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August 31, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 31, 2025
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A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
‘Mount Fuji Lawson’ becomes a symbol of Japan’s overtourism problem
By Jessica Speed
Officials in a Yamanashi town have been struggling to balance welcoming visitors and preserving the quality of life for locals. A new mesh barrier is an attempt at compromise.
A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
A polar bear at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Thursday. The Arctic animals are among the most vulnerable species to Japan's scorching summer heat and zookeepers have to take a number of precautions in order to keep them safe.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
How Tokyo's Ueno Zoo helps their animals cope with extreme heat
By Carolina Pichardo
From limiting their time outdoors to serving frozen food, the staff at Ueno Zoo take a number of measures to help the animals cope with the heat.
Members of a trade association hold posters of U.S. President Donald Trump and shout slogans during a protest against the recent tariff hikes imposed by the U.S. on India in New Delhi on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
U.S. trading partners ‘dazed and confused’ after tariff court loss
Japan, which made an oral deal with little in writing, may choose to slow walk current efforts until there is more U.S. legal clarity, experts said.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force take part in an exercise at Camp Naha in Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Pacifist Japan struggles to boost troops as China anxiety grows
By Hiroshi Hiyama
In 2023, the Self-Defense Forces aimed to hire almost 20,000 people, but recruited just half that number, according to the Defense Ministry.
At Kuro Mame, baristas customize the coffee according to the guest's preferences.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sip a bespoke coffee for ¥4,000
By Melinda Joe
Always wanted to have a barista customize your brew? Make a beeline for Kuro Mame cafe.
At Kuro Mame, baristas customize the coffee according to the guest's preferences.

JAPAN

Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
By Jessica Speed
The government is set to create a task force to review its immigration plans and prevent social division between foreign nationals and citizens.
A group of Ground Self-Defense Force service members discuss drone operations and capabilities at a joint static display during the Orient Shield 24 opening ceremony at the Yausubetsu Training Area in Hokkaido in July last year.
Japan looks to build drone ‘shield’ in record defense budget request
By Jesse Johnson
The Defense Ministry is seeking a budget exceeding ¥8.8 trillion that includes a ¥128.7 billion plan to build a multilayered coastal defense system.
Seoul punishes 10 over unauthorized entry into Japan's ADIZ
Japan panel OKs nonprescription sales of morning-after pill
Over 25% in Japan encountered false information during disasters
Yamaguchi prefecture town can store nuclear fuel: Chugoku Electric

BUSINESS

Sukiya plans to cut prices for its beef bowls for the first time since 2014 starting on Thursday.
Sukiya to slash beef bowl prices for first time in 11 years
By Kazuaki Nagata
The move, which comes after a hike in March, will effectively bring prices back down to levels below its major rivals Yoshinoya and Matsuya.
A building which houses the Hokuhoku Financial Group headquarters in Toyama.
Best-performing Japan bank plays BOJ outlook with short debt
By Taiga Uranaka
The president of Hokuhoku Financial Group said he expects the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates in October or December if "things go smoothly.”
Japan fiscal 2026 budget requests likely to top ¥122 trillion
Robots increasingly used in Japan to enhance business efficiency
Indian PM Modi tours Miyagi chip plant with Ishiba
By Sakura Murakami and Gareth Allan
Top Japan trade negotiator canceled U.S. trip over rice, report says

WORLD

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin, China, on Sunday.
Putin and Modi in China for summit hosted by Xi
The summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization — sometimes touted as an alternative to NATO — is being held in the port city until Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet one another at the start of a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington in February.
The Nobel Prize and a testy phone call: How the Trump-Modi relationship unraveled
By Mujib Mashal, Tyler Pager and Anupreeta Das
The fallout of a disputed between the two leaders risks pushing India closer to American adversaries in Beijing and Moscow.
Argentinean hospital uses the tango to keep Parkinson's symptoms at bay
Indonesia’s president scraps China trip after deadly protests
Trump’s ‘startling’ rapid deportation policy paused by U.S. judge
Trump taunting Maduro on Venezuela coast spurs questions on goal
By Eric Martin

Sports

Naomi Osaka pumps her first after winning a point against Daria Kasatkina during their third-round clash at the U.S. Open in New York on Saturday.
Osaka ousts Kasatkina to set up U.S. Open last-16 clash with Gauff
By Janina Nuno Rios
Osaka lit up Louis Armstrong Stadium in broad daylight, turning her third-round clash into a showcase of power and composure.
'Lots of drama' becomes the norm at tense U.S. Open
By Amy Tennery
Yamaguchi to face Chen in badminton world final
Attack and never give up: Inside Japan's deadly boxing scene
By Andrew MCKIRDY
Manchester United's first win not a 'turning point' for Amorim
By Kieran CANNING

Opinion

Voters look at posters of candidates for an Upper House election outside a polling station in Tokyo on July 20. The young abandoned the ruling Liberal Democratic Party for other conservative and newer parties in the recent poll. REUTERS
What is a ‘Japanese conservative’ in this day and age?
Edo Naito
My view is that younger voters saw the LDP as a group of elderly, self-absorbed elitists who were out of touch with the issues that mattered to them.
The global perils of China’s new ‘superdam’ project
By Brahma Chellaney
Lee Jae Myung had a very good week
Japan must prepare for a post-American Indo-Pacific
By Stephen R. Nagy
Can Illinois’ governor keep the National Guard out of Chicago?
By Patricia Lopez

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.
Ancient tombs unearthed in Iraq due to drought
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

CULTURE

Headlining the second day of YouTube Music Weekend is Vocaloid artist Kikuo, who, with 1.46 million YouTube subscribers, is one of the most popular artists in the genre.
YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global
By Patrick St. Michel
YouTube's three-day weekend of online performances features a medley of Vocaloid, hyperpop, rock and pop artists in a supportive, cultural festival atmosphere.
ChatGPT controversy is the least interesting part of 'Sympathy Tower Tokyo'
By Thu-Huong Ha
Sakurazaka46 wants the world to dance along
By Patrick St. Michel
In pictures: Koenji Awa Odori 2025
By Johan Brooks
Virtual singer Kaf's music becomes magic in 'Kamitsubaki City Under Construction'
By Alicia Haddick

LIFE

Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones
By Saki Toi
Tokyo’s tattoo artists say natural dyes and ‘made-to-fade’ inks are helping to push back on the long-held stigma against body art.
A fuss-free Okinawan stir-fry to boost your energy in the heat
By Makiko Itoh
Sip a bespoke coffee for ¥4,000
By Melinda Joe
How to complain politely: Lessons from the McDonald’s Pokemon debacle
By Yuko Tamura
Sega's ninja-themed Shinobi series is back from the dead
By Owen Ziegler

COMMUNITY

Jesse Kirkwood is part of a vibrant field of translators who have nurtured what might be called a “post-Murakami era of Japanese literature and translation,” one book at a time.
Jesse Kirkwood: ‘Languages are entire cultural universes with all sorts of baggage’
By Kris Kosaka
The Japanese-English literary translator reflects on catching the recent wave of “post-Murakami” fiction and how he balances reading for work versus pleasure.
Tosca turns a new leaf in a new home
More Than Music makes space for creative communion
By Shyam Bhardwa
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

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
By Jessica Speed
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
LIFE
Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones
By Saki Toi
Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
CULTURE
YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global
By Patrick St. Michel
Headlining the second day of YouTube Music Weekend is Vocaloid artist Kikuo, who, with 1.46 million YouTube subscribers, is one of the most popular artists in the genre.
JAPAN
Japan looks to build drone ‘shield’ in record defense budget request
By Jesse Johnson
A group of Ground Self-Defense Force service members discuss drone operations and capabilities at a joint static display during the Orient Shield 24 opening ceremony at the Yausubetsu Training Area in Hokkaido in July last year.
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.

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

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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.
JAPAN
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
By Jessica Speed
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
BUSINESS
Top Japan trade negotiator canceled U.S. trip over rice, report says
Ryosei Akazawa
JAPAN
Most Japanese teens struggling with school find end of summer ‘painful’
By Jessica Speed
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.
BUSINESS
Most Trump tariffs are not legal, U.S. appeals court rules
Workers hang a large poster of U.S. President Donald Trump on the facade of the Department of Labor headquarters building in Washington on Wednesday.