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TOKYO
November 12, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 12, 2025
Sanae Takaichi
China
Bear attacks
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A farmer harvests rice in a field in Chikusei, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Oct. 9. Prices will most likely remain in the ¥4,000 range for 5 kilograms of the grain at least until the 2026 harvest is released next summer.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
New Cabinet searches for effective rice policy amid resurging prices
By Yukana Inoue
Officials are considering the distribution of “rice tickets” to make the nation’s staple grain more affordable for certain households.
A farmer harvests rice in a field in Chikusei, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Oct. 9. Prices will most likely remain in the ¥4,000 range for 5 kilograms of the grain at least until the 2026 harvest is released next summer.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during an Upper House Budget Committee session on Wednesday in Tokyo
JAPAN / Politics
Takaichi sidesteps commitment to decades-old nonnuclear principles
By Jesse Johnson
The prime minister refrained from saying her government would maintain Japan’s Three Non-Nuclear Principles, leaving the door open for a potential revision.
Mobile Suica is being improved so that it is more useful in an increasingly cashless society.
BUSINESS / Companies
Penguin-less Suica to take on PayPay in payments with QR codes and higher limits
By Kazuaki Nagata
Balance limits will go from ¥20,000 on the current e-money system to ¥300,000.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a Lower House Budget Committee meeting on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan lawmakers eye firm response to Chinese envoy's threat to behead PM
The LDP adopted a resolution calling for a decisive response to Xue Jian's post on X, including the possibility of expelling the diplomat from Japan.
Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku (front center) delivers a speech on the first day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center on Sunday. Centuries of belief and tradition still underpin the all-male association's stance of excluding women.
SUMO
As Japan’s female leader rises, can she cross sumo’s sacred line?
By Mai Yoshikawa
Professional sumo’s ring remains off-limits to women and girls — not by law, but by centuries of belief and tradition.
Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku (front center) delivers a speech on the first day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center on Sunday. Centuries of belief and tradition still underpin the all-male association's stance of excluding women.

JAPAN

Seiichi Katsurada, president of tour boat operator Shiretoko Yuransen, bows in front of the Kushiro District Court on Wednesday prior to the first hearing of his trial.
Head of Hokkaido tour boat operator pleads not guilty over fatal sinking
The operator’s president apologized to the bereaved families of the accident, which left 20 passengers and crew members dead and six others unaccounted for.
Public hospitals in Japan are struggling to sustain regional health care systems, with more than 80% of them posting losses.
Public hospitals in Japan face severe financial strain
More than 80% of public hospitals are posting losses as medical service expenses rise faster than revenues.
Tokyo police obtain arrest warrant for mother of Thai girl
LDP proposes measures against bear attacks
Third of donated Japanese mpox vaccines wasted in Congo amid storage issues
By Sonia Rolley and Jennifer Rigby
LDP begins internal talks on Lower House seat reduction

BUSINESS

SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son is aggressively seeking to capitalize on booming investment in AI and chips, even as he scales back other investments.
SoftBank sells Nvidia stake for $5.8 billion to fund AI bets
By Min Jeong Lee
The Tokyo-based company now boasts a portfolio that includes some of the world’s most sought-after names in artificial intelligence: OpenAI and Oracle.
Japan has been a tough market for the PlayStation platform over the past few generations, as Nintendo continues to dominate there.
Sony emulates Nintendo with new, cheaper console only for Japan
By Takashi Mochizuki
A region-locked PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will cost ¥55,000, Sony announced via a live stream, significantly lower than the previous price of ¥72,980.
German court rules against OpenAI in copyright case
By Femke COLBORNE and Jan Mueller
Concentration of corporate power a 'huge' concern: U.N. rights chief
By Nina LARSON
Elliott takes Toyota Industries stake and sees buyout price as too low
By Lisa Du and Tsuyoshi Inajima
Japan’s Seven Bank mulls investing in FamilyMart card affiliate
By Hideki Suzuki

WORLD

Firefighters douse a car at the suicide blast site in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Pakistan ‘in a state of war’ after explosion kills 12 in Capital
By Elian Peltier and Zia ur-Rehman
The attack has raised alarm that insurgent violence, confined in recent years to Pakistan’s western regions, has reached its urban centers.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, seen here in the North Sea on Sept. 24, arrived in Latin America on Tuesday, 2025, escalating a military buildup that Venezuela has warned could trigger a full-blown conflict as it announced its own deployment.
Arrival of U.S. aircraft carrier fuels Venezuelan fears of attack
The vessel’s deployment was ordered nearly three weeks ago, with the stated goal of helping to counter drug trafficking in the region.
Australia and Indonesia announce new security treaty
By Kirsty Needham and Stefanno Sulaiman
Rohingya survivor recalls deadly boat sinking, more bodies found   
By Mandy Leong and Devjyot Ghoshal
Communities donate meals and funds as U.S. food aid remains in limbo
By Brad Brooks, Leah Douglas and Andrew Hay
Protesters force their way into COP30 summit venue and clash with security
By Leonardo Benassatto, Lisandra Paraguassu and Sergio Queiroz

Sports

Onosato (right) beats Wakatakakage via <i>oshidashi</i> at the Fukuoka International Congress Center on Tuesday.
Onosato dominates in early days of Kyushu tournament
By John Gunning
Ex-ōzeki Takayasu, rising talent Hakuoho and former Emperor’s Cup winner Wakatakakage were successively brushed aside with ease.
Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki generate ¥132.8 billion in economic impact
By Yukana Inoue
China's 13-year-old Yu claims first Asian record at National Games
By Ian Ransom
Red Bull F1 teams to hold 2026 launch in Detroit in January
By Alan Baldwin
Alcaraz fights back to beat Fritz at ATP Finals

Opinion

Rising bear attacks in Japan, driven by climate change, population decline and a shortage of hunters, have prompted intervention by the Self-Defense Forces as urban areas face growing threats from wildlife.
Along with Japan’s urban bears comes fur and loathing
Gearoid Reidy
What’s unusual is that the majority of these incidents are happening not to unlucky hikers or mountain foragers, but to people in residential areas going about their daily lives.
What if the COVID-19 vaccine could save cancer patients too?
By Lisa Jarvis
How accurate are U.S. crime statistics?
By Justin Fox
Can China catch up with the U.S. economically?
By Keun Lee
Continued purges by Xi reveal his insecurity
By Brahma Chellaney

ENVIRONMENT

A damaged home in Treasure Beach, Jamaica, following Hurricane Melissa. Its solar panels survived.
Jamaicans have been turning to solar power. It paid off after the storm.
By Hiroko Tabuchi
Solar power is seen as a way for Jamaica and other nations in one of the world’s most hurricane-prone regions to become more resilient to ever-intensifying storms.
Nearly half of all refugees to face extreme climate hazards by 2040, says UNHCR
As Typhoon Kalmaegi wreaks havoc in Southeast Asia, scientists say rising temperatures are to blame
By David Stanway
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

CULTURE

Tatsuya Nakadai
Renowned Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai dies at 92
By Weiwen Lin
The actor was best known for his role as an aging warlord in Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran.”
What we see when Japanese women photographers shoot back
By Jennifer Pastore
‘Palaver’: A queer story set in Tokyo searches for a home for the heart
By Grace En-yi Ting
‘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

LIFE

Among the long list of Japanese video game innovators, Tetsuya Mizuguchi stands alone for his unique approach to music, rhythm and puzzle-solving gameplay.
Hearing colors and seeing sounds with Tetsuya Mizuguchi
By Gendel Gento
The creator of Japan’s answer to Tetris has long been obsessed with the concept of synesthesia in games.
Brine and dine: A guide to pickling your Japanese vegetables
By Simon Daly
Industry experts weigh sake’s global future at Kyoto summit
By Cindy Bissig
‘Deep Blue,’ ‘Morning Sun,’ ‘Clear Sky’: Japan’s top baby names for 2025
By Yuko Tamura
At Nadaman, a traditional Japanese multicourse meal gets a new format
By Weiwen Lin

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.
Bach the bobtail brightens up a Tokyo household
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

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Takaichi doesn’t mince words on Taiwan, but dramatic policy shift unlikely
By Jesse Johnson
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions during a House of Representatives Budget Committee session in parliament on Tuesday.
LIFE
Florist Nicolai Bergmann flourishes outside the box
By Elizabeth Beattie
Florist Nicolai Bergmann shops for fresh flowers at the Ota flower market in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
China delivers warning to U.S. and Japan with third aircraft carrier
By Gabriel Dominguez
The Fujian, China's third aircraft carrier, carries out sea trials at an unknown location in May last year.
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.

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

BUSINESS
Tokyo ranked world’s richest city by GDP, with Osaka-Kobe also rated highly
By Elizabeth Beattie
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
Takaichi stands firm on controversial Taiwan contingency remarks
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions during a session of the House of Representatives' Budget Committee in parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
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.
JAPAN
Tokyo looks to keep ‘monster parents’ at bay with new protocols
By Yukana Inoue
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.
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.