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July 13, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 13, 2025
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Blunt letters dictating terms posted to social media and changes late in negotiations have left trading partners wondering what U.S. President Donald Trump will do next.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
As Trump sows tariff confusion, rules of global commerce give way to chaos
By Jeanna Smialek and Ana Swanson
Blunt letters dictating terms posted to social media and changes late in negotiations have left trading partners wondering what Trump will do next.
Blunt letters dictating terms posted to social media and changes late in negotiations have left trading partners wondering what U.S. President Donald Trump will do next.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Trump intensifies trade war with threat of 30% tariffs on EU and Mexico
The EU and Mexico, both among the largest U.S. trading partners, responded by calling the tariffs unfair and disruptive while pledging to continue to negotiate.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Yosuke Tsuruho speaks during a news conference at the Wakayama Prefectural Government office in the city of Wakayama on Wednesday
JAPAN
LDP lawmaker to quit as parliamentary committee chief over Noto quake gaffe
According to a senior official of the ruling LDP, Yosuke Tsuruho is poised to step down as chairman of the Budget Committee in the House of Councillors.
Nissan Motor and Honda Motor are planning for Nissan to manufacture pickup trucks, which are popular in the United States, and for Honda to sell them under its own brand, sources have said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nissan eyes supplying vehicles to Honda in U.S.
The move would be aimed at improving profitability and plant utilization for a turnaround, while helping mitigate the impact of U.S. tariffs.
Tobias Bieker settled in Osaka in 2018 and started "Unpacking Japan" as a side project with ZenGroup five years ago.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Tobias Bieker: ‘A good interviewer helps the guest shine’
By Gendel Gento
The host of the "Unpacking Japan" podcast offers his take on Osaka life, Japanese jazz and writing fiction.
Tobias Bieker settled in Osaka in 2018 and started "Unpacking Japan" as a side project with ZenGroup five years ago.

JAPAN

The Kanagawa Prefectural Police department suspects that Hideyuki Shirai, 28, killed Asahi Okazaki, a 20-year-old part-time worker, in or near the prefecture around Dec. 20 last year.
Man arrested for alleged murder of ex-girlfriend in Kawasaki
The Kanagawa Prefectural Police department suspects that Hideyuki Shirai, 28, was stalking Asahi Okazaki, 20, and later killed her around Dec. 20 last year.
People check out Mie Prefecture's exhibit inside the Kansai Pavilion at the Osaka Expo in May.
Local governments leverage Osaka Expo to attract tourists
Officials of local governments are feeling confident about their promotion activities, with some events to introduce local food and culture at the expo proving popular.
Osaka police crack down on crime ring over underage prostitution
More than 120 countries and regions to attend Hiroshima peace ceremony
Rubio says Japan defense spending hike less about money, more about capabilities
By Jesse Johnson
Dual surnames for married couples in focus ahead of Japan poll

BUSINESS

Women represent 26% of the AI workforce, according to a UNESCO report, and men hold 80% of tenured faculty positions at university AI departments globally.
Tech's diversity crisis is baking bias into AI systems
By Natasha Ghoneim
Built-in viewpoints and bias, unintentionally imbued by its creators, can make the fast-growing digital tool risky to use.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington in April.
A U.S.-EU trade deal hinges on cars, agriculture and Trump
By Alberto Nardelli and Jorge Valero
Cars and tariff levels on agriculture have emerged as key sticking points between the European Union and the U.S., sources have said.
Trump's copper tariffs pile more metal misery on U.S. auto industry
By Nick Carey and Nora Eckert
Canada just can't win in trade war with Trump
By Marion Thibaut
Japan starts fiscal 2025 minimum wage talks
Season's first batch of saury sells for ¥300,000 per kilogram at Toyosu market

WORLD

Firefighters are seen next to a burnt-out car following mass Russian drone and missile strikes in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Saturday.
Six killed in massive Russian drone, missile attack across Ukraine
Trump called Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin last week but said afterwards that there had been no progress towards ending the war.
Brothers Andrii Tupkalenko, 8, and Maksym Tupkalenko, 6, two of the last children left in their front-line village, pose for a photo with toy guns, their favorite toys, in Kalynove, Kharkiv region, Ukraine.
Childhood shaped by war for two Ukrainian brothers
By Violeta Santos Moura and Vitalii Hnidyi
The war in Ukraine is reshaping the fabric of ravaged frontier communities and leaving unseen as well as visible injuries on their youngest.
North Korea's Kim offers Russia full support on Ukraine in Lavrov talks: KCNA
Trump tariffs not broached in two ASEAN-related meetings with U.S. officials
By Gabriel Dominguez and Jesse Johnson
Isolated and fearing a ban, Germany's far-right tones down the rhetoric
By Thomas Escritt and Sarah Marsh
U.N. report sees no active Syrian state links to al-Qaida
By Michelle Nichols

Sports

Poland's Iga Swiatek kisses with the winner's trophy, the Venus Rosewater Dish, on the thirteenth day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Saturday.
Unforgiving Swiatek crushes Anisimova 6-0 6-0 to win maiden Wimbledon crown
By Shrivathsa Sridhar
Already a U.S. Open champion and a four-times French Open winner, Swiatek becomes the youngest woman since Serena Williams in 2002 to lift major titles on all three surfaces.
Wales look to future after ending 18-game losing run with Japan win
Chelsea out to stop PSG completing clean sweep in Club World Cup final
By Andy Scott
Alcaraz and Sinner set to resume rivalry in Wimbledon final
By Steven Griffiths
Ben Healy rides to victory in Stage 6 of Tour de France

Opinion

Tokyo’s skyline keeps evolving, but the country’s drab, outdated government district, long hours, low pay and poor work conditions are driving young bureaucratic talent away just when it needs them most.
Tokyo is missing 'Blade Runner' where it needs it most
Gearoid Reidy
Until the 1960s, Japan had strict prohibitions on developments higher than 31 meters (around 100 feet), a provision that kept cities dense but low.
Trump’s rejection of America’s founding principles
By Steve Pincus
Can China become a defender of free trade?
By Hotaka Machida
Trump declares war on the international economic order
Crypto crime is the future. Bank heists are history.
By Lionel Laurent

ENVIRONMENT

A public school teacher leads the class during the first day of in-person classes, at a school flooded due to high tide, in Macabebe, Pampanga province, Philippines, in August 2022.
Philippines struggling to ready underfunded schools for climate hazards
By Mariejo Ramos
Teachers want the government to do more than tweak the school calendar, and also invest in infrastructure that will make schools resilient to heat and storms.
In Indonesia, a startup captures coolants to stop global warming
By Jack Moore and Sara Hussein
EU’s far right to help shape 2040 climate goals after vote fails
By John Ainger and Ewa Krukowska
South Korea battles 'lovebug' invasion amid climate change
By Claire Lee
France worries about Japanese beetles after finding two

CULTURE

Businesses who cater to fandoms gathered at Tokyo Lifestyle Week for the second annual Oshikatsu — Merch Collection Expo, a trade show devoted to fandom goods.
Music idol and anime fandom merch is big business
By Patrick St. Michel
Over 100 booths showed off the latest in acrylic stands, binoculars and cheering items such as glow sticks and flags at the second Oshikatsu — Merch Expo.
The many lives of Nakagin Capsule Tower on display at New York’s MoMA
By Zoria Petkoska
‘Young & Fine’: Teenage horndog tale balances heart and hormones
By James Hadfield
‘Harbin’: Somber historical drama sees act of mercy lead to bloodshed
By Mark Schilling
Japanese dancers find a home abroad at Houston Ballet
By Alyssa I. Smith

LIFE

Milpa's inventive food combines Mexican cooking techniques with Japanese ingredients
With fine dining, Milpa frees Mexican food from the grips of the taco
By Melinda Joe
The Michelin-starred restaurant in Osaka wants to show Japanese diners that its cuisine has a creative breadth beyond tortillas.
Road-tripping through central Hokkaido? Don't miss these bakeries
By Simon Daly
Is Japanese skin really ‘too smooth’ for Hideo Kojima’s games?
By Owen Ziegler
A tiny mountain hamlet keeps traditional log rafting afloat
By Louise George Kittaka
Shintaro Awa appointed to head the kitchen of L’Ambroisie in Paris
By Kyoko Nakayama

COMMUNITY

Tobias Bieker settled in Osaka in 2018 and started "Unpacking Japan" as a side project with ZenGroup five years ago.
Tobias Bieker: ‘A good interviewer helps the guest shine’
By Gendel Gento
The host of the "Unpacking Japan" podcast offers his take on Osaka life, Japanese jazz and writing fiction.
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
Miho Koshiba: ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if people looked forward to Mondays?’
By Carina Fushimi
Fine feline twosome on the hunt for a forever home

Editors' Picks

LIFE
An emoji used to say it all. Now it might say too much.
By Yuko Tamura
Apple’s Craig Federighi shows off a set of emoji at a conference on June 13, 2016. While the small pictures have proved helpful in conveying nuance in our texts, younger people are using them less often.
LIFE
‘Our ultimate goal is to save every single Japanese video game’
By Gendel Gento
After nearly shuttering earlier this year, the Tokyo-based Game Preservation Society continues its work to save the early history of Japanese gaming.
CULTURE
Rare vintage shots and first-time shows at TOP’s 30th anniversary
By John L. Tran
The museum's curators selected a wide array of works from the archives for the milestone exhibitions. Among other photos, Nobuyoshi Araki's work from the series "Winter Journey" (1990) was included in the "Continuity and Change" exhibition that concluded in June.
SUMO
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
By John Gunning
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
BUSINESS
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
By Elizabeth Beattie
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy
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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
By Kanako Takahara
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
JAPAN
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
By Kanako Takahara
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
BUSINESS
Nissan clinches $4.5 billion bond deal after orders soar
By Takahiko Hyuga and Gowri Gurumurthy
Nissan Motor has raised $4.5 billion through a junk bond sale in U.S. dollars and euros, part of which carries a record-high coupon rate.
JAPAN
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
By Jesse Johnson
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
JAPAN
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.