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September 03, 2025
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September 03, 2025
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Chinese leader Xi Jinping is flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Xi — joined by Kim and Putin — delivers stark warning at military parade
By Jesse Johnson
Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned in a speech that the world is facing a choice of war or peace, as his country marked 80 years since Japan’s defeat in World War II.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing on Wednesday.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
LDP secretary-general offers to step down over Upper House election losses
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Hiroshi Moriyama says he will entrust his future to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is party president.
Takeshi Niinami, then-chief executive officer of Suntory Holdings, in May 2024
BUSINESS / Companies
Suntory CEO Takeshi Niinami resigns over alleged possession of illegal drugs
By Jessica Speed and Kanako Takahara
Police are investigating Niinami over supplements he allegedly purchased overseas that are suspected to be illegal in Japan, a fact that he was unaware of.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief negotiator, said he will be watching legal developments in the United States as tariff cases there move forward.
BUSINESS / Economy
Hope in Tokyo as Trump tariffs declared illegal
By Francis Tang
The decision is seen as potentially having some significance.
Experts say staying off your phone and sticking to a sleep schedule can help those who have trouble dozing off.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mark Japan’s Sleep Day by making some lifestyle changes
By Yuko Tamura
The Japanese are not getting enough sleep. Luckily, everyone from scientists to Shohei Ohtani are offering solutions.
Experts say staying off your phone and sticking to a sleep schedule can help those who have trouble dozing off.

JAPAN

Losses in Japan due to special fraud cases reached ¥72.21 billion during the period from January to July, surpassing the worst-ever annual total of ¥71.88 billion in 2024, according to the National Police Agency.
Losses due to special fraud cases from January to July exceed 2024 record
Two-thirds of the cases involved "fake police," with offenders posing as police officers to swindle targets out of money, National Police Agency data shows.
Brand-new toilet paper and other items are displayed at secondhand goods store PX in the city of Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, on Aug. 19.
Tokyo police ensure mountain of lost and found items don't go to waste
The Metropolitan Police Department received some 4.756 million lost items last year — a record number.
Private World War II museums in Japan struggle to survive
Australian state bans fish-shaped soy sauce bottles to curb plastic pollution
Mutual cultural acceptance underpins Japan-South Korea ties
Osaka rated most powerful Japanese city outside Tokyo for fifth year

BUSINESS

Icons for the Google Chrome and Safari apps on a laptop in Riga, Latvia, on Aug. 13. In a win for Google, Tuesday's federal court ruling didn't bar the company from making payments to third parties including Apple for default browser placement in browsers or on mobile devices.
Google can keep Chrome and keep paying to be default search, federal court rules
By Josh Sisco, Davey Alba and Leah Nylen
Landmark ruling allows Google to avoid one of the most severe remedy requests from the U.S. government after the court found it had an illegal monopoly in the search market.
The latest version of Tamagotchi, called Tamagotchi Paradise, is awarded the best digital toy at Tokyo Toy Show on Aug. 28.
Tamagotchi hatches 100 million shipments worldwide thanks to ’90s nostalgia
By Elizabeth Beattie
Fueled by nostalgia and "kidults," the Tamagotchi boom shows no sign of slowing.
Apple’s lead AI researcher for robotics heads to Meta as part of latest exits
By Mark Gurman
U.S. pulls TSMC’s waiver for China shipments of chip supplies
By Mackenzie Hawkins and Heesu Lee
12 Japanese firms invest in U.S. fusion energy startup
Dollar inches up as gold hovers near record high
By Gregor Stuart Hunter

WORLD

An injured boy receives treatment near damaged houses in the Mazar Dara village of Nurgal, a district of the Kunar Province, in Eastern Afghanistan, on Monday.
With aid slashed, Afghanistan's quake comes at 'very worst moment'
By Claire Gounon
The earthquake has killed more than 1,400 people and injured over 3,000, a toll that was still rising.
Protesters carry items to be burned outside the regional parliament building during a protest against the government's spending priorities, in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, on Monday.
Government gestures leave roots of Indonesia protests intact
By Dessy Sagita
Experts say little has been done to address the economic inequality fueling the unrest, leaving deep resentment to linger and flare up again.
Ukrainian children open school year by heading underground
By Vitalii Hnidyi
Prabowo jets to meet Xi in China after deadly Indonesia protests
By Claire Jiao
Landslide wipes out Sudan village, killing hundreds
Thousands of Israeli reservists report for duty as military chief clashes with ministers
By Emily Rose, Maayan Lubell, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dawood Abu Alkas

Sports

Naoya Inoue takes part in a training session ahead of his bout with Murodjon Akhmadaliev, in Yokohama on Tuesday.
Inoue says taunts 'missed the target' ahead of world title clash
The undefeated Inoue is facing one of the most dangerous opponents of his career when he takes on Akhmadaliev on Sept. 14 with all four belts on the line.
Venus Williams exits U.S. Open in style after age-defying run
Eagles eye Super Bowl repeat as NFL season kicks off with global push
By Frank Pingue
FIFA silence on sanction for errant South Africa a mystery
By Mark Gleeson
Padres All-Star reliever Jason Adam ruptures quadriceps tendon

Opinion

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping attend the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, on Oct. 23.
Realism and realpolitik rule Indian foreign policy
Brad Glosserman
A decade from now, there is likely to be heated debate in the United States over “who lost India,” an accounting that may rival the “who lost China?”
The fissures beneath China’s positive GDP numbers
By Naoko Eto
Indonesia’s protests may fade. The fury won’t.
By Karishma Vaswani
What is a ‘Japanese conservative’ in this day and age?
By Edo Naito
The global perils of China’s new ‘superdam’ project
By Brahma Chellaney

ENVIRONMENT

Fumes rise from the coal-fired Hunter Power Plant in Castle Dale, Utah, in 2024. A 141-page Energy Department report challenged by more than 85 scientists in a joint analysis appeared almost in tandem with a proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind a 2009 endangerment finding — the bedrock of many U.S. greenhouse gas regulations.
Scientists assail ‘cherry-picking’ of Trump administration climate report
By Eric Roston
The report appeared almost in tandem with a proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind a 2009 finding that's the bedrock of many U.S. greenhouse gas regulations.
New wave: Sea power turned into energy at Los Angeles port
By Romain FONSEGRIVES
Ancient tombs unearthed in Iraq due to drought
How Tokyo's Ueno Zoo helps their animals cope with extreme heat
By Carolina Pichardo
Sky-high electricity costs hindering the U.K.'s progress toward net zero
By Kate Holton and Susanna Twidale

CULTURE

“Sympathy Tower Tokyo” is centered around Sara Machina, a star architect designing a new experimental prison in central Tokyo.
ChatGPT controversy is the least interesting part of 'Sympathy Tower Tokyo'
By Thu-Huong Ha
In Rie Qudan’s futuristic Tokyo, AI and architects take on the prison system.
YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global
By Patrick St. Michel
Sakurazaka46 wants the world to dance along
By Patrick St. Michel
In pictures: Koenji Awa Odori 2025
By Johan Brooks
Virtual singer Kaf's music becomes magic in 'Kamitsubaki City Under Construction'
By Alicia Haddick

LIFE

Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones
By Saki Toi
Tokyo’s tattoo artists say natural dyes and ‘made-to-fade’ inks are helping to push back on the long-held stigma against body art.
A fuss-free Okinawan stir-fry to boost your energy in the heat
By Makiko Itoh
Sip a bespoke coffee for ¥4,000
By Melinda Joe
How to complain politely: Lessons from the McDonald’s Pokemon debacle
By Yuko Tamura
Sega's ninja-themed Shinobi series is back from the dead
By Owen Ziegler

COMMUNITY

The Betsukai Pilot Spirits welcomed new players (left to right) Yuta Yamanaka, Roman Guthrie, Scott Bellina and Leo Jiminian this year, pictured here with Yassir Lachkar of the Ishikari Red Phoenix.
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
By Justin Randall
The residents of Betsukai, Hokkaido — where cows outnumber people 7-to-1 — have extended a warm welcome to five players from overseas who joined the Pilot Spirits.
Jesse Kirkwood: ‘Languages are entire cultural universes with all sorts of baggage’
By Kris Kosaka
Tosca turns a new leaf in a new home
More Than Music makes space for creative communion
By Shyam Bhardwa
Seri Yanai: ‘We mix modern and analog to create something new’
By Ayako Nakano

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Why Stalin didn’t invade Hokkaido still largely unknown, 80 years after WWII
By Eric Johnston
During a survey to collect the remains of victims from the Taito Maru, one of the vessels involved in the Three Ships Incident, a metal helmet was found near the stern of the vessel on Aug. 5, 1984, at Rumoi Port. No human remains were discovered.
JAPAN
More sweltering days forecast for September after hottest summer on record
By Jessica Speed
By the end of August, 8,341 people had been transported by ambulance for heatstroke in Tokyo alone.
ASIA PACIFIC
Surrounded by Chinese bases, a tiny Philippine island stands firm
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Philippine Navy sailor looks at a China Coast Guard vessel just off the coast of Pag-asa Island in the disputed South China Sea last month.
JAPAN
‘Mount Fuji Lawson’ becomes a symbol of Japan’s overtourism problem
By Jessica Speed
A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
BUSINESS
‘Cool’ Patagonia wants to take used items into the mainstream
By Elizabeth Beattie
"It's not just about sales. It's about system change," said Marty Pomphrey, general manager of Patagonia Japan, on Aug. 6.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
More sweltering days forecast for September after hottest summer on record
By Jessica Speed
By the end of August, 8,341 people had been transported by ambulance for heatstroke in Tokyo alone.
JAPAN
‘Mount Fuji Lawson’ becomes a symbol of Japan’s overtourism problem
By Jessica Speed
A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
ASIA PACIFIC
Surrounded by Chinese bases, a tiny Philippine island stands firm
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Philippine Navy sailor looks at a China Coast Guard vessel just off the coast of Pag-asa Island in the disputed South China Sea last month.
JAPAN
Woman dies after possible knife attack in Setagaya
By Jessica Speed
Police investigate the scene where a woman was found bleeding on a street in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on Monday.
BUSINESS
Suntory CEO Takeshi Niinami resigns over alleged possession of illegal drugs
By Jessica Speed and Kanako Takahara
Takeshi Niinami, then-chief executive officer of Suntory Holdings, in May 2024