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TOKYO
November 11, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 11, 2025
Sanae Takaichi
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Bear attacks
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Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions during a session of the House of Representatives' Budget Committee in parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Takaichi stands firm on controversial Taiwan contingency remarks
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
While the prime minister says she has “no intention” of changing the government’s position, her remarks push the line further than those of her predecessors.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions during a session of the House of Representatives' Budget Committee in parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, attends an extraordinary session of the Lower House in Tokyo on Oct. 21.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
DPP finds itself on the outside after failing to join ruling coalition
By Eric Johnston
Yuichiro Tamaki’s indecisiveness is seen as having contributed to his party’s drop in popularity.
New guidelines are addressing struggles by teachers to deal with the burden of parents who make irrational complaints that go beyond what is considered socially acceptable, often referred to as "monster parents," which is overwhelming their workload.
JAPAN / Society
Tokyo looks to keep ‘monster parents’ at bay with new protocols
By Yukana Inoue
Measures from limiting the duration of meetings to having a lawyer handle complaints aim to protect teachers from irrational requests and abusive behaviors.
A staff member sorts bells next to an advertisement for bear spray at a store in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 24.
JAPAN / Society
Businesses in Japan tighten bear safety measures as sightings surge
By Jessica Speed
Convenience stores and delivery companies are taking action to protect employees and customers as the predators are spotted in record numbers.
Tokyo has a gross domestic product of $2.55 trillion, just ahead of New York’s $2.49 trillion and Greater Los Angeles’ $1.62 trillion, according to CEOWorld’s global wealth index.
BUSINESS / Economy
Tokyo ranked world’s richest city by GDP, with Osaka-Kobe also rated highly
By Elizabeth Beattie
The Japanese capital excelled thanks to its "operational excellence, technological sophistication, and disciplined economic governance,” according to a recent report.
Tokyo has a gross domestic product of $2.55 trillion, just ahead of New York’s $2.49 trillion and Greater Los Angeles’ $1.62 trillion, according to CEOWorld’s global wealth index.

JAPAN

The Justice Ministry is assessing the impact of tougher penalties for the crime of insult.
Japan assessing impact of tougher penalties for insults
The Justice Ministry is assessing through an expert panel the impact of tougher penalties for the crime of insult three years after their enforcement through a penal code revision.
Kunio Komesu, a member of the Sea Turtle Association of Japan, at a beach in Ogimi, Okinawa Prefecture, in October
Sea turtle eggs in Okinawa being damaged by waves due to coastal erosion
If the erosion persists, the three types of turtles — which are listed on the Environment Ministry’s Red List of endangered species — might stop laying eggs there.
Japan to review coverage for prescription medicines similar to OTC drugs
Japan likely to discuss possessing nuclear subs
Tokyo government conducts sign language lessons ahead of Deaflympics
A year after Hidankyo’s Nobel win, A-bomb survivors pin hopes on youth

BUSINESS

Nomura Holdings decided to fold its fledgling proprietary trading desk in London into other parts of the markets business, ditching an effort to restart the contentious practice.
Nomura abandons effort to restart prop trading desk in London
By Donal Griffin
The short-lived effort shows how Japan’s biggest brokerage continued high-risk bets even as executives say they’ve overhauled to focused on serving customers.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks after the October rate-setting meeting, where the policy rate was kept at 0.5%.
Bank of Japan signals it's inclined to increase rates, with the usual caveats
By Kazuaki Nagata
The central bank will make the move as long as wages keep moving up at a healthy pace, and there are no big surprises.
Horse-themed lucky bags to hit Japan’s during 2026 New Year’s sales
Goldman sees U.S. investors flocking to Japan as Nikkei surges
By Momoka Yokoyama
Olympus soars most in six years on job cuts and shakeups
By Kanoko Matsuyama and Alice French
Unions slam Trump for giving China a pass on shipbuilding
By Joe Deaux and Laura Curtis

WORLD

A resident paddles his boat through floodwaters past inundated houses in Tuguegarao City, the Philippines, on Monday.
Typhoon Fung-Wong hits Philippines with high winds and flooding
Fung-Wong was the second deadly typhoon to hit the country in the past week after Kalmaegi slammed into the central Philippines, and left more than 200 dead.
A general view of the opening ceremony of the Global Women’s Summit 2025 as China’s President Xi Jinping delivers a speech on Oct. 13 in Beijing
In China, victims of abuse are told to ‘keep it in the family’
By joy dong and Alexandra Stevenson
When two women in China tried to escape their violent husbands, the system that promised to protect them looked the other way, until it was too late.
Indonesia grants national hero status to late strongman President Suharto
By Ananda Teresia and Stanley Widianto
Eleven found dead in Thai-Malaysia search after Rohingya migrant boat sinks
By Huey Mun Leong
U.S. shutdown nears end as Senate Democrats agree to funding deal
By Steven T. Dennis and Erik Wasson
Poland’s support for Ukrainians is cracking at a dangerous time
By Maxim Edwards

Sports

Former Supersonics head coach Lenny Wilkens holds the 1979 championship trophy during a timeout of a preseason game between the Kings and Warriors in Seattle on Oct. 5, 2018.
Hall of Fame player and coach Lenny Wilkens dies at age 88
Wilkens had career averages of 16.5 points and 6.7 assists in 1,077 career regular-season games as a player and compiled a 1,332-1,155 record a an NBA coach.
Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki pulls out of friendlies due to injury
Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue dies at 84
Lando Norris extends lead atop F1 standings race with victory in Brazil
NFL makes successful return to Berlin as Colts beat Falcons

Opinion

The second Trump administration has challenged the European Union’s hard-won market indispensability and forced it into a defensive posture.
Trump 2.0 diminishes European Union power
Hitoshi Suzuki and Gabriele Maletta
Despite the EU’s large consumer market, the political and economic union has failed to fully exercise its strengths since the start of the second Trump administration.
Want to fight climate change? Fight ‘climate fatigue’
By Carola Hommerich
Make COP30 about human welfare
By Bjorn Lomborg
Domestic issues dominate prime minister's strong Diet debut
Youth is losing to experience in this job market
By Conor Sen

ENVIRONMENT

Residents walk over the debris of a structure destroyed in high winds in Nhon Hai fishing village near Quy Nhon in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi in Gia Lai province, central Vietnam, on Friday.
As Typhoon Kalmaegi wreaks havoc in Southeast Asia, scientists say rising temperatures are to blame
By David Stanway
Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least 188 people across the Philippines and caused untold damage to infrastructure and farmland across the archipelago.
World leaders punch back at U.S. climate denial ahead of COP30 negotiations
By Valerie Volcovici, Lisandra Paraguassu and William James
How sickly forests are felling Europe's climate ambitions
By Alison Withers, Kate Abnett and Simon Johnson
30 years of climate talks: Progress, pitfalls and a planet in peril
By Valerie Volcovici and Richard Valdmanis
Climate-friendly mayors find hope in Trump’s election setback
By Peter Millard, Mariana Durao and Beatriz Amat

CULTURE

"Palaver" takes place almost entirely in Tokyo, particularly in Shinjuku Ward and areas including Shinjuku Ni-chome and Shin-Okubo.
‘Palaver’: A queer story set in Tokyo searches for a home for the heart
By Grace En-yi Ting
A finalist for this year’s National Book Award for Fiction in the U.S., Bryan Washington’s “Palaver” is a gentle exploration of leaving and arriving.
What we see when Japanese women photographers shoot back
By Jennifer Pastore
‘Palestine 36’ wins top honor as TIFF wraps a 10-day celebration of cinema
By Alyssa I. Smith
Asian auteurs stole the show at this year's TIFF
By Mike Fu
A 40-year wait for ‘Mishima’ ends at TIFF
By James Hadfield

LIFE

Parents in Japan consider everything from kanji meaning, sound and total strokes when choosing names for their newborns.
‘Deep Blue,’ ‘Morning Sun,’ ‘Clear Sky’: Japan’s top baby names for 2025
By Yuko Tamura
Single-kanji names jumped in popularity this year, possibly in reaction to a new law aiming to crack down on overly creative ”kira kira” names.
At Nadaman, a traditional Japanese multicourse meal gets a new format
By Weiwen Lin
Learning to feel noh: The words that unlock its mystery and emotion
By Eric Margolis
How airlines are refining their in-flight food in Japan's tourism boom
By Tan Pin Yen
A Sichuan-inspired classic gets an umami boost
By Makiko Itoh

COMMUNITY

After a peripatetic childhood around the world, teacher and artist Jon Homewood ended up coming to Japan in 2012 for a professional opportunity.
Jon Homewood: ‘There’s beauty in what we throw away’
By Joseph Tame
Using aluminum cans as his medium, the Tsukuba-based British artist creates intricate sculptures that take months or longer to complete.
Young Indonesians in Japan find their political voice
By Nadila
Wielding a weapon of yore at a community dojo
By Monique Bae
Florian Wiltschko: ‘Shinto helps me understand and live within Japanese culture’
By Samantha Seghers
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.
By Thu-Huong Ha and Mike Fu

Editors' Picks

MORE SPORTS
Jenson Button brings end to an illustrious racing career intertwined with Japan
By Joel Tansey
Jenson Button races for Honda during the Singapore Grand Prix in September 2008.
LIFE
Cleanliness gets competitive at Tokyo’s Spogomi world cup
By Erik Augustin Palm
On Oct. 29, teams from 33 qualifying countries scoured the streets of Shibuya for all manners of trash as part of the Spogomi litter-picking competition.
COMMUNITY
Jon Homewood: ‘There’s beauty in what we throw away’
By Joseph Tame
After a peripatetic childhood around the world, teacher and artist Jon Homewood ended up coming to Japan in 2012 for a professional opportunity.
SUMO
Yokozuna duo Onosato and Hoshoryu poised for another clash of titans
By John Gunning
Yokozuna duo Onosato (right) and Hoshoryu clash for the title on the final day of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Sept. 28 at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
BUSINESS
High-speed rail is expensive and difficult, but seen as a key to growth
By Kazuaki Nagata
Achal Khare, former managing director at India’s National High Speed Rail Corporation, gives a presentation during the IHRA Forum 2025 in Tokyo on Oct. 23.

Podcast

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

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years
By Yukana Inoue

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

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
Tsunami threat passes following magnitude 6.9 quake off Iwate
A tsunami advisory was issued for Iwate Prefecture on Sunday evening following a strong earthquake. The advisory was later called off, after waves measuring 20 centimeters were recorded in some areas.
JAPAN
Japan to subsidize demolition of abandoned inns
Abandoned Japanese-style inns in the Kinugawa hot springs resort in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, in March 2023
JAPAN
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years
By Yukana Inoue
Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
WORLD
From France to Mali, a deportee's struggle far from home
By Sofia Christensen, Juliette Jabkhiro and Layli Foroudi
Moussa Sacko, a Malian deported from France — where he had lived since he was a young child — stands on a street in Bamako, Mali, in December. Compared with his home in France, Bamako feels like a different planet, Sacko said.
JAPAN
Mother of Thai girl forced into sex work in Tokyo detained in Taiwan
The Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward