Home page

 
Menu
Search
 
Menu
Search
Tokyo Weather 28℃
TOKYO
July 20, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 20, 2025
Japan elections
Trump tariffs
Latest News
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at the Liberal Democratic Party’s headquarters Sunday after exit polls showed poor results for the ruling coalition in the Upper House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan ruling bloc projected to lose majority in Upper House election drubbing
By Kanako Takahara, Gabriele Ninivaggi and Francis Tang
The ruling LDP-Komeito bloc’s devastating loss in Sunday’s poll could lead to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation or political gridlock in parliament.

More coverage

Voters in Tokyo reflect shifting political views across Japan
Japanese markets brace for triple whammy if opposition wins big
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at the Liberal Democratic Party’s headquarters Sunday after exit polls showed poor results for the ruling coalition in the Upper House election.
A coral reef in Okinawa in July 2022. Some jurisdictions around the world have moved to ban certain sunscreens in a bid to protect coral reefs, but some say the impact on reefs is far from clear.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Japan’s top brands get tied up in the great sunscreen debate
By Tomoko Otake
The debate over the damage sunscreens cause to the marine environment is heating up as some regions ban certain chemical ingredients.
An event featuring maiko (young female entertainers) is held at the Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu in the city of Kyoto.
JAPAN
Experiential tourism key to driving inbound spending in Japan
The consumption patterns of visitors to Japan have been shifting as their enthusiasm for purchasing luxury items appears to be waning.
Yukihiro Kaneko, a Panasonic research officer, shows a perovskite panel, through which the background can been seen, during an interview in Tokyo.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Japan sees bright future for ultrathin and flexible solar panels
By Hiroshi Hiyama
The government is offering generous incentives in order to reach Japan's target of having renewable energy cover up to 50% of electricity demand by 2040.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes part in a campaign event in Yokohama on July 6. Japan faces deep structural challenges but lacks bold political vision and leaders willing to take risks for transformative change.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Performative ‘elections’ expose a sad lack of vision
Stephen R. Nagy
Political parties jostle for position and trade barbs but offer no clear plan for Japan’s growing structural challenges.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes part in a campaign event in Yokohama on July 6. Japan faces deep structural challenges but lacks bold political vision and leaders willing to take risks for transformative change.

JAPAN

People watch a campaign speech in Tokyo on July 13.
Record 26.2 million people vote early in Upper House poll
The figure represents 25.12% of all voters, with many people using the early voting system given the long weekend.
A guilty ruling by a Chinese court for a Japanese employee at Astellas Pharma on a spying charge will be finalized if he does not file an appeal by the deadline in late July.
Astellas employee won't appeal spying conviction in China
A Beijing district court that imposed the prison sentence is believed to have found the man guilty of espionage for providing information to an intelligence agency.
Nepal pavilion finally opens at Osaka Expo
Polls open for key Upper House election that could shake Japanese politics
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Fukushima soil delivered to Ishiba's office for reuse
Amid searing summer heat, eel restaurants draw crowds on Day of Ox

BUSINESS

Visitors play Hades 2, an upcoming independent game for Nintendo's Switch 2, during the BitSummit indie gaming expo in the city of Kyoto on Friday.
Indie game studios battle for piece of Switch 2 success
By Katie Forster
With Nintendo game sales long dominated by in-house franchises, it can be hard for outsiders to break through.
A Dole Food Company worker rakes coffee cherries for them to dry at the company's Waialua coffee and cocoa farm on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, in November 2011.
Trump tariffs spell trouble for Hawaii’s few coffee farmers
By Ilena Peng
Coffee is more popular in the U.S. than even bottled water, with two-thirds of Americans drinking it every day.
Kansai Electric eyes next-generation reactor at plant in Fukui Prefecture
Trump aims tariff double whammy at industries and nations by Aug. 1
By Joe Deaux, Jenny Leonard, Alicia Diaz and Josh Wingrove
U.S. firms to develop Syria energy master plan after Trump lifts sanctions
By Timour Azhari
G20 communique delivers rare show of unity amid Trump trade war

WORLD

Torrential rains triggered a landslide in Sancheong, South Korea, on Saturday.
Death toll rises to 14 in South Korea as heavy rain triggers landslide and flooding
Two people have died and a further two were missing in the South Korean resort town of Gapyeong on Sunday amid heavy rainfall.
Members of emergency services work at the scene after a vehicle plunged into a crowd outside a nightclub, on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Driver charged after plowing into Los Angeles nightclub crowd, injuring 30
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez, was charged on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
Israel issues new evacuation orders in central Gaza as hunger worsens
Tsunami alert lifted after powerful quakes off Russian coast
Death toll from Vietnam tourist boat accident climbs to at least 38
Gaza civil defense says Israeli fire kills 39 near two aid centers

Sports

Oleksandr Usyk celebrates after winning his heavyweight title fight over Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday.
Usyk knocks out Dubois to become undisputed world heavyweight champion
By Julian Guyer
The victory saw Ukraine's Usyk extend his unbeaten professional record to 24 fights as the WBA, WBC and WBO champion added his British opponent's IBF belt to his collection.
Shi beats Lanier to win Japan Open badminton title
Pacquiao held to draw by Barrios in world title return
Shota Imanaga and slugging Cubs overpower Red Sox
Thymen Arensman gives Ineos something to cheer about at Tour as doping cloud hangs
By Julien Pretot

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes part in a campaign event in Yokohama on July 6. Japan faces deep structural challenges but lacks bold political vision and leaders willing to take risks for transformative change.
Performative ‘elections’ expose a sad lack of vision
Stephen R. Nagy
Political parties jostle for position and trade barbs but offer no clear plan for Japan’s growing structural challenges.
The 'Trump Doctrine' is wishful thinking
By Melanie W. Sisson
The bid for Japan’s 7-Eleven was doomed from the start
By Gearoid Reidy
A trade deal fumble could be Ishiba’s last mistake
By Gearoid Reidy
In Japanese politics, rice is the 'third rail'
By Edo Naito

ENVIRONMENT

Activists from Greenpeace protest deep-sea mining with an inflatable octopus and a banner that says "'Protect the deep sea" in Berlin earlier this month.
Restoring sea floor after mining may not be possible, researchers warn
By Amelie Bottollier-Depois
One of the last wild zones on the planet, the sea floor is a coveted frontier for companies and countries eager to access high-demand minerals found there.
Pakistan's quiet solar rush puts pressure on national grid
By Zain Zaman Janjua
How schools are being built for extreme heat — without air conditioning
By Emma Batha
World risks up to $39 trillion in losses from vanishing wetlands: report
By Duncan Miriri
How climate change is fueling wildfires in Europe
By Kate Abnett

CULTURE

Mod's memoir “Things Become Other Things” chronicles his walking trips across the Kii Peninsula, surveying “a graceful end to a certain life cycle.”
Craig Mod's life in motion in a disappearing Japan
By James Hadfield
In “Things Become Other Things,” the longtime resident of Japan captures that grace that lingers in slowly vanishing countryside towns.
What to pack if you are heading to the Fuji Rock Festival
The self as a muse: Leonard Foujita's world in paintings and photos
By Jennifer Pastore
Kawaii Lab redefines idol pop for the TikTok generation
By Patrick St. Michel
Akutagawa and Naoki award decision marks rare absence of literary prizewinners
By Alyssa I. Smith

LIFE

You don't need an oven to make Kenji Morimoto's easy and delicious Miso Sticky Toffee Crepe Cake.
In microbes we trust: Embracing the nature of fermented food
By Simon Daly
With simple, fuss-free recipes, Kenji Morimoto's debut cookbook effortlessly guides home cooks into the unpredictable but rewarding world of fermentation.
Dancers, festivals and one very useful Japanese grammar point
By Yaeko Kabe
Cool to be square: A block of tofu with veggies to chill your summer
By Elizabeth Andoh
Sega’s first Japan store signals ‘immersive entertainment’ push
By Gendel Gento
Tokyo nabs four spots on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list
By Weiwen Lin

COMMUNITY

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa
Remote work is reshaping how Indian professionals navigate life, family and identity in a post-pandemic Japan.
Lilimi settles into a new life
Tobias Bieker: ‘A good interviewer helps the guest shine’
By Gendel Gento
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
By Kat Joplin
Japanese language is your gateway to seeing the world anew
By Damian Flanagan

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
‘Noto Democracy’ and the slow work of civic change
By Moe Shimizu
Yukio Iokibe’s “Noto Democracy" centers on Motoyuki Takii, a former junior high school teacher who publishes a handwritten newspaper every month to encourage the residents of Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture, to engage in local politics.
LIFE
In microbes we trust: Embracing the nature of fermented food
By Simon Daly
You don't need an oven to make Kenji Morimoto's easy and delicious Miso Sticky Toffee Crepe Cake.
LIFE
Touring the Silk Road — without leaving Tokyo
By Kimberly Hughes
One of the entrances to Pao Compound, a nine-story Silk Road-inspired complex in Tokyo's Higashinakano neighborhood
JAPAN
Japan's rice farmers are confounded by Shinjiro Koizumi’s policies
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Kiyoshi Shibata stands in front of one of the rice paddies in Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, where he produces the prefecture's signature rice brand Tsuyahime.
LIFE
In Gaza-made obi, Palestinian embroidery meets Japanese kimono
By Anna Sakamoto
The Palestinian Embroidery Obi Project brings together a traditional Japanese garment and age-old designs from the Middle Eastern region.

Podcast

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

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa

JT Directory Service

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Ex.Portal By Synergy Media Specialists

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy
Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Japanese markets brace for triple whammy if opposition wins big
By Kazuaki Nagata
A Sanseito campaign van in Shinjuku. The populist party is gaining ground and challenging the more centrist parties.
JAPAN
Polls open for key Upper House election that could shake Japanese politics
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
People vote during Japan's Upper House election at a polling station in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN
Japan team finds ancient ocean full of squids
The ancient ocean was full of squids, whose population exceeded that of fish or ammonites, a Japanese research team mainly from Hokkaido University has found through a new method using technology.
JAPAN
Sunken WWII Japanese warship Teruzuki found off Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands. A team from the U.S. nonprofit Ocean Exploration Trust has discovered the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki on the deep seabed off the Solomon Islands as the 80th anniversary of the war's end approaches.
BUSINESS
Living conditions index hits lowest level in 15 years in Japan
The share of respondents to a Bank of Japan quarterly survey in June who said they have become worse off came to 61.0%, up 5.1 percentage points from the previous survey.