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TOKYO
July 31, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 31, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
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Port workers in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on July 8
BUSINESS / Markets
Trump says U.S. will impose 15% tariff on South Korean imports
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Ju-min Park
As part of the arrangement, Seoul would invest $350 billion in U.S. projects selected by Trump and buy $100 billion of LNG and other energy products.
Port workers in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on July 8
Police officers ask a man to evacuate from an empty beach following a tsunami warning, in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Japan on edge but prepared for tsunami after huge Kamchatka earthquake
By Tomoko Otake, Gabriele Ninivaggi, Francis Tang and Alex K.T. Martin
Tsunami waves measuring up to 1.3 meters were observed off the Pacific coast of Japan, with authorities urging people in coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground.
Japan's temperature soared to a record 41.2 degrees Celsius in Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture, on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high of 41.1 C.
JAPAN / Breaking
Japan marks highest-ever temperature of 41.2 C in Hyogo
By Tomoko Otake
The mercury hit the above-human temperature of 41.2 C in the city of Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture, as authorities urged people to take precautions to avoid heatstroke.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (left) is escorted by Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya at the start of their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan-South Korea top diplomats’ meeting shows ties on solid footing
By Jesse Johnson
In an unusual move, Seoul’s foreign minister visited Tokyo before Washington, as the Asian neighbors emphasized the importance of maintaining stable relations.
“Memory of Lines” is Chiharu Shiota’s second art installation on Teshima as part of the Setouchi Triennale.
CULTURE / Art
Artist Chiharu Shiota weaves a hidden marvel on Teshima
By Thu-Huong Ha
The artist cherished for her red-thread installations creates a new work in one of Japan’s famed art islands.
“Memory of Lines” is Chiharu Shiota’s second art installation on Teshima as part of the Setouchi Triennale.

JAPAN

Storage tanks containing treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture in March 2021.
Tepco ordered to pay ¥100 million in damages over 2011 disaster
Presiding Judge Masahiko Abe ordered the payment mainly as compensation for damage to property and consolation money.
The number of car accidents in Japan resulting in death or serious injury that were caused by foreign drivers in the first half of 2025 totaled 258, up by 19 from a year earlier and exceeding 250 for the first time since 2008, according to the National Police Agency.
Ratio of serious car accidents caused by foreign drivers hits record 2.1%
A total of 258 of such accidents, which caused death or serious injury, occurred in the first half of 2025, according to National Police Agency data.
Ruling and opposition parties agree to scrap provisional gas tax by year-end
Hokkaido's Tomari nuclear reactor passes safety screening
How the Japanese TV industry is changing
By Yukana Inoue
Record number of heatstroke sufferers taken by ambulance to hospital

BUSINESS

New vehicles for sale at a Toyota dealership in California
Toyota logs record global sales despite Trump tariff turmoil
By Nicholas Takahashi
The carmaker’s sales were bolstered by a last-minute rush from customers to lock-in purchases before U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened 25% tariff on car imports.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks to reporters at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday. The party’s loss in the July 20 Upper House election has become the defining factor for the yen.
Yen option traders brace for more weakness ahead of BOJ decision
By Mia Glass and David Finnerty
Analysts warn that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may resort to populist spending to shore up support for his weakened coalition.
Varied sales channels may have triggered rice price surge
Japan releases guidelines for IT giants regarding smartphone apps
U.S. could resist Cosco inclusion in CK Hutchison port sale
By James Pomfret, Clare Jim and Davide Barbuscia
Apple loses fourth AI researcher in a month to Meta’s Superintelligence team
By Mark Gurman

WORLD

Waves slam into a sea wall off Waikiki Beach after authorities downgraded earlier tsunami warnings following an earthquake off Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Wedenesday.
Tsunami danger has Chile to U.S. on alert after Russia quake
Aftershocks will likely continue for months and there is no way to predict if there will be another massive shake.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te attends an annual coast guard drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on June 8.
Taiwan president’s bad week hangs on U.S. trade deal outcome
By Yian Lee, Jenny Leonard and Cindy Wang
Whether Washington uses Taipei as a bargaining chip in its trade talks with China is the biggest issue facing Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te.
Powerful quake off Russia sparks Pacific tsunami
How Syrian attackers killed: One hand on the gun, another on the camera
By Deniz Uyar, Monica Naime and Pola Grzanka
U.S. to complete review of AUKUS defense pact in fall
By Gabriel Dominguez
Trump administration slashed federal funding for gun violence prevention
By Bianca Flowers

Sports

Kotoshoho celebrates winning his first Grand Sumo Tournament at IG Arena in Nagoya on Sunday.
Kotoshoho's shock first Emperor's Cup could reinvigorate his career
By John Gunning
Kotoshoho's first Grand Sumo Tournament win in Nagoya on Sunday was perhaps even more surprising than early leader Ichiyamamoto’s would have been.
Olympic champion Mullojonov provisionally suspended for banned substance
By Pearl Josephine Nazare
'Most accessible ever' tickets planned for Australia's 2027 Rugby World Cup
By Nick Mulvenney
'I didn't feel safe': Banned Canada coach explains move to New Zealand
By Ben Strang
Two former China soccer officials sentenced for corruption

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses a news conference in Tokyo on Monday. He repeated his pledge to stay on to prevent a political vacuum from forming after his party's poor performance in the Upper House election.
The LDP struggles to define its future after election flub
Brad Glosserman
The public doesn’t know what it wants — other than “not this” — so indecision by the LDP and other parties is understandable.
As China advances and the U.S. retreats, Japan-India ties grow stronger
By Manoj Joshi
China’s AI strategy relies on frenzy and frenemies
By Catherine Thorbecke
ASEAN+3 in an age of global uncertainty
By Yasuto Watanabe
A fringe party or political force: Will the real Sanseito stand up?
By Edo Naito

ENVIRONMENT

People ride in a boat past a newly built concrete barrier in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Egypt, on April 20.
Rising seas and shifting sands attack ancient Alexandria from below
By Heba Fouad and Ahmed Fahmy
The warming waters of the Mediterranean are rising due to climate change, leading to coastal erosion and undermining buildings from below.
In the Philippines, informal e-waste dismantling poses health risks
By Pam Castro
New Zealand farmers battle pine forests to 'save our sheep'
By Ben Strang
Germans are finally embracing air conditioning, even renters
By Nick Heubeck and Carolynn Look
World court climate ruling: nonbinding but game changing
By Kelly Macnamara

CULTURE

“Memory of Lines” is Chiharu Shiota’s second art installation on Teshima as part of the Setouchi Triennale.
Artist Chiharu Shiota weaves a hidden marvel on Teshima
By Thu-Huong Ha
The artist cherished for her red-thread installations creates a new work in one of Japan’s famed art islands.
How Japan made techno its own
By Arjan Rietveld
‘Demon Slayer’ movie slashes its own box office records
By Matt Schley
Hitsujibungaku’s pop-fueled rise to stardom
By Patrick St. Michel
National Ballet of Japan stages first overseas performance in London

LIFE

Located in Patina Osaka, P72 doesn't have a fixed menu, opting instead to rely on whatever is available from local suppliers and its on-site garden to create its innovative plant-based cuisine.
P72 sows the seeds for a dynamic plant-based cuisine
By Jessica Kozuka
With an ever-changing menu dictated by what's available from its garden and suppliers, the Osaka-based restaurant injects creativity and spontaneity into its green cuisine.
Communal knead: A Turkish baker in Kamakura draws queues
By Alex Michael Dwyer
As summer soars, the tomato offers a lesson in staying bright and cool
By Makiko Itoh
Traditional Japanese swordsmanship — with modern matches
By Johan Brooks
How a single current keeps Shiga’s ‘village of water’ in concert
By Joanna Kawecki

COMMUNITY

Wakana, a Japanese fan of Thai BL, visits a temple in Thon Buri, Bangkok featured in the Thai adaptation of the Japanese series “Cherry Magic.” Her media consumption kindled an interest in Thai culture and language, and ultimately led her to relocate to Thailand. “I fell in love with the whole country,” she says.
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio
Thailand has become a top producer of BL (boys’ love) dramas — and audiences in Japan are among the most ardent consumers.
A big, beautiful Bengal cat named Pupu
Ayaka Ohira: ‘Being outside of the traditional path gave me more freedom’
By Zoria Petkoska
The mothers holding up Japan's Vietnamese community
By Nguyen Bao Anh
Lilimi settles into a new life

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Last soldiers of Imperial Japanese Army have a warning for younger generations
By Martin Fackler
Kunshiro Kiyozumi, 97, who was the youngest crew member of the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58 in World War II, on his way to a restaurant to have lunch in Matsuyama, Japan, on April 29.
JAPAN
Why Ishiba refuses to quit even amid intense pressure for him to go
By Eric Johnston
Supporters of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba take part in a rally across the street from the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
BASEBALL
Behind the scenes at the Baseball Hall of Fame's new Yakyu/Baseball exhibit
By Joshua Mellin
“Yakyu / Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game” is set to remain on display in Cooperstown for at least five to 10 years — and possibly indefinitely.
COMMUNITY
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio
Wakana, a Japanese fan of Thai BL, visits a temple in Thon Buri, Bangkok featured in the Thai adaptation of the Japanese series “Cherry Magic.” Her media consumption kindled an interest in Thai culture and language, and ultimately led her to relocate to Thailand. “I fell in love with the whole country,” she says.
ENVIRONMENT
Amid fossil fuel shift in U.S., hope emerges for India and Japan tie-up on solar
By Nithin Coca
A technician works on the assembly line at a solar panel manufacturing hub on the outskirts of New Delhi last October.

Podcast

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

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear
By Jason Coskrey

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Develops “Yukigesho Castella” as Part of Sake Upcycling Project
Tsunan Sake Brewery Develops “Yukigesho Castella” as Part of Sake Upcycling Project
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan on edge but prepared for tsunami after huge Kamchatka earthquake
By Tomoko Otake, Gabriele Ninivaggi, Francis Tang and Alex K.T. Martin
Police officers ask a man to evacuate from an empty beach following a tsunami warning, in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Japan to start new residency system for foreign workers
Students hoping to work in Japan attend a Japanese class at a job placement company in Hanoi in October 2022.
JAPAN
Last soldiers of Imperial Japanese Army have a warning for younger generations
By Martin Fackler
Kunshiro Kiyozumi, 97, who was the youngest crew member of the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58 in World War II, on his way to a restaurant to have lunch in Matsuyama, Japan, on April 29.
JAPAN
Japan marks highest-ever temperature of 41.2 C in Hyogo
By Tomoko Otake
Japan's temperature soared to a record 41.2 degrees Celsius in Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture, on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high of 41.1 C.
BUSINESS
Japan should take all possible measures to raise wages, white paper says
Prolonged high prices for food and other goods have pushed down consumer sentiment and real wages, according to the Annual Report on the Japanese Economy and Public Finance for fiscal 2025.