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May 22, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
May 22, 2025
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Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato (right) and Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda wait for a group photograph at the Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank governors’ meeting in Banff, Alberta, Canada, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan and U.S. finance officials back market control of foreign exchange rates
By Francis Tang
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made no mention of any specific currency level targets.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato (right) and Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda wait for a group photograph at the Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank governors’ meeting in Banff, Alberta, Canada, on Wednesday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a ceremony for the launch of the country's new destroyer in Nampo, North Korea, in this image released on April 26.
ASIA PACIFIC
North Korea's Kim offers rare admission of 'serious accident' with new destroyer
By Jesse Johnson
The incident, which occurred during a ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un, reportedly saw “sections of the warship's bottom crushed."
Agriculture minister Taku Eto (left), who resigned on Wednesday, and former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi
JAPAN / Politics
Shinjiro Koizumi takes farm ministry reins after predecessor's rice gaffe
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Taku Eto resigned from the post after coming under fire for bragging about how much rice his supporters give him.
A mock-up of Japan's state-of-the-art railgun, which is currently undergoing testing, is displayed at the three-day DSEI Japan defense exhibition in the city of Chiba on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Railguns, missiles and lasers: Japan uses massive defense event to highlight shift
By Gabriel Dominguez
The range of products and systems being displayed at DSEI Japan in Chiba is both diverse and sophisticated, and comes amid soaring international tensions.
A partially submerged car is seen in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, in Nagano Prefecture in October 2019. The Weather Attribution Center Japan, which was founded Tuesday, aims to publicize the results of its climate attribution assessment within days of a typhoon, torrential rain or extreme heat.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
When extreme weather hits, Japan scientists will have faster answers on climate links
By Tomoko Otake
The Weather Attribution Center will aim to publish concrete links between global warming and extreme weather events within days, rather than months.
A partially submerged car is seen in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, in Nagano Prefecture in October 2019. The Weather Attribution Center Japan, which was founded Tuesday, aims to publicize the results of its climate attribution assessment within days of a typhoon, torrential rain or extreme heat.

JAPAN

A crowd of tourists walk on the street near Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. There has been growing pushback from residents in the tradition-steeped city as visitor numbers continue to rise.
Japan's tourist arrivals soared 28.5% in April to hit record 3.9 million
By Natsuko Fukue
For the first four months of the year, foreign visitor arrivals totaled 14.4 million, a 24.5% increase.
A female Osaka prosecutor in her 50s speaks about how she was sexually assaulted, at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Female prosecutor says she experienced secondary victimization in rape case
By Karin Kaneko
The prosecutor said the prosecutors office where she worked turned a blind eye after she reported the case, and slanderous comments about her spread at work.
More than 270 candidates to run in Tokyo assembly election
Family of deceased stalker victim had complained about police inaction
Taiwan voices regret over Nagasaki peace ceremony snub
Name lists of former Imperial Japanese Army biowarfare units released

BUSINESS

Economic uncertainty and concern about the Bank of Japan reducing its bond purchases have hit Japanese debt recently, taking the 30-year yield to the highest level since records began in 1999.
Treasurys vie for demand with Japan’s bonds
By Alice Gledhill
Economic uncertainty and concern about the Bank of Japan reducing its bond purchases have hit Japanese debt recently.
Toyota executives say the automaker is listening to U.S. dealer requests for a truck smaller than the brand’s best-selling Tacoma midsize and Tundra full-size pickups.
Toyota considers making tiny trucks for U.S. market as demand booms
By Chester Dawson
Full-size and midsize pickups dominate the U.S. market, but their price — along with their size — have increased steadily in recent years.
Sumitomo Mitsui among banks stepping up deals for blended finance
By Sheryl Tian Tong Lee
Apple design legend Jony Ive joins OpenAI to work on AI hardware
By Glen Chapman and Thomas URBAIN
Mitsui OSK assessing EU sanction impact on its LNG vessels
Japan enacts revised NTT law

WORLD

U.S. President Donald Trump hands papers to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
Trump accuses South Africa of white genocide in Oval Office meeting
By Nandita Bose and Jeff Mason
The carefully choreographed onslaught against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was reminiscent of his February ambush of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speak with U.S. President Donald Trump via phone during the European Political Community Summit in Tirana, Albania on May 16.
Kyiv pitches tougher Russia sanctions plan to EU as U.S. wavers
By Tom Balmforth
A Ukrainian white paper calls for EU members to take a more aggressive and independent position on sanctions as Washington's role becomes uncertain.
Hacker behind U.S communication breach stole data from across government
By A.J. Vicens and Raphael Satter
Support for Pakistan army chief surges after India conflict
By Asif Shahzad
Philippines' Marcos asks Cabinet secretaries to resign in government reset
By Karen Lema
Trump's Oval Office has become an ambush office for world leaders
By Danny Kemp

Sports

Onosato (left) battles Gonoyama on Day 6 of the Summer Basho. With Onosato on the cusp of promotion to yokozuna, there could soon be two titans at the top of the sport fighting for titles.
Onosato’s march to yokozuna could usher in golden age for sumo
By John Gunning
It's been 5½ years since two yokozuna battled head-to-head for an Emperor's Cup. With Onosato on the cusp of promotion, that streak could soon be over.
Colts owner Jim Irsay dies at 65
Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins NBA MVP
Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement to face Mario Barrios for WBC title
Tush push lives on after proposal to ban play fails at NFL owners meetings

Opinion

Agriculture minister Taku Eto answers reporters questions at the at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
Why Ishiba pulled a 180 on the gaffe-stricken farm minister
Michael MacArthur Bosack
Taku Eto is the first minister to fall since the Japanese leader formed his Cabinet last October
Trump’s wake-up call for India’s foreign policy
By Brahma Chellaney
China’s building crash is rewinding 22 years of growth
By David Fickling
Don’t reopen the ‘demon's gate’ debate in Japan
By Gearoid Reidy
A king’s ransom: The eye-watering cost of Charles III
By Rosa Prince

ENVIRONMENT

A partially submerged car is seen in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, in Nagano Prefecture in October 2019. The Weather Attribution Center Japan, which was founded Tuesday, aims to publicize the results of its climate attribution assessment within days of a typhoon, torrential rain or extreme heat.
When extreme weather hits, Japan scientists will have faster answers on climate links
By Tomoko Otake
The Weather Attribution Center will aim to publish concrete links between global warming and extreme weather events within days, rather than months.
'Serious problem': Afghan capital losing race against water shortages
By Susannah Walden
Fires drive tropical forest loss to 'red alert' record high
By Julien MIVIELLE
The U.K.’s clean power future relies on a 100-year-old technology
By Eamon Farhat
Polar bear biopsies shed light on Arctic pollutants
By Olivier MORIN and Etienne FONTAINE

CULTURE

Author Kazuo Ishiguro (left) and director Kei Ishikawa pose during a photocall for the film “Toi Yamanamino Hikari” ("A Pale View of Hills") at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.
Adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel premieres at Cannes
By Hanna Rantala and Miranda Murray
The author says that adapting the novel — which he wrote when he was 25 — was different from bringing his other books to the big screen.
LGBTQ Thai ghost story wins prize in Cannes
By Alice Hackman
‘I Still Want To Do It With My Wife’: Hapless husband’s self-pity wears thin
By James Hadfield
‘Crosspoint’ can’t quite find its target
By Mark Schilling
Women fight for the spotlight in India's macho movie industry
By Seema SINHA

LIFE

With the weather warming up, there's no better time to make a bowl of chilled "surinagashi-jiru" (pureed soup).
Flaunt your seasonal greens with Japan’s traditional pureed soup
By Elizabeth Andoh
Get the best flavor out of your peas and pods by simmering them in a dashi-based broth.
A Japanese dining icon gets a (minor) facelift
By Weiwen Lin
In Nintendo’s backyard, foreign indie game devs are thriving
By Gendel Gento
Fighting Osaka Expo fatigue? Walk the 21-km Loop Line for a cure.
By Edward J. Taylor
Closing the gap between what you learn and what you say in Japanese
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

FemUniti was founded in 2024 by Setsu Suzuki (right) and Meagan Ward (second from left) to empower women entrepreneurs and connect them to resources and opportunities.
Detroit-Nagoya network empowers women-owned businesses around the world
By Jessica Kozuka
Supporting women in business is a “blueprint for the future,” says the cofounder of femUniti — and she has the data to back it up.
Ayano Kikuchi: ‘People need to take care of themselves holistically’
By Olivia Boissel
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

JAPAN
Nippon Ishin grapples with poor governance ahead of Upper House election
By Eric Johnston
Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Seiji Maehara speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Beware of dubious websites offering cheap rice, consumer watchdog warns
By Yukana Inoue
Questionable websites appear to be taking advantage of consumers looking for cheaper rice online amid the high prices of the staple grain in the nation.
SUMO
Onosato’s march to yokozuna could usher in golden age for sumo
By John Gunning
Onosato (left) battles Gonoyama on Day 6 of the Summer Basho. With Onosato on the cusp of promotion to yokozuna, there could soon be two titans at the top of the sport fighting for titles.
CULTURE
A window into the mind of Esperantist and political activist Teru Hasegawa
By Martin Laflamme
Teru Hasegawa, Esperanto name Verda Majo, wrote leftist political essays during WWII.
BUSINESS
Nissan’s troubles might go all the way back to Ghosn 
By Kazuaki Nagata
A lot at a Nissan plant in Mexico. The company may have overextended itself during the Ghosn era.

Podcast

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

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb
By Alex K.T. Martin

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

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Shinjiro Koizumi takes farm ministry reins after predecessor's rice gaffe
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Agriculture minister Taku Eto (left), who resigned on Wednesday, and former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi
BUSINESS
Nissan’s troubles might go all the way back to Ghosn 
By Kazuaki Nagata
A lot at a Nissan plant in Mexico. The company may have overextended itself during the Ghosn era.
BUSINESS
Japan confirms hard-line position ahead of possible tariff talks in Washington
By Francis Tang
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, at a news conference on Tuesday. He said that when Japan states it wants the tariffs reviewed, it means Tokyo wants them removed.
JAPAN
Tokyo to cover cost of base service fees for water utilities through summer
By Yukana Inoue
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is looking to make the cost of base service fees in water utility bills free during the summer, hoping the financial support will allow residents to turn on their air conditioners and protect themselves against heatstroke.
COMMENTARY
Trump’s wake-up call for India’s foreign policy
By Brahma Chellaney
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Feb. 13. Trump’s coercive use of trade threats against India during the Pakistan military crisis has undermined trust in the U.S.-India partnership and exposed Washington as an unreliable security ally.