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July 16, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 16, 2025
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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, delivers a campaign speech in Yokohama on July 6.
JAPAN / Politics
Ishiba faces bad poll numbers with Upper House vote only days away
By Eric Johnston
Losing a majority in the Upper House would pile pressure on Ishiba to resign and kickstart efforts by the ruling coalition to find an opposition party to join it.

More coverage

Prodigal Hokkaido son returns to campaign trail for last run in Upper House election
Japan’s ‘rice minister’ is ruling party’s biggest election gamble
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, delivers a campaign speech in Yokohama on July 6.
A recent case involving teachers sharing voyeuristic images of schoolgirls has sparked national outrage.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Teachers sharing illicit student images raises question of systemic failure
By Jessica Speed
Japan’s sluggish policy response and deep-rooted cultural resistance to the concept of consent sets it apart from other countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum (left) and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Economy
Trump signals the end of the road for Japan tariff negotiations
By Francis Tang
U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% "reciprocal" rate might simply be allowed to go into effect on Aug. 1
Tokyo ranks among the world's top tech talent hubs alongside Beijing, the San Francisco Bay Area, Bengaluru, Paris, New York and Dublin, according to Colliers' newly released global tech markets report.
BUSINESS / Tech
Tokyo emerges as a top market for global tech talent
By Elizabeth Beattie
As the search for tech talent intensifies, companies are deciding to invest more in regions that offer “more abundant and affordable tech talent.”
Mod's memoir “Things Become Other Things” chronicles his walking trips across the Kii Peninsula, surveying “a graceful end to a certain life cycle.”
CULTURE / Books
Craig Mod's life in motion in a disappearing Japan
By James Hadfield
In “Things Become Other Things,” the longtime resident of Japan captures that grace that lingers in slowly vanishing countryside towns.
Mod's memoir “Things Become Other Things” chronicles his walking trips across the Kii Peninsula, surveying “a graceful end to a certain life cycle.”

JAPAN

Muneo Suzuki speaks in Sapporo on Saturday.
Prodigal Hokkaido son returns to campaign trail for last run in Upper House election
By Eric Johnston
Muneo Suzuki's personality and past actions make him a divisive political figure, but he's teaming up with the Liberal Democratic Party for one final run.
A survey by Tokyo-based nonprofit Good Neighbors Japan showed that the number of respondents saying that their children eat two meals or fewer a day during holidays was about 2.5 times higher than during the school term, at 32.2%.
More kids going hungry during school holidays as food costs soar, survey finds
By Jessica Speed
Rising food and utility prices are placing additional pressures on families already struggling to make ends meet.
Vault for Hiroshima A-bomb victims shown to media
Japan tourism growth slowed as quake rumor deterred Hong Kongers
By Eddy Duan
Tokyo police arrest man for attempted arson at tourist go-kart company
Chinese court jails Japanese executive after sudden detention for spying

BUSINESS

The share of respondents to a Bank of Japan quarterly survey in June who said they have become worse off came to 61.0%, up 5.1 percentage points from the previous survey.
Living conditions index hits lowest level in 15 years in Japan
The percentage of respondents who said their living conditions improved from a year before minus those who said the opposite was the worst since the September 2009 survey.
Nidec CEO Mitsuya Kishida with lion dance performers during the opening ceremony of the company’s Qingdao Industrial Park on July 9
Nidec builds made-in-China EV motor to help Toyota catch rivals
About 99% of the materials and parts in the new E-axle motor are from China, said Nidec president Mitsuya Kishida.
Beneath China's resilient economy, a life of pay cuts and side hustles
Masayoshi Son and Sam Altman see no end to AI demand and scaling
By Min Jeong Lee
China’s growth momentum offers Xi rare window to fight deflation
Wary that Fed chief may be ousted, investors protect portfolios from inflation risk
By Carolina Mandl, Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss and Matt Tracy

WORLD

Smoke rises after strikes on Syria's Defense Ministry in Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday.
Israel strikes Syrian Defense Ministry in Damascus seeking withdrawal from south
Security sources within Syria's Defense Ministry said at least two drone strikes had hit the building and that officers took cover in the basement.
Palestinian children stand in line for food distributed by a charity kitchen at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
One in 10 children in its clinics are malnourished, U.N. Palestinian refugee agency says
By Olivia Le Poidevin
More than 5,800 children have been diagnosed with malnutrition in Gaza, including more than 1,000 children with severe, acute malnutrition.
Thai ex-PM Thaksin appears on stand in royal defamation case
By Montira Rungjirajittranon
Air India crash and helicopter crash report rekindle cockpit-video debate
By Dan Catchpole
Ukraine celebrates Trump's weapons reversal, but the 'devil's in the details'
By Gram Slattery, Mike Stone, Jonathan Landay and Steve Holland
A Nazi document trove raises questions for Argentina
By Leila Miller

Sports

Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with his teammates after the National League won a swing-off tiebreaker over the American League on Tuesday in the MLB All-Star Game.
NL takes MLB All-Star Game in first tiebreaker swing-off
Shohei Ohtani had a hit in two at-bats for an NL team that jumped out to an early lead before hanging on for a win in a unique tiebreaker.
Bear stops play again at Japan golf event
JSA’s 100th anniversary event is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for sumo fans
By John Gunning
Silver says NBA to study possible expansion beyond 30 teams
'World's oldest marathon runner' dies at age 114 in road accident

Opinion

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on April 7. Trump’s unexpected strike on Iran shows how Israel’s influence overcame his reluctance for foreign wars.
Trump’s Iran attack shows what it takes to win his military support
Kuni Miyake
How did Israel convince Trump? Put simply, why did Trump, unlike previous presidents who considered it but held back, launch a direct strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities?
The Constitutional Democratic Party vows fight against inflation
By Yoshihiko Noda
Nippon Ishin stakes its appeal on real results as Upper House vote nears
By Hirofumi Yoshimura and Seiji Maehara
JCP vows fairer taxes, stronger social safety net and a commitment to peaceful diplomacy
By Tomoko Tamura
Russia’s frozen $245 billion can pay for Ukraine’s arms
By Marc Champion

ENVIRONMENT

Firefighters work to tackle a wildfire spread at Les Pennes-Mirabeau, near Marseille, southern France, on July 8
How climate change is fueling wildfires in Europe
By Kate Abnett
Wildfires have burnt 227,000 hectares of land since the beginning of the year — more than double the average for this time of year over the past two decades.
World risks up to $39 trillion in losses from vanishing wetlands: report
By Duncan Miriri
When it’s this hot, ‘We are enduring, not living’
By Zia ur-Rehman
Europe's illegal pesticide trade surges as farmers cut costs
By Karolina Tagaris
Philippines struggling to ready underfunded schools for climate hazards
By Mariejo Ramos

CULTURE

Nakagin Capsule Tower architect Kisho Kurokawa in front of the structure two years after its completion in 1972.
The many lives of Nakagin Capsule Tower on display at New York’s MoMA
By Zoria Petkoska
“The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower” showcases the 50-year history of the building through nearly 45 pieces of contextual material and one of the capsules on display.
Rare vintage shots and first-time shows at TOP’s 30th anniversary
By John L. Tran
‘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

Pick up some country-style bread from Boulangerie Aman on your road trip in Kamikawa, Hokkaido.
Road-tripping through central Hokkaido? Don't miss these bakeries
By Simon Daly
Slice through lavender fields and flaky croissants on your drive through the scenic region of Kamikawa.
‘Our ultimate goal is to save every single Japanese video game’
By Gendel Gento
Is Japanese skin really ‘too smooth’ for Hideo Kojima’s games?
By Owen Ziegler
With fine dining, Milpa frees Mexican food from the grips of the taco
By Melinda Joe
An emoji used to say it all. Now it might say too much.
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa
Remote work is reshaping how Indian professionals navigate life, family and identity in a post-pandemic Japan.
Tobias Bieker: ‘A good interviewer helps the guest shine’
By Gendel Gento
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

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
With China and Trump, Japan defense report says world entering ‘new era of crisis’
By Jesse Johnson
A senior member of a Self-Defense Forces honor guard inspects a formation before the arrival of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for a visit to the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on June 30.
BUSINESS
Tokyo stocks hit by a perfect storm of tariffs, politics and budget worries
By Kazuaki Nagata
Tokyo stocks are underperforming shares in other large markets globally.
JAPAN
Japan researchers identify gut bacteria strain that boosts anticancer drugs
By Tomoko Otake
Researchers at the National Cancer Center Japan say a new type of gut bacteria named YB328 could help unlock the potential of cancer immunotherapy.
LIFE
Tokyobike founder believes in taking in sights of dynamic cities slowly
By Elizabeth Beattie
Ichiro Kanai, founder and president of Tokyobike, is developing a niche but a new customer base who want to cycle as part of a lifestyle.
CULTURE
Music idol and anime fandom merch is big business
By Patrick St. Michel
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.

Podcast

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

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Students in Japan struggle with Japanese language and math sections on national exam
The correct answer rate for the Japanese language section on a national test dropped to 67.0% from 67.8% the previous year among elementary school sixth-graders.
JAPAN
Japan team finds ancient ocean full of squids
The ancient ocean was full of squids, whose population exceeded that of fish or ammonites, a Japanese research team mainly from Hokkaido University has found through a new method using technology.
JAPAN
Japan researchers identify gut bacteria strain that boosts anticancer drugs
By Tomoko Otake
Researchers at the National Cancer Center Japan say a new type of gut bacteria named YB328 could help unlock the potential of cancer immunotherapy.
BUSINESS
Tourists in Japan have telemedicine options before calling 119
By Kazuaki Nagata
Foreign tourists at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo. More than 1 million international visitors have a medical issue in Japan every year.
COMMUNITY
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan
By Megha Wadhwa
After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.