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August 29, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 29, 2025
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Wind turbines in the town of Happo in Akita prefecture. Wind power is a key part of Japan's alternative energy drive.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Mitsubishi’s wind-power retreat a blow to Japan's alternative-energy goals
By Francis Tang
Dramatic withdrawal by trading house from three projects comes amid similar moves globally.
Wind turbines in the town of Happo in Akita prefecture. Wind power is a key part of Japan's alternative energy drive.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, had been set to fly to Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Akazawa's trip to Washington for tariff talks abruptly canceled
By Francis Tang
Japan's chief tariff negotiator had been set to leave on Thursday for a 10th round of talks.
Nippon Ishin no Kai leader Hirofumi Yoshimura (center), Secretary-General Hiroshi Nakatsuka (center right) and other executives meet in Osaka on Aug. 12.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Amid LDP turmoil, speculation grows over possible tie-up with Nippon Ishin
By Eric Johnston
Recent moves that put LDP-friendly executives into leadership positions seem to signal that Nippon Ishin wants to draw closer to the LDP.
Fuji TV is suing its former president, Koichi Minato, and former executive vice president, Toru Ota, for ¥5 billion ($34 million) over their mishandling of a “sexual violence” scandal involving former TV personality Masahiro Nakai.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Fuji TV seeks ¥5 billion in lawsuit against former execs over Nakai scandal
By Yukana Inoue
The broadcaster claims its former president, Koichi Minato, and former executive vice president, Toru Ota, failed to respond appropriately to the scandal.
Sakurazaka46, the idol pop outfit formerly known as Keyakizaka46, wrapped up an an 11-night nationwide tour this month.
CULTURE / Music
Sakurazaka46 wants the world to dance along
By Patrick St. Michel
The 33-member idol group takes its spectacle-heavy performances on the road — and abroad.
Sakurazaka46, the idol pop outfit formerly known as Keyakizaka46, wrapped up an an 11-night nationwide tour this month.

JAPAN

The health ministry is considering allowing nationwide pharmacy sales of emergency contraceptive pills without requiring age restrictions or parental approval.
Japan weighs OTC sales of emergency contraceptive pills without age limit
By Yukana Inoue
To ensure proper use, the plan would require that the morning-after pill be taken in the presence of a pharmacist.
Some 93.1% of Japanese teenagers who struggle with school life said they felt like they “wanted to disappear from the world" at the end of summer vacation ahead of the start of a new term, according to a recent survey released by Yokohama-based nonprofit Daisan Kazoku.
Most Japanese teens struggling with school find end of summer ‘painful’
By Jessica Speed
In a recent survey, 93.1% of respondents said they felt they “wanted to disappear from the world.”
Japan and Ecuador agree to deepen economic ties
Most Japanese teens struggling with school find end of summer ‘painful’
By Jessica Speed
Never again, says woman orphaned by Tokyo air raid during World War II
Need to pee? Japan has QR code for that.

BUSINESS

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is the world's largest contract maker of chips, used in everything from smartphones to missiles.
Taiwan prosecutors charge three with stealing TSMC trade secrets
The three people include a former TSMC engineer who went to work for Tokyo Electron's Taiwan subsidiary and two staff employed by the chipmaker.
A Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle in Shanghai
Chinese carmakers resist Beijing’s call to end brutal price war
By Linda Lew and Yasufumi Saito
Domestic EV maker Leapmotor said recently that while the government’s campaign is beneficial for the industry, it won’t affect its pricing tactics.
Toyota’s record run of sales extends to a seventh month
BOJ board member reaffirms stance on raising interest rates
By Toru Fujioka
The backbone of the global auto supply chain is at risk from Trump’s tariffs
By River Akira Davis, Jin Yu Young, Melissa Eddy and Hisako Ueno
TikTok owner ByteDance sets valuation at over $330 billion in planned buyback
By Krystal Hu, Julie Zhu and Kane Wu

WORLD

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right) and his daughter Kim Ju Ae attend a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, in Wonsan, in North Korea, on June 24.
How North Korea promotes Kim’s ‘Dear Daughter’ as a worthy heir
By Pablo Robles and Choe Sang-Hun
Kim Jong Un introduced his daughter to the world in November 2022 with a show of affection and menace, holding her hand in front of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Thailand's suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra gestures as she arrives at the Constitutional Court in Bangkok on Aug. 21.
Powerful Thai court again to decide fate of Thaksin-aligned prime minister
By Patpicha Tanakasempipat
The case against Paetongtarn Shinawatra shows how the country’s conservative establishment can thwart governments and engineer military-backed rule.
RFK Jr. says CDC must more closely align with Trump’s agenda
By Jessica Nix and Damian Garde
Hong Kong wraps up pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai's security trial
By Jessie Pang and James Pomfret
Expecting on the front lines: Motherhood in Ukraine’s military
By Cassandra Vinograd and Oleksandr Chubko
Shooter kills two children in Minneapolis church and injures 17 others
By Tom Baker and Daniel Stublen

Sports

Naomi Osaka celebrates after her win over Hailey Baptiste in the second round of the U.S. Open in New York on Thursday.
Naomi Osaka shines on way to third round at U.S. Open
Osaka needed just 70 minutes to complete a lopsided win over Hailey Baptiste.
Carlos Alcaraz cruises into second round at U.S. Open
McLaren in driver's seat as Formula One heads to Max Verstappen's backyard
Mondo Duplantis soars to fifth Diamond League crown
Naomi Osaka hoping to recapture old magic at U.S. Open

Opinion

Japan faces a strategic dilemma between an unreliable U.S. security alliance and an assertive China, requiring it to pursue flexible, resilient and multilayered partnerships while avoiding dependence on either power.
Japan must prepare for a post-American Indo-Pacific
Stephen R. Nagy
Tokyo must confront an uncomfortable truth: The U.S.-led order that enabled Japan’s postwar success is dead and no one knows what comes next.
Trump’s tariffs should spur Indo-Japan convergence
By Varuna Shankar
Al and our brave new world of ‘weaponized interdependence’
By Brad Glosserman
Joint Sino-Russian patrols push Japan to rethink defense posture
By Jonathan Berkshire Miller
Microsoft hack victims need to be on alert for sleeper cells
By Dave Lee

ENVIRONMENT

A worker wearing protective equipment walks near the Electric Arc Furnace at the 7 Steel facility in Cardiff, Wales, on July 18.
Sky-high electricity costs hindering the U.K.s progress toward net zero
By Kate Holton and Susanna Twidale
Energy bills have stripped firms of money to improve efficiency, deterred the shift to lower-carbon power sources and made wind-farm, pylon and battery production less competitive.
Record wildfires burn more than 1 million hectares of EU land this year
By Kate Abnett
Are bridges near you safe? This MRI-like scan may prevent disaster
By Coco Liu
'Restoring dignity': Kenya slum exchange offers water for plastic
Spain's 16-day heat wave is 'most intense on record'

CULTURE

Japan Times
In pictures: Koenji Awa Odori 2025
By Johan Brooks
At Koenji Awa Odori, performers and crowds blur together in sound, sweat and laughter — a summer festival that thrives on shared energy and joy.
From foil to fan favorite, Kuromi embodies Sanrio’s darker side of cute
By Patrick St. Michel
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announce engagement after two-year romance
By Lisa Richwine
Healing Oshima Island's history of disease with a touch of art
By Uliana Dobrova
'The Face of Jizo': Hisashi Inoue's play staged in Sydney commemorates WWII victims
By Kris Kosaka

LIFE

A boy looks at samples of Pokemon toys available with the McDonald's Happy Meal set in Tokyo earlier this month.
How to complain politely: Lessons from the McDonald’s Pokemon debacle
By Yuko Tamura
In Japan, the right phrasing can mean the difference between a request and harassment.
Sega's ninja-themed Shinobi series is back from the dead
By Owen Ziegler
Retired Tokyo trains live on as upcycled table lamps
By Joanna Kawecki
Behind Tanikoretani’s quiet facade, a lively world of sake-fueled food
By Robbie Swinnerton
Character-crazed Japan has little appetite for Labubu
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

Musical act Petalhead, comprised of Jaime Alise (left) and Riku Ogura, performs at More Than Music’s beachside event in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture.
More Than Music makes space for creative communion
By Shyam Bhardwa
Since 2018, Tokyo-based duo Justin Sachs and Atsuko Sunaga have been organizing live shows and curating a community with shared passions.
Tosca turns a new leaf in a new home
Seri Yanai: ‘We mix modern and analog to create something new’
By Ayako Nakano
Carl J. Green, mentor to a generation of ‘Japan hands,’ dies at 85
By Matthew Goodman
Handsome cat looking for brighter days ahead

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
Virtual singer Kaf's music becomes magic in 'Kamitsubaki City Under Construction'
By Alicia Haddick
Virtual singer Kaf got her start in 2018 by posting songs and covers to YouTube. Now, after having performed live shows at major venues including Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan, she is turning to voice acting and starring in the new anime series “Kamitsubaki City Under Construction.”
JAPAN
Can anime carry the memories of World War II?
By Yukana Inoue
Many schools in Japan show "Grave of the Fireflies" as educational material to tell the emotionally grueling story of a boy who has no means to prevent his sister from starving to death.
BASEBALL
Koshien’s dark summer forces reckoning for high school baseball
By Mai Yoshikawa
Koryo High School players greet their cheering section after beating Hokkaido’s Asahikawa Shiho in the first round of Summer Koshien on Aug. 7. The school withdrew three days later as a bullying scandal enveloped the team.
JAPAN
Is Kishida plotting a return of the king? Or would he rather stay a kingmaker?
By Eric Johnston
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida chairs a plenary session at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama on Aug. 21.
BUSINESS
Japanese prefectures break with labor ministry on minimum wage
By Kazuaki Nagata
The ministry of labor has suggested a 6% minimum wage increase, but most prefectures reporting so far are opting to go slightly higher.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition “Yukigesho Castella” Featuring Sake Lees at “Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025”
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Philippine bid to acquire used Japanese warships gains steam
By Gabriel Dominguez
Tokyo is looking to transfer Abukuma-class vessels to the Philippines as part of broader efforts to boost the defense capabilities of like-minded neighbors amid growing Chinese military assertiveness in the region.
BASEBALL
Koshien’s dark summer forces reckoning for high school baseball
By Mai Yoshikawa
Koryo High School players greet their cheering section after beating Hokkaido’s Asahikawa Shiho in the first round of Summer Koshien on Aug. 7. The school withdrew three days later as a bullying scandal enveloped the team.
BUSINESS
Akazawa's trip to Washington for tariff talks abruptly canceled
By Francis Tang
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, had been set to fly to Washington on Thursday.
JAPAN
Confusion over Japan’s ‘hometown’ plan overshadows African development event
By Yukana Inoue
First Lady Yoshiko Ishiba (center, in white and blue dress) hosts an event on Japanese culture with the first ladies of African leaders on the sidelines of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama on Aug. 21.
BUSINESS
Mitsubishi’s wind-power retreat a blow to Japan's alternative-energy goals
By Francis Tang
Wind turbines in the town of Happo in Akita prefecture. Wind power is a key part of Japan's alternative energy drive.