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TOKYO
October 24, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
October 24, 2025
Sanae Takaichi
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Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force personnel march during the joint multinational exercise Garuda Shield 2025 at the Baturaja combat training center in Lampung, Indonesia, last month.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Takaichi to put defense push in spotlight in bid to satiate Trump demands
By Jesse Johnson
She is expected to raise Japan’s defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product by the end of this fiscal year, a move that could pave the way for further hikes.

More coverage

Japan’s new leader to woo Trump with promises on pickups and soybeans
For three key Cabinet posts, Takaichi turns to an eclectic trio
Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force personnel march during the joint multinational exercise Garuda Shield 2025 at the Baturaja combat training center in Lampung, Indonesia, last month.
A South Korean soldier stands next to a TV broadcasting a news report about a possible summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, at the main railway station in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Stars align for Kim-Trump meeting — but any talks will be on N.K. leader’s terms
By Jesse Johnson
Experts say that while the U.S. president may look to return to talks with the North Korean leader, he’s unlikely to convince him to give up his nukes through summitry.
Kimi Onoda, economic security minister and minister for harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals, arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
New ‘immigration minister’ post signals Takaichi Cabinet’s priorities
By Yukana Inoue
The creation of a new post specifically for handling foreign residents shows how immigration is a key policy focus for the Takaichi Cabinet.
North Korean IT workers have been identified working in Japan, the U.S., the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine, using a strategy to secure employment and remit earnings back to North Korea.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
North Korean agents in Japan’s anime industry part of sophisticated sanctions evasion
By Elizabeth Beattie
A cross-border sanctions monitoring effort between Japan and 10 other countries has sounded the alarm on North Korea’s sanctions evasion tactics in a detailed report.
Rock band kurayamisaka’s debut album has listeners debating over its “shoegaze” classification.
CULTURE / Music
Japanese rock fans can't agree on kurayamisaka
By Patrick St. Michel
The September release of the band's debut album has dominated Japan’s indie-rock conversation for weeks, with listeners debating over its “shoegaze” classification.
Rock band kurayamisaka’s debut album has listeners debating over its “shoegaze” classification.

JAPAN

Medical workers treat a patient in a COVID-19 ward at Chiba University Hospital in Chiba in August 2021.
Japanese researchers link COVID-19 ‘brain fog’ to neural receptors
A study found that people who reported difficulty returning to daily life after contracting COVID-19 had a higher-than-usual density of a certain receptor.
Agriculture minister Norikazu Suzuki speaks during an interview at his ministry on Thursday.
New farm minister hints at rethink of rice output increase
Norikazu Suzuki said farmers are worried that prices might collapse next year if there is too much supply.
Tokyo launches English-language international school database
By Elizabeth Beattie
U.S. military police to conduct solo patrol in Naha, seeking to prevent assaults
Child-rearing costs in Japan soar when a child reaches junior high school
Japan’s imperial family mourns 1945 Tokyo air raid victims

BUSINESS

Food inflation was highlighted as one of three factors to watch in deciding the timing of the central bank’s next rate hike.
Japan’s faster inflation highlights need for Takaichi response
By Toru Fujioka
New Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has made confronting the cost of living crunch a priority.
New industry minister Ryosei Akazawa speaks during an interview at the ministry on Thursday.
Minister eyes stricter regulations on large-scale solar farms
Ryosei Akazawa has pointed out that improperly installed mega solar power plants pose challenges for local communities.
Japan has time to restore fiscal health, IMF exec says
By Adriana Reinecke
Trump says all trade talks with Canada are terminated
By Kanishka Singh
Crypto billionaire gets pardon after firm supports Trump family venture
Japan shipbuilders to invest ¥350 billion to double output

WORLD

U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next week as part of a trip to Asia.
Trump seeks elusive trade deal with Xi in high-stakes meeting
By Jennifer A Dlouhy and Josh Wingrove
Analysts expect any agreement reached at the South Korea summit would simply dial down tensions.
A member of the Israeli force stands guard as the Israeli forces block Palestinians and foreign activists from accessing olive trees during the olive harvest, near Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Thursday.
U.S. pressures Israel on West Bank as Rubio voices confidence in Gaza truce
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned before his arrival in Israel that the annexation moves were "threatening" to the fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
EU leaders defer decision on Russian assets as Belgium balks
By Alberto Nardelli, Donato Paolo Mancini and Andrea Palasciano
U.S. mulls Gaza aid plan that would replace controversial GHF aid operation
By Phil Stewart and Jonathan Landay
Are U.S. strikes hurting Latin America's drug trade?
By Lina VANEGAS
Clearing Gaza's surface of bombs will take up to 30 years, aid group says
By Emma Farge

Sports

Hikaru Kawase and the Hawks will try to finish the job in this year's Japan Series after falling short in 2025.
Hawks motivated to take down Tigers after last year's Japan Series collapse
By Jason Coskrey
Fukuoka hosts Hanshin Tigers in Game 1 of the Japan Series on Saturday night — and is determined to finish the job this time.
Philippines curling team chases Olympic dream with nothing to lose
By Aadi Nair
Justin Herbert and Chargers overwhelm skidding Vikings
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads Thunder to double-OT win in Finals rematch
Chepngetich retains women's marathon world record despite three-year ban
By Rohith Nair

Opinion

Despite enduring nearly four years of war, the Ukrainian people continue to live their lives with resilience, showing strength, endurance and the ability to maintain humanity in the face of ongoing hardship.
In Ukraine, we’re learning to live with the war within
Sergey Maidukov
We live with the symptoms of collective post-traumatic stress: a nation holding its breath, waking from nightmares.
The Gaza peace plan will fail without American troops
By James Stavridis
Supply-chain economics beat tariff politics
By Jun Du
The secret to Takaichi’s success in the Indo-Pacific
By Simon Hutagalung
Breaking down Sanae Takaichi’s Cabinet picks
By Michael MacArthur Bosack

ENVIRONMENT

King Bubaraye Dakolo of the Ekpetiama Kingdom in Bayelsa State, southern Nigeria, poses for a photograph in Lagos on Oct. 13.
'What is the value of a human life?' In Nigeria, oil giant Shell may find out.
By Susan Njanji
Bubaraye Dakolo, the monarch of Ekpetiama in Nigeria, is suing a global oil giant over one of the largest corporate environmental liabilities in history.
Climate change and population growth threaten to spark malaria resurgence
Bali grapples with flood reckoning as overdevelopment and waste take toll
By Marchio Gorbiano
U.S. sinks international deal on decarbonizing ships
Trump’s team weighs COP attendance, but influence looms either way
By David Sherfinski

CULTURE

Rock band kurayamisaka’s debut album has listeners debating over its “shoegaze” classification.
Japanese rock fans can't agree on kurayamisaka
By Patrick St. Michel
The September release of the band's debut album has dominated Japan’s indie-rock conversation for weeks, with listeners debating over its “shoegaze” classification.
New book scrutinizes sustainability of traditional Japanese textiles
By Jessica Kozuka
‘Climbing for Life’ doesn’t break new ground, but knows its footing
By James Hadfield
‘Meets the World’: A tragicomic hunger for connection
By Mark Schilling
Kiss lead guitarist Ace Frehley dies at 74
By Daniel Trotta

LIFE

Local authorities want Japanese Halloween to refocus on the children, so expect plenty of community-organized events that are family friendly.
Have you heard? This year Shibuya wants us to have a ‘good Halloween’
By Yuko Tamura
As Shibuya moves from prohibition to permission, learn how to ask where and how to celebrate Japan’s most haunted holiday.
Nakatsu keeps its cool as gentrification looms
By Edward Hewes
Ninja Gaiden 4 revives series with kinetic carnage, clumsy platforming
By Gendel Gento
What does Jimbocho think of its unexpected ‘cool’ status?
By Phoebe Amoroso
Tokyo's best Sunday roasts and all their trimmings
By Shyam Bhardwa

COMMUNITY

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.
By Thu-Huong Ha and Mike Fu
From the desperate and defeated to the blissful and breezy, readers share their experiences of getting a driver’s license in Japan.
Florian Wiltschko: ‘Shinto helps me understand and live within Japanese culture’
By Samantha Seghers
Lovely listener Jimena just needs time and care
A samurai-loving radio host prepares to become Oda Nobunaga for a day
By Gendel Gento
Beauty in slowness: Life lessons from Japanese embroidery
By Cassie Xu

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
The newly formed LDP-JIP coalition may not be as solid as it seems
By Eric Johnston
Ruling Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi and Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura sign a policy agreement between the two parties at the Diet in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
AI-optimized cybercrime increasingly targeting Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie
A recent cyberattack on brewer Asahi Group Holdings resulted in the company suspending shipments.
CULTURE
K-pop idol Chanyeol does J-pop his own way on ‘Hibi’
By Adam Davidson
South Korean singer Chanyeol made his Japanese-language solo debut with the EP “Hibi,” which features six tracks inspired by his love of Japanese music.
JAPAN
In pictures: The day Japan’s glass ceiling finally cracked
By Johan Brooks
Takaichi, surrounded by LDP influencers
SUMO
London exhibition perhaps sumo's most successful trip abroad
By John Gunning
With the recent sumo jaunt to London being essentially a goodwill exercise, <i>rikishi</i> were far more outgoing and relaxed than normal.

Podcast

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

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.
By Thu-Huong Ha and Mike Fu

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons
Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons

COMFACTS

New Food Products Utilizing Tsunan Sake Brewery’s Sake Lees Unveiled at “TORANOMON JUST RIGHT NEW FOOD” Tasting Event
New Food Products Utilizing Tsunan Sake Brewery’s Sake Lees Unveiled at “TORANOMON JUST RIGHT NEW FOOD” Tasting Event
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
For three key Cabinet posts, Takaichi turns to an eclectic trio
By Jesse Johnson
Shinjiro Koizumi — son of a former prime minister and rival to the current one — was appointed defense chief after falling short in his bid for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency earlier this month.
JAPAN
Rare female yakuza walks path to redemption in Japan
By Tomohiro Osaki
Retired yakuza Mako Nishimura sorts fallen leaves during a clean-up activity at the Gifu Gokoku shrine in Gifu Prefecture on Sept. 28.
COMMUNITY
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.
By Thu-Huong Ha and Mike Fu
The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
JAPAN
New ‘immigration minister’ post signals Takaichi Cabinet’s priorities
By Yukana Inoue
Kimi Onoda, economic security minister and minister for harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals, arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Japan's first female PM promised more women in her Cabinet. She picked two.
By Yukana Inoue
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi poses with members of the newly formed Cabinet on Tuesday night.