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July 05, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 05, 2025
Japan elections
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U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the Salute to America Celebration at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump set to start notifying countries of tariffs up to 70%
Trump’s latest threat, which fits his pattern of issuing ultimatums, aligns with earlier statements that some nations won’t have a say in their tariff level.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the Salute to America Celebration at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on Thursday.
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
JAPAN
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Authorities on Friday evacuated some residents from remote islands close to the epicenter of the 5.5 magnitude quake.
A house in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, after it collapsed due to the Noto earthquake, in January 2024.
JAPAN / Politics
Debates on disaster management lacking steam ahead of Upper House vote
References to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's project to establish a disaster management agency are scarce among political parties.
Farmers spray herbicide at Kazuhachi Hosaka's rice farm in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, on June 19.
JAPAN
In reversal, Japan now wants rice farmers to produce more. Will it work?
By Kaori Kaneko
The new direction has taken on an unexpected urgency as Japan grapples with a shortage of the all-important staple.
The exhibition of Fujimoto’s architecture surveys his career to date, as well as looks ahead as shown in his proposal of a future floating city designed in collaboration with data scientist Hiroaki Miyata.
CULTURE / Art
The future is bright inside the visionary mind of architect Sou Fujimoto
By Zoria Petkoska
From a model of the Grand Ring you can walk through to a futuristic city design, the architect’s exhibition at Mori Art Museum is an invitation to engage with architecture.
The exhibition of Fujimoto’s architecture surveys his career to date, as well as looks ahead as shown in his proposal of a future floating city designed in collaboration with data scientist Hiroaki Miyata.

JAPAN

Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
Government to release stockpiled rice for processed foods from August
The government will release its stockpiled rice for use in processed foods and beverages such as miso, rice crackers, sake and shōchū distilled spirits.
A house in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, after it collapsed due to the Noto earthquake, in January 2024.
Debates on disaster management lacking steam ahead of Upper House vote
References to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's project to establish a disaster management agency are scarce among political parties.
Japan Times 1950: Kyoto’s ‘Golden Temple’ burns to the ground
Japanese parties' election campaigning swings into gear
Overseas voting for Upper House election begins
Maximum vote-value gap rises to 3.126 times for Upper House election

BUSINESS

Jerome Powell, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, has repeatedly declined to say whether he will step down when his four-year term as chair expires in May.
Powell's silence on his future complicates Trump Fed chair search
By Saleha Mohsin, Joshua Green and Amara Omeokwe
The Fed chief has repeatedly declined to say whether he will step down when his four-year term as chair expires in May, or remain on the Fed board.
A Xiaomi SU7 sedan in Beijing. Regulators have been finalizing new safety rules for driver-assistance systems as Beijing sharpens scrutiny of the technology following an accident involving a Xiaomi SU7 sedan in March.
China urges caution — and speed — on assisted-driving technology
Driver-assistance systems are seen by industry analysts as the next big battleground in China's hypercompetitive car market.
Japan eyes 'golden share' as condition for aid to Rapidus
GPIF logs $61 billion loss as weak dollar hits overseas assets
By Hideyuki Sano and Nao Sano
Ex-Sumitomo Mitsui Trust official guilty of insider trading
Japan's inflation is outpacing BOJ's view, expert says
By Toru Fujioka and Sumio Ito

WORLD

Palestinians inspect the damage after an Israeli strike in the Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip on Friday.
Hamas says it responds to Gaza ceasefire proposal in 'a positive spirit'
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Alexander Cornwell
The U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal envisages a release of hostages and negotiations on ending the conflict.
U.S. President Donald Trump displays the signed bill during a ceremony for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act at the White House on Friday.
Trump signs 'big, beautiful' bill on U.S. Independence Day
By Danny Kemp
"America is winning, winning, winning like never before," Trump said at the event where he signed the bill flanked by Republican lawmakers.
Making connections in Myanmar's fractured state
Dalai Lama hopes to live beyond 130 years, much longer than predicted
By Krishna N. Das
Study finds smartphone bans in Dutch schools improved focus
By Charlotte Van Campenhout
Russian use of chemical weapons against Ukraine 'widespread,' Dutch defense minister says
By Anthony Deutsch

Sports

Naomi Osaka serves to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova during their third round match at Wimbledon on Friday.
Osaka still dreams of glory despite latest Wimbledon disappointment
By Steven Griffiths
Osaka blew a golden opportunity to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time as she was beaten by Russian world No. 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Late own goal sends Chelsea past Palmeiras and into semifinals
Osaka out of Wimbledon as Pavlyuchenkova battles back
Arsenal parts ways with defender Tomiyasu after injury-ridden season
Tadej Pogacar expresses respect for Tour de France rival Jonas Vingegaard

Opinion

The rise of China’s DeepSeek-R1, a low-cost, high-performance open-source AI model, has challenged the belief that only nations with vast computational resources can lead in artificial intelligence, signaling a shift in global AI power dynamics.
A ‘Sputnik’ moment in the global AI race
Makoto Shiono
Much remains uncertain about DeepSeek’s LLM and its capabilities should not be overestimated — but its release nevertheless has sparked intense discussion.
Japan’s Do It Yourself Party: Who we are and where we are headed
By Sohei Kamiya
Sizing up the forthcoming Upper House election
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
As trade deadline approaches, Japan must draw lines
The dilemma facing Japan’s rising (and falling) populist parties
By Rintaro Nishimura

ENVIRONMENT

Solar panels and wind turbines at the Huaneng Binzhou new energy power generation project in China's eastern Shandong province on June 11
China leading BRICS clean-energy boom with shift into solar, report shows
Most countries in BRICS remain major fossil fuel producers, but the group together produced 51% of the world’s solar energy in 2024 — up from 15% a decade earlier.
Europe’s climate resolve faces big test as EU unveils 2040 goal
By John Ainger and Ewa Krukowska
Europe bakes in summer's first heatwave as continent warms
Three Japanese nationals found guilty over PFAS pollution in Italy
How robotic hives and AI are lowering the risk of bee colony collapse
By Brian Kahn

CULTURE

“Fani Mani” marks Kom_I’s return to music, after leaving the genre-bending J-pop outfit Suiyoubi no Campanella in 2021.
‘Try first, figure it out later’: Kom_I and Foodman’s beautiful mess
By Patrick St. Michel
Part philosophy and part performance, the musicians' “Fani Mani” is all party.
Queer-coded yakuza story wins prestigious U.K. crime writing award
By Thu-Huong Ha
‘Virgin Punk: Clockwork Girl’: Beautiful, brutal and bringing back ’90s anime energy
By Matt Schley
‘I Am Kirishima’ peels back the mystery of a fugitive radical
By Mark Schilling
From stage to screen, a story of quiet connection in the still heat of Nagasaki
By Matt Schley

LIFE

Karuizawa Distillers, which runs Komoro Distillery in Nagano Prefecture, has teamed up with the city of Furano and real estate developer Seibu Group to open a whisky distillery in Furano.
Beyond the lavender fields in Furano, a whisky distillery emerges
By Simon Daly
The region has teamed up with Karuizawa Distillers and property developer Seibu Group to build a state-of-the-art facility to make single malts.
Shintaro Awa appointed to head the kitchen of L’Ambroisie in Paris
By Kyoko Nakayama
What’s the first thing you think of when you think of a Japanese summer?
By Yuko Tamura
Come nightfall in Nakano, Thai eatery Orangutan opens its arms
By Kimberly Hughes
Cats, dogs, meerkats, goats: Interpets trade fair draws furry hordes
By Shawn B. Swinger

COMMUNITY

Miho Koshiba started her career in finance before she founded the Mirai Institute, a think tank that operates the Midori.so coworking space with an ever-growing cosmopolitan community across seven locations in Tokyo.
Miho Koshiba: ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if people looked forward to Mondays?’
By Carina Fushimi
The cofounder of the Midori.so coworking space shares her inspirations and aspirations for career and community.
A furry ball of sunshine
Japanese language is your gateway to seeing the world anew
By Damian Flanagan
Fine feline twosome on the hunt for a forever home
A singular ensemble: Indian food, science and Fukushima
By Trishit Banerjee

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
By Thu-Huong Ha
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
MORE SPORTS
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
By John Gunning
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
BUSINESS
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
LIFE
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
By Tan Pin Yen
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
ENVIRONMENT
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
By Anton L. Delgado
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

WHAT’S TRENDING

COMMENTARY
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
By Gearoid Reidy
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
JAPAN
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
By Karin Kaneko
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
JAPAN
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
By Karin Kaneko
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
CULTURE
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
By Thu-Huong Ha
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
JAPAN
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
By Jessica Speed
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.