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August 06, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 06, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
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A rice farm in Niigata Prefecture. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tuesday that the government will reconsider its long-standing policy of limiting rice production — a measure that has been in place since around 1969 in response to chronic oversupply.
JAPAN
Ishiba to reverse rice curb policy as government admits to miscalculating demand
By Yukana Inoue
“We had assumed that production volume was adequate, despite the lack of sufficient analysis,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said.
A rice farm in Niigata Prefecture. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tuesday that the government will reconsider its long-standing policy of limiting rice production — a measure that has been in place since around 1969 in response to chronic oversupply.
Liberal Democratic Party youth division head Yasutaka Nakasone (center) and other members speak to reporters in Tokyo on July 25.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Will the movement seeking Ishiba’s resignation succeed?
By Eric Johnston
It is unclear whether the core personalities looking to unseat him have what it takes to make that happen.
Israeli tanks near the border fence with the Gaza Strip earlier this month. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering whether to deploy the Israel Defense Forces into the 25% of the Palestinian territory not already under its control.
WORLD / Politics
Israel weighs full Gaza takeover despite concerns of armed forces
By Dan Williams and Galit Altstein
The plan would likely face considerable opposition by international governments fearful of the worsening humanitarian situation in the strip.
U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday. He told CNBC that investment pledges are like signing bonuses.
BUSINESS / Economy
Trump: the $550 billion pledged by Japan is 'our money'
By Francis Tang
The U.S. president told CNBC that he is free to invest the funds however he wishes.
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.
JAPAN / History / Longform
80 years on, a Japanese American hibakusha recalls the day the bomb dropped
By Elizabeth Beattie
As a 7-year-old boy in Hiroshima, Howard Kakita was hoping to catch the vapor trail of a B-29 bomber. A sudden blast knocked him out.
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.

JAPAN

Kunihiko Iida speaks about his experience as a hibakusha, in the city of Hiroshima on July 14.
Orphaned hibakusha continues to tell of the destructive reality of nuclear weapons
Kunihiko Iida has made it his mission to share his experience, believing that conveying the truth of the bomb will "lead to the abolition of nuclear weapons."
On Monday, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba offered his views of U.S. President Donald Trump and the American leader’s negotiating tactics — colorful comments that were unusual for their candor but not widely reported in Japan.
'Not a normal person’: Ishiba shoots from the hip when it comes to Trump
By Jesse Johnson
It is extremely unusual for a sitting prime minister to publicly speak about the leader of the U.S. in a manner that could be construed as criticism.
Australia's warship selection signals Japanese defense industry's arrival
By Gabriel Dominguez
Documents show U.S. initially estimated Hiroshima bombing victims at 100,000
Hiroshima calls for nuclear-free world on 80th anniversary of atomic bombing
By Kanako Takahara
Passing on Hiroshima's message of peace, one paper crane at a time

BUSINESS

A cargo ship at the port of Oakland, California, on Aug. 4
U.S. trade deficit narrowed 16% in June as high tariffs cast shadow on services
By Dan Burns
Days after reporting that the goods trade deficit fell to its lowest since September 2023, the U.S. said the full deficit including services was also its narrowest since then.
Taiwan has arrested six people on suspicions of stealing trade secrets from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. after the chipmaker reported a number of former and current staff to authorities.
Taiwan arrests six in probe of TSMC chip technology leak
By Debby Wu
The chipmaker had reported a number of former and current staff to authorities on suspicion they illegally obtained core technology.
Honda raises annual profit guidance despite U.S. tariff impact
By Nicholas Takahashi
Japan ruling party heavyweight warns against BOJ rate hike
By Leika Kihara and Yoshifumi Takemoto
Seven & I sets expansion targets to win back investor confidence
By Kanoko Matsuyama and Koh Yoshida
Switzerland’s go-it-alone approach tested by Trump tariff shock
By Hugo Miller and Levin Stamm

WORLD

A dog looks through the bars of a cage at the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control as the shelter struggles with overcrowding caused by pets abandoned during recent immigration raids, in Downey, California, on July 29.
Trump's immigration raids in LA affecting pets too
By Jorge Garcia and Mike Blake
Dogs and cats are finding themselves in Los Angeles County's care centers after their owners get detained or deported.
A tour group on the Cornell University campus. About a quarter of Cornell’s student body is international.
Trump’s visa havoc strands students weeks before classes start
By Francesca Maglione, Amanda Albright and Nic Querolo
International students are struggling to secure visas as the Trump administration aggressively moves to curtail immigration.
Poland’s next political battle starts as president takes office
By Agnieszka Barteczko and Maxim Edwards
South Korea's former first lady questioned in probe over bribe allegations
By Soo-hyang Choi
Saudi Arabia’s new tourism play trades skyscrapers for nature
By Christine Burke
Trump’s staffing gaps complicate India’s bid to ease U.S. tensions
By Sudhi Ranjan Sen

Sports

Otake <i>oyakata</i> and his wrestlers at Otake stable in April 2018
Fresh start for stable founded by legendary yokozuna Taiho
By John Gunning
In a historically significant move, the Otake sumo stable will be taken over by someone without a direct connection to its founder.
Shin returns to South Korea vowing to revitalize fallen powerhouse Ulsan
By Michael Church
Curling champion Constantini set to throw rocks at 'special' hometown Games
By Aadi Nair
Sizzling Osaka to face Tauson in WTA Canadian Open semis
ESPN, leaping to streaming, holds hands with the NFL
By Brookes Barnes

Opinion

This undated handout photo released by the Australian Defence Force on Tuesday shows the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force JS Mogami frigate sailing at an undisclosed location.
The Japan-Australia frigate sale is a big deal. Here’s why.
Michael MacArthur Bosack
For the Japanese government, this will make for the largest defense export to date.
Moving nuclear subs isn’t something you announce on social media
By James Stavridis
The true costs of Trump’s economic agenda
By Kaushik Basu
Trump’s tariffs defy the doomsayers — so far
By Brad Glosserman
Nuclear destruction through the eyes of a 10-year-old
By Michael Judge

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.
Toxic algae bloom off South Australia devastates marine life and tourism
China struggles to capitalize on record renewables build-out as grid work lags
Pressure from oil producers and U.S. threaten global pact on plastics pollution
By Olivia Le Poidevin and Valerie Volcovici
'Let's go fly a kite': Capturing wind for clean energy in Ireland
By Peter MURPHY

CULTURE

This year, Fuji Rock Festival's ticket sales were the strongest they have been since the COVID-19 pandemic, with overseas ticket buyers accounting for roughly 10% of all sales.
From far and wide, overseas visitors flock to Fuji Rock
By Alyssa I. Smith
From Singapore to Greece to Michigan, fans came to Japan not just for the music, but for the nature, the relaxed atmosphere and the freedom to dance into the early hours.
The families that rock together at Fuji
By Mark Thompson
A weekend in Naeba: Rain or shine, the fun never stopped at Fuji Rock '25
By Alyssa I. Smith
'Stigmatized Properties: Possession': Layered lead faces ghosts and show business
By Mark Schilling
'Army on the Tree': World War II film leans into absurdist theater
By James Hadfield

LIFE

A video on Bayraktar's Instagram of approaching an elderly worker in Tokyo's Shibuya has gone viral, garnering almost 9 million views.
Photographer Bleg Bayraktar is winning social media with politeness
By Laura Pollacco
Japan holds a special place in the heart of the Belgian photographer, who has shot portraits in various countries and cultivated a reputation for being incredibly respectful.
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
A language built on the wind, from mountain gusts to wind chimes
By Eric Margolis
Communal knead: A Turkish baker in Kamakura draws queues
By Alex Michael Dwyer

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.
Charming Chikuwa has a zest for life
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio
Ayaka Ohira: ‘Being outside of the traditional path gave me more freedom’
By Zoria Petkoska
The mothers holding up Japan's Vietnamese community
By Nguyen Bao Anh

Editors' Picks

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.
LIFE
Junglia brought dinos back to Okinawa. But will it bring tourists?
By Owen Ziegler
At Panorama Dining, one of Junglia’s two proper restaurants that also doubles as the rooftop Inifinity Terrace overlook, guests can pay extra to sit in balcony tables made to look like birds’ nests overlooking the park grounds.

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

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
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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

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COMMENTARY
China’s unbeatable new production model export
By Jeffrey Wu
China is not merely moving more goods; it is exporting a new, ruthlessly efficient production model powered by automation, AI and state-guided industrial optimization.
JAPAN
Extreme heat in Japan set to peak this week
By Yukana Inoue
People shield their eyes from the sun as they walk through a street on a hot day in Tokyo on July 26.
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.
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.
WORLD
Italy's fast fashion hub becomes Chinese mafia battlefield
By Alexandria SAGE
Signs for fast-fashion factories in Prato, Italy, on Friday. Chinese crime groups in the district thrive on the "Prato system" rife with corruption in the fast-fashion sector.