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May 17, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
May 17, 2025
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Automaker Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama
BUSINESS / Companies
Struggling Nissan considers closing two plants in Kanagawa
The possible closure of the plants in the prefecture — Nissan's birthplace — seems certain to provoke a backlash from local communities.
Automaker Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama
An oil refinery behind Hamadera Park in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture
JAPAN
Two in critical condition after possible gas leak at ENEOS refinery
Three people were taken to a hospital after a possible gas leak occurred at an oil refinery in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks during a news conference at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Possible remains of missing ASDF plane crew member found
The defense minister said that body parts possibly of a missing crew member of a Self-Defense Force trainer jet that crashed into a lake have been found.
Houses along canal with heavy steam and mist in Beppu, Oita Prefecture. The Meteorological Agency announced the arrival of rainy season in the southern part of the Kyushu region, making it the first time the season began in the area before any other region since records began in 1951.
JAPAN
Japan's rainy season begins in southern Kyushu
This is the first time since statistics began in 1951 that southern Kyushu has entered the rainy season earlier than any other region in Japan.
Kyoto's gaming landscape is dominated by Nintendo's headquarters, but a contingent of foreign-born indie developers is also working in the gaming giant's shadow.
LIFE / Digital
In Nintendo’s backyard, foreign indie game devs are thriving
By Gendel Gento
“Of course, we’re all in the shadow of Nintendo, but we’re also here because of Nintendo,” says one British indie game developer.
Kyoto's gaming landscape is dominated by Nintendo's headquarters, but a contingent of foreign-born indie developers is also working in the gaming giant's shadow.

JAPAN

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency President Hiroshi Yamakawa speaks at a press briefing in Tokyo on Friday.
Japan remains committed to moon missions as Trump cuts NASA budget, JAXA chief says
By Kantaro Komiya
U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed a $6 billion cut to NASA's budget could upend the Artemis program to return people to the moon.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a Cabinet meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
Pension bill makes it to parliament after two-month delay
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Internal resistance from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party toward certain proposals in the draft bill led to the delay.
The emperor and the shogun: A power struggle across the centuries
By Michael Hoffman
Japan announces fresh measures to improve supply rice
Finances are tight for dual-income households, too, survey finds
By Jessica Speed
Emergency contraceptive pill may be approved for over-the-counter sales
By Jessica Speed

BUSINESS

Moody's first gave the United States its pristine "Aaa" rating in 1919 and is the last of the three major credit agencies to downgrade it.
Moody's cuts America's pristine credit rating, citing rising debt
The move that could complicate U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to cut taxes and send ripples through global markets.
"Given the extremely high uncertainties in play, my view is that it is appropriate for the bank to conduct monetary policy deliberately to reflect the actual state of economic recovery,” Toyoaki Nakamura, the Bank of Japan’s most dovish board member, said in a speech Friday in Fukuoka Prefecture.
BOJ’s most dovish member warns against rushing to raising rates
By Toru Fujioka
Toyoaki Nakamura’s speech comes shortly after government data showed that Japan’s economy shrank more than expected in the first quarter.
Fuji Media Holdings posts net loss for first time since going public
By Yukana Inoue
Tesla took back leased cars for use as 'robotaxis,' but sold them instead
By Chris Kirkham and Abhirup Roy
Japan’s steep bond curve divides investors, challenges economy
By Mia Glass and Masaki Kondo
Hacking of trading accounts in Japan spreads to midsized firms
By Ryo Horiuchi

WORLD

A Palestinian man carries the body of a child killed in Israeli strikes,‏ in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Friday.
Rescuers say 100 dead as Israel launches fresh Gaza offensive
The army said on Telegram it had begun the "initial stages" of the offensive, known as Operation Gideon's Chariots.
U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out Friday at the Supreme Court after it blocked his bid to resume deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members, saying the justices are "not allowing me to do what I was elected to do."
U.S. Supreme Court maintains block on Trump deportations under wartime law
The top court faulted his administration for seeking to remove the Venezuelan migrants without adequate legal process.
North Korea's Kim oversees air drills, calls for stepped-up war preparations
Canberra slams Russian jailing of Australian who fought for Ukraine
Trump reshapes U.S. Mideast policy. Can deals work instead?
By Danny Kemp
Ex-South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol leaves conservative party

Sports

Nissan's Oliver Rowland drives during qualifying for Miami E-Prix at Homestead Motor Speedway in Homestead, Florida, on April 12.
Nissan hoping to electrify home crowd as Formula E returns to Tokyo
By Sam Byford
Nissan heads into the race leading the constructor standings.
Shohei Ohtani connects on two home runs to help Dodgers rout A's
Colts apologize to Tyreek Hill and Microsoft over schedule release video
Jannik Sinner makes statement by demolishing Casper Ruud to reach semifinals
Stephen Curry excited about Warriors' future despite playoff exit

Opinion

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick speaks in the Oval Office after President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with the U.K. on May 8. The agreement is far from a win for London, which has chosen deference over strength in dealing with Washington's bullishness.
Lessons from the U.S.-U.K. trade deal: Don’t appease a bully
Thomas O. Falk
The tariff agreement signed between London and Washington does little to boost the U.K. economy and, despite appearances, is a diplomatic defeat for Prime Minister Starmer.
Don’t overreact to the consumption tax debate
U.S. citizenship could soon look very different
By Patricia Lopez
The U.S. will never win a trade war with China
By Kuni Miyake
Nervous parties gird for a high-stakes Upper House vote
By Edo Naito

ENVIRONMENT

Ice calves off from the Perito Moreno glacier into the Lago Argentino (Argentine Lake), in the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, near the city of El Calafate in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, on April 21
Huge ice falls at Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier stir awe and concern
By Bernat Parera
Recently the size of the ice chunks breaking off — a process called "calving" — has been starting to alarm local guides and glaciologists.
Australian seaweed farm tackles livestock burps to combat climate change
By Gregory PLESSE
Indians buy 14 million air conditioners a year, and need many more
By Abhaya SRIVASTAVA
As world heats up, U.N. cools itself the cool way — with water
By Amelie Bottollier-Depois
World's richest 10% caused two-thirds of global warming, study finds
By Marlowe Hood

CULTURE

Vocaloid idol Hatsune Miku and kabuki actor Nakamura Shido II first performed together in 2016. This month, they’re reviving the show for the Osaka World Expo.
Traditional performing arts are plugging into modern audiences
By Phoebe Amoroso
Noh and kabuki are getting an image update by teaming up with pop culture figures such as Vocaloid idol Hatsune Miku and DJ Ken Ishii.
Netflix to stream Studio Ghibli's 'Grave of the Fireflies' in Japan
‘Kaneko's Commissary’ explores prison culture from the outside in
By Mark Schilling
Emerging Asian artists converge at the 'world’s most beautiful museum'
By Kim Kahan
‘Jinsei’: Ryuya Suzuki’s solo animation is a singular debut
By James Hadfield

LIFE

A few tweaks to the conversations you learn in your Japanese class will help you sound like a native when you step out the door.
Closing the gap between what you learn and what you say in Japanese
By Yuko Tamura
When trying to sound natural in Japanese, sometimes you just need to know a single key word or phrase.
Fighting Osaka Expo fatigue? Walk the 21-km Loop Line for a cure.
By Edward J. Taylor
Speak like you scroll: A roundup of recent Japanese slang
By Yuko Tamura
What comes after 100?
By Tomoko Otake
Sculpted waves, sleek updos: Showa hairstyles are back in fashion
By Carol R.H. Malasig

COMMUNITY

Ayano Kikuchi began practicing yoga in 2014 to alleviate her chronic back pain, and now shares her knowledge with the Karuizawa community as the manager of W Tree House.
Ayano Kikuchi: ‘People need to take care of themselves holistically’
By Olivia Boissel
How a corporate office worker in Tokyo became a yoga studio manager in Karuizawa
A new chapter for a gentle dog
Kotomi Li: 'I refuse to choose death'
By Kat Joplin
Reclaiming Sanya, one meal at a time
By Kim Kahan
Arunima Mazumdar: ‘Japanese literature has a niche but deeply engaged readership in India’
By Megha Wadhwa

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Akazawa's dilemma: no tariff deal or a half-baked deal
By Francis Tang
Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in the Oval Office of the White House in April. Since then, Japan's trade negotiations with the U.S. have produced no tangible results.
MORE SPORTS
Nissan hoping to electrify home crowd as Formula E returns to Tokyo
By Sam Byford
Nissan's Oliver Rowland drives during qualifying for Miami E-Prix at Homestead Motor Speedway in Homestead, Florida, on April 12.
CULTURE
For his first feature film, director Ryuya Suzuki created a masterpiece
By Matt Schley
"Jinsei," which follows its protagonist over a century, probes themes of identity and societal issues with a dark comic touch. The director, however, says he created the story without knowing where it would lead.
BASEBALL
Historian Rob Fitts discovers earliest ever reference to baseball in Japan
By Jason Coskrey
Japan's Shohei Ohtani carries the Japanese flag onto the field before the start of the World Baseball Classic final against the United States in Miami on March 21, 2023.
JAPAN
Japanese retailers turn to California rice for cheaper alternative
By Yukana Inoue
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass eats California rice at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday along with Mitsuko Tsuchiya, vice president of retailer Aeon.

Podcast

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

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?
By Tomoko Otake

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones
Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

WHAT’S TRENDING

ASIA PACIFIC
Success of Chinese-made fighter jets against India raises alarm in Asia
By Josh Xiao and Yian Lee
Chinese J-10 fighter jets from the People's Liberation Army Air Force August 1st Aerobatics Team perform during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, in November 2015.
BUSINESS
Rich Japanese still fear yen crash, wealth manager says
By Bailey Lipschultz
The yen slumped more than 2% on Monday alone, nearing ¥150 to the dollar, after the U.S. and China temporarily lowered tariffs, triggering a reversal of bearish dollar bets.
JAPAN
Japan to recognize Taiwan as place of origin in family registration system
Masataka Yuhara, secretary-general of the Friends of Lee Teng Hui Association in Japan, which has been calling for "Taiwan" to be permitted as a place of origin in family registers.
JAPAN
Irresponsible climbing prompts debate over who should pay for Mount Fuji rescues
By Yukana Inoue
Mount Fuji fills the skyline above a bridge connecting stores at a popular outlet shopping center in the city of Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in November 2024.
BUSINESS
Akazawa's dilemma: no tariff deal or a half-baked deal
By Francis Tang
Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in the Oval Office of the White House in April. Since then, Japan's trade negotiations with the U.S. have produced no tangible results.