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February 19, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
February 19, 2025
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz during the talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
U.S. and Russia forge ahead on peace talks, without Ukraine
The talks marked a departure from Washington's previous approach that rallied U.S. allies to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz during the talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Tuesday
The government has made a shift toward nuclear amid predictions of higher electricity demand stemming from semiconductor production and data centers for AI in the decades to come.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan backs nuclear power in climate plan criticized as insufficient
By Eric Johnston
The government is targeting emissions cuts of 60% by fiscal 2035, but environmental groups and businesses have called for more ambition.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that the situation surrounding Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel has improved under U.S. President Donald Trump.
BUSINESS / Companies
Ishiba questions the politics of Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal rejection
By Kazuaki Nagata
The "unjust political interference” was difficult to understand, the prime minister said, but he indicated that the situation has improved under Trump.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba replies to Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Seiji Maehara at a Lower House budget committee session in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Government makes slow progress on budget concessions
By Gabriele Ninivaggi and Himari Semans
Opposition parties are making known their policy demands, and even seeking legal guarantees, in return for their support in passing the budget for fiscal 2025.
Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita (front left) and defender Saki Kumagai (center) in action against the United States during the Paris 2024 Olympics on Aug. 3
SOCCER
Nielsen eyes mentality shift in first outing as Nadeshiko boss
By Alex Bishop
Japan will make its fifth appearance in the SheBelieves Cup, and is pitted against Australia, Colombia and the host, the United States.
Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita (front left) and defender Saki Kumagai (center) in action against the United States during the Paris 2024 Olympics on Aug. 3

JAPAN

The Thai Royal Police held a meeting on Monday in Bangkok with representatives from 18 countries, including Japan, as well as international organizations like the United Nations regarding the transnational scam operation.
Japanese nationals thought to be held captive at Myanmar-Thailand border
By Yukana Inoue
Foreign nationals from several countries have been held at the border and forced to participate in a variety of scams.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda says that his party aims to revise the budget for fiscal 2025 by a scale of ¥1 trillion ($6.6 billion).
CDP may not approve fiscal 2025 draft budget, Noda says
Its approval depends on how far the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling coalition accepts the opposition party's proposed amendments.
Fukuoka High Court's Naha branch finds 2024 Lower House poll constitutional
Tokyo tax bureau seizes ¥1.8 billion from Hong Kong game firm over unpaid tax
Three hotel staffers found dead after going missing in Fukushima mountains
By Jessica Speed
Monk in chaplain training urges people to face death and live life

BUSINESS

The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
Ex-BOJ deputy Nakaso sees BOJ hiking to 1% and perhaps beyond
By Erica Yokoyama
His remarks come as market participants debate the likely terminal rate of the central bank’s current tightening cycle.
Sony Group looks set to become the latest flagship name to tap Japan's corporate bond market.
Japan’s historic rate shift is turbo-charging the credit market
By Finbarr Flynn
Japanese companies have sold ¥14.7 trillion ($96.8 billion) of local-currency bonds in the current fiscal year, a record for the period.
Trump floats 25% tariffs on U.S. auto, drug, chip imports
By Hadriana Lowenkron and Josh Wingrove
Activist fund criticizes Sapporo after ‘acquisition failures’
By Takako Taniguchi
Nissan shares rally on report talks with Honda could be reopened
Vietnam paves way for Musk's Starlink amid U.S. tariff threats
By Francesco Guarascio and Phuong Nguyen

WORLD

Rear Adm. Jacques Mallard (right), commander of the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier strike group, speaks during a ceremony aboard the carrier at a naval base in Toulon, France, last September.
French carrier group chief draws lessons from first Pacific deployment in 60 years
By Gabriel Dominguez
The deployment helped deepen the French Navy's operational understanding of the region, and learn from and boost interoperability with partner nations, a top commander says.
Members of Taiwan's armed forces, riding on a M60A3 tank, participate in a drill as part of a demonstration for the media to show combat readiness, at a military base in Taitung, Taiwan, on Jan. 31, 2024.
Taiwan considering multibillion dollar arms purchase from U.S., sources say
By Michael Martina, Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard
Taipei is hoping to win support from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump as China continues to apply military pressure on the island.
Scholz leaves Germans with worst economic blues in a generation
By Alexander Weber
Xi’s embrace of China tech CEOs spurs hope of big economic shift
Russia and U.S. agree at talks without Ukraine to press ahead with bid to end war
Asia should not have to pick U.S. or China, France's envoy to Singapore says
By Xinghui Kok

Sports

Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita (front left) and defender Saki Kumagai (center) in action against the United States during the Paris 2024 Olympics on Aug. 3
Nielsen eyes mentality shift in first outing as Nadeshiko boss
By Alex Bishop
Japan will make its fifth appearance in the SheBelieves Cup, and is pitted against Australia, Colombia and the host, the United States.
Manchester City's fresh faces offer hope of Madrid miracle
By Kieran CANNING
Canada downs Finland to set up ice hockey grudge clash against U.S.
For the Mets, Kodai Senga is the ultimate X factor
By Tim Britton
British Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas to retire at end of season

Opinion

U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers a blunt speech before the 61st Munich Security Conference on Friday, sending shockwaves through Europe's halls of government.
The patterns and philosophy underpinning Trump’s dizzying diplomacy
Edo Naito
With the start of his second term, Trump's actions appear to be chaotic, both to friend and foe alike. But is this chaos intentional?
Trump’s Gaza plan is a crazy answer to a valid question
By Thomas L. Friedman
It's time to rethink how safe alcohol is
By Lisa Jarvis
The DeepSeek AI revolution has a security problem
By Parmy Olson
Weaponizing Canadian oil would rattle Trump
By Liam Denning

ENVIRONMENT

All Nippon Airways aircraft at Haneda Airport in Tokyo in August 2024. ANA has staked a lot on greener kinds of jet fuel, with 70% of the emissions reductions under its net-zero emissions plan coming from them.
Sky not the only limit for JAL and ANA’s climate goals
By Chris Russell
The airlines' similar but different carbon neutrality plans highlight the difficulty of decarbonization, especially as the sector is now growing again.
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
Trump’s freeze on climate money sows fear and confusion
By Zahra Hirji and Danielle Bochove
Top climate scientist declares 2 degrees Celsius climate goal 'dead'

CULTURE

Netflix reality series “Offline Love” follows five men and five women as they spend 10 days in Nice, France, finding romance.
‘Offline Love’ ditches digital dating and puts old-school romance to the test
By Patrick St. Michel
Netflix Japan's new reality series whisks its participants to a picturesque seaside city in France and leans into nostalgia for a simpler time.
South Korean blockbuster 'Joint Security Area' strikes a chord 25 years on
By Claire Lee
'Mornings Without Mii': A cozy cat memoir that gets down in the muck
By Thu-Huong Ha
Kunichika's vibrant ukiyo-e gets a chance to shine at anniversary exhibit
By Martin Laflamme
Nariaki Obukuro found his groove — just not on the dance floor
By Patrick St. Michel

LIFE

No South American fare is complete without empanadas, one of the traditional recipes in Kiera Wright-Ruiz's cookbook.
Chewing on race, culture and 'okonomiyaki' quesadillas
By Simon Daly
Kiera Wright-Ruiz’s debut cookbook serves up deep thoughts on her biracial heritage alongside delicious recipes.
Fresh off awards, Japanese cheese seeks a taste ‘unique to this land’
By Phoebe Amoroso
Cut and dried daikon: A time-tested frugal treat
By Makiko Itoh
Alpha Takahashi: ‘The world of video games was tied to my upbringing’
By Samantha Low
New street patrol helps Nara's deer clean up their act
By Tomohiro Osaki

COMMUNITY

Kendrick Lamar performs at the halftime show of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Black History Month in 2025: The boundaries between 'us' and 'them'
By Baye McNeil
Our columnist reflects on the fraught ideologies of race from both sides of the Pacific.
Tangelo the cat is oh so sweet
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
Ken Rodgers, a fixture of the Kyoto literary scene, dies at 72
By Eric Johnston

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Can Ishiba's 'joyful Japan' policy revitalize the nation's rural regions?
By Eric Johnston
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba receives fruit from tangerine farmers of Shizuoka Prefecture in Tokyo on Jan. 22. The government's new regional revitalization plan focuses on convincing younger workers to choose a career and life somewhere other than a major urban center such as Tokyo.
COMMENTARY
Japan’s English-language education doesn’t pass the test
By Yuko Tamura
One-third of elementary school students in Japan do not like learning English, according to a 2021 poll, an 8% rise since 2013. The pressure of taking proficiency tests is eroding children's engagement with studying English and its benefits.
COMMUNITY
Black History Month in 2025: The boundaries between 'us' and 'them'
By Baye McNeil
Kendrick Lamar performs at the halftime show of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana.
ENVIRONMENT
Sky not the only limit for JAL and ANA’s climate goals
By Chris Russell
All Nippon Airways aircraft at Haneda Airport in Tokyo in August 2024. ANA has staked a lot on greener kinds of jet fuel, with 70% of the emissions reductions under its net-zero emissions plan coming from them.
CULTURE
The different faces of ‘Asura’ through the generations
By James Hadfield
Netflix series “Asura,” directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, is a remake of a classic TV drama (known as “Like Asura” in English), created by Kuniko Mukoda and broadcast by NHK between 1979 and 1980.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tokyo Koon stands at the forefront of tackling the so-called 2025 issue, also known as the “Magnetic Tape Alert.”
The race to save 20th-century history
By Alex K.T. Martin

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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan's Iwaya vows to push ahead with sanctions against Russia
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya meets with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and counterparts from other countries at the State Department in Washington on Jan. 21.
COMMENTARY
Japan’s English-language education doesn’t pass the test
By Yuko Tamura
One-third of elementary school students in Japan do not like learning English, according to a 2021 poll, an 8% rise since 2013. The pressure of taking proficiency tests is eroding children's engagement with studying English and its benefits.
JAPAN
Naturalized Japanese can soon list Taiwan as original nationality
By Francis Tang
Naturalized Japanese citizens from Taiwan will be able to list Taiwan as their place of origin in their family register instead of China from May.
JAPAN
Japan backs nuclear power in climate plan criticized as insufficient
By Eric Johnston
The government has made a shift toward nuclear amid predictions of higher electricity demand stemming from semiconductor production and data centers for AI in the decades to come.
ASIA PACIFIC
Singapore says Asia now views U.S. as a ‘landlord seeking rent’
By Philip J. Heijmans
According to a prepared text of Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen's remarks posted on a government website over the weekend, the image of the U.S. "has changed from liberator to great disruptor to a landlord seeking rent."