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July 08, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
July 08, 2025
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a trade letter sent by the White House to Japan during a news conference at the White House in Washington on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Trump announces new tariff rate on Japan — and extension of deadline to Aug. 1
By Francis Tang
The United States will raise its “reciprocal tariff” on Japan to 25% effective Aug. 1, President Donald Trump said in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday.

More coverage

South Korea vows to fix regulations after Trump’s new tariff deadline
Trump's latest tariffs cast shadow on Rubio's first Asia trip as top U.S. envoy
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a trade letter sent by the White House to Japan during a news conference at the White House in Washington on Monday.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
By Eric Johnston
In their campaign promises, parties are offering different solutions to problems caused by the record number here to visit, work and invest in real estate.
A video by the National Police Agency warns about fake scams.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Scams involving police impersonation surge
By Jessica Speed
Victims lost over ¥30 billion to such fraud cases in the first five months of 2025.
BRICS leaders including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (front row left), Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (second left), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center), Chinese Premier Li Qiang (second right) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov join hands during a group photo at the bloc's summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
BRICS fills soft-power vacuum as Trump-led U.S. retreats
By Gabriel Dominguez
The 10-nation BRICS grouping of major emerging economies has stepped up its efforts on issues such as AI, health care and climate change.
Author Minae Mizumura strolls through the garden of her cottage in Oiwake, Karuizawa, in a photograph taken by her friend and collaborator Toyota Horiguchi.
CULTURE / Books / Perspectives
Between reality and fiction: A summer’s day in Karuizawa with Minae Mizumura
By Hanako Lowry
The author speaks on the Nagano Prefecture town's unique positioning between Japan and the West, literary tradition and artificial intelligence.
Author Minae Mizumura strolls through the garden of her cottage in Oiwake, Karuizawa, in a photograph taken by her friend and collaborator Toyota Horiguchi.

JAPAN

Tomoaki Kobayakawa (second from right), president of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, and others meet with Aomori Gov. Soichiro Miyashita (foreground) on Monday in the Aomori Prefectural Government office.
Tepco plans to move spent nuclear fuel from Fukushima to Mutsu facility
The interim facility in the Aomori Prefecture city will store spent fuel from nuclear plants operated by Tepco and Japan Atomic Power for up to 50 years.
Maki Takubo, mayor of Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture, holds a news conference Monday evening to announcer her intention to resign and seek re-election.
Scandal-hit mayor in Shizuoka to resign and seek reelection
Maki Takubo, who has admitted that she did not graduate from Toyo University but was actually expelled, was elected as mayor in May.
In Upper House election, Nippon Ishin faces key test in birthplace Osaka
Japan releases guidelines on shooting of bears in urban areas
Japan launches group to help more women become digital experts
Japan eyes new target for replacing utility poles with underground power cables

BUSINESS

Yamanashi Chuo Bank's Tokyo office. The regional bank has set up an "investment advisory firm” to get around internal salary limits and attract talent.
Rural bank in Japan finds novel way to attract talent with higher pay
By Taiga Uranaka
Yamanashi Chuo Bank has set up an "investment advisory firm” to get around internal salary limits, showing the lengths it's willing to go to bolster its ranks.
Items made using plastic recycled from CDs and DVDs, such as storage baskets, smartphone stands and business card holders, are sold at some Bookoff outlets.
Bookoff plans to step up recycling of unsold CDs and DVDs
The secondhand goods retailer disposes of 1,700 tons of discs and cases from some 800 outlets across the country each year.
Japanese agency's affirmation of top U.S. credit rating helps Hong Kong funds
By Takahiko Hyuga and Issei Hazama
Meiji Yasuda Life to shun superlong Japanese debt for year or more
By Masahiro Hidaka
Samsung profit halves amid delays to certification for advanced AI chips
By Yoolim Lee
Apple loses top AI models executive to Meta’s hiring spree
By Mark Gurman

WORLD

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 20
Trump's latest tariffs cast shadow on Rubio's first Asia trip as top U.S. envoy
By Daphne Psaledakis and David Brunnstrom
Rubio is expected to seek to firm up U.S. ties with partners unnerved by Trump's global tariff strategy, but the tariff announcements seem certain to make that task harder.
First responders look through debris along the banks of the swollen Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, on Monday.
Camp confirms worst fears as Texas flooding deaths exceed 90
By Brian K Sullivan and Joe Lovinger
Officials on Monday confirmed the deaths of 27 children and counselors who had been missing from a girls’ summer camp.
U.S. to send 'more weapons' to Ukraine, Trump says
On visit to White House, Netanyahu says he nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
By Kate Sullivan and Stephanie Lai
Lawyers say new evidence challenges Trump on El Salvador prisons
By Zoe Tillman
Proposal outlines large-scale 'Humanitarian Transit Areas' for Palestinians in Gaza
By Jonathan Landay and Aram Roston

Sports

Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
By Mai Yoshikawa
Sibling dynamics — whether it’s rivalry, support, or a mix of both — can have a profound impact on an athlete’s development and success.
Wimbledon changes line-calling system after embarrassing blunder
By John WEAVER
Mbappe and PSG set for Club World Cup reunion as Real Madrid eyes final
By Andy Scott
Relentless Spain reaches Euro 2025 quarters after thumping Belgium
By Terry Daley
Sinner wins Wimbledon reprieve as Djokovic survives
By Steven Griffiths

Opinion

Despite perceptions of Russian weakness after Israel’s attack on Iran, that conflict has helped Vladimir Putin by diverting U.S. resources, eroding support for Ukraine and possibly setting the stage for the war to shift in his favor.
The U.S. bombing of Iran was a win for Putin
Marc Champion
The possibility of another war in the Middle East has sucked attention, energy and resources away from Ukraine.
Unchecked and unbalanced: The future of U.S. economic policymaking
By Paul Nadeau
RFK Jr. is playing with babies’ lives
By Mihir Sharma
Central Asia changes its playbook
By Djoomart Otorbaev and Brian Wong
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
By Yi Fuxian

ENVIRONMENT

A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.
Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste
By Chermaine Lee
Some scholars and activists are raising concerns that Indigenous voices are not being heard amid the debate over whether to host nuclear waste storage facilities.
China leading BRICS clean-energy boom with shift into solar, report shows
Europe’s climate resolve faces big test as EU unveils 2040 goal
By John Ainger and Ewa Krukowska
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
By Anton L. Delgado
Europe bakes in summer's first heatwave as continent warms

CULTURE

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.
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.
Queer-coded yakuza story wins prestigious U.K. crime writing award
By Thu-Huong Ha
‘Try first, figure it out later’: Kom_I and Foodman’s beautiful mess
By Patrick St. Michel
‘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

LIFE

Once a way to transport lumber from the mountains to the coast, log rafting is now Kitayama's biggest attraction.
A tiny mountain hamlet keeps traditional log rafting afloat
By Louise George Kittaka
Log rafting was once a means of transporting timber, but now it’s the tourist draw of a tiny Wakayama village.
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
Beyond the lavender fields in Furano, a whisky distillery emerges
By Simon Daly
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
By Tan Pin Yen

COMMUNITY

Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
By Kat Joplin
Owning a dog in Japan may seem daunting, but having these tools and tips in mind can ease your journey and bring you lots of joy.
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
Fine feline twosome on the hunt for a forever home
A singular ensemble: Indian food, science and Fukushima
By Trishit Banerjee

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Lawson to let visitors use larger parking lots as paid car campsites
By Yukana Inoue
A Lawson convenience store in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture. A new service from the company comes amid the rise in inbound tourists, making hotels and inns harder to book and more expensive.
CULTURE
The future is bright inside the visionary mind of architect Sou Fujimoto
By Zoria Petkoska
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.
LIFE
A tiny mountain hamlet keeps traditional log rafting afloat
By Louise George Kittaka
Once a way to transport lumber from the mountains to the coast, log rafting is now Kitayama's biggest attraction.
COMMUNITY
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
By Kat Joplin
Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
ENVIRONMENT
Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste
By Chermaine Lee
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.

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

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy
Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
By Tomoko Otake
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
JAPAN
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
JAPAN
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
By Eric Johnston
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
JAPAN
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
By Tomoko Otake and Yukana Inoue
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
COMMENTARY
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
By Yi Fuxian
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai in July 2022. The Chinese government risks long-term decline by repeating Japan’s policy mistakes in handling its real estate and demographic crises.