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May 14, 2025
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May 14, 2025
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Cars on display at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama on Tuesday. The automaker posted a massive annual net loss and confirmed that it plans to cut thousands of jobs worldwide.
BUSINESS / Companies
Japanese automakers looking at a ¥1 trillion hit from Trump tariffs 
By Kazuaki Nagata
No matter what happens, they expect the new levies to cost them a lot.

More coverage

Nissan gets ‘wake-up call’ with $4.5 billion annual net loss
Honda signals profit drop and warns of $3 billion tariff hit
Cars on display at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama on Tuesday. The automaker posted a massive annual net loss and confirmed that it plans to cut thousands of jobs worldwide.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass eats California rice at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday along with Mitsuko Tsuchiya, vice president of retailer Aeon.
JAPAN
Japanese retailers turn to California rice for cheaper alternative
By Yukana Inoue
Major retailer Aeon announced Tuesday it will start selling the “Karoyaka” variety of California rice from June 6.
New research by a U.S. climate scientists’ group reveals that extreme heat has increased the risks of preterm births and other pregnancy complications in Japan, nearly doubling the number of days that are harmfully hot for pregnant women over the past five years.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Harmfully hot days for pregnant women in Japan nearly doubled over past five years
By Tomoko Otake
Heat stress can raise the risks of stillbirths, miscarriages, preterm births and low-weight births, as well as congenital abnormalities for the babies.
An Air Self-Defense Force T-4 training aircraft
JAPAN
ASDF training jet crashes shortly after takeoff in Aichi
By Jesse Johnson
The T4 training aircraft, which seats two, crashed shortly after taking off from the Komaki Air Base. The crew's fate was not immediately clear.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange building in Nihonbashi. The exchange wants companies to lower the entry cost of investing in their shares.
BUSINESS / Markets
Tokyo Stock Exchange wants stocks to be affordable for the average investor
By Kazuaki Nagata
Attracting more small investors could help reduce volatility due to the introduction of a wider range of investment strategies.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange building in Nihonbashi. The exchange wants companies to lower the entry cost of investing in their shares.

JAPAN

Aso serves as the head of the LDP's task force on Japan’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
Conservative heavyweights join forces in LDP panel on Indo-Pacific
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
The panel has prompted speculation it could serve as an occasion to coalesce support against the government in the upcoming months.
A 15-year-old boy, arrested for fatally stabbing an elderly woman in the city of Chiba, told authorities he committed the crime in hopes of being sent to a juvenile detention center to escape his difficult home life, according to investigators.
Teen suspect in Chiba stabbing wanted to escape his home life, police say

The junior high school student allegedly attacked 84-year-old Yayoi Takahashi from behind with a knife at around 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Body in Saitama sinkhole identified as that of truck driver
34-year memorial held for victims of Shiga train collision
Japan ranks 14th in UNICEF child well-being survey
Japan to recognize Taiwan as place of origin in family registration system

BUSINESS

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is tugged toward a thermal power station in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture, in 2017.
Japan under pressure from U.S. to invest in Alaska LNG pipeline
By Eric Johnston
Doubts over the pipeline's profitability and viability leaves Japan's participation in the $44 billion (nearly ¥6.7 trillion) project uncertain.
A Sony PlayStation 5 controller
Sony profit forecast flattens under ¥100 billion tariff burden
By Yuki Furukawa and Takashi Mochizuki
New Sony Chief Executive Officer Hiroki Totoki’s first task is to navigate the entertainment group though a new era of a tariff-wielding United States.
Panasonic CEO says battery plans align with slower EV demand
By Reed Stevenson and Yuki Furukawa
Sumitomo Mitsui, SoftBank to tie up on digital payment services
South Korean think tank halves 2025 growth forecast to 0.8%
By Soo-hyang Choi
Mitsui starts mass production of e-methanol with Danish firm

WORLD

Chinese J-10 fighter jets from the People's Liberation Army Air Force August 1st Aerobatics Team perform during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, in November 2015.
Success of Chinese-made fighter jets against India raises alarm in Asia
By Josh Xiao and Yian Lee
The recent conflict is challenging long-held perceptions of Chinese weapons' inferiority to Western arms and sparking concern in places wary of Beijing.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on March 13.
NATO is sketching out a plan to meet Trump's call for 5% of GDP on defense
Negotiators are making progress ahead of a NATO summit in The Hague in June on a path to hitting the spending goal by 2032.
Human Rights Watch warns of migrant worker deaths in Saudi Arabia
U.S. warns of China missile threat ahead of 'Golden Dome' announcement
By Tony Capaccio
Latin America mourns world's 'poorest president' Mujica, dead at 89
By Giovanna Fleitas
Menendez brothers resentenced after 35 years, allowing parole

Sports

Onosato (left) battles Abi on Day 3 of the Summer Basho in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Sumo title contenders already emerging in early stages of Tokyo meet
By John Gunning
With Onosato looking untouchable during the summer meet’s opening stages, excitement is already building over his yokozuna bid.
Thunder storm past Nuggets late for 3-2 series lead
Haliburton shines as Pacers advance past top-seeded Cavs
McIlroy, Scheffler and Schauffele together for rainy PGA battle
By Jim Slater
NHL suspends Panthers co-owner over social media posts

Opinion

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and French President Emmanuel Macron at the AI Action Summit in Paris in February. The mood at the event was largely optimistic despite growing evidence that chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT are being used by malicious actors.
How much will we risk in the name of AI?
Maya Sobchuk
AI safety breaches are a very present danger. Evidence shows that leading chatbots are perpetuating Kremlin talking points, while many leaders tout optimism rather than concern.
American exceptionalism meets its maker
By Barry Eichengreen
Why China’s EV claims aren’t as revolutionary as they seem
By David Fickling
Meta’s defense of its rogue AI sounds painfully familiar
By Dave Lee
Dumping biomass in the ocean is not a climate solution
By James Kerry and Lisa Levin

ENVIRONMENT

Chiller Plant supervisor David Lindsay walks past pipes at the plant at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York.
As world heats up, U.N. cools itself the cool way: with water
By Amelie Bottollier-Depois
As more and more people want to stay cool in a planet that is steadily heating up, energy experts point to this kind of water-based system as a good alternative.
Indians buy 14 million air conditioners a year, and need many more
By Abhaya SRIVASTAVA
World's richest 10% caused two-thirds of global warming, study finds
By Marlowe Hood
Climate change takes spice from Indonesia clove farms
By Jack Moore
U.S. solar tariffs could drive Asia transition boom
By Sara Hussein

CULTURE

Kotoba Slam Japan runs regional competitions to select a representative for the annual World Poetry Slam Championship, which will take place in Mexico at the end of the month.
Japan’s slam poetry scene is all about raw vulnerability
By Eric Margolis
Slam poetry is a rarity in Japan, but the scene is full of energy and potential that the poets have been bringing to the world slam poetry stage for 10 years now.
Taiwanese war drama 'wake-up call' to Chinese invasion threat
‘My Edison’: Family-made sci-fi comedy is a real charmer
By James Hadfield
‘Wash Away’ brightens dementia drama with sudsy spin
By Mark Schilling
'Jumbo': the animated Indonesian film smashing records
By Baptiste Anse

LIFE

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?
By Tomoko Otake
The number of Japanese centenarians is on the rise, providing new models for how to live in a super-aging society.
In China’s ‘Michelin Guide,’ Tokyo leads overseas listings with 30 entries
By Tan Pin Yen
The world’s biggest natural wine festival returns to Tokyo
By Weiwen Lin
Trump once called it his favorite word. Now, the Japanese version is all over the news.
By Yuko Tamura
Kazuki Nagasawa's sustainable designs are rooted in tradition
By Danielle Demetriou

COMMUNITY

Ayano Kikuchi began practicing yoga in 2014 to alleviate her chronic back pain, and now shares her knowledge with the Karuizawa community as the manager of W Tree House.
Ayano Kikuchi: ‘People need to take care of themselves holistically’
By Olivia Boissel
How a corporate office worker in Tokyo became a yoga studio manager in Karuizawa
Kotomi Li: 'I refuse to choose death'
By Kat Joplin
Reclaiming Sanya, one meal at a time
By Kim Kahan
Arunima Mazumdar: ‘Japanese literature has a niche but deeply engaged readership in India’
By Megha Wadhwa
How to spend the perfect day in Hiroo, Tokyo’s expat enclave
By Eric Margolis

Editors' Picks

LIFE
Sculpted waves, sleek updos: Showa hairstyles are back in fashion
By Carol R.H. Malasig
The larger-than-life hairstyles of Japan's Showa Era are unmistakable — and they're making a comeback.
JAPAN
Consumption tax set to dominate Upper House election debate
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Japan should produce its own AI defense solutions, Sakana AI CEO says
By Himari Semans
Sakana AI CEO David Ha speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Nissan gets ‘wake-up call’ with $4.5 billion annual net loss
By Kazuaki Nagata
Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa in Tokyo as the company releases its results
JAPAN
Japan set for bigger role in Philippines after SDF’s debut in key drills
By Gabriel Dominguez
Philippine Army Brig. Gen. Michael Logico, who was involved in managing the latest iteration of the Balikatan U.S.-Philippine drills, told The Japan Times that he expects military ties with Japan to surge even further once Tokyo ratifies a key visiting-forces agreement with Manila.

Podcast

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

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?
By Tomoko Otake

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Transport ministry issues warning to Haneda Airport operator
The operator of Tokyo's Haneda Airport has been warned by the government over its inappropriate transactions.
BUSINESS
Xi defiance pays off as Trump meets most China trade demands
Then-Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visits a school in South Gate, California, in February 2012. Experts say Xi won big in his standoff with U.S. President Donald Trump.
BUSINESS
Nissan shares surge as carmaker set to cut 20,000 jobs in huge overhaul
U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on cars and car parts imported to the U.S. have been painful to most global brands, but crippling in Nissan’s case.
BUSINESS
Japan might be playing long game in U.S. tariff talks
By Francis Tang
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House earlier this year. Ishiba said Monday that farmers won't be sacrificed for automakers in Japan's tariff negotiations with the U.S.
JAPAN
More details emerge about stabbing near Tokyo University metro station
Yoshitaka Toda, the suspect in Wednesday's knife attack at Todaimae Station on the Tokyo Metro Nanboku Line, leaves a police station in the Japanese capital the same day for a pre-detention medical examination.