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November 20, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 20, 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
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.
Hosei University President Diana Khor, who herself was an international student, aims to encourage students to look outward and cultivate a global mindset.
JAPAN / Society
First foreign president of Hosei University looks abroad for change
By Elizabeth Beattie
Diana Khor, who was an international student herself, aims to encourage students to look outward and cultivate a global mindset.
A brown bear gnaws at the cage it is trapped in, in Sunagawa, Hokkaido, in 2024. Small towns can face cost concerns when responding to bear sightings.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
How a small town spat in Hokkaido nearly derailed its bear response measures
By Eric Johnston
Tensions brewed after a local politician accused hunters of being money-hungry and inefficient, leading to a weekslong halt in bear-culling operations.
Annie Farmer, victim of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, speaks from the podium during a candlelight vigil to honor survivors of his crimes in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump signs Epstein files bill after fight that split Republicans
By Hadriana Lowenkron
Trump approved a measure he had spent months trying to block in a fight that inflamed tensions in his own party and threatened to undermine his agenda.
Yoshinofuji (left) beats Onosato by <i>oshidashi</i> at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Onosato stumbles in quest for first perfect championship
By John Gunning
It was a stunning upset given the manner in which the yokozuna had steamrolled the competition over the first nine days of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.
Yoshinofuji (left) beats Onosato by <i>oshidashi</i> at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday.

JAPAN

Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture. Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi is set to approve the plant’s restart as early as Friday.
Japanese governor set to approve restart of world’s biggest nuclear plant
The approval will clear one of the remaining milestones in Tepco’s quest to bring the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant back online.
Fisheries minister Norikazu Suzuki (center) looks at dead oysters in the city of Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, on Wednesday.
Hiroshima oyster farmers face crisis amid mass die-offs
Producers in coastal areas of the city of Higashihiroshima have reported mortality rates of 80% to 90%, prompting fears about the industry’s survival.
Tensions highlight lack of Japan lawmakers with China connections
Japanese court orders Cloudflare to pay ¥500 million over manga piracy
Princess Aiko visits dud bomb center in Laos
University of Tokyo Hospital doctor arrested for allegedly taking bribes

BUSINESS

An employee counts Turkish lira banknotes at a currency exchange bureau in Istanbul. The lira has for years been one of the world’s most volatile currencies, but offers carry traders interest rates that are hard to beat.
Japan traders' fondness for Turkish lira prompts fears of intervention losses
By Ruth Carson, Mia Glass and Masaki Kondo
The lira is one of the world’s most volatile currencies and Tokyo is increasingly uneasy with the weakness of the yen, leaving day traders exposed on all sides.
Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang says of the idea there is an artificial intelligence bubble, "From our vantage point, we see something very different.”
Nvidia’s upbeat forecast soothes fears of AI spending bubble
By Ian King
Sales will be about $65 billion in the January quarter, the chipmaker said, while analysts had estimated $62 billion, on average.
Japan plans to boost support for offshore wind as costs swell
U.S. to own nuclear reactors stemming from Japan’s $550 billion pledge
By Ari Natter and Will Wade
Larry Summers to leave positions at Harvard and OpenAI after Epstein emails
Yen rout brings talk of ¥160 to the dollar and possible intervention
By Francis Tang

WORLD

A residential building heavily damaged by a Russian airstrike in the city of Ternopil, Ukraine, on Wednesday.
26 killed, many missing in Russian strike on apartment buildings in west Ukraine
By Andriy Perun
The strikes also hit energy and transport infrastructure and forced emergency power cuts in a number of regions in frigid temperatures.
Gaza City on Oct. 19. Israeli air strikes on Wednesday were the second deadliest wave of Israeli attacks in the territory since the U.S.-backed ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10.
Israeli army strikes Gaza as tensions with Hamas still simmering
By Fares Akram and Sherif Tarek
The strikes are the second deadliest wave of Israeli attacks in the territory since the U.S.-backed ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10.
Explosive weapons killed most children on record in 2024: NGO
Israeli military steps up strikes in Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah
Saudi crown prince hosted at friendlier U.S. Congress
By Patricia Zengerle and Simon Lewis
Trump's White House tried to slow-walk a vote on the Epstein files. It failed.
By Nandita Bose

Sports

Head coach Hajime Moriyasu (center) and members of the Japan team at National Stadium in Tokyo on Tuesday
Comfortable win over Bolivia marks Moriyasu’s 100th game in charge
By Sam Byford
Japan has now won its last three friendly matches as part of preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
MLB reveals new 3-year deal with ESPN, NBC and Netflix
Roger Federer set to be inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame
Formula One title contenders brace for high-stakes battle in Las Vegas
Sprinter Yamada wins Japan's first gold at Tokyo Deaflympics

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

Indigenous people attend a protest to call for climate justice and territorial protection during the U.N. Climate Change Conference, in Belem, Brazil, on Monday.
As COP30 discusses end of fossil fuels, are renewables ready?
By Clar NiChonghaile
Although renewable power is expanding fast, the world is not on track to triple clean energy by 2030, a target set at COP28 in Dubai two years ago.
Decades-long contracts chain Asia to coal-fired power
By Sudarshan Varadhan
Clamor for change builds inside the world's COP30 climate negotiations
By Kate Abnett, Simon Jessop and Lisandra Paraguassu
With more heat and storms, can COP30 boost front-line resilience?
By Clar NiChonghaile
COP30 delegates dig into toughest issues as climate talks enter final week
By Lisandra Paraguassu, Kate Abnett and Sudarshan Varadhan

CULTURE

“Rental Family,” directed and co-written by the single-named Hikari, follows out-of-work actor Phillip (Brendan Fraser), who is hired as the “token white guy” at a Tokyo agency called Rental Family.
Why we can’t get enough of the sham of the rental family
By Thu-Huong Ha
The new “Rental Family” film starring Brendan Fraser revisits an irresistible controversy and suggests that while rental family members are fake, they address a real loneliness.
Mamoru Hosoda’s ‘Scarlet’ takes on ‘Hamlet’ with bold visual departure
By Matt Schley
‘Blonde’: Conformist classrooms get a satirical makeover
By Mark Schilling
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

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
Good fortune, wrapped in fried tofu
By Elizabeth Andoh
At Ginza’s newest hotel, luxury is a private treasure
By Owen Ziegler

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

JAPAN
The reality of human trafficking in Japan
By Yukana Inoue
A view of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward at night. Last year in Japan, 66 people were put in protective custody as victims of human trafficking. Among them, 58 — including all 41 minors — were Japanese nationals. International pressure to act on human trafficking led Japan to make efforts to crack down on the crime, such as a tightening of conditions in 2005 for entertainer visas.
CULTURE
Why we can’t get enough of the sham of the rental family
By Thu-Huong Ha
“Rental Family,” directed and co-written by the single-named Hikari, follows out-of-work actor Phillip (Brendan Fraser), who is hired as the “token white guy” at a Tokyo agency called Rental Family.
JAPAN
Economic security minister stresses crackdown on rule-breaking foreign nationals
By Yukana Inoue
Economic security minister Kimi Onoda speaks during a group interview in Tokyo on Monday.
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.

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

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

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
Beware of China’s strategic distortion of reality
By Stephen R. Nagy
China holds a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3. 
JAPAN
Economic security minister stresses crackdown on rule-breaking foreign nationals
By Yukana Inoue
Economic security minister Kimi Onoda speaks during a group interview in Tokyo on Monday.
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.
JAPAN
China to reimpose ban on Japanese seafood imports amid row over Taiwan, reports say
By Jesse Johnson
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
Japanese court orders Cloudflare to pay ¥500 million over manga piracy
Cloudflare has been ordered to pay ¥500 million after four major publishing firms accused the firm of copyright infringement for its role in hosting sites that distribute pirated copies of manga titles.