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January 20, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
January 20, 2025
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Economists, legal experts and business leaders concur that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to implement fresh tariffs — whether directly aimed at Japan or not — could hurt the country's export-reliant machinery and automobiles industries while shattering the global economy.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Japanese firms weigh fallout from Trump tariff pledges
By Francis Tang
Additional tariffs — whether directly aimed at Japan or not — could hurt its export-reliant machinery and automobiles industries while shattering the global economy.
Economists, legal experts and business leaders concur that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to implement fresh tariffs — whether directly aimed at Japan or not — could hurt the country's export-reliant machinery and automobiles industries while shattering the global economy.
Fuji TV President Koichi Minato speaks at a news conference on Friday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Media
What went wrong at Fuji TV's news conference on allegations against Nakai?
By Karin Kaneko and Yukana Inoue
The broadcaster, which imposed various restrictions for the event that included denying access to many media agencies, ended up worsening the scandal.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito in November in Kobe. Hideaki Takeuchi, a former Hyogo assemblyman who had taken part in investigations over workplace bullying allegations against Saito last year, died Saturday in an apparent suicide.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Former Hyogo assemblyman found dead in apparent suicide
By Francis Tang
Hideaki Takeuchi, 50, had taken part in investigations over workplace bullying allegations made against Gov. Motohiko Saito last year.
Climate change and urbanization are believed to have contributed to the earliest ever observation of cedar pollen in Tokyo, on Jan. 8, an expert says.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Cedar pollen is already in the air in Tokyo
By Tomoko Otake
Tokyo officials are urging people to take steps to prevent and mitigate hay fever symptoms, as pollen counts are expected to rise in the coming weeks.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami frigate, of the class of the same name, is anchored at the MSDF's naval base in the city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in September 2022.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Japan looks to learn from the past with bid to build Australian warships
By Gabriel Dominguez
A winning bid for a decadelong Australian frigate program would be a major breakthrough for Japan’s defense industry following a failed 2016 attempt to sell submarines to Canberra.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami frigate, of the class of the same name, is anchored at the MSDF's naval base in the city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in September 2022.

JAPAN

Officials with the agriculture ministry hold a news conference in Nagoya on Friday following an outbreak of avian influenza in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, earlier this month.
More bird flu cases found in Japan; 1.44 million birds to be culled
A total of about 1.44 million birds at the seven farms and related facilities will be destroyed.
52.0% of people questioned in a survey said they want to use containers to take leftovers home if they are provided free of charges, and 28.8% showed willingness to use takeout containers no matter whether they are free or not.
Survey finds 80% of people want to take leftover restaurant food home
14.5% of those surveyed answered that they have never left food in restaurants.
Hokkaido areas examine benefits of taxing tourists
By Eric Johnston
Fuji TV loses more advertisers amid inquiry into host’s behavior
By Issei Hazama and Nao Sano
Nippon Ishin puts emphasis on corporate donation ban
Ishiba visits Osaka to inspect expo venue

BUSINESS

Although direct Chinese exports to the U.S. have shrunk a little in importance over the past four years, the world’s largest economy is still the most important source of final demand for China.
China faces Trump’s return just as reliance on exports soars
China’s record trade surplus of nearly $1 trillion last year was equivalent to more than 5% of its gross domestic product.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Meta's move to halt fact-checking program in U.S. prompts concern
By adam smith
Instead of using trusted media organizations to fact-check, Meta plans to use "community notes" to check content.
In the U.S., remote workers don't want to head back to the office
By Julie JAMMOT
Japan's core machinery orders up 3.4% in November
Cocktails and Snoop Dogg — crypto industry celebrates Trump inauguration
By Douglas Gillison, Michelle Price and Suzanne McGee
Trump’s win sparked euphoria in markets — now comes the real test
By Esha Dey and Carter Johnson

WORLD

Former Israeli hostage Romi Gonen with her mother Merav at an undisclosed location in Israel on Sunday after a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal in the war between Israel and Hamas was implemented.
Israel and Hamas swap hostages and prisoners as ceasefire starts
By Galit Altstein
The six-week truce aims for the gradual release of 33 of the almost 100 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, and of around 1,000 Palestinians in prison in Israel.
A member of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands along a street after rebels seized the capital and ousted Syria's Bashar Assad, in Hasakah, Syria, on Dec. 11.
Negotiators zero in on potential deal to disarm Syria's last battleground
By Jonathan Spicer, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Maya Gebeily
Many thorny issues still need to be resolved, however, including how to integrate Kurdish-led forces into Syria's security framework.
Where the U.S. has squeezed Russia’s oil flows the hardest
By Julian Lee and Prejula Prem
Australia says 'Quad' in Washington shows 'iron-clad' commitment
On inauguration eve, Trump promises harsh immigration limits
By Tim Reid and Joseph Ax
The Roma Holocaust: A little-documented genocide
By Blaise Gauquelin

Sports

Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku (right) alongside David Rothschild, the promoter of an upcoming tournament in Paris, on Sunday in Tokyo
Top sumo pros to enter the ring in Paris in June 2026
It will be the third such event in the French capital and the first since 1995.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford noncommittal future after playoff loss
Novak Djokovic gets apology from TV host after 'insulting' comments
Sepp Straka shakes off nerves to win The American Express
Bills outlast Ravens to set up showdown with Chiefs in AFC title game

Opinion

Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and other Asian leaders pose for a family photo during a the ASEAN-U.S. 40th Anniversary Summit in Manila in November 2017. The U.S. president-elect’s Cabinet secretary level and other picks for his second term point to a tougher China policy.
What Trump’s appointments tell us about his Asia policy
Joshua Kurlantzick
Donald Trump’s second term as president appears set to intensify efforts to curb China’s influence while maintaining crucial alliances in Asia.
Why would Trump buy Greenland when he can rent it?
By Liam Denning
A moment of opportunity for Japan-China relations
Japan has nothing to fear from Trump — except in maybe one area
By Edo Naito
Gaza ceasefire deal is a win for Trump
By Marc Champion

ENVIRONMENT

Wawira Njiru, the founder of Food4Education, serves food during the opening of a new kitchen in Mombasa County, Kenya, in 2022. The organization started in 2012 by feeding 25 children out of a single kitchen. Now it feeds nearly half a million every day.
Amid rising world hunger, a Japan-inspired group in Kenya is making a big impact
By Joel Tansey
Food4Education is helping feed half a million students through a program that drew inspiration from Japan's renowned school lunch programs.
Europe threatens to trigger a global scramble for natural gas
By Anna Shiryaevskaya, Priscila Azevedo Rocha, Stephen Stapczynski and Ruth Liao
In Brazil, an Amazon reforestation project seeks to redeem carbon markets
By Anna PELEGRI
The 'climate archive': How scientists study the ancient past
By Benjamin Legendre
Study documents extinction threats to world's freshwater species
By Will Dunham

CULTURE

Eugene Kangawa's Atelier iii is a space where visitors are invited to engage directly with the artist’s evolving practice.
Eugene Kangawa’s art space embraces impermanence
By Erik Augustin Palm
The artist’s Atelier iii studio resists spectacle and asks visitors to slow down and commit to being present.
David Lynch, maker of florid and unnerving films, dies at 78
By J. Hoberman
‘Muromachi Outsiders’: Yo Oizumi commands attention in rebellion tale
By James Hadfield
Japan's most prestigious literary awards go to a trio of contemporary voices
By Alyssa I. Smith
The unnervingly timed return of ‘Squid Game’
By Erik Augustin Palm

LIFE

"A Very Asian Guide to Japanese Food" is the first edition of the Asia-centric series to focus on rice balls, fermented soybeans and other Japanese staples.
For kids, Japanese food ‘is a doorway to exploration’
By Simon Daly
Begun as a response to Asian-directed violence during the pandemic, the “Very Asian” series of cookbooks-slash-cultural primers turns its gaze toward Japan.
Let’s make some predictions about what will happen in the year ahead
By Yuko Tamura
Nintendo announces Switch 2, its first new console in eight years
By Sam Byford
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?
By Tomoko Otake
‘Dorayaki’ creators say flavors trump the dessert’s murky origins
By Cassandra Lord

COMMUNITY

Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
By Justin Randall
With adventure tourism on the rise in Hokkaido, a new generation of foreign-born guides is eager to greet travelers.
Namnam reborn: A queer, anarchist space resettles in Tokyo's Koenji
By Aku Owaka-Haigh
Kaz Shiomi: ‘I want to show people … how to color outside the lines’
By Laura Pollacco
There were plenty of hot topics to opine on in 2024
By Gendel Gento, Kimberly Hughes, Ora Margolis, David McElhinney, Zoria Petkoska, Justin Randall, Himari Semans, Patrick St. Michel and Ansel Swindells
A holiday season built on creativity and care
By Baye McNeil

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
As Trump returns, will Japan be able to weather the storm?
By Jesse Johnson
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo in May 2019.
ENVIRONMENT
Amid rising world hunger, a Japan-inspired group in Kenya is making a big impact
By Joel Tansey
Wawira Njiru, the founder of Food4Education, serves food during the opening of a new kitchen in Mombasa County, Kenya, in 2022. The organization started in 2012 by feeding 25 children out of a single kitchen. Now it feeds nearly half a million every day.
LIFE
From Tokyo to Manhattan, Takuma Watanabe stirs up a stiff drink
By Mike Fu
It's taken Takuma Watanabe little time to establish himself as one of New York's hottest bartenders.
LIFE
For tourists in search of seasonal sights, Yamagata makes its case
By Johan Brooks
For some time away from Tokyo's suffocating urban sameness, Yamagata Prefecture is home to a soothing array of natural abundance.
CULTURE
A slow dive into ‘a moment and an eternity’ with Ryuichi Sakamoto
By James Hadfield
From the mid-2000s onward, Ryuichi Sakamoto created a number of installation works, often in collaboration with Shiro Takatani, of multimedia art collective Dumb Type.

Podcast

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

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go
By Kazuaki Nagata and Richard Meyer

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.14 : Unicharm Corp.Unicharm recycles diapers back into diapers
mission sustainability vol.14 : Unicharm Corp.Unicharm recycles diapers back into diapers

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Chinese buyer of Okinawa island to make visit in summer
Yanaha Island in Okinawa Prefecture as seen from a ferry.
JAPAN
More bird flu cases found in Japan; 1.44 million birds to be culled
Officials with the agriculture ministry hold a news conference in Nagoya on Friday following an outbreak of avian influenza in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, earlier this month.
SUMO
Top sumo pros to enter the ring in Paris in June 2026
Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku (right) alongside David Rothschild, the promoter of an upcoming tournament in Paris, on Sunday in Tokyo
ENVIRONMENT
Amid rising world hunger, a Japan-inspired group in Kenya is making a big impact
By Joel Tansey
Wawira Njiru, the founder of Food4Education, serves food during the opening of a new kitchen in Mombasa County, Kenya, in 2022. The organization started in 2012 by feeding 25 children out of a single kitchen. Now it feeds nearly half a million every day.
JAPAN
LDP heavyweight Moriyama boosting profile within party
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama speaks to reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday.