Home page

 
Menu
Search
 
Menu
Search
Tokyo Weather 26℃
TOKYO
June 05, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
June 05, 2025
South Korea election
Rice crisis
War in Ukraine
Latest News
Deep Dive
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
A tax-free shop in Kyoto in April 2024. Last week, members of a Liberal Democratic Party study group drafted a proposal seeking to scrap the country's tax-free shopping system altogether.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Japan eyes tougher rules for foreign residents and tax hike for tourists
By Jessica Speed
Ideas range from stricter driver's license tests for foreign nationals to increasing taxes on foreign visitors.
A tax-free shop in Kyoto in April 2024. Last week, members of a Liberal Democratic Party study group drafted a proposal seeking to scrap the country's tax-free shopping system altogether.
If Japan Post loses its general cargo vehicle license, it would be barred from reapplying for a new one for five years.
JAPAN / Society
Japan Post may lose cargo license over widespread driver check failures
By Karin Kaneko
A transport ministry audit in April revealed enough instances of missed checks in the Kanto region to surpass the threshold for license revocation.
Wages in Japan are falling on a real basis, in part because of rising food prices.
BUSINESS / Economy
Real wages in Japan fell 1.8% year on year in April
By Kazuaki Nagata
Inflation-adjusted pay has now fallen for four straight months.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday. Suzuki said preparations for the changes that will focus more on rehabilitation are being actively made at each correctional facility.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Japan’s prison reform focuses on rehabilitation
By Karin Kaneko
Prison labor is no longer mandatory, which allows more time for educational and rehabilitative programs aimed at reducing recidivism.
The year so far is only proving that Mrs. Green Apple is the biggest band in Japan. Their success also seems to be hinting at a change in the musical landscape more broadly.
CULTURE / Music
Six months into 2025, J-pop is having a full-on identity crisis (and a great time)
By Patrick St. Michel
Halfway through 2025, J-pop is in flux — swinging between AI absurdity, idol nostalgia and viral sugar highs.
The year so far is only proving that Mrs. Green Apple is the biggest band in Japan. Their success also seems to be hinting at a change in the musical landscape more broadly.

JAPAN

Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, meet with survivors of the war as they visit the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum in Itoman on Wednesday.
Imperial family mourns WWII victims in two-day visit to Okinawa
The visit was Princess Aiko's first to Okinawa, which reflected the imperial couple's wish that memories of the war be passed onto the next generation.
National Police Agency data showed a 24.1% increase in stalking-related arrests last year, with 1,341 individuals detained for violating the anti-stalking law, marking the highest figure since its revision in 2016.
Stalking-related arrests surge by 24% in 2024 to record high
Restraining orders issued under the anti-stalking law also climbed 23% last year, according to the National Police Agency.
Mother of North Korean abductee urges government to have sense of mission over issue
Child abuse cases hit record high in Japan in 2024
Scientists in Japan develop plastic that quickly dissolves in seawater
By Irene Wang
Japan enacts bill to penalize revenge against whistleblowers

BUSINESS

A customer picks up a bag of stockpiled rice at a Lawson convenience store in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on Thursday.
Lawson and FamilyMart begin selling government-stockpiled rice
Their sales are expected to make it easier for consumers to access stockpiled rice after it sold out quickly at major supermarkets and other places.
A TIRTIR store in Seoul on May 23
South Korean beauty brands bet boom in U.S. demand outlasts tariff pain
By Hyunsu Yim and Hyunjoo Jin
The startups are expanding their bricks-and-mortar presence in the world's biggest consumer market, confident their mass appeal will offset tariff costs.
Alphabet CEO expects to keep hiring engineers while AI advances
By Julia Love
Japan to continue to seek tariff removal in latest negotiations ahead of G7
By Yoshiaki Nohara
Space-debris firm that saw shares surge 62% on IPO loses half its value
By Yasutaka Tamura and Reina Sasaki
Itochu working to support overseas pharma firms to fill Japan's drug gaps
By Koh Yoshida and Kanoko Matsuyama

WORLD

Afghan refugees queue outside a distribution and donation center in New Jersey in December 2021. U.S. President Donald Trump's second-term travel ban covers 12 countries, including Afghanistan.
Trump signs travel ban for 12 countries including Afghanistan
By Josh Wingrove and Hadriana Lowenkron
The move is the latest step in what has been a sweeping immigration agenda aimed at cracking down on undocumented migration.
America's reluctance to provide air defenses sought by its European partners highlights how the western allies are at odds over how to deal with Russian aggression in Ukraine.
U.S. said to deny air cover to Europe force in postwar Ukraine
By Ellen Milligan, Alberto Nardelli and Natalia Drozdiak
The U.S. reluctance to provide the backup sought by its European partners highlights how the allies are at odds over the way to deal with Russia.
After courting and criticizing Trump from afar, Merz now set to meet U.S. leader
By Arne Delfs
Anger as U.S. blocks Gaza ceasefire resolution at U.N. Security Council
By Gregory WALTON
'No means no,' prosecutor tells jurors as Harvey Weinstein trial wraps
By Andrea BAMBINO
North Korea's Kim vows 'unconditional support' for Russia's war in Ukraine

Sports

Hideo Nakata, deputy mayor of Nagoya, waves the Olympic Council of Asia flag as Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura watches during the closing ceremony of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Oct. 8, 2023.
Organizers to house athletes on 'floating village' during 2026 Asian Games
By Andrew MCKIRDY
Organizers will lease a luxury cruise liner that will be docked at Nagoya's port.
Portugal heaps praise on Cristiano Ronaldo after Nations League win
Leon Draisaitl scores in overtime to lift Oilers in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final
Four-division world champion Kosei Tanaka retires at 29 due to eye injuries
Steelers respond to fans after QB Mason Rudolph attends Trump rally

Opinion

Akio Toyoda’s involvement in the $33 billion buyout of Toyota Industries signals a potential corporate comeback, and that’s a good thing despite criticism.
For Toyota, more Akio Toyoda would be a good thing
Gearoid Reidy
This opposition is nonsensical. Akio turned Toyota into the biggest automaker in the world during a period of intense industry change.
Mark Zuckerberg finally found a use for his Metaverse — war
By Dave Lee
A new generation of 'Japan hands' and a changing world
By Joshua W. Walker
South Korea's new president has a chance to clean up
By David Fickling
The ground is fertile for Japan-India green economy partnerships
By Ajay Mathur

ENVIRONMENT

The small village of Blatten in the Swiss Alps was destroyed by a landslide after part of a glacier collapsed last week.
How Switzerland's Birch glacier collapsed
By Robin Millard
There are strong theories on the causes, and to what degree it is linked to climate change — but these are yet to be confirmed by scientific analysis.
Swiss glacier collapse is a lesson on climate disaster management
By Laura Millan
Octopus invasion in English Channel flags marine heat wave risks
By Joe Wertz
Half the world has faced an extra month of extreme heat, study finds
China is eroding Japan's LNG dominance. How does that affect Japanese buyers?
By Nithin Coca

CULTURE

Detail of Takashi Murakami, “Rakuchu-Rakugai-zu Byobu: Iwasa Matabei RIP” (2023-25)
New Naoshima museum bets on Asia, not the West
By Thu-Huong Ha
The Naoshima New Museum of Art is Tadao Ando’s 10th contribution to the popular art islands.
'Godzilla The Art Exhibition' reimagines film icon as monstrous muse for modern art
By Matt Schley
Anime's big night out is getting bigger — and more surreal
By Patrick St. Michel
Atsuko Okatsuka brings big 'dad' energy to new special
By Zoria Petkoska
‘I Have a S/e/c/r/e/t’ gives teen angst a whimsical twist
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

Elden Ring Nightreign sees a developer following up its greatest commercial and critical outing with a game that struggles to find its stride.
In Elden Ring Nightreign, the FromSoftware formula goes awry
By Owen Ziegler
Released on May 31, the studio’s first purely multiplayer effort struggles to grasp what makes its newly chosen genre great.
Waves of umami: Awaji Island's culinary trove
By Kathryn Wortley
The empanada that’s secretly a ‘gyōza’ inside
By Simon Daly
How ‘hikikomori’ shut-ins ‘start to have dreams for the future’
By Eric Margolis
Traditional home experts to gather at MinkaMeets event
By Laura Pollacco

COMMUNITY

American Robert Jefferson runs a YouTube channel called The Kamakura Gardener that invites viewers to enjoy the pleasures of gardening, cooking and slow living.
‘A garden is a grand teacher’: The Kamakura Gardener nurtures via YouTube
By Alex Michael Dwyer
Veteran broadcaster Robert Jefferson has built up a following through his comforting video content about gardening, cooking and living in Kamakura.
Mateusz Urbanowicz: ‘Miyazaki inspired me to put the audience first’
By Naomi Oren
This charming Shiba enjoys life’s simple pleasures
A moving meditation: Finding serenity in tea ceremony across space and time
By Michele Laudig
Joshua Thomson: ‘Comedy is a pill that’s easier to swallow’
By Laura Pollacco

Editors' Picks

ASIA PACIFIC
South Korea’s Lee pledges to heal deep wounds as ‘president for everyone’
By Jesse Johnson
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung waves with his his wife, Kim Hye-gyeong, following his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nintendo’s Switch 2 console is finally here
By Owen Ziegler
The Switch 2 is Nintendo's first new gaming console in eight years.
SUMO
Hakuho’s departure highlights worrying sumo trend
By John Gunning
Former <i>yokozuna</i> Hakuho performs a ring-entering ceremony at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in February 2020.
BASEBALL
Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima dies at 89
By Jason Coskrey
Shigeo Nagashima (left), then the manager of the Tokyo Giants, waves to fans with players and coaches during a victory parade in central Tokyo in 2000. Nagashima died at the age of 89 on Tuesday.
COMMUNITY
‘A garden is a grand teacher’: The Kamakura Gardener nurtures via YouTube
By Alex Michael Dwyer
American Robert Jefferson runs a YouTube channel called The Kamakura Gardener that invites viewers to enjoy the pleasures of gardening, cooking and slow living.

Podcast

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

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Ex.Portal By Synergy Media Specialists

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic
By Alex K.T. Martin
After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
BUSINESS
Toyota Industries receives $33 billion buyout offer from group companies
By Nicholas Takahashi
Toyota group companies could establish a new holding company to privatize Toyota Industries.
JAPAN
Japan’s fertility rate hits record low despite government push
By Erica Yokoyama
The total number of births dropped to about 686,000, marking the first time the figure has fallen below 700,000, according to a health ministry release on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
South Korea’s Lee pledges to heal deep wounds as ‘president for everyone’
By Jesse Johnson
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung waves with his his wife, Kim Hye-gyeong, following his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday.
SUMO
Hakuho’s departure highlights worrying sumo trend
By John Gunning
Former <i>yokozuna</i> Hakuho performs a ring-entering ceremony at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in February 2020.