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January 07, 2025
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January 07, 2025
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Nippon Steel CEO Eiji Hashimoto speaks to reporters about its lawsuit against the U.S. government on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nippon Steel committed to long-shot lawsuit against U.S. government
By Francis Tang and Kazuaki Nagata
Eiji Hashimoto, the steelmaker's CEO, says he is convinced that litigation is the “best course of action” in response to the blocking of its acquisition of U.S. Steel.

More coverage

Ishiba warns blocked U.S. Steel deal could impact investments
Rival CEO allegedly spread doubt about Nippon Steel deal to Wall Street
Nippon Steel CEO Eiji Hashimoto speaks to reporters about its lawsuit against the U.S. government on Tuesday.
A subsidy for epidural childbirths was one of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's campaign promises when she ran for her position last year.
JAPAN / Society
Tokyo looks to ease the pain — both physical and financial — of childbirth
By Yukana Inoue
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is looking to begin offering a subsidy for epidural childbirths in fiscal 2025.
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda speaks during the 2025 CES event in Las Vegas on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Toyota invests in Japanese rocket startup as SpaceX races ahead
By Chester Dawson and Bruce Einhorn
The investment is the latest sign of progress in the Japanese government’s push to nurture the country’s private space sector.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya at the start of their working lunch at a hotel in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Blinken in final Japan visit as Trump's return weighs on Tokyo's mind
By Jesse Johnson
The top U.S. diplomat sought to reassure Tokyo that the U.S.-Japan alliance will remain robust even after Donald Trump returns to the White House in less than two weeks.
Many Japanese dating apps have ways to detail specific interests that can be as narrow as one particular TV show, game or an artist.
JAPAN / Society
Swiping in Japan: How Gen Z is changing the dating app game
By Yukana Inoue
The once-stigmatized apps are flourishing as a new normal for dating among Gen Z in Japan, albeit with a different approach to before.
Many Japanese dating apps have ways to detail specific interests that can be as narrow as one particular TV show, game or an artist.

JAPAN

A portable charger containing a lithium-ion battery that overheated in an accident during a reenactment experiment in December at the Consumer Affairs Agency
Consumer Affairs Agency warns of risks from battery-powered heated devices
By Jessica Speed
Injury reports linked to lithium-ion battery-powered heating gear have surged over the last 10 years.
A monuments of a plastic model of an armor worn by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, is seen in the city of Shizuoka on Dec. 6.
In Shizuoka, plastic models are not just child's play
Monuments of plastic models are found throughout the city to showcase its model-making industry, which traces its roots to skilled craftsmen of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Professor highlights crucial importance of volunteer aid after major quakes
Japan to allow youths to stay at shelters without parental consent
Shift from fluorescent lamps to LEDs to accelerate in Japan
Japan says 2024 hottest year on record

BUSINESS

The yen hit its lowest level against the dollar since July on Tuesday, prompting a warning from Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato over speculative moves.
Japan warns on speculative FX moves after yen hits six month low
By Erica Yokoyama
Any further changes in expectations over the trajectory of rates in the U.S. or Japan could sharply ramp up speculation of renewed intervention.
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda talks about the firm's Woven City smart town during the 2025 CES event in Las Vegas on Monday.
Toyota aims to open its futuristic city near Mount Fuji this year
By Chester Dawson
The initial residents of Woven City will be composed mostly of the carmaker’s own employees and their families.
Japan Post received administrative guidance over poorly explained penalties
Number of passengers on JR express services during New Year rose 11%, firms say
Japan’s SBI said to agree to take majority stake in Solaris
By Arno Schütze
Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel sue U.S. government for blocking deal
By Francis Tang

WORLD

A missile flies during what North Korea said was a test of a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile at an undisclosed location on Monday.
North Korea's Kim says new hypersonic missile can deter Pacific 'rivals'
By Jesse Johnson
In a worrying sign for Japan, Pyongyang claimed the new hypersonic intermediate-range weapon is effective at "breaking any dense defensive barrier.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Monday to announce his resignation.
Canada's Trudeau resigns after nine years in power as Liberals force him out
Trudeau, 53, currently the longest-serving leader of any Group of Seven country, bowed to sagging approval numbers and a rebellion within his political party.
Meloni’s closeness to Musk and Trump is a win-win — and a big risk
By Donato Paolo Mancini
Battle rages in western Russia as Moscow reports gains in Ukraine
By Maxim Rodionov and Lucy Papachristou
U.S. adds Tencent, CATL to list of firms allegedly aiding Chinese military
By Michael Martina, David Shepardson and Karen Freifeld
U.S. lawmakers certify Trump win, four years after Capitol riot
By Frankie TAGGART and Michael Mathes

Sports

Coco Gauff of the U.S. in action against Poland's Iga Swiatek during the United Cup in Sydney on Saturday
Gauff in superb form for latest Australian Open campaign
By Amy Tennery
The 20-year-old has seen a remarkable turnaround, after appearing to be in a tailspin only a few months ago.
'Golf reimagined': TGL circuit backed by Woods and McIlroy tees off
Forest tame Wolves to maintain unlikely Premier League title challenge
Scheffler to skip La Quinta as hand heals
England urged to boycott Afghanistan match by British politicians

Opinion

Some people are questioning the U.S. decision to block Nippon Steel’s takeover of U.S. Steel, citing the lack of clear evidence of any national security risk from Japan — a country that hosts over 50,000 U.S. troops and relies on America for defense.
Biden's Nippon Steel move: A troubling snub of a key ally
Gearoid Reidy
Preventing the takeover of U.S. Steel is bad enough. Declaring Japan a national security risk is worse.
China takes aim at Philippine democracy
By Adam Nelson
China’s EVs may change the world in unimaginable ways
By Brad Glosserman
Can Biden’s green boom survive Trump’s wrecking ball?
By Liam Denning
Supporting Ukraine is in Trump’s interest
By Michael Froman and Charles A. Kupchan

ENVIRONMENT

A maintenance worker inspects solar panels at a power plant in southern India.
Where the smart climate tech venture money is going in 2025
By Brian Kahn
The prospect of more trade wars is scrambling the economy in ways that will determine which climate tech sectors to bet on.
After a year of hard climate talks, ‘minilateralism’ is an alternative
By Aaron Clark
Japan’s weather in 2024: Record temperatures hurt people’s health and wallets
By Tomoko Otake
Is Japan finally ready to tap its abundant geothermal energy potential?
By Eric Johnston
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
By Anton L. Delgado

CULTURE

"Shogun" actors (from left) Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano pose in the press room with the award for best drama television series during the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday.
'Shogun,' 'Hacks' win top TV honors at Golden Globes
By Danielle Broadway
FX's historical epic won four awards in total, including best actor and actress for Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, respectively, and best supporting male actor for Tadanobu Asano.
'The Brutalist,' 'Emilia Perez' take home Golden Globes' top film honors
By Lisa Richwine, Danielle Broadway and Dawn Chmielewski
'Emilia Perez' heads into Golden Globes as strong favorite
By Romain FONSEGRIVES
Guitarist Marty Friedman goes to bat for J-pop in new autobiography
By Philip Brasor
Toru Fuyuki, composer of 'Ultraseven' theme song, dies at 89

LIFE

At the new L'Abysse Osaka, Yannick Alleno both pays homage to and casts aside the tradition around Japan's national dish.
Now in Osaka, Yannick Alleno wants ‘flavors people have never experienced’
By Melinda Joe
Opened in late October, Sushi L'Abysse Osaka is the Michelin-starred chef’s first outpost in Asia.
Traveling for sake's sake: The emergence of brewery tourism in Japan
By Yukana Inoue
Start the new year with a fresh approach to teaching Japanese
By Yaeko Kabe
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake
By Kathryn Wortley
Architect Sou Fujimoto says his 'Grand Ring' will be a symbol of unity at the Osaka Expo
By Natsuko Fukue

COMMUNITY

For the 20 Questions column this year, writers asked their interview subjects about everything from their lives in Japan to their thoughts on news topics.
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
We take a look back at some of the best answers that our interviewees gave for 20 Questions from throughout the year.
A holiday season built on creativity and care
By Baye McNeil
From the stage to the streets, make a difference this holiday season
By Kimberly Hughes
Yurie Collins: ‘Everyone seems sedated, fed-up … that’s why they turn to comedy’
By Zoria Petkoska
Seven strangers and an algorithm: Can this new dinner app help you make friends?
By Phoebe Amoroso

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
2720 — the year when Japan is left with just one child
By Yukana Inoue
Children at a traditional festival in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Thursday. A forecast made by Tohoku University professor Hiroshi Yoshida estimates that Japan will be left with just one child on Jan. 5, 2720, based on current birthrate trends.
CULTURE
‘Fracture’ dissects 100 years of Japanese graphic design
By Ray Masaki
Ian Lynam's "Fracture" is the result of 15 years of research and production and excavates 100 years of Japanese graphic design history from the Meiji (1868-1912) to Showa eras (1926-89).
JAPAN
Taking a page from Ukraine war, SDF carves out growing role for drones
By Gabriel Dominguez
An Air Self-Defense Force airman sets up a drone during a bilateral live fire exercise at Draughon Range, near Misawa Air Base, in Aomori Prefecture in July 2023.
LIFE
Japan’s ‘quiet revolution’ of luxury travel nears fruition
By Tan Pin Yen
Scheduled to welcome its first guests in early 2025, the Waldorf Astoria Osaka is just one of many luxury hotel openings Japan has seen in recent months.
BUSINESS
Brooklyn brewers take on sake, America's new hip tipple
By Elizabeth Beattie
A brewer stirs the mix for making sake at a brewery in Tokyo.

Podcast

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

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake
By Kathryn Wortley

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WHAT’S TRENDING

ASIA PACIFIC
The real-life violence that inspired South Korea's 'Squid Game'
By Claire Lee
Riot police march in front of the main building of Ssangyong Motor in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Aug. 6, 2009.
WORLD
Canada's Trudeau expected to announce resignation in coming days: report
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at the federal Liberal caucus holiday party in Ottawa on Dec. 17.
JAPAN
2720 — the year when Japan is left with just one child
By Yukana Inoue
Children at a traditional festival in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Thursday. A forecast made by Tohoku University professor Hiroshi Yoshida estimates that Japan will be left with just one child on Jan. 5, 2720, based on current birthrate trends.
JAPAN
Japanese researchers develop method to break down PFAS 'forever chemicals'
Ritsumeikan University researchers succeeded in completely breaking down PFAS compounds, often called "forever chemicals" for their persistence in the environment.
BUSINESS
Japan’s top LNG buyer creates think tank to watch market trends
By Tsuyoshi Inajima
Jera has reportedly created a think tank to research domestic and international energy trends.