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July 19, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 19, 2025
Japan elections
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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves concurrently as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, delivers a campaign speech in Yokohama on July 6.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Japan's minority government faces election snub as economic storm brews
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's LDP and its partner Komeito are forecast to lose their majority in a repeat of last year's Lower House election.

More coverage

Ishiba's future in balance as polls hint at rout in Upper House election
Japanese markets brace for triple whammy if opposition wins big
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves concurrently as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, delivers a campaign speech in Yokohama on July 6.
U.S. President Donald Trump steps on stage to deliver remarks at the Salute to America Celebration at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on July 3.
BUSINESS / Economy
Trump aims tariff double whammy at industries and nations by Aug. 1
By Joe Deaux, Jenny Leonard, Alicia Diaz and Josh Wingrove
In addition to measures on copper, the U.S. has discussed making announcements on lumber, chips, critical minerals and drugs in that order, though this may change.
Visitors play Hades 2, an upcoming independent game for Nintendo's Switch 2, during the BitSummit indie gaming expo in the city of Kyoto on Friday.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Indie game studios battle for piece of Switch 2 success
By Katie Forster
With Nintendo game sales long dominated by in-house franchises, it can be hard for outsiders to break through.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent before a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Ishiba and Bessent say 'good' trade agreement still possible
By Francis Tang
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba urged U.S. Treasury chief Scott Bessent to continue talks with Japan’s chief negotiator to achieve a win-win deal.
With a salsa-like topping, the "dashi yakko" is a Yamagata-style chilled tofu that makes a refreshing side dish for summer.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Cool to be square: A block of tofu with veggies to chill your summer
By Elizabeth Andoh
Bank on the cold, silky bean curd to help you combat the season's soaring temperatures.
With a salsa-like topping, the "dashi yakko" is a Yamagata-style chilled tofu that makes a refreshing side dish for summer.

JAPAN

People watch a campaign speech in Tokyo on July 13.
Record 21.45 million people vote early in Upper House poll
The figure represents 20.58% of all voters, with many people using the system given the long weekend.
Soil from the Fukushima No. 1 plant is delivered to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's office in Tokyo on Saturday.
Fukushima soil delivered to Ishiba's office for reuse
With few willing to take the contaminated earth, the government took it upon itself to reuse some of the soil to show it is not dangerous.
Amid searing summer heat, eel restaurants draw crowds on Day of Ox
Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence — and Zen?
By Michael Hoffman
As rice shortage hits donations, food banks urge politicians to tackle poverty
Sunken WWII Japanese warship Teruzuki found off Solomon Islands

BUSINESS

The No. 2 (left) and No. 1 reactor buildings stand at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Ohi nuclear power station in Ohi Town, Fukui Prefecture.
Kansai Electric eyes next-generation reactor at plant in Fukui Prefecture
This is the first concrete move toward building a new reactor in the country since the March 2011 disaster.
South African Deputy Minister of Finance David Masondo (left), Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana (center) and South African Reserve Bank Gov. Lesetja Kganyago address a closing news conference on the last day of a meeting of Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Durban, South Africa on Friday.
G20 communique delivers rare show of unity amid Trump trade war
U.S. tariffs have strained the G20’s multilateral foundations and complicated South Africa’s efforts — as this year’s rotating president — to keep the group’s agenda on course.
U.S. firms to develop Syria energy master plan after Trump lifts sanctions
By Timour Azhari
Mizuho partners with SoftBank on AI to boost efficiency
Seven & I risks becoming buyout target again if turnaround fails
By Koh Yoshida
Rapidus reports 2-nanometer progress, moving Japan closer to semiconductor goals
By Yuki Furukawa

WORLD

Tribal and bedouin fighters cross al-Mazraa village in Syria's Sweida governorate as they mobilize amid clashes with Druze gunmen on Friday.
U.S. announces Syria-Israel truce as new clashes rock Druze heartland
At least 638 people have died since Sunday in violence between the Druze and Bedouins, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on June 27.
Trump sues Wall Street Journal over Epstein report, seeks $10 billion
The newspaper said that Trump in 2003 sent Jeffrey Epstein a birthday greeting that included a sexually suggestive drawing and a reference to secrets they shared.
Car rams Los Angeles crowd, injuring at least 20
Sleepless in Kyiv: How Ukraine's capital copes with Russia's nighttime attacks
By Yurii Kovalenko, Anastasiia Malenko and Vladyslav Smilianets
'Frightening': Trump's historic power grab worries experts
By Frankie TAGGART
Defiant Bolsonaro says he is the one to stop Lula, China and Trump tariffs
By Luciana Magalhaes

Sports

Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki after hitting a three-run home run in the first inning against the Red Sox on Friday in Chicago.
Seiya Suzuki's three-run homer helps Cubs snap Red Sox's 10-game streak
The home run was the Japanese slugger's 26th of the season.
Japan's O'Leary beats world No. 1 Dora to take first surfing tour win
Scottie Scheffler holds lead at midway point of British Open
Dominant Pogacar not in a giving mood as Tour lead swells
By Julien Pretot
Japan Football Association planning to join Asia bid for 2046 World Cup

Opinion

Once seen as an unlikely prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba has struggled to deliver on promises, mishandled ties with U.S. President Donald Trump and now faces an election where the odds don’t look good for his party to come out victorious.
A trade deal fumble could be Ishiba’s last mistake
Gearoid Reidy
Ishiba already leads a coalition that lacks a majority in the Lower House, and another bad showing Sunday will likely mean Japan is looking for its third leader in as many years.
The 'Trump Doctrine' is wishful thinking
By Melanie W. Sisson
In Japanese politics, rice is the 'third rail'
By Edo Naito
Japan must be ready for an increasingly dangerous world
In uncertain times, Japan needs responsible leadership

ENVIRONMENT

A student leaves the secondary school building built by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Francis Kere, in Kere's home village of Gando, Burkina Faso, on June 3, 2022.
How schools are being built for extreme heat — without air conditioning
By Emma Batha
With techniques such as cross-ventilation and materials such as clay, architects around the world are adapting schools to climate change without the use of air conditioning.
Pakistan's quiet solar rush puts pressure on national grid
By Zain Zaman Janjua
World risks up to $39 trillion in losses from vanishing wetlands: report
By Duncan Miriri
How climate change is fueling wildfires in Europe
By Kate Abnett
When it’s this hot, ‘We are enduring, not living’
By Zia ur-Rehman

CULTURE

Mod's memoir “Things Become Other Things” chronicles his walking trips across the Kii Peninsula, surveying “a graceful end to a certain life cycle.”
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.
What to pack if you are heading to the Fuji Rock Festival
The self as a muse: Leonard Foujita's world in paintings and photos
By Jennifer Pastore
Akutagawa and Naoki award decision marks rare absence of literary prizewinners
By Alyssa I. Smith
‘Love Doesn't Matter to Me’: Romance takes a backseat to female friendship
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

A man takes part in Tokyo’s Sanja Matsuri by helping to carry a "mikoshi" (portable shrine). Many Japanese festivals are open to foreign residents and tourists to participate in.
Dancers, festivals and one very useful Japanese grammar point
By Yaeko Kabe
From Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri to Tokyo’s Sumida fireworks, Japan’s summer festivals offer history, spectacle — and a chance to learn some vocabulary.
Touring the Silk Road — without leaving Tokyo
By Kimberly Hughes
In Gaza-made obi, Palestinian embroidery meets Japanese kimono
By Anna Sakamoto
Sega’s first Japan store signals ‘immersive entertainment’ push
By Gendel Gento
Tokyo nabs four spots on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list
By Weiwen Lin

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.
Lilimi settles into a new life
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

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Japan's rice farmers are confounded by Shinjiro Koizumi’s policies
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Kiyoshi Shibata stands in front of one of the rice paddies in Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, where he produces the prefecture's signature rice brand Tsuyahime.
JAPAN
From stalking to death threats, female candidates still face harassment
By Himari Semans
Mayu Ushida, a former NHK newscaster running for election in the Tokyo electoral district on the Democratic Party for the People ticket, signs an autograph for a voter after a public rally at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo on Tuesday.
CULTURE
Kawaii Lab redefines idol pop for the TikTok generation
By Patrick St. Michel
Misa Kimura is the main producer for Kawaii Lab, a project by entertainment agency Asobisystem whose groups have found success by pairing a social media-first strategy with a fresh perspective on traditional idol-pop tropes.
CULTURE
Craig Mod's life in motion in a disappearing Japan
By James Hadfield
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
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.

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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WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Living conditions index hits lowest level in 15 years in Japan
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.
BUSINESS
Tokyo emerges as a top market for global tech talent
By Elizabeth Beattie
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.
JAPAN
From stalking to death threats, female candidates still face harassment
By Himari Semans
Mayu Ushida, a former NHK newscaster running for election in the Tokyo electoral district on the Democratic Party for the People ticket, signs an autograph for a voter after a public rally at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
CDP leader criticizes ‘Japanese First’ policy and calls for inclusive society
By Eric Johnston
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda said it is obvious that Japanese society could not function without the help of foreign workers in manufacturing, health care, construction and public transportation.
SUMO
JSA’s 100th anniversary event is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for sumo fans
By John Gunning
Egyptian wrestler Osunaarashi has some fun with children during a special Japan Sumo Association event in 2017.