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November 19, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 19, 2025
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A sign reading, "Suspend the sales of all fish products imported from Japan" is displayed in an area home to Japanese restaurants in Beijing in August 2023. China will reimpose a ban on imports of Japanese seafood, media reports in Tokyo said Wednesday, as a diplomatic spat between the two countries deepens.
JAPAN / Politics
China to reimpose ban on Japanese seafood imports amid row over Taiwan, reports say
By Jesse Johnson
China ratcheted up the pressure on Tokyo as a prolonged dispute with Beijing over the Japanese leader's remarks on Taiwan appeared inevitable.

More coverage

China tour groups start canceling Japan trips amid spat
Japan seeks to placate China as strained relations move beyond political realm
A sign reading, "Suspend the sales of all fish products imported from Japan" is displayed in an area home to Japanese restaurants in Beijing in August 2023. China will reimpose a ban on imports of Japanese seafood, media reports in Tokyo said Wednesday, as a diplomatic spat between the two countries deepens.
Economic security minister Kimi Onoda speaks during a group interview in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Economic security minister stresses crackdown on rule-breaking foreign nationals
By Yukana Inoue
Kimi Onoda says she is committed to implementing stricter management of non-Japanese workers and land acquisitions by foreign nationals.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, speaks to reporters outside the Capitol as the House was voting in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
U.S. Congress votes for release of Epstein files, putting matter before Trump
Despite his changed position on the bill, the Republican president remains angry about the attention paid to the Epstein matter.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met for 25 minutes on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Bank of Japan independence holds as governor meets with super-dovish PM
By Francis Tang
Any discussion about the movement of interest rates was kept general and vague.
China holds a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Beware of China’s strategic distortion of reality
Stephen R. Nagy
The ancient strategy resurfaced after Prime Minister Takaichi said Japan might need to respond militarily if China forced Taiwan’s unification.
China holds a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3. 

JAPAN

Authorities have determined that a woman in her 70s found in a rice field in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, died of hypothermia.
Akita woman thought to have been killed by a bear actually died of hypothermia
By Jessica Speed
Authorities concluded that a smaller animal had inflicted the wounds on the body of the woman, who was in her 70s, after her death.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to reporters Tuesday on the parliament grounds.
Japan-South Korea defense drill unlikely to take place this month
Some observers say the South Korean move may be a response to Japan’s recent cancellation of refueling for aircraft from the South Korean Air Force.
Massive fire engulfs more than 170 buildings in Oita
By Jessica Speed
Japanese governor set to approve restart of world’s biggest nuclear plant
By Kantaro Komiya and Katya Golubkova
Five-year pancreatic cancer survival rate hits 10.7% for men and 10.2% for women
Princess Aiko pays courtesy call on Lao president

BUSINESS

The U.S. government has sought to break up Meta for the past five years.
Meta wins FTC antitrust trial over Instagram and WhatsApp deals
By Leah Nylen, Riley Griffin and Josh Sisco
The Federal Trade Commission failed to prove Meta's acquisitions of the apps allowed it to illegally monopolize the social networking market, a district court ruled.
Itsunori Onodera, chair of the Liberal Democratic Party's Tax System Research Commission said it is essential "to discuss the ideal form of our tax system from a perspective close to citizens, instead of presuming that tax increases are inevitable," at the party's headquarters in Nagatacho, Tokyo, on Monday.
LDP to consider adjustable income tax threshold
Itsunori Onodera, chair of the LDP's Tax System Research Commission, said it was "natural" to link the income tax threshold with consumer prices.
Toyota lays out $912 million plan to boost U.S. hybrid production
By Reed Stevenson
BOJ unlikely to hike before March, says panelist advising Prime Minister Takaichi
By Sumio Ito and Toru Fujioka
Electric vehicle sales are booming in South America — without Tesla
By Alex Wickham and Will Standring
U.S. plans to approve sale of chips to Saudi AI venture Humain
By Mackenzie Hawkins

WORLD

Taiwan's Chiangkong missile system in Taipei on Sept. 18. The U.S. has confirmed that it will sell Taipei an advanced air defense missile system worth almost $700 million — the same type battle-tested in Ukraine.
U.S. confirms sale of $700 million air defense system to Taiwan
This is the second weapons deal with Taipei in a week, with only Australia and Indonesia now operating the similar systems in the Indo-Pacific.
U.K. Minister of State in the Home Office, Dan Jarvis, makes a statement to members of Parliament on an 'Espionage Alert' issued by Britain's domestic intelligence agency MI5, in the House of Commons in London on Tuesday.
MI5 warns U.K. lawmakers of new Chinese espionage threat
By Alex Wickham and Will Standring
The security service said spies used cover stories to approach U.K. officials on sites like LinkedIn, often offering jobs as freelance consultants.
Top U.S. army officials in Ukraine in attempt to revive peace talks, Politico reports
Singapore sees a ‘tactical pause’ in tensions between U.S. and China
By Claire Jiao
Indonesian teen's diary and online trail show path to Jakarta mosque blasts
By Ananda Teresia
U.S. retreat as world’s top cop under Trump opens door to regional strife
By Jennifer Welch

Sports

Japan's Keisuke Honda after a match against Belgium in the round of 16 at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in July 2018.
Japan has potential to win 2026 World Cup, says veteran Honda
By Kane Wu
"They have the potential (to) become at least the best four in the World Cup next year, maybe champion," Honda said.
Tony Hawk lobbying for 'vert' exhibition at Los Angeles Olympics
By Rory Carroll
Hina Sugita agrees to 3-year extension with Angel City FC
Sensational Scotland reaches first World Cup since 1998
Olympic torch to crisscross Italy on 12,000 kilometer journey

Opinion

Chinese consulates in Japan and elsewhere regularly conduct gray-zone operations in the form of “pop-up” events at nondesignated diplomatic facilities.
Beware China’s ‘gray-zone’ activities on Japanese soil
Sze-Fung Lee
China’s wolf-warrior diplomacy and belligerent social media posts are not the only unsettling activity carried out by Chinese diplomats in Japan.
Europe seeks to end U.S. tech giants' hold on digital infrastructure
By Robin Berjon
Want students to thrive? Lock up their phones.
By Mary Ellen Klas
The BBC is gambling with its own destruction over Trump scandal
By Rosa Prince
Lessons from the past: The geopolitical significance of historical precedent
By Jacques Attali

ENVIRONMENT

A truck transports timber across an Amazonian field during a Greenpeace flyover amid the U.N. Climate Change Conference, near Cachoeira do Piria, state of Para, Brazil, on Nov. 13.
With more heat and storms, can COP30 boost front-line resilience?
By Clar NiChonghaile
The question of how to make vulnerable communities more resilient in a hotter world is a key debate in the vast compound hosting the COP30 talks.
Clamor for change builds inside the world's COP30 climate negotiations
By Kate Abnett, Simon Jessop and Lisandra Paraguassu
COP30 delegates dig into toughest issues as climate talks enter final week
By Lisandra Paraguassu, Kate Abnett and Sudarshan Varadhan
Carbon capture promoters turn up in numbers at COP30, NGO says
By Benjamin Legendre and Laurent Thomet
Made in Nigeria: Inside Africa’s push to be a solar superpower
By Bukola Adebayo

CULTURE

Members of Band-Maid combine heavy riffs and maid-inspired visuals in their latest project, "Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty."
How Band-Maid brought anime energy into the hard-rock sound of ‘Scooooop’
By Patrick St. Michel
The hard-rock quintet push their creativity to new extremes on latest EP, “Scooooop.”
New ‘Demon Slayer’ film becomes first Japanese movie to break ¥100 billion
Pina Bausch’s 2008 masterpiece to be performed in Japan by the original cast
By Kris Kosaka
Kyoto gets its own teamLab installation, the largest in Japan
By Fred Mery
Chanmina and aespa among 10 acts to debut on NHK’s ‘Kohaku Uta Gassen’
By Patrick St. Michel

LIFE

As bear attacks spike across northern Japan, the country's community of nature enthusiasts say that while the risk might be high now, enjoying the outdoors is still possible with the proper precautions.
‘Be bear aware’: Japan’s outdoor pros sound off on ursine risks
By Drew Damron
Japan’s nature researchers, hunters and trail runners reflect on how a spike in bear activity affects their professions and hobbies.
Old-man puns are getting a Gen Z glow-up as 'neo-dajare'
By Alyssa I. Smith
A dictionary revision illustrates how Japanese keeps on evolving
By Yaeko Kabe
At Ginza’s newest hotel, luxury is a private treasure
By Owen Ziegler
Japanese words of caution in the online world of cyberattacks and phishing
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

Located near the Imperial Palace, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan prides itself on the accessibility of its events and the support it offers to budding and established journalists. The club is currently headed by Dan Sloan, a former reporter for Reuters.
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan celebrates 80 years at the forefront of press freedom
By Gendel Gento
Since its founding in 1945, the club has been an important professional hub and played host to a startling array of political and cultural figures from around the world.
Happy-go-lucky Omochi loves to make friends
Jon Homewood: ‘There’s beauty in what we throw away’
By Joseph Tame
Young Indonesians in Japan find their political voice
By Nadila
Wielding a weapon of yore at a community dojo
By Monique Bae

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
How Band-Maid brought anime energy into the hard-rock sound of ‘Scooooop’
By Patrick St. Michel
Members of Band-Maid combine heavy riffs and maid-inspired visuals in their latest project, "Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty."
BASEBALL
Japan uses series against South Korea to prep for World Baseball Classic title defense
By Jason Coskrey
Japan's Ryuhei Sotani pitches against South Korea at Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
COMMENTARY
Who is cricket’s Shohei Ohtani?
By Salil Tripathi
South African cricket legend Jacques Kallis plays a shot during the final day of a cricket test match against India in Johannesburg in December 2013.
LIFE
Good fortune, wrapped in fried tofu
By Elizabeth Andoh
Golden "age-fukuburo," a culinary take on Japan's new year "lucky bags," can be served on their own.
COMMUNITY
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan celebrates 80 years at the forefront of press freedom
By Gendel Gento
Located near the Imperial Palace, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan prides itself on the accessibility of its events and the support it offers to budding and established journalists. The club is currently headed by Dan Sloan, a former reporter for Reuters.

Podcast

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

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo
By Kathryn Wortley

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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

COMMENTARY
A beloved Tokyo penguin’s end presages Suica’s shift to payments giant
By Gearoid Reidy
JR East is retiring the beloved Suica penguin as part of a rebrand to transform the contactless payment platform, used for both transit and retail, into a mobile fintech powerhouse.
BUSINESS
More Japanese firms relax rules in tussle for workers
By Satoshi Sugiyama
Hinako Mori, 22, arranges products at a Don Quijote outlet in Tokyo in October. The Japanese retailer, which relaxed its rules concerning hair and nail polish three years ago, says nearly a quarter of its employees sport brightly colored hair.
JAPAN
Japan sends senior official to China to cool boiling tensions
By Gabriele Ninivaggi and Jesse Johnson
A Chinese tour group in the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo on Sunday. China has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, following a diplomatic feud sparked by remarks from Tokyo's new prime minister about a hypothetical attack on Taiwan.
JAPAN
What you need to know about the shift to My Number health insurance cards
By Jessica Speed
With the government's integration of health insurance with My Number cards, conventional health insurance cards will no longer be accepted at clinics and hospitals across Japan from Dec. 2.
JAPAN
Japan seeks to placate China as strained relations move beyond political realm
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Director-General of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Masaaki Kanai (left) and Chinese Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs Liu Jinsong depart after a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Tuesday.