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November 08, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 08, 2025
Sanae Takaichi
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Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to a panel on promoting economic security in Japan on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Takaichi calls for the updating of Japan's economic security law
By Kazuaki Nagata
The prime minister argues that the geopolitical situation has changed and economic threats are increasing.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to a panel on promoting economic security in Japan on Friday.
Palestinians walk amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Friday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
U.S. intel found Israeli military lawyers warned there was evidence of Gaza war crimes
By Erin Banco, Jonathan Landay and Humeyra Pamuk
The previously unreported intelligence pointed to doubts within the Israeli military about the legality of its tactics in Gaza.
Ukrainian soldiers prepare to fire a howitzer toward Russian troops near Donetsk
WORLD
Ukraine digs in to try to halt biggest Russian win in two years
By Aliaksandr Kudrytski
More than 300 Russian soldiers have entered the eastern city of Pokrovsk in an intense assault, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Did Trump’s Supreme Court tariffs brief include a strategic blunder?
By Adam Liptak
The justices are generally reluctant to take account of a president’s public statements. But extensive quotes from Trump in a key filing may change the legal calculus.
Made at a time when Japan was still grappling with Yukio Mishima’s legacy, Paul Schrader’s biopic “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” was blocked from screening in the country for decades.
CULTURE / Film
A 40-year wait for ‘Mishima’ ends at TIFF
By James Hadfield
Paul Schrader’s 1985 biopic of the radical author Yukio Mishima finds its Japanese audience at last.
Made at a time when Japan was still grappling with Yukio Mishima’s legacy, Paul Schrader’s biopic “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” was blocked from screening in the country for decades.

JAPAN

Financially struggling families are burdened with educational expenses, as many schools require students to purchase designated uniforms and digital devices, according to a survey.
Educational expenses for schoolchildren on the rise, survey finds
By Jessica Speed
The average cost of uniforms for first-year junior high and high school students has risen by about ¥10,000 this year.
People watch a TV news report on North Korea firing ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast, at the main railway station in Seoul on Friday.
North Korea fires ballistic missile into waters outside Japan’s EEZ
By Jesse Johnson
In brief remarks to reporters, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that the missile had likely landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Flu cases in Japan exceed alert level, health ministry says
Takaichi makes the case for economic growth in parliament debate
By Himari Semans
Final suspect held in case of teachers accused of sharing child sexual abuse images
Japan extends SDF deployment in Middle East

BUSINESS

Yasuyuki Fukuda, chief portfolio manager of Nomura Asset Management’s Japanese Information Electronics equity fund, says AI stocks are not in a bubble and have room to rise further.
Japan’s largest tech fund says AI stocks not at bubble stage
By Toshiro Hasegawa
With seven large tech companies now accounting for more than one-third of the S&P 500 index’s weighting, investors are asking if this is a sign of overheating.
Outlays by households gained 1.8% in September from a year earlier, led by transportation and entertainment, but the rise was lower than expected, reflecting falling spending on housing and education.
Japanese households boost spending despite inflation hit
By Yoshiaki Nohara
Outlays by households adjusted for inflation gained 1.8% in September from a year earlier, led by transportation and entertainment.
Japan resumes scallop exports to China
Japan’s energy import strategy compelling for landlocked European nations
By Elizabeth Beattie
Askul to resume online sales in December at earliest in wake of cyberattack
Google planning powerful AI data center on tiny Australian outpost
By Kirsty Needham

WORLD

Volunteers place boxes of food into a truck bed as more than 100 cars visit the Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center food distribution site, weeks into the continuing U.S. government shutdown, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Friday.
U.S. Supreme Court pauses judge's order requiring Trump to fully fund food aid
The ruling came after the administration said it would provide $4.65 billion in emergency funding to partially cover food benefits for November.
James Watson — the Nobel laureate co-credited with the pivotal discovery of DNA's double-helix structure — has died, his former lab said Friday. He was 97.
James Watson, Nobel prize-winning DNA pioneer, dead at 97
By Maggy Donaldson
Watson was co-credited for the discovery of DNA's double-helix structure, but his reputation was later tainted by his repeated racist remarks.
North Korea threatens 'offensive action,' condemns U.S.-South Korea security talks
U.S. warns it could force 20% flight cuts if shutdown continues
Hungary's Orban wins Russian oil sanctions exemption from Trump
China’s new aircraft carrier begins service in boost to Beijing
By Josh Xiao

Sports

Jenson Button races for Honda during the Singapore Grand Prix in September 2008.
Jenson Button brings end to an illustrious racing career intertwined with Japan
By Joel Tansey
The 2009 Formula One champion spent many years in Honda-powered cars and had his biggest post-F1 triumph in 2018 in Japan’s Super GT series.
Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula reach semifinal round at WTA Finals
FIFA announces new peace prize to be awarded during World Cup draw
Yokozuna duo Onosato and Hoshoryu poised for another clash of titans
By John Gunning
McLaren boss would rather lose title than play favorites in championship race

Opinion

A news program in Taipei shows the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30.
‘Stability’ in U.S.-China competition isn’t surrender
Brad Glosserman
A recent Rand report urges a stable rivalry between the U.S. and China, emphasizing managed competition and the need for mutual recognition of each other's political legitimacy.
Trump 2.0 diminishes European Union power
By Hitoshi Suzuki and Gabriele Maletta
Make COP30 about human welfare
By Bjorn Lomborg
Domestic issues dominate prime minister's strong Diet debut
Youth is losing to experience in this job market
By Conor Sen

ENVIRONMENT

Oxfam activists wearing big head masks depicting world leaders protest to criticize the inadequacy of decisions made by the world’s largest economies in combating the climate crisis, ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belem, Brazil, on Wednesday.
30 years of climate talks: Progress, pitfalls and a planet in peril
By Valerie Volcovici and Richard Valdmanis
As leaders gather for the U.N. climate summit in Brazil this week, the data charting progress in the fight against global warming tells a sobering story.
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
Climate-friendly mayors find hope in Trump’s election setback
By Peter Millard, Mariana Durao and Beatriz Amat
Pay to protect: Brazil pitches new forest fund at COP30
By Nick Perry

CULTURE

Aya Fujioka, who hails from Hiroshima Prefecture, takes a less somber approach to the city and its history.
Japanese women photographers reclaim attention
By Jennifer Pastore
Women in photography have been less visible than their male counterparts. An anthology of 25 photographers and three exhibitions this autumn are turning the tides.
‘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
‘The Obsessed’: Charming anime dances to its own tune
By Matt Schley

LIFE

The Onodera Food Service group, which manages Sushi Ginza Onodera and "kaiseki" specialist Nadaman, has merged a sushi "omakase" (chef's choice) into a kaiseki to create a new dining experience.
At Nadaman, a traditional Japanese multicourse meal gets a new format
By Weiwen Lin
The Onodera group has taken a bold step in merging two of its dining concepts — sushi and “kaiseki” haute cuisine.
‘Deep Blue,’ ‘Morning Sun,’ ‘Clear Sky’: Japan’s top baby names for 2025
By Yuko Tamura
Learning to feel noh: The words that unlock its mystery and emotion
By Eric Margolis
How airlines are refining their in-flight food in Japan's tourism boom
By Tan Pin Yen
A Sichuan-inspired classic gets an umami boost
By Makiko Itoh

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.
Young Indonesians in Japan find their political voice
By Nadila
Genmai the dachshund has a spring in his step
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

SUMO
These are the hottest lower-division rikishi to watch right now
By John Gunning
Fukazaki (right) grapples with Enho at the IG Arena in Nagoya on July 13.
CULTURE
Across borders and screens, Tokyo film festival finds humanity in migration
By Erik Augustin Palm
“Mother Bhumi” takes place in a multiethnic rice-farming community where Chinese, Thai and Malay lineages intertwine.
JAPAN
Takaichi’s balancing act: Supporting Taiwan and stabilizing China ties
By Gabriel Dominguez
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shakes hands with Lin Hsin-i, Taiwan’s presidential adviser, on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Saturday in this image posted to Takaichi's official X account.
SPORTS
From 1973 to 2025: A Japanese American skater’s long ride to recognition
By Mai Yoshikawa
Judi Oyama at Winchester Skatepark in San Jose, California, in January 1979. The Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductee and Guinness World Record holder still skates and hopes to inspire older women.
JAPAN
More Japanese universities pushing toward teaching in English
By Jessica Speed
Waseda University in Tokyo

Podcast

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

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Tokyo Gas lights the way to carbon neutrality
Tokyo Gas lights the way to carbon neutrality

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
The Toyota buyout is a major test for Japan’s reforms
By Juliana Liu
Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor, speaks during a media preview at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Oct. 29. Minority investors are challenging the carmaker's bid to take affiliate Toyota Industries Corp. private.
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.
WORLD
New satellite images suggest 'mass graves' in Sudan's El-Fasher
A general view of a berm construction in Kinin Village near El-Fasher.
BUSINESS
High-speed rail is expensive and difficult, but seen as a key to growth
By Kazuaki Nagata
Achal Khare, former managing director at India’s National High Speed Rail Corporation, gives a presentation during the IHRA Forum 2025 in Tokyo on Oct. 23.
BUSINESS
SoftBank is said to have explored potential takeover of Marvell
By Ryan Gould, Min Jeong Lee, Liana Baker and Josh Sisco
SoftBank explored a potential takeover of U.S. chipmaker Marvell Technology earlier this year, in what would have been the semiconductor industry's largest-ever deal.