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September 12, 2025
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September 12, 2025
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The Bank of Japan's wait-and-see approach is likely to continue given the political climate and the tariff situation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Rate increase in Japan less likely following Ishiba's resignation
By Kazuaki Nagata
Political uncertainty will make a move higher in October difficult.
The Bank of Japan's wait-and-see approach is likely to continue given the political climate and the tariff situation.
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi has become the second person to announce his candidacy for the Liberal Democratic Party's upcoming presidential election.
JAPAN / Politics
LDP’s Kobayashi announces he will run in the party leadership race
By Kanako Takahara
The former economic security minister is the second person to throw his hat into the ring, after former LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi.
A Philippine Navy soldier observes Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Takanami from a Philippine ship in the South China Sea, on June 14.
JAPAN
Japan-Philippines visiting-forces pact comes into force as defense ties blossom
By Gabriel Dominguez
The pact will serve as the legal basis for Japanese and Philippine forces operating in each other’s countries, paving the way for greater cooperation amid tensions with Beijing.
Heavy rain hit Tokyo and surrounding areas Thursday afternoon, causing thousands to lose power, prompting flood warnings, grounding flights and causing transportation issues.
JAPAN
Thousands without power in Tokyo as heavy rain batters Kanto region
By Jessica Speed
The Japan Meteorological Agency urged vigilance against river flooding, inundation of low-lying areas and landslides, while also warning of lightning, sudden gusts and hail.
Tokyo's National Stadium will host the World Athletics Championships from Sept. 13 to 21.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
National Stadium to finally fulfill destiny years after hosting Olympics without fans
By Sam Byford
Originally built in 2019 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, National Stadium was robbed of its original purpose when the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down.
Tokyo's National Stadium will host the World Athletics Championships from Sept. 13 to 21.

JAPAN

Asteroid Ryugu (left) and samples brought back by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft
Asteroid ice discovery may change ideas about origin of water on Earth
By Jessica Speed
The parent body of near-Earth asteroid Ryugu appears to have harbored water in the form of ice for over a billion years, Japanese researchers have found.
Bicycle helmet use has risen to 21.2% nationwide, up 4.2 percentage points from last year, according to the National Police Agency.
Number of cyclists wearing helmets in Japan increases slightly, police say
By Yukana Inoue
Overall, usage rates have risen by 4.2 percentage points year on year to an average of 21.2%, according to a survey conducted in June.
Japan and Portugal to upgrade ties to strategic partnership
Noda appoints new leadership team members to help bolster CDP's base
By Eric Johnston
Japan records 65 child abuse deaths in fiscal 2023
Japan's cutting-edge railgun successfully strikes target vessel
By Gabriel Dominguez

BUSINESS

Business sentiment among major Japanese companies turned positive for the first time in two quarters in July to September, according to a government survey released Thursday.
Sentiment among big Japanese firms turns positive for first time in two quarters
The business sentiment index represents the proportion of firms seeing their business conditions improve from the previous quarter minus that of those feeling the opposite.
The iPhone Air may be what Apple fans have wanted for years: a device distinct from competitors and packed with feats of hardware engineering.
Slim iPhone Air may be a design win for Apple, despite analysts' AI doubts
By Stephen Nellis and Aditya Soni
The new handset is the company's slimmest yet, and the biggest change to its lineup in eight years.
Mexican tariffs give Japan’s carmakers an edge over Korean rivals
By Hyonhee Shin and Sangmi Cha
Nikkei 225 hits record for second time this week following Wall Street up
By Francis Tang
Japan’s condo associations start buying bonds to fund repairs
By Natsuko Katsuki
Activist-turned-executive seeks rich investors for Japanese fund
By Takako Taniguchi

WORLD

Omar Abu Kuwaik, a 6-year-old Gazan child who lost an arm, gestures as six Gazan families with wounded children arrive at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport for medical treatment in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 2
Missing limbs and loved ones, Gazan children begin treatment abroad
By Jana Choukeir
At least 45,000 children have been wounded in Gaza, many of them suffering life-changing injuries, according to UNICEF.
Detainees are made to stand against a bus during a raid by federal agents on a Hyundai facility in Ellabell, Georgia, last week.
Many arrested at Hyundai's U.S. facility appear to be working legally: lawyer
By Ted Hesson
"They just arrested everyone who wasn't a citizen or a resident and figured they would sort it out later," said a lawyer representing more than a dozen workers.
A new 9/11 generation: These children promise to never forget
By Carol Rosenberg
Astronomers get best view yet of two merging black holes
By Will Dunham
Suspected Russian incursion in Poland raises drone defense questions for NATO
By Andrew Gray
Death of Charlie Kirk lays bare deep U.S. political divisions

Sports

Actor and World Athletics special ambassador for the local organizing committee Yuji Oda (front, fifth from right) poses with athletes at Tokyo's National Stadium during an open practice on Sept. 4.
Broadcaster TBS taps Hello Kitty and Yuji Oda in bid to sell World Athletics
By Mai Yoshikawa
TBS has provided televised coverage of the World Athletics Championships since the 1997 event in Athens.
National Stadium to finally fulfill destiny years after hosting Olympics without fans
By Sam Byford
Canada's Evan Dunfee hopes to create race walk to remember at world championships
By Jason Coskrey
Usain Bolt backs Jamaicans to knock Noah Lyles off 100-meter throne
Ange Postecoglou determined to bring trophies to Nottingham Forest

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a news conference at the White House in Washington on Feb. 7. Ishiba's short-lived prime ministership underscores the challenges facing the Japan and U.S. alliance.
What Japan’s political drift means for U.S.-Japan relations
Joshua W. Walker
Decisive political leadership is missing. Ambitious reforms and bold initiatives require political capital.
Gen-Z protesters across Asia are challenging the old guard
By Karishma Vaswani
What happens next to globalization?
By Zia Qureshi
Lessons for NATO after Putin sends drones over Poland
By Marc Champion
The global nuclear picture grows darker and darker
By Brad Glosserman

ENVIRONMENT

An Exxon Mobil refinery at the Port of Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands
Scientists link major carbon emitters to worsening heat waves
By Coco Liu and Eric Roston
The more emissions a company releases, the bigger role it plays in worsening heat waves.
Drought hit over half of Europe in mid-August, EU data shows
China’s green push may cut global fossil use by 2030, says think tank
Polluted and poor: Blighted U.S. cities tackle 'toxic soup'
By Carey L. Biron
How Europe lost an area the size of Cyprus to wildfires this year
By Laura Millan and Joe Wertz

CULTURE

Polish pianist Hania Rani took the audience on a synth odyssey at the first Japan edition of Unsound Osaka over the weekend.
Unsound turns Osaka into a laboratory of avant-garde music
By James Hadfield
Long-running Polish music festival Unsound channels Expo ’70 at its first Japan edition.
‘100 Meters’ brings kinetic energy to rivalry drama
By Matt Schley
Tokyo International Comedy Festival doubles down on diversity and scale
By Moe Shimizu
'Faking Beethoven’: Comedic musical biopic forgets to have fun
By James Hadfield
Latest 'Demon Slayer' film slays at box office, earning over ¥30 billion

LIFE

Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce kisses partner — now finacee — Taylor Swift as they celebrate after his team won Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s announcement hits all the right notes in Japan
By Yuko Tamura
Japanese culture is in the depths of a nostalgia wave, and the engagement announcement for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce fits in with it nicely.
Overnight mulberry matcha oats are the perfect answer to a busy morning
By Simon Daly
Racehorses, anime girls and gambling: Umamusume’s recipe for success
By Owen Ziegler
With a global approach, Syn gives French cuisine plenty of latitude
By Phoebe Amoroso
Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani dead at 91
By Ella IDE

COMMUNITY

A native of Saskatchewan, Canada, Jon Heese naturalized as a Japanese citizen in 2007 and embarked upon a career in local politics the following year.
Canadian-born politician tackles Ibaraki’s issues big and small
By Gendel Gento
After being elected to four terms in the Tsukuba Municipal Assembly, Jon Heese now serves as a prefectural assemblyman — and one of Ibaraki Prefecture’s biggest cheerleaders.
Gentle care is the key to Cymbal’s heart
Smiley, spirited Hampen will run into your arms
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
By Justin Randall
Jesse Kirkwood: ‘Languages are entire cultural universes with all sorts of baggage’
By Kris Kosaka

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
By Kazuaki Nagata
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.
JAPAN
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.
ENVIRONMENT
Shizuoka farmers fight to preserve sustainable tea method that’s steeped in tradition
By Kai Wilson
As of August 2024, the number of confirmed chagusaba farmers had fallen to 302, just over half the 582 reported in 2015, according to the Shizuoka Chagusaba Farming Method Promotion Council.
BUSINESS
Search is on for loopholes in Japan’s $550 billion investment pledge
By Francis Tang
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick argues that U.S. President Donald Trump has sole authority to invest Japan's promised $550 billion.
LIFE
In rural Hokkaido, the stops and starts of tourism revival on full display
By Justin Randall
Redevelopment plans for Kawayu Onsen have hit some snags — an example of how bringing tourists back to declining rural communities is far from easy work.

Podcast

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

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight
By Mai Yoshikawa

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

COMFACTS

The 7th RD20 Conference to be held in Tsukuba, Japan — Registration for Press Briefing and the Conference Now Open
The 7th RD20 Conference to be held in Tsukuba, Japan — Registration for Press Briefing and the Conference Now Open
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Workers say corporate South Korea was warned about questionable U.S. visas before Hyundai raid
By Hyunjoo Jin, Heekyong Yang and Heejin Kim
Activists holding signs that reads "No one is illegal!" protest against a huge immigration raid last week in the U.S. state of Georgia, in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday.
JAPAN
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.
JAPAN
Thousands without power in Tokyo as heavy rain batters Kanto region
By Jessica Speed
Heavy rain hit Tokyo and surrounding areas Thursday afternoon, causing thousands to lose power, prompting flood warnings, grounding flights and causing transportation issues.
JAPAN
Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture