trump announces new tariff rate on Japan — and extension of deadline to Aug. 1
By Francis Tang
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a trade letter sent by the White House to Japan during a news conference at the White House in Washington on Monday.
COMMENTARY
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
By Yi Fuxian
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai in July 2022. The Chinese government risks long-term decline by repeating Japan’s policy mistakes in handling its real estate and demographic crises.
JAPAN
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
BUSINESS
Japan stands its ground after Trump letter delivers 25% U.S. tariff shock
By Francis Tang
U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at Morristown Airport, New Jersey, on Sunday. Trump on Monday sent letters to 12 countries notifying them of new "reciprocal" tariff rates effective Aug. 1.