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TOKYO
August 12, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 12, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
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Hiroshima/Nagasaki
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Stocks in Tokyo rallied on Tuesday despite months of uncertainty and general economic concerns.
BUSINESS / Markets
Japan's Nikkei 225 hits record high on tariff and rate optimism
By Francis Tang
Shares rise after some good news on the trade front and a long weekend.
Stocks in Tokyo rallied on Tuesday despite months of uncertainty and general economic concerns.
Kimi Ozawa, who lost her husband in the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet, prays in front of his memorial marker on Tuesday in the village of Ueno, Gunma Prefecture.
JAPAN / History / FOCUS
Controversial theories continue to swirl around 1985 JAL jet crash
By Kazuaki Nagata
Some bereaved family members and critics who subscribe to the idea of possible SDF involvement say the initial probe left too many loose ends untied.
The number of Japanese students who applied to the National Taiwan University in Taipei in 2025 is more than 60% higher than last year due partly to affordability and proximity.
JAPAN
Japanese students who want to study abroad looking at options in Asia
By Elizabeth Beattie
Amid a weak yen, students are increasingly picking more affordable schools in the region, such as Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines.
HMS Prince of Wales arrives into the Port of Darwin, Australia, in July during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.
JAPAN
Britain’s Prince of Wales aircraft carrier makes Japan debut
By Gabriel Dominguez
This is the second time since the late 1990s that a British aircraft carrier has docked in Japan — after the HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2021.
Ralph Edwards (far left), Capt. Robert Lewis (rear left), Bertha Starkey (rear center), Marvin Green (rear right), Kiyoshi (seated, left) and Chisa Tanimoto (seated, right), Koko Kondo (front left) and her three younger siblings, on the show “This Is Your Life,” on May 11, 1955
JAPAN / History / FOCUS
How an A-bomb survivor found forgiveness for Hiroshima bombers
By Himari Semans
Koko Kondo’s anger was extinguished when she saw the co-pilot of the Enola Gay bomber recall with regret what he and his crew had done on Aug. 6, 1945.
Ralph Edwards (far left), Capt. Robert Lewis (rear left), Bertha Starkey (rear center), Marvin Green (rear right), Kiyoshi (seated, left) and Chisa Tanimoto (seated, right), Koko Kondo (front left) and her three younger siblings, on the show “This Is Your Life,” on May 11, 1955

JAPAN

People with children walk in the sun as the Japanese government issued a heatstroke alert due to a heat wave, in Tokyo, on Aug. 5
Heat waves pose serious health risks for pregnant women, study shows
The Tokyo team found that the risk of serious complications for pregnant women increases the day after a heat wave.
Agriculture and fisheries minister Shinjiro Koizumi (left) meets with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun in Seoul on Monday.
Koizumi presses Seoul to lift fishery curbs, meets South Korea, China counterparts
South Korea suspended imports of fishery products from eight prefectures following the 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Victims mourned 40 years after JAL plane crash
Taiwanese drama 'Zero Day Attack' on Chinese invasion to stream in Japan
Osaka Expo ticket sales exceed break-even point
Millions told to evacuate as heavy rain sparks flooding and landslides in Kyushu

BUSINESS

A notice is displayed at a McDonald's restaurant informing customers of the end of the Pokemon card promotion, on Tuesday in Tokyo's Toshima Ward.
McDonald’s Japan apologizes over frenzy linked to Pokemon card promotion
By Yukana Inoue
Many customers bought Happy Meals in bulk to get their hands on limited-edition Pokemon trading cards, only to discard the food and resell the cards online.
Former International Monetary Fund Chief Economist Maurice Obstfeld has expressed concern that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has taken policy measures, including high tariffs and tax laws, that expand the federal debt and unpredictability, thereby undermining confidence in the dollar.
Former IMF economist advises Japan to strengthen non-U.S. ties
By Adriana Reinecke
Maurice Obstfeld expressed concern that policies, including high tariffs and tax laws, that expand the federal debt and unpredictability, may undermine confidence in the dollar.
China factories cut shifts and workers' pay as U.S. tariffs bite
By David Kirton
SoftBank shares surge on AI hope and sign of Stargate progress
By Kana Nishizawa and Min Jeong Lee
Two dead, 10 hospitalized after Pennsylvania steel plant explosions
Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund is hiring amid ballooning assets
By Nao Sano

WORLD

Demonstrators hold a banner during a protest outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem on Aug. 7.
Hamas hostage videos silenced Israeli media's talk of Gaza aid crisis
By Emily Rose
The mood in Israel hardened dramatically when Hamas released a video of a skeletal Israeli hostage followed by a video of another who said he was being forced to dig his own grave.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press about deploying federal law enforcement agents in Washington to bolster the local police presence, as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks on, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on Monday.
Trump takes over D.C. police and deploys national guard in Washington
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Nandita Bose
The move bypassed the city's elected leaders and was emblematic of a second-term that has seen him wield executive authority in ways with little precedent in modern U.S. history.
Myanmar security forces involved in systematic torture, U.N. report says
By Emma Farge
China, U.S. pledge funds for Pacific Islands ahead of meet they are barred from
By Kirsty Needham
Lula speaks with Xi after Modi and Putin amid standoff with Trump
Xi’s ‘probe’ of senior diplomat puts China foreign policy team in doubt

Sports

Kaoru Mitoma celebrates scoring Brighton's second goal against Chelsea in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Feb. 8.
Kaoru Mitoma looks to build on Premier League success with Brighton
By Zach Lowy
No Japanese player will be more essential for their team’s Premier League ambitions than Kaoru Mitoma.
Italian orienteering athlete dies at World Games in China
By Ian Ransom
Paramount wins exclusive U.S. rights to UFC in $7.7 billion deal
Fever coach says Caitlin Clark still not ready to return to practice
Women's Rugby World Cup players to wear mouthguards that light up on impact
By Pearl Josephine Nazare

Opinion

U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade delegation, comprising Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, meets with Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Li Chenggang and Vice Premier He Lifeng in Geneva on May 10 to discuss tariffs and trade issues.
Trump’s transactional approach shapes U.S.-China rivalry
Brad Glosserman
There are intense debates about how the U.S. can prevail in that struggle but there are no signs that a single strategy guides the administration.
The bullish case for oil is real — but far, far away
By Javier Blas
Espionage and tariffs can’t tarnish TSMC’s crown
By Catherine Thorbecke
The Japan-Australia frigate deal is more than a weapons pact
Xi steals a page from Mao’s foreign-policy playbook
By Kazuko Kojima

ENVIRONMENT

An Emerald Toucanet. Nearly half of all bird species are found in biodiversity-rich tropical regions.
Climate heat extremes driving tropical bird decline: study
By Julien MIVIELLE
Intensifying temperatures caused a 25% to 38% reduction in tropical bird populations between 1950 and 2020, compared to a scenario without global warming.
The airline industry's dirty secret: Clean jet fuel failures
By Joanna Plucinska, Joe Brock, Marleen Kaesebier and Paul Carsten
Hedge funds flip on green energy and start betting against oil
By Natasha White, Liza Tetley and Ishika Mookerjee
Momentum sagging at U.N. plastic pollution treaty talks
By Robin Millard
How Canadian wildfire smoke is jeopardizing health across North America
By Robert Tuttle, Brian K Sullivan and Danielle Bochove

CULTURE

Sung in Japanese, German and Ukrainian, “Natasha” is a multilingual opera with a multinational cast. Belgian soprano Ilse Eerens will originate the titular role, with Japanese mezzo-soprano Hiroka Yamashita as Arato and German baritone Christian Miedl as their trickster guide.
‘Natasha’ distills global zeitgeist on the opera stage
By Kris Kosaka
An original work commissioned by the New National Theatre, Tokyo, “Natasha” is a multilingual opera with a multinational cast from Japan, Germany and Belgium.
Futuristic mermaid tale ‘ChaO’ makes a splash
By Matt Schley
'Glass Heart’: A flashy rock fairytale scrubbed of grit
By James Hadfield
‘Nagasaki: In the Shadow of the Flash’ honors young nurses thrust into hellish nightmare
By Mark Schilling
The families that rock together at Fuji
By Mark Thompson

LIFE

At Himawari Shokudo 2, chef Hozumi Tanaka serves Italian-inspired fare with a focus on Toyama produce, such as this appetizer of lightly blanched "hotaru ika" (firefly squid) served atop mixed wild plants and a crepe prepared from "yamato-imo" yam.
At Himawari Shokudo 2, Italian food with a Japanese soul
By Robbie Swinnerton
Punching above its own weight, the intimate restaurant is one of the growing number of quality establishments that are helping to cement Toyama's status as a dining destination.
In a coffee-mad neighborhood, a gin distillery is a clear alternative
By Melinda Joe
A walk through Kokura, the city spared nuclear destruction
By Edward J. Taylor
Tokyo’s WWII museums hold diverse views on war and peace
By Mark Schreiber
Brave the Bon holiday traffic to discover tourism gems off the beaten path
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

Francisco Villarreal moved to Japan in 2014 to attend a teacher training program and has forged deep ties to the kindergarten in Tokyo's Asakusa district where he has worked since 2018.
Kindred spirits, kindergarten connections: From Buenos Aires to east Tokyo
By Francisco J. Villarreal
An Argentinian teacher finds echoes of his hometown in the working-class neighborhoods of eastern Tokyo.
A campaign to preserve Hiroshima’s historic trees for another 1,000 years
By Patrick Parr
Briton brings artistic view to Japanese buildings
By Louise George Kittaka
‘Mad cute’ Scottish fold to brighten your day
The international artists supporting Japan’s craft legacy
By Laura Pollacco

Editors' Picks

ENVIRONMENT
Osaka Expo highlights the challenge of holding events in Japan's scorching summer
By Joel Tansey
People huddle near a large fan blowing icy-cold mist at the Osaka Expo on July 12. Amid Japan's relentless summer heat, organizes have put myriad measures in place in order to keep guests safe.
LIFE
At Himawari Shokudo 2, Italian food with a Japanese soul
By Robbie Swinnerton
At Himawari Shokudo 2, chef Hozumi Tanaka serves Italian-inspired fare with a focus on Toyama produce, such as this appetizer of lightly blanched "hotaru ika" (firefly squid) served atop mixed wild plants and a crepe prepared from "yamato-imo" yam.
MORE SPORTS
Cheer with caution: Expert advises sports fans have game plan for extreme heat
By Mai Yoshikawa
A Cardinals fan fans himself during the seventh inning of a game against the Pirates in St. Louis, Missouri, in June 2022.
JAPAN
Australia's warship selection signals Japanese defense industry's arrival
By Gabriel Dominguez
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami-class frigate. Australia's selection of an upgraded version of the Mogami-class warship for its next frigate class could prove to be a watershed moment for Japan’s defense industry.
BUSINESS
Japan's inheritance tax is high, unforgiving and sometimes avoidable
By James Wongvipat
The National Tax Agency at the Ministry of Finance, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. Japanese tax authorities can bill foreign residents in Japan for assets inherited globally.

Podcast

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

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person
By Naoko Abe

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

COMFACTS

GO GRANDCLASS Uonuma Koshihikari Edition Wins Platinum Award at Milano Sake Challenge 2025
GO GRANDCLASS Uonuma Koshihikari Edition Wins Platinum Award at Milano Sake Challenge 2025
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Millions told to evacuate as heavy rain sparks flooding and landslides in Kyushu
Heavy rain falls in the city of Kumamoto on Monday morning.
ENVIRONMENT
Osaka Expo highlights the challenge of holding events in Japan's scorching summer
By Joel Tansey
People huddle near a large fan blowing icy-cold mist at the Osaka Expo on July 12. Amid Japan's relentless summer heat, organizes have put myriad measures in place in order to keep guests safe.
ASIA PACIFIC
Chinese vessels collide while pursuing Philippine boat in South China Sea
This handout video grab released and taken on August 11, 2025 by the Philippine Coast Guard shows an incident between a Chinese Navy vessel (left) and a Chinese Coast Guard ship as seen from a Philippine fisheries boat near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea.
JAPAN
Weather agency warns of landslides and flooding in Kyushu as heavy rain continues
An embankment on the Amikake River that collapsed due to heavy rain in Aira, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Friday. Downpours continued in the Kyushu region over the weekend.
LIFE
Tokyo’s WWII museums hold diverse views on war and peace
By Mark Schreiber
A carrier-based Type 52 Zero fighter marks the entrance foyer of Yasukuni Shrine's Yushukan, a museum that tells a more nuanced story of Japan's experience in World War II than the controversies around the shrine might suggest.