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August 08, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 08, 2025
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
The United States imposes 15% 'reciprocal' tariff on most Japanese goods
By Francis Tang
Japan and the U.S. still disagree on how the rate will be calculated.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Wednesday.
A street in Tokyo's Shinjuku district on Wednesday
JAPAN / Society
Biggest drop in Japanese nationals seen alongside record high in foreign residents
By Yukana Inoue
The number of Japanese nationals on Jan. 1 was 120.7 million, while the number of foreign residents had risen 10.65% in a year to 3.68 million.
Yuji Sakoda, superintendent-general at the Metropolitan Police Department, bows to apologize for the misconduct in the Ohkawara Kakohki case during a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Tokyo police admit 'serious mistake' in investigation of spray dryer firm
The probe was led by "dysfunctional" leadership, resulting in false accusations being leveled at company executives, a report released Thursday showed.
Toyota Motor vehicles displayed for sale at one of the company's dealerships in Tokyo. The carmaker reported operating income of ¥1.17 trillion in the first quarter, down 11% from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Companies
Toyota braces for ¥1.4 trillion dent in operating income under U.S. tariffs
The carmaker reported operating income of ¥1.17 trillion in the first quarter, down 11% from a year earlier, with a tariff impact of ¥450 billion.
The National Tax Agency at the Ministry of Finance, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. Japanese tax authorities can bill foreign residents in Japan for assets inherited globally.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan's inheritance tax is high, unforgiving and sometimes avoidable
By James Wongvipat
Under certain circumstances, overseas inheritance can pass tax-free to foreigners who are residents in the country.
The National Tax Agency at the Ministry of Finance, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. Japanese tax authorities can bill foreign residents in Japan for assets inherited globally.

JAPAN

Students at the Taira First Elementary School in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, learn about the World War II "mock atomic bombs" during a special class given at the school in July.
People work to pass on stories of U.S. 'mock atomic bombs' dropped on Japan in WWII
Over 400 people were killed by 49 of what are also called "pumpkin bombs" that the U.S. dropped on Japan between July 20 and Aug. 14, 1945.
Hisaaki Ikeuchi (right), chief of Shiga Prefectural Police department, bows in apology to former nurse Mika Nishiyama (left) during their meeting in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, on Thursday.
Shiga police chief apologizes to ex-assistant nurse acquitted after prison term
The apology came after a local court ruled that the prefectural police's investigation was illegal.
ASDF fighter crashes off Ibaraki Prefecture
Japan's World Cosplay Summit to escape summer heat in 2027
Japan approves price cut for Alzheimer's drug Lecanemab
Ishiba to reverse rice curb policy as government admits to miscalculating demand
By Yukana Inoue

BUSINESS

Sony’s music unit has grown to be a reliable pillar of the group, bringing in a steady flow of revenue as opposed to the company’s more prominent consumer electronics, PlayStation and image sensors.
Sony lifts outlook on entertainment demand despite tariff threat
By Takashi Mochizuki
The company now expects its operating profit for the year ending March to reach a total of ¥1.33 trillion, compared with a previous forecast of ¥1.28 trillion.
The National Personnel Authority recommended Thursday a 3.62% increase in average monthly base pay for public employees in the current fiscal year.
Japan’s public workers set to get largest pay hike in 34 years
By Erica Yokoyama
The rise in wages will come as a welcome development for policymakers at the Bank of Japan, who are seeking broad-based and lasting growth to support stable inflation.
SoftBank swings to profit after Masayoshi Son’s AI bets pay off
By Min Jeong Lee
Anti-drone system boosts Greece's ambitious plans for defense drone industry
By Lefteris Papadimas
Samsung, SK Hynix not subject to 100% U.S. chip tariffs, South Korean envoy says
Tokyo Electron fires worker suspected of stealing TSMC tech
By Takashi Mochizuki

WORLD

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump meet at the G20 summit in Osaka in 2019.
Trump could meet Putin over Ukraine as soon as next week, official says
By Andrea Shalal, Gleb Bryanski and Mark Trevelyan
Such a face-to-face meeting would be the first between a sitting U.S. and Russian president since Joe Biden met Vladimir Putin in Geneva in June 2021.
South Korea's former first lady, Kim Keon Hee (center), the wife of impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol, arrives at the special prosecutor's office in Seoul on Wednesday.
Arrest warrant sought for former South Korean first lady Kim
If granted, the warrant would mark the first time in South Korean history that a former president and first lady are both arrested.
Myanmar’s U.S.-sanctioned figurehead leader Myint Swe dies at 74
By Khine Lin Kyaw
Philippine Senate shelves VP Duterte’s impeachment case
By Andreo Calonzo and Ditas Lopez
Lula sees no point in talking tariffs with Trump
By Brad Haynes and Lisandra Paraguassu
Deadly wildfires in southwest France burn area larger than Paris
By Joe Wertz and Nayla Razzouk

Sports

A Cardinals fan fans himself during the seventh inning of a game against the Pirates in St. Louis, Missouri, in June 2022.
Cheer with caution: expert advises sports fans have game plan for extreme heat
By Mai Yoshikawa
The consequences of extreme heat exposure range from dehydration to heatstroke and even death.
Scottie Scheffler 'rested, ready' for FedEx Cup playoffs
Leroy Carter's first All Blacks call-up nearly goes awry after dog eats passport
New Giants QB Russell Wilson praises coach Brian Daboll’s 'beautiful mind'
Resurgent Naomi Osaka books spot in Canadian Open final

Opinion

People pay their respects for the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Wednesday, the 80th anniversary of the attack.
Why Hiroshima must keep being commemorated
Max Hastings
The anniversary is generating a wave of commemorations and renewing the arguments for and against the mission.
Japan gets serious about attracting world-class researchers
By Yuko Kakazu
Were the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings necessary?
By Edo Naito
The Japan-Australia frigate sale is a big deal. Here’s why.
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
Moving nuclear subs isn’t something you announce on social media
By James Stavridis

ENVIRONMENT

People cool off under water jets in Madrid on Monday.
'Silent killer': the science of tracing climate deaths in heat waves
By Nick Perry
Heat can claim tens of thousands of lives during European summers but it usually takes months to count the cost. Scientists are aiming to change that with faster studies.
Death of a delta: Pakistan's Indus sinks and shrinks
By Zain Zaman Janjua
Germany moves to fast-track geothermal energy projects
Trump administration memo urges countries to reject plastic production caps
By Olivia Le Poidevin and Valerie Volcovici
Toxic algae bloom off South Australia devastates marine life and tourism

CULTURE

Three teenage student nurses (from left: Karin Ono, Asuka Kawatoko and Hinako Kikuchi) face the aftermath of the atomic bombing of their hometown in “Nagasaki: In the Shadow of the Flash.”
‘Nagasaki: In the Shadow of the Flash’ honors young nurses thrust into hellish nightmare
By Mark Schilling
Searing and based on true accounts, Jumpei Matsumoto’s drama follows teenage girls turned wartime caregivers as they navigate the unthinkable.
'Glass Heart’: A flashy rock fairytale scrubbed of grit
By James Hadfield
The families that rock together at Fuji
By Mark Thompson
From far and wide, overseas visitors flock to Fuji Rock
By Alyssa I. Smith
A weekend in Naeba: Rain or shine, the fun never stopped at Fuji Rock '25
By Alyssa I. Smith

LIFE

Heavy traffic on the nation's highways is just as much a part of the Bon holiday period as visiting ancestral graves.
Brave the Bon holiday traffic to discover tourism gems off the beaten path
By Yuko Tamura
Learn how to ask about secret spots, regional dishes and specialty gifts using natural Japanese structures on your summer travels.
Saved from the worst, Kyoto still bears scars of war
By Edward J. Taylor
Junglia brought dinos back to Okinawa. But will it bring tourists?
By Owen Ziegler
In Tokyo, fish-shaped ‘taiyaki’ treats offer a sea of options
By Russell Thomas
'Over the Sun': A podcast for Japanese women who’ve lived a little
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

Canadian-born Jesse Cunningham came to Japan to teach in the JET Programme, and later found opportunities to learn traditional blacksmithing in Kochi Prefecture.
The international artists supporting Japan’s craft legacy
By Laura Pollacco
From Kochi to Kamakura, non-Japanese craftspeople are training with local artisans and carving out a niche for themselves.
Briton brings artistic view to Japanese buildings
By Louise George Kittaka
‘Mad cute’ Scottish fold to brighten your day
Charming Chikuwa has a zest for life
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio

Editors' Picks

LIFE
Photographer Bleg Bayraktar is winning social media with politeness
By Laura Pollacco
A video on Bayraktar's Instagram account of the Belgian photographer approaching an elderly worker in Tokyo's Shibuya has gone viral, garnering almost 9 million views.
JAPAN
Australia announces new warships will come from Japan
By Gabriel Dominguez and Jesse Johnson
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami-class frigate Niyodo sails at an undisclosed location in this image released Tuesday.
CULTURE
Fuji Rock's weekend of surprises was one of its best yet
By Patrick St. Michel
Radwimps lead singer Yojiro Noda threw himself into the rock band’s Green Stage performance ahead of headliner Vampire Weekend.
ENVIRONMENT
How Trump is gaslighting on climate change — with Japan’s help
By Mara Budgen
The Bishu Maru LNG tanker, owned by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, next to the Freeport LNG terminal in Texas
LIFE
With a new distillery, Suntory makes a spirited move on gin market
By Weiwen Lin
A staff inspects a distillation pot still at Suntory's new Osaka Spirits & Liqueurs Craft Distillery, which will focus on gin production and help Suntory capture a bigger slice of the fast-growing gin market.

Podcast

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

Longform

A mushroom cloud from the atomic bombing on Hiroshima taken from a U.S. military aircraft on Aug. 6, 1945. Copying the photo without permission is prohibited.
80 years on, a Japanese American hibakusha recalls the day the bomb dropped
By Elizabeth Beattie

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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

ASIA PACIFIC
How Pakistan shot down India's cutting-edge fighter using Chinese gear
By Saeed Shah and Shivam Patel
An Indian Air Force pilot gets out of a Rafale fighter jet during its induction ceremony at an air force station in Ambala, India, September 2020.
BUSINESS
Trump: The $550 billion pledged by Japan is 'our money'
By Francis Tang
U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday. He told CNBC that investment pledges are like signing bonuses.
BUSINESS
The United States imposes 15% 'reciprocal' tariff on most Japanese goods
By Francis Tang
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Japan's inheritance tax is high, unforgiving and sometimes avoidable
By James Wongvipat
The National Tax Agency at the Ministry of Finance, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. Japanese tax authorities can bill foreign residents in Japan for assets inherited globally.
LIFE
Photographer Bleg Bayraktar is winning social media with politeness
By Laura Pollacco
A video on Bayraktar's Instagram account of the Belgian photographer approaching an elderly worker in Tokyo's Shibuya has gone viral, garnering almost 9 million views.