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July 25, 2025
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July 25, 2025
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U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, the day after he agreed to an 11th-hour trade deal with Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Big unanswered questions follow Japan's big, beautiful deal with the U.S.
By Francis Tang
The $550 billion investment plan, in particular, is the subject of doubt and discussion.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, the day after he agreed to an 11th-hour trade deal with Japan.
The University of Tokyo. International students are increasingly flocking to Asia, with affordability being a particularly important metric.
JAPAN / Society
Tokyo is the No. 2 choice for international students
By Elizabeth Beattie
Amid rising costs of living, affordability is a key factor for students when deciding where to study abroad.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, walks past a poster after meeting with party executives at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Political turmoil continues as Ishiba’s fate hangs in the balance
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
While there are demands for the ruling party's leadership to resign, the weakening of past factional ties makes it hard for those opposing the prime minister to join forces.
The diffusion index on living conditions in Japan is at its lowest level in nearly 16 years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan might be in a technical recession already
By Kazuaki Nagata
GDP appears to have declined for a second consecutive quarter, while wages remain stagnant and consumer sentiment weak.
Ichiro presents then-Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson with the bat he used to break the single-season hits record in 2004.
BASEBALL / MLB
Hall of Fame always held deeper meaning for Ichiro
By Jason Coskrey
Ichiro, who will be inducted into the Hall on Sunday, is so familiar with the storied museum that he could probably lead the tour that new inductees receive.
Ichiro presents then-Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson with the bat he used to break the single-season hits record in 2004.

JAPAN

The National Police Agency will begin a trial run of wearable cameras starting in late August.
Police in Japan to trial wearable cameras from late August
Officers will clearly indicate when recording is taking place using illuminated lights, stickers or armbands.
Water-related accidents across Japan rose to 1,535 in 2024 and involved 1,753 people — the highest number in a decade, according to the National Police Agency.
Authorities warn of dangers surrounding water-related activities this summer
By Jessica Speed
Ten people died and two remain missing following a string of water-related accidents over the long weekend.
Japanese fighter jets scramble 157 times in April-June period
Koike seeks to attract U.N. functions to Tokyo
Japan holds first meeting on Nankai quake information guidelines review
Panel calls for expanding interrogation recordings

BUSINESS

While the pace of gains in consumer prices in the capital slowed in July from a year earlier, the data send a fresh reminder that households are still coping with higher living costs overall.
Tokyo inflation slows while staying well above BOJ’s target
By Toru Fujioka
A decline in utility costs helped slow the overall gauge, but households are still coping with higher living costs overall.
As U.S. tariffs caused global uncertainty, Japanese carmakers in particular have been losing momentum as the industry faced pressure from levies.
Firms in Japan likely to log lower profits amid tariff and political uncertainty
By Reina Sasaki
While tariffs caused global uncertainty, Japanese carmakers in particular have been losing momentum as the industry faced pressure from the levies.
IMF advises Japan to avoid broad tax cuts and handouts
Toy makers nix batteries and other materials to save costs amid tariff war
By Arriana McLymore, Nicholas P. Brown and Samantha Marshak
Japan’s top global pension fund keeps strategy amid volatility
By Hideyuki Sano and Nao Sano
Fujitsu and Nagoya University develop AI-based tech to spread ride-hailing

WORLD

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas (right) meets then-French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron, now France's president, in the West Bank city of Ramallah in 2015.
France to recognize Palestinian state in September, Macron says
By Samy Adghirni
The French president's announcement prompted a harsh response from Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin (second from right), Defense Minister Andrei Belousov (third from right) and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh (left), attend a meeting in Moscow on Dec. 10, 2024.
Indian firm shipped explosives to Russia despite U.S. warnings
By Gram Slattery, Tom Balmforth and Shivam Patel
Two shipments sent in December by an Indian firm, both of which were unloaded in St. Petersburg, have been identified in Indian customs data.
Thailand hits Cambodia with F-16s as border clash erupts
By Patpicha Tanakasempipat
Blaming Hamas, U.S. and Israel recall teams from Gaza truce talks
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose
Passenger plane crashes in Russia's far east, nearly 50 people on board feared dead
Thailand fighter jet bombs Cambodian targets as border clash escalates
By Panu Wongcha-um and Chayut Setboonsarng

Sports

Hulk Hogan tears his shirt during a rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, at Madison Square Garden, in New York City on Oct. 27, 2024.
Hulk Hogan, shirt-shredding superstar of pro wrestling, dies at 71
By Victor Mather
Hogan was the face of pro wrestling for decades, with his blond hair and horseshoe mustache, colorful bandannas and massive biceps, which he referred to as "24-inch pythons.”
Spain sets sights on England to chase elusive European crown
By Philip O'Connor
Five former Hockey Canada players found not guilty in sexual assault trial
By Frank Pingue
Tour de France stage shortened due to infected cattle
Tokyo Olympic champion Jepchirchir relishes Japan return

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s last-minute trade deal with the U.S. may calm tariff fears but has cost him politically, leaving Japan’s ruling party divided and his leadership on the brink.
‘Mr. Japan’ bends the knee — and falls on his sword
Gearoid Reidy
Shigeru Ishiba’s trade deal with Donald Trump will be his last act as leader
Japan trade deal offers U.S. automakers relief, not new markets
By Liam Denning
Britain and Europe are changing together
By Mark Leonard
Why markets may soon call America’s tariff bluff
By Penelopi Koujianou Goldberg
Trump’s tariffs undermine America's security, business and credibility
By Diana DeGette and Ami Bera

ENVIRONMENT

President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Yuji Iwasawa (center) and other members issue an advisory opinion on nations' legal obligations to address climate change, at The Hague on Wednesday.
Top U.N. court says treaties compel wealthy nations to curb global warming
By Stephanie van den Berg and Alison Withers
The International Court of Justice said countries must address the "urgent and existential threat" of climate change.
Trump staff cuts force firefighters to clean toilets, critics say
By Andrew Hay
Restoring sea floor after mining may not be possible, researchers warn
By Amelie Bottollier-Depois
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

CULTURE

Before multiplexes entered the Japanese theatrical market in the early 1990s, moviegoers frequented “roadside theaters” — cinemas located in central urban areas near train lines. The Marunouchi Toei, which will close July 27, is the last of such theaters in Tokyo.
Marunouchi Toei closes as Japan’s cinema landscape evolves
By Mark Schilling
As audiences gravitate toward the luxury, tech and varied lineups of multiplexes, Tokyo’s last "roadside theater" closes after 65 years, marking the end of an era in moviegoing.
Behind the scenes: Inside Fuji Rock’s strategy for staying on top
By Philip Brasor
‘Rainy Blue’: Behind-the-scenes drama tarnishes an intriguing debut
By James Hadfield
Heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne dead at 76
By Peter HUTCHISON
‘Noto Democracy’ and the slow work of civic change
By Moe Shimizu

LIFE

It is recommended that screen time for children should be kept to under two hours a day.
Study first, screens later: Japanese kids have summer projects to do
By Yuko Tamura
From book reports to free research, parents are helping kids build good habits — and grammar — over summer break.
In microbes we trust: Embracing the nature of fermented food
By Simon Daly
Touring the Silk Road — without leaving Tokyo
By Kimberly Hughes
In Gaza-made obi, Palestinian embroidery meets Japanese kimono
By Anna Sakamoto
Dancers, festivals and one very useful Japanese grammar point
By Yaeko Kabe

COMMUNITY

Ayaka Ohira (center) celebrates the launch of “Shinsei Galverse” with interpreter Himari Lala Shimizu and executive producer Jack Baldwin.
Ayaka Ohira: ‘Being outside of the traditional path gave me more freedom’
By Zoria Petkoska
Anime director Ayaka Ohira talks about her newly launched ‘Shinsei Galverse’ series and how she navigates the industry as a self-taught female artist.
A big, beautiful Bengal cat named Pupu
The mothers holding up Japan's Vietnamese community
By Nguyen Bao Anh
Lilimi settles into a new life
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Japan leans into homegrown AI amid rising competition
By Elizabeth Beattie
McKinsey’s 2025 Technology Trends Outlook, published Wednesday, says that the use of “sovereign AI” is a trend gaining significant global traction, including in Japan.
BASEBALL
Induction of Ichiro has Cooperstown fretfully preparing
By Evan Drellich
Ichiro Suzuki will soon become the first Japanese player to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
CULTURE
JT picks: What not to miss at Fuji Rock 2025
By Johan Brooks, Alyssa I. Smith, Patrick St. Michel, Mark Thompson and Philip Brasor
Fuji Rock Festival turns the green slopes of Niigata Prefecture’s Naeba Ski Resort into a summer escape that offers soundtracks for every mood.
ENVIRONMENT
Japan’s top brands get tied up in the great sunscreen debate
By Tomoko Otake
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.
WORLD
Pentagon looks to unleash ‘military drone dominance’
By Gabriel Dominguez
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a drone demonstration at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on July 10.

Podcast

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

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan
By Alex K.T. Martin

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WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Japan and U.S. both claim win in surprise 11th-hour tariff deal
By Francis Tang
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan chief tariff negotiator, in Tokyo
SUMO
Disappointing start to Nagoya tournament turns into fascinating final stretch
By John Gunning
Ichiyamamoto (left) defeats Gonoyama to secure a winning record at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, at IG Arena on Monday.
COMMENTARY
Ignore the election hype, foreign residents are here to stay
By Edo Naito
Sohei Kamiya, founder of the Sanseito, which campaigned on a “Japanese first” message and tough immigration rhetoric, speaks at a rally in Gunma Prefecture on July 6.
BUSINESS
Big unanswered questions follow Japan's big, beautiful deal with the U.S.
By Francis Tang
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, the day after he agreed to an 11th-hour trade deal with Japan.
JAPAN
Ishiba denies reports he will resign next month, leaving his fate unclear
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba looks on after meeting with the Liberal Democratic Party executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.