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July 22, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 22, 2025
Japan elections
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Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday, a day after the Upper House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Frustration simmers in LDP as Ishiba clings to post after election defeat
By Himari Semans
The Liberal Democratic Party is expected to have a meeting on July 31 where the key focus will be on whether the party's leadership can dispel concerns about staying on.
Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday, a day after the Upper House election.
Kansai Electric Power Company's Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture
JAPAN
Kepco to build Japan’s first new nuclear reactor since Fukushima meltdown
By Yukana Inoue
Kepco’s plan for a new reactor comes after the government adopted the Seventh Strategic Energy Plan in February, declaring policies to maximize the use of nuclear power.
Komeito head Tetsuo Saito speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Upper House election confirms inexorable decline of voting blocs
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Unaffiliated voters were the kingmakers in Sunday’s election.
Trevor Hill, former head of equity at SMBC Nikko Securities, arrives at the Tokyo District Court in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Former SMBC Nikko managers found guilty in market manipulation case
By Takashi Nakamichi and Ryo Horiuchi
When the allegations of market manipulation surfaced in early 2022, they shone a spotlight on Japan’s financial sector and led to regulatory penalties against the brokerage.
Pham Thi Bich Hau (fifth from left) began translating and interpreting for the Vietnamese community in Japan in 2013, when she was working for a trainee management organization. She went on to found the Vietnam Women's Union in Japan, organizing activities like the Tet festival pictured here.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
The mothers holding up Japan's Vietnamese community
By Nguyen Bao Anh
Online support groups and in-person events are helping Vietnamese women from all walks of life manage motherhood abroad.
Pham Thi Bich Hau (fifth from left) began translating and interpreting for the Vietnamese community in Japan in 2013, when she was working for a trainee management organization. She went on to found the Vietnam Women's Union in Japan, organizing activities like the Tet festival pictured here.

JAPAN

Doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo followers chant in religious training before a portrait of guru Shoko Asahara in 1999 at Aum's Adachi office in Tokyo, where extensive facilities are located.
Son of executed Aum Shinrikyo founder identified as Aleph leader
The unnamed 31-year-old son of Chizuo Matsumoto has been “involved in organizational decision-making and is leading Aleph’s operations.”
Kunashiri, one of the four islands seized by Russia in the last days of World War II, is visible from the Shiretoko Peninsula in northeastern Hokkaido.
Ex-residents of Russian-controlled islands off Hokkaido want grave-site visits resumed
By Eric Johnston
Now in their advanced years, the former residents want the visits to be restored for them to honor their ancestors whose grave sites are located on the four islands.
Rice grain-sized earphone may have been used to cheat on TOEIC English test
Zelenskyy taps fluent Japanese speaker as new envoy to Tokyo
Lawyers file lawsuit to nullify Upper House election
Japan briefs Australia on frigate for export

BUSINESS

The Microsoft logo is seen at the Hannover Messe, one of the world's largest industrial trade fairs in Hanover, Germany, on March 31.
Microsoft rushes to stop hackers from wreaking global havoc
By JAKE BLEIBERG, Jane Lanhee Lee and Mark Anderson
Unidentified hackers are exploiting a flaw in the SharePoint document management software to break into the systems of governments, businesses and other organizations.
Upper House votes being counted on Sunday. The Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition lost its majority in the upper chamber of parliament, but could still be effective in thwarting the opposition.
Consumption tax cut not a given even after Upper House election
By Kazuaki Nagata
Political and economic realities suggest that opposition policies will not skate through.
Mizuho to enhance client support amid rise of activist investors
Scandals put Japanese nonlife insurers' business model at a crossroads
Japanese bonds remain vulnerable as unpopular Ishiba holds on
By Alice French
U.S. seeking best deal for Americans in talks with Japan, Bessent says

WORLD

U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Jensen Huang, chief executive of computer chip maker Nvidia for an event to discuss U.S. technology investments at the White House in Washington on April 30.
As Trump courts a more assertive Beijing, China hawks are losing out
By Ana Swanson and Tripp Mickle
The Trump administration has dialed back aggressive measures against China and reversed its position on technology controls as the president angles for a Chinese trip.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shakes hands with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a welcome ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington on Monday.
Philippine president and top U.S. officials vow to ramp up deterrence
By Jesse Johnson
Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met separately with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Landmine dispute escalates tensions between Thailand and Cambodia
Without papers: Ghost lives of millions of Pakistanis
By Sameer MANDHRO
Anxiety and pride among Cambodia's future conscripts
By Suy SE
Western aid cuts cede ground in Southeast Asia to China, study suggests

Sports

Ichiro Suzuki will soon become the first Japanese player to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Induction of Ichiro has Cooperstown fretfully preparing
By Evan Drellich
The star's entry into baseball's Hall of Fame could bring an influx of fans from far away.
England players suffered racist abuse from fans in Argentina, World Rugby says
Del Castillo and Spain 'full of hope' ahead of Germany Euro 2025 semi
By Pablo Melian
Rowland targets multiple titles after Formula E breakthrough
By Alan Baldwin
European captain Luke Donald agrees to Ryder Cup rules change

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes part in a campaign event in Yokohama on July 6. Japan faces deep structural challenges but lacks bold political vision and leaders willing to take risks for transformative change.
Performative ‘elections’ expose a sad lack of vision
Stephen R. Nagy
Political parties jostle for position and trade barbs but offer no clear plan for Japan’s growing structural challenges.
Ishiba loses his ‘mandate from heaven’
By Gearoid Reidy
The AI arms race with China demands scale. The West must think bigger.
By Brad Glosserman
Scientists can’t stay in their ivory tower
By Yuko Kakazu
Why there isn’t a best chef in the world
By Howard Chua-Eoan

ENVIRONMENT

Polymetallic nodules — bulbous lumps of rock that are rich in battery metals such as cobalt and nickel which carpet huge tracts of Pacific Ocean seabed — in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands on June 12.
Trump’s critical minerals obsession reignites deep-sea mining
By Todd Woody
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order expediting U.S. licensing of seabed mining, departing from international law.
Trump staff cuts force firefighters to clean toilets, critics say
By Andrew Hay
Restoring sea floor after mining may not be possible, researchers warn
By Amelie Bottollier-Depois
Pakistan's quiet solar rush puts pressure on national grid
By Zain Zaman Janjua
How schools are being built for extreme heat — without air conditioning
By Emma Batha

CULTURE

Fuji Rock Festival turns the green slopes of Niigata Prefecture’s Naeba Ski Resort into a summer escape that offers soundtracks for every mood.
JT picks: What not to miss at Fuji Rock 2025
By Johan Brooks, Alyssa I. Smith, Patrick St. Michel, Mark Thompson and Philip Brasor
Ready for Fuji Rock? Here are The Japan Times crew's recommendations for must-see artists at next weekend's three-day music festival.
What to pack if you are heading to the Fuji Rock Festival
The self as a muse: Leonard Foujita's world in paintings and photos
By Jennifer Pastore
Kawaii Lab redefines idol pop for the TikTok generation
By Patrick St. Michel
Akutagawa and Naoki award decision marks rare absence of literary prizewinners
By Alyssa I. Smith

LIFE

You don't need an oven to make Kenji Morimoto's easy and delicious Miso Sticky Toffee Crepe Cake.
In microbes we trust: Embracing the nature of fermented food
By Simon Daly
With simple, fuss-free recipes, Kenji Morimoto's debut cookbook effortlessly guides home cooks into the unpredictable but rewarding world of fermentation.
In Gaza-made obi, Palestinian embroidery meets Japanese kimono
By Anna Sakamoto
Dancers, festivals and one very useful Japanese grammar point
By Yaeko Kabe
Cool to be square: A block of tofu with veggies to chill your summer
By Elizabeth Andoh
Sega’s first Japan store signals ‘immersive entertainment’ push
By Gendel Gento

COMMUNITY

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa
Remote work is reshaping how Indian professionals navigate life, family and identity in a post-pandemic Japan.
Lilimi settles into a new life
Tobias Bieker: ‘A good interviewer helps the guest shine’
By Gendel Gento
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
By Kat Joplin
Japanese language is your gateway to seeing the world anew
By Damian Flanagan

Editors' Picks

ENVIRONMENT
Japan’s top brands get tied up in the great sunscreen debate
By Tomoko Otake
A coral reef in Okinawa in July 2022. Some jurisdictions around the world have moved to ban certain sunscreens in a bid to protect coral reefs, but some say the impact on reefs is far from clear.
WORLD
Pentagon looks to unleash ‘military drone dominance’
By Gabriel Dominguez
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a drone demonstration at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on July 10.
CULTURE
‘Noto Democracy’ and the slow work of civic change
By Moe Shimizu
Yukio Iokibe’s “Noto Democracy" centers on Motoyuki Takii, a former junior high school teacher who publishes a handwritten newspaper every month to encourage the residents of Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture, to engage in local politics.
LIFE
In microbes we trust: Embracing the nature of fermented food
By Simon Daly
You don't need an oven to make Kenji Morimoto's easy and delicious Miso Sticky Toffee Crepe Cake.
LIFE
Touring the Silk Road — without leaving Tokyo
By Kimberly Hughes
One of the entrances to Pao Compound, a nine-story Silk Road-inspired complex in Tokyo's Higashinakano neighborhood

Podcast

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

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan
By Alex K.T. Martin

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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan ruling bloc loses majority in Upper House after election drubbing
By Kanako Takahara, Gabriele Ninivaggi and Francis Tang
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves concurrently as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, leaves at the party's headquarters following announcement of Upper House election result projections in Tokyo early Monday.
JAPAN
‘Japanese First’ Sanseito emerges as powerful force after Upper House poll
By Himari Semans
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya in Tokyo on Sunday night
JAPAN
Foreign residents closely follow Japan's election and party pledges
By Jessica Speed
A police officer walks past posters of Liberal Democratic Party candidates, as well as one showing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, outside the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday. As Japan’s foreign population continues to rise, one of the talking points during Sunday’s election was how the country should deal with the increase of international residents.
ENVIRONMENT
Japan’s top brands get tied up in the great sunscreen debate
By Tomoko Otake
A coral reef in Okinawa in July 2022. Some jurisdictions around the world have moved to ban certain sunscreens in a bid to protect coral reefs, but some say the impact on reefs is far from clear.
MORE SPORTS
Hitomi Obara, 2012 Olympic champion in wrestling, dies at 44
Hitomi Obara competes at the London Olympics in August 2012.