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September 14, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
September 14, 2025
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Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi enters the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Koizumi tells backers he intends to run for LDP presidency
The current agriculture minister is expected to hold a news conference next week to formally announce his candidacy in the party leadership race.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi enters the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Government-stockpiled rice distributed to help bring down high prices is displayed at an Ito-Yokado grocery store in Tokyo on May 31.
JAPAN
Rice prices in Japan rebound to 13-week high
The average price rose ¥264 from the previous week to ¥4,155 in the week through Sunday, up for the second straight week.
Chinese passports left behind in one of the rooms of a dormitory building at a former online casino compound in Bamban, the Philippines, last December after a raid revealed the mayor’s business connections to a money-laundering scandal and sparked allegations of Chinese espionage.
ASIA PACIFIC
Philippines says Chinese ‘malign influence activities’ continue at high pace
By Gabriel Dominguez
A top Philippine security official has said that the espionage activities are “almost on par” with Beijing’s ship deployments in parts of the South China Sea.
Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the fatal shooting of U.S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University, is seen in a mugshot photo released Friday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Suspect in murder of activist Charlie Kirk in custody after 33-hour manhunt
A motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, but authorities noted that anti-fascist slogans were inscribed on unused bullet casings that were found.
Singer-songwriter Mei Ehara confronted the pressure of creating her third album by taking inspiration from a literary device that merely serves as a trigger for a plot. The resulting album is “All About McGuffin.”
CULTURE / Music
Mei Ehara’s third album finds clarity in the noise
By Patrick St. Michel
The Japanese singer-songwriter turns the concept of a McGuffin into her most direct work yet, sharpened by a U.S. tour with Faye Webster.
Singer-songwriter Mei Ehara confronted the pressure of creating her third album by taking inspiration from a literary device that merely serves as a trigger for a plot. The resulting album is “All About McGuffin.”

JAPAN

Shigeko Kagawa, Japan's oldest person at 114, in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, on July 30
Aging Japan’s centenarian population nears 100,000
By Jessica Speed
The number has grown steadily in recent years and comes as the birth rate continues to plummet.
Agricultural minister Shinjiro Koizumi is planning to run in the Liberal Democratic Party's upcoming presidential poll, sources said.
Koizumi plans to run for LDP president, sources say
Koizumi plans to inform his supporters in his electoral district about the decision on the weekend and hold a news conference next week to formally announce his bid.
Two people injured after United Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Osaka
Japan expands sanctions against Russia
Japan starts discussing basic plan for AI use and development
Emperor Naruhito and family pay their respects in Nagasaki

BUSINESS

Jose Munoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor
Hyundai battery plant faces startup delay after U.S. raid, CEO says
By Nora Eckert
The plant, part of a $7.6 billion factory complex to make battery-powered models, was slated to come online later this year.
A booth from the town of Betsukai in Hokkaido at an Amazon Japan furusato nо̄zei promotion event, on Sept. 5 in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
People rush to make furusato nozei donations ahead of tighter rules
Website operators are holding events and campaigns to lure customers before the government bans them from giving reward points to donors, effective next month.
‘PowerPoint broke me’: The challenges for blind professionals
By Miquela V Thornton
U.S. and Japan pledge not to manipulate forex for competitive advantage
By Erica Yokoyama and Takashi Umekawa
Top Japan leaser Orix plans to boost property fund size by 33%
By Ryo Horiuchi
Government reviews Mitsubishi-led group's exit from offshore power projects

WORLD

A British SkySpyke anti-drone system by Quell is seen during the international military exercise Baltic Trust 25 at the Selonia military training ground near Viesite, Latvia, on Aug. 27.
As drones swarm battlefields, militaries seek cheaper defenses
By Gerry Doyle and Aaron Kirchfeld
The dilemma militaries around the world face is that drones tend to be far cheaper than the response to destroy them.
NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich speaks during a news conference on the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones, at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday.
NATO to beef up defense of Europe's eastern flank after Poland drone incursions
Poland's drone shootdown was the first known action of its kind by a NATO member during Russia's war in Ukraine.
Trump’s big U.K. visit comes at worst possible time for PM Keir Starmer
Magnitude 7.4 quake strikes off Russian Far East, tsunami warning lifted
Trump administration plans push at U.N. to restrict global asylum rights
North Korea's Kim says country to boost nuclear arsenal and conventional military

Sports

Canada's Evan Dunfee celebrates after winning the the gold in the men's 35k race walk at the 2025 World Athletics Championships on Saturday morning at Tokyo’s National Stadium.
Evan Dunfee captures first gold of world championships as Japan earns first medal
By Jason Coskrey
Japan's Hayato Katsuki took bronze in the men’s 35-kilometer race walk at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
Japan's top sprinters fail to keep up in 100 meters at world championships
By Sam Byford
Olympic medal-winning German race walker blazes on after battle with depression
By Jason Coskrey
Race walkers brave gripping humidity in opening event of world championships in Tokyo
By Jason Coskrey
Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred looking to add world title to Olympic gold in 100

Opinion

A soldier on a tank waves an Israeli flag amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas near the Israel-Gaza border in January 2024. 
War responsibility across borders and generations
Kumiharu Shigehara
The Asia-Pacific War is often remembered for the culpability of leaders, but this overlooks the multitudes who filled the ranks below.
Israel’s Doha strike has destroyed American credibility
By Daoud Kuttab
America’s politics turn bloody
Japan needs an immigration debate, not social media myths
By Gearoid Reidy
Gen-Z protesters across Asia are challenging the old guard
By Karishma Vaswani

ENVIRONMENT

Smoke streams from a smokestack at a refinery in Anacortes, Washington, last October. The Environmental Protection Agency moved on Friday to stop requiring thousands of polluting facilities to report the amount of heat-trapping greenhouse gases that they release into the air.
U.S. moves to scrap emissions reporting by polluters
U.S. President Donald Trump has heavily promoted new oil, gas, and coal extraction while moving to suppress competition from solar and wind.
Scientists link major carbon emitters to worsening heat waves
By Coco Liu and Eric Roston
Drought hit over half of Europe in mid-August, EU data shows
China’s green push may cut global fossil use by 2030, says think tank
Polluted and poor: Blighted U.S. cities tackle 'toxic soup'
By Carey L. Biron

CULTURE

Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
By Zoria Petkoska and Thu-Huong Ha
Dozens of biennials, triennials, art festivals and fairs are taking place between September and December.
‘100 Meters’ brings kinetic energy to rivalry drama
By Matt Schley
Tokyo International Comedy Festival doubles down on diversity and scale
By Moe Shimizu
Unsound turns Osaka into a laboratory of avant-garde music
By James Hadfield
'Faking Beethoven’: Comedic musical biopic forgets to have fun
By James Hadfield

LIFE

Sensing a bleak future for the local "awamori" liquor, Mizuho Distillery ventured into rum production, releasing a collection of eight rums made from "kokutō" (partially refined or unrefined sugar) sourced from various islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
The sweet rise of Okinawan rum
By Miriam Gradel
The spirit is emerging out of the shadow of the local “awamori” liquor, thanks to a growing band of producers who are keen to tell the tale of the islands' traditional agriculture.
An aesthetic escape to Hakone’s art-drenched hills
By Erik Augustin Palm
In Bali, the Ritz-Carlton’s ultraluxury Mandapa hotel marks 10 years
By Owen Ziegler
'He's a regular man, not unlike us': Marking 40 years of Mario games
By Kilian Fichou and Mathias Cena
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s announcement hits all the right notes in Japan
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

Melos Han-Tani is a game designer of eclectic interests whose upcoming releases, Angeline Era and Danchi Days, are set in alternate-history Ireland and a public housing complex in Japan, respectively.
Melos Han-Tani: ‘Figuring out what you value is valuable for any artist’
By Gendel Gento
A designer, programmer and composer, Han-Tani draws inspiration from a wide range of sources and channels his creativity through games, music and writing.
Gentle care is the key to Cymbal’s heart
Canadian-born politician tackles Ibaraki’s issues big and small
By Gendel Gento
Smiley, spirited Hampen will run into your arms
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
By Justin Randall

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
‘Fairytale’ Shirakawago ranked one of the world’s most beautiful villages
By Elizabeth Beattie
Forbes and Unforgettable Travel Company have ranked Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture as Asia's most beautiful village.
JAPAN
Aging Japan’s centenarian population nears 100,000
By Jessica Speed
Shigeko Kagawa, Japan's oldest person at 114, in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, on July 30
BUSINESS
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
By Kazuaki Nagata
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.
JAPAN
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.
ENVIRONMENT
Shizuoka farmers fight to preserve sustainable tea method that’s steeped in tradition
By Kai Wilson
As of August 2024, the number of confirmed chagusaba farmers had fallen to 302, just over half the 582 reported in 2015, according to the Shizuoka Chagusaba Farming Method Promotion Council.

Podcast

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

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight
By Mai Yoshikawa

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

COMFACTS

The 7th RD20 Conference to be held in Tsukuba, Japan — Registration for Press Briefing and the Conference Now Open
The 7th RD20 Conference to be held in Tsukuba, Japan — Registration for Press Briefing and the Conference Now Open
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan's cutting-edge railgun successfully strikes target vessel
By Gabriel Dominguez
The Defense Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) conducted a ship-board railgun shooting test from June to early July this year with the support of the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
BUSINESS
Is America ready for Japanese-style 7-Elevens?
By River Akira Davis
Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life and 7-Eleven, a chain that began in the U.S. in 1927, opened its first store in Japan in 1974 — and then became wholly Japanese-owned in 2005 through parent company Seven & I Holdings.
JAPAN
‘Fairytale’ Shirakawago ranked one of the world’s most beautiful villages
By Elizabeth Beattie
Forbes and Unforgettable Travel Company have ranked Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture as Asia's most beautiful village.
BUSINESS
People rush to make furusato nozei donations ahead of tighter rules
A booth from the town of Betsukai in Hokkaido at an Amazon Japan furusato nо̄zei promotion event, on Sept. 5 in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
JAPAN
Aging Japan’s centenarian population nears 100,000
By Jessica Speed
Shigeko Kagawa, Japan's oldest person at 114, in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, on July 30