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February 24, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
February 24, 2025
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Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and top candidate for chancellor, arrives to address supporters after the first exit polls in the German general elections were announced on TV during the electoral evening in Berlin on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Germany's conservatives win election but hard coalition talks loom
By Sarah Marsh and Matthias Williams
With no previous experience in office, Friedrich Merz is set to become chancellor with Europe's largest economy ailing and at a crossroads.

More coverage

Trump shakes transatlantic alliance with Russia pivot
Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and top candidate for chancellor, arrives to address supporters after the first exit polls in the German general elections were announced on TV during the electoral evening in Berlin on Sunday.
Under the law, information such as race, social status, medical history and any criminal record is designated as sensitive personal information, and obtaining such information requires prior consent from the individuals concerned.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Japan may ease privacy rules to aid AI development
The move is intended to make it easier for AI-related businesses to utilize personal information.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba replies to a question from Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Seiji Maehara at a Lower House Budget Committee session in Tokyo on Feb. 17.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Party heads' love of trains could keep budget talks from derailing
By Eric Johnston
The leaders of Nippon Ishin no Kai and Komeito both share Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's passion for locomotives.
Three Hyogo Prefectural Assembly members belonging to Nippon Ishin no Kai apologize Sunday for providing undisclosed and unconfirmed information to NHK Party head Takashi Tachibana.
JAPAN / Politics
Hyogo assembly member offers to quit Nippon Ishin over probe data
The audio data and the document in question contain information supporting Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito's in his probe over alleged harassment.
Asian seabass are bred at the Songkhla Coastal Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Research and Development Center in southern Thailand.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Japan looks to save seafood and seaweed farming from warming oceans
By Joel Tansey
Projects at home and in Thailand are seeking to address challenges stemming from climate change as well as sustainability concerns.
Asian seabass are bred at the Songkhla Coastal Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Research and Development Center in southern Thailand.

JAPAN

The building of new high-rise residential buildings has some alarmed that they could empty and fall into disrepair as Japan's population shrinks.
The high cost of letting Japan's condos crumble
By Tomoko Otake
With rising repair costs, dwindling reserve funds and an aging population of owners, thousands of buildings are at risk of falling into disrepair.
Emperor Naruhito speaks to reporters on Thursday. He turned 65 on Sunday.
Emperor turns 65, renewing wish for peace 80 years after end of WWII
At a news conference held at the Imperial Palace ahead of his 65th birthday, the emperor said he is grateful that Japan has been without war for 80 years.
Man served fresh warrant over murder and robbery in Osaka Prefecture
Taiwan President Lai meets with Akie Abe, widow of slain prime minister
LDP to actively use social media for election victory
Heavy snow warning issued for Ishikawa

BUSINESS

A man transports goods through a business district in Dongguan, in China's southern Guangdong province, on Feb. 18.
Trump tariffs shake up China's factory heartland
By Peter CATTERALL
The U.S. president has targeted friend and foe alike since taking office a month ago, notably slapping additional 10% duties on products imported from China.
Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., says he is looking to increase ownership in Japan’s five largest trading houses.
Berkshire set to gradually raise stakes in Japan trading houses
The shares of the five — Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Itochu, Sumitomo and Marubeni — have benefited over the longer term from Buffett’s interest.
Is Xi’s sudden embrace of business for real? China is left guessing
By Li Yuan
The reluctant British consumer is a problem for Keir Starmer
By Irina Anghel
Hong Kong and Singapore lead Asia's drive to cash in on crypto boom
By Holmes Chan
Coffee prices are at a 50-year high. Producers aren’t celebrating.
By Peter S. Goodman

WORLD

People visit the graves of relatives who were killed during Russia's attack on Ukraine, during a large-scale light installation Lights of Memory, as they mark the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion, at the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Sunday.
Ukraine hemmed in as U.S. backing frays three years after Russian invasion
By Tom Balmforth and Olena Harmash
Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died and over 6 million live as refugees abroad since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion by land, sea and air.
Nuns pray at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital, where Pope Francis is hospitalized for pneumonia in Rome, on Sunday
Pope Francis remains critical and has 'slight' kidney issue, Vatican says
By Joshua McElwee
The pope is particularly prone to lung infections because he developed pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.
Hezbollah chief vows 'resistance' as masses mourn Nasrallah
By Laure AL KHOURY
Nepal community fights to save sacred forests from cable cars
By Anup OJHA
Israel sends tanks into West Bank, tells troops to ready for 'extended' stay
By Raneen Sawafta and James Mackenzie
Tens of thousands mourn Hezbollah's slain leader Nasrallah in mass funeral

Sports

Shohei Ohtani takes batting practice in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani faces live pitching for first time since surgery
According to multiple reports, Ohtani saw 32 pitches Sunday from Dodgers pitchers and put three in play. He did not hit any home runs.
FIA denounces booing of Red Bull's Christian Horner and Max Verstappen
Yankees amend famous facial hair policy to allow 'well-groomed beards'
By Victor Mather
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich not expected to return this season
Dmitry Bivol beats Artur Beterbiev for undisputed light heavyweight title

Opinion

A makeshift memorial for Ukrainian soldiers who died fighting invading Russian forces and the Monument to Independence in Kyiv on Feb. 14
Ukraine can survive with the ‘least worst’ peace deal
James Stavridis
Clearly the main issue and unfortunately it looks like Trump’s idea of ending the war fast means doing very little for the people who were actually invaded.
The age of multipolarization
By Tobias Bunde and Sophie Eisentraut
Who will speak for the trees?
By F.D. Flam
What Trump’s return could mean for Afghanistan
By Sadiq Amini
America's allies get a rude awakening

ENVIRONMENT

The Chip Mong Insee cement factory in Kampot province, Cambodia, on Jan. 9. An investigation has shown that the plastic credits sector relies heavily on the polluting cement industry to burn collected waste, despite concerns about health risks and carbon emissions.
'What would you have us do?': The plastic credits problem
By Sara Hussein
Credits place no obligations on buyers to stop producing or using unrecyclable plastic that ends up in the environment.
Shipyards of Bangladesh brace as heavy emitting ships near end of life
By Md. Tahmid Zami
Sky not the only limit for JAL and ANA’s climate goals
By Chris Russell
NOAA told to make list of climate-related grants, setting off fears
By Christopher Flavelle, Austyn Gaffney and Raymond Zhong
It’s ‘virtually certain’ the world has already breached 1.5 C
By Kendra Pierre-Louis

CULTURE

Yamanote Jijosha has a long history of staging Shakespeare plays, and in celebration of its 40th anniversary, the company will present “Othello” and “Macbeth.” Previously, it toured productions like “Titus Andronicus,” which premiered in Tokyo in 1999, saw multiple revivals and had a homecoming in 2015.
Directing is never a monologue at the experimental Yamanote Jijosha theater company
By Kris Kosaka
To mark its four decades of existence, the company stages two Shakespearean tragedies for a triumph.
Japanese movies win accolades at Berlin International Film Festival
'A Hundred Years and a Day': Short stories unfold through the lives of structures and spaces
By Thu-Huong Ha
Fuji Rock’s biggest lineup surprise? The debut of Tatsuro Yamashita.
By Patrick St. Michel
‘Yasuko, Songs of Days Past’ puts overlooked star in the spotlight
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

Once a boon to tea farmers' bottom lines, the global matcha craze is now pushing producers and distributors to their limits with few options to adequately meet demand.
Japan struggles to fend off a world without enough matcha
By Cat Kerr
Production methods and economic risks keep the domestic tea industry from ramping up supply.
Cold with a chance of kimchi meatballs
By Simon Daly
Bear skulls and pit dwellings: Hokkaido aims to sell ancient history
By Justin Randall
Attempting the classics: Deciphering impermanence in ‘Hojoki’
By Eric Margolis
Fresh off awards, Japanese cheese seeks a taste ‘unique to this land’
By Phoebe Amoroso

COMMUNITY

David Moreton, a former professor at Tokushima University, originally came to Japan as a missionary in 1988. He is now one of the world’s foremost experts on the Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage.
How a Canadian missionary found spiritual transformation in Shikoku
By Suzanne Kamata
David Moreton has devoted decades to researching southern Japan’s famed 88-temple pilgrimage, established by influential monk Kobo Daishi.
Mike Sunda: ‘Creative production comes with a bigger responsibility than ever before’
By Mike Fu
Black History Month in 2025: The boundaries between 'us' and 'them'
By Baye McNeil
John Davis: ‘At its core, indie is about creative freedom’
By Gendel Gento
Home away from home: My first time at a Tet festival in Japan
By Nguyen Bao Anh

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
As Ukraine rift emerges, Kyiv's envoy says Japan must take on bigger global role
By Jesse Johnson and Gabriel Dominguez
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky speaks during an interview at the Ukrainian Embassy in Tokyo on Monday.
LIFE
Japan struggles to fend off a world without enough matcha
By Cat Kerr
Once a boon to tea farmers' bottom lines, the global matcha craze is now pushing producers and distributors to their limits with few options to adequately meet demand.
LIFE
Shimane and Tottori to bewitch tourists with supernatural charms
By Zoria Petkoska
In Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, an entire street is dedicated to Japanese spirits, monsters and ghouls — a sign that the overall region is rich in spine-tingling tourist draws.
CULTURE
Japan release of Shiori Ito's documentary in limbo
By Yukana Inoue
Shiori Ito, who won a civil suit over a rape case against a TV reporter, in 2018. Her former lawyers claim her documentary includes footage used without the consent of sources.
MORE SPORTS
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown ready to sprint past Paris disappointment
By Mai Yoshikawa
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (center) runs during a 100-meter heat at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 3, 2024.

Podcast

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

Longform

The building of new high-rise residential buildings has some alarmed that they could empty and fall into disrepair as Japan's population shrinks.
The high cost of letting Japan's condos crumble
By Tomoko Otake

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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
U.S. Marines start to leave Japan, decades behind schedule
By Martin Fackler
U.S. Marines during training in Okinawa last month.
BUSINESS
Tokyo fund buys China bonds for first time on Japanification bet
By Masaki Kondo
Japanese investors are estimated to have increased holdings of Chinese bonds by 53% last year, the most among the markets that make up the World Government Bond Index, according to Bloomberg analysis of Japanese balance-of-payments data.
JAPAN
Japan's Prince Hisahito to hold first news conference on March 3
Prince Hisahito heads to greet the Emperor and Empress on the occasion of his 18th birthday in Tokyo on Sep. 6.
WORLD
Ukraine promises swift deal for minerals as Trump cuts Kyiv out of peace talks
By Andrew E. Kramer
A truck carrying partially-refined titanium ore to a factory for further refining at a mine east of Kyiv.
WORLD
Israel prepares to receive six more Gaza hostages as Bibas body identified
By James Mackenzie and Maayan Lubell
A poster depicting a hostage Omer Wenkert, at the site of the Nova festival where party goers were killed and kidnapped during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas gunmen from Gaza, in Reim, southern Israel, on Wednesday.