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April 26, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
April 26, 2025
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As Japan gears up for the trade talks, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is also seeking to cushion the blow that the U.S. tariffs may have on the domestic economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan to resist Trump efforts to form trade bloc against China
By Alastair Gale, Haze Fan, Yoshiaki Nohara and Sakura Murakami
Any demands from Washington on Tokyo to downgrade its economic relationship with China would potentially deal Japan a major economic blow.

More coverage

U.S. officials adopt ‘organized’ framework to handle trade talks
As Japan gears up for the trade talks, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is also seeking to cushion the blow that the U.S. tariffs may have on the domestic economy.
U.S President Donald Trump meets with Japan's Ryosei Akazawa, who is in charge of trade negotiations with Washington, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on April 16.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Japan is a test case for Trump's tariff deals. But talks may be tortuous.
By John Geddie, Yoshifumi Takemoto and Trevor Hunnicutt
While some expect an agreement at the June G7 summit in Canada in June, others say it will be risky for Tokyo to cede ground before Upper House elections expected in July.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato listens to a question during an interview at the Finance Ministry in Tokyo on April 17.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Yen and BOJ's rate policy may remain focus in Japan-U.S. trade talks
A look at finance officials' descriptions of a recent meeting suggests currencies and the BOJ's interest rate policy may remain key factors in broader trade negotiations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff prior to their talks in Moscow on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump says Russia-Ukraine deal 'very close' after new Kremlin talks
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again rejected suggestions that his country give up on Russian-held Crimea.
Sport climber Miho Nonaka competes during the Tokyo Games in Aomi Urban Sports Park in August 2021.
MORE SPORTS
Beauty expert encourages female athletes to embrace game day glam
By Mai Yoshikawa
Beauty expert Miha Fukuoka believes sportswomen do not need to downplay their femininity to be taken seriously.
Sport climber Miho Nonaka competes during the Tokyo Games in Aomi Urban Sports Park in August 2021.

JAPAN

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a discussion on the employment ice age generation in Tokyo on Friday.
‘Employment ice age generation’ returns to spotlight ahead of Upper House election
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
The generation, which graduated between 1993 and 2004, has long grappled with pay stagnation and irregular employment due to a tight labor market.
Takahiro Fujii (center), the president of Try and E, and his lawyers speak during a news conference on Friday in Tokyo after a ruling was handed down in a case against Amazon Japan.
Tokyo court fines Amazon Japan ¥35 million over counterfeit products
By Karin Kaneko
Presiding Judge Yuko Shintani deemed Amazon’s response to the issue to be “indicative of willful misconduct, or at the very least, gross negligence.”
Tokyo government to search for birth parents of man switched as newborn
Government begins probe of Japan Post over improper driver checks
'Customer harassment' faced by 35% of local government officials
JR West marks 20 years since fatal derailment with renewed vow for safety

BUSINESS

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks about U.S. tariffs in Tokyo last week.
Japan doubles down on stimulus to counter effects of Trump tariffs
By Francis Tang
The government will implement measures that build on ones announced earlier with the aim of boosting domestic spending and shoring up corporate balance sheets.
U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, stops to speak to reporters as he leaves the White House on Friday morning.
Conflicting U.S.-China talks statements add to global trade confusion
U.S. President Donald Trump has asserted that tariff negotiations were underway with China, but Beijing has denied this is the case.
Developing countries should fast-track U.S. trade deals, World Bank chief says
Maruti Suzuki profit misses estimate on higher input costs
Toyota chairman proposes record buyout of its supplier at $42 billion valuation
By Reed Stevenson and Tsuyoshi Inajima
Japan looks to increase U.S. corn imports ahead of more tariff talks
By Yukana Inoue

WORLD

The badge of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent is seen during an operation with migrants being transferred to a plane to be expelled from the United States to their country at the airport in El Paso, Texas, in May 2023.
2-year-old U.S. citizen appears to have been deported 'with no meaningful process'
U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty said the girl, who was referred to as "V.M.L." in court documents, was deported with her mother.
The Maersk Launcher, chartered by a seabed-mining company to explore the practices viability, returns from an expedition to the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean in June 2021.
Trump moves to ramp up deep-sea mining for critical minerals
The move comes amid increasing concern over new Chinese curbs on the export of rare-earth materials.
Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre takes own life in Australia, family says
Myanmar junta defies quake ceasefire to continue deadly attacks, data shows
By Devjyot Ghoshal, Poppy McPherson and Pasit Kongkunakornkul
North Korea's Kim attends ceremony for launching new 5,000-ton warship
Russian satellite tied to nuke program appears out of control, analysts say

Sports

Sport climber Miho Nonaka competes during the Tokyo Games in Aomi Urban Sports Park in August 2021.
Beauty expert encourages female athletes to embrace game day glam
By Mai Yoshikawa
Beauty expert Miha Fukuoka believes sportswomen do not need to downplay their femininity to be taken seriously.
Wolves pull away to beat Lakers and take 2-1 series lead
Singular focus for new boss Patrick Kisnorbo as Marinos face Ronaldo's Al-Nassr
By Michael Church
Jersey from Kobe Bryant's Lakers debut sells for $7 million
Thunder rally from 29 down to stun Grizzlies in Game 3

Opinion

Since Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency, his rhetoric, tariffs and threats toward allies have helped boost left-leaning or anti-Trump candidates in elections around the world.
The 'Trump effect' on elections is just beginning, including in Japan
Joshua Kurlantzick
Since his inauguration, the new U.S. president seems to be creating a “Trump effect” on many, though not all, foreign elections.
Japan needs clarity as an antidote to contradictory tariffs
By Shin Oya
The Catholic church loses a lion
Trump’s tariff chaos could reverse 80 years of economic progress
By Anne O. Krueger
Creating the best possible climate models is existential
By Alexander Pui

ENVIRONMENT

A photo taken from a Norwegian surveillance aircraft shows Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in international waters off the coast of Norway in October 2016.
Global warming is a security threat and armies must adapt, experts say
Defense departments have already underscored that a warming planet poses major national security challenges, and militaries need to adapt to respond to these evolving threats.
Indonesia food plan risks 'world's largest' deforestation
By Marchio Gorbiano and Sara Hussein
Tentative tree planting 'decades overdue' in sweltering Athens
By John HADOULIS
Big bets on speculative carbon capture tech ignore today’s solutions
By Michelle Ma and Dave Merrill
Clean streets versus business woes: Pollution charge divides Londoners
By Akshata Kapoor

CULTURE

On the surface, "Wildcat Dome" tells a personal story of damaged children — now adults — bound together by tragedy. Underneath, there’s a constant undercurrent of political consequence, invisible and pervasive like radioactive particles.
‘Wildcat Dome’ challenges Japan's historical narratives
By Kris Kosaka
Prolific writer Yuko Tsushima explores themes of militarization, colonialism and occupation through the identities of mixed-race orphans in postwar Japan.
Sasuke Haraguchi’s provocative soundtracks for digital natives
By Patrick St. Michel
‘She Taught Me Serendipity’: A quiet reminder not to take people for granted
By Mark Schilling
Thumbelina's bedtime is before 8. Her exhibition runs till 5 a.m.
By Tomohiro Osaki
The floor is art: Takuro Tamayama transforms mundanity
By Kim Kahan

LIFE

Hokkaido's famous lamb is turned into a ragout or French-style stew and used as a pizza topping at Savoy Ezo.
Savoy, Tokyo’s top pizzeria, fires up in Sapporo
By Simon Daly
The chain of pizza restaurants has opened its first branch in Hokkaido, offering locals a taste of its famous crisp and airy pizzas.
How to bring up bad news in Japanese
By Yuko Tamura
A modern Japanese cookbook that is ‘a beautiful mess’
By Simon Daly
Craft Sake Week is back with its usual brand of cool
By Weiwen Lin
Thumbprint cookies with a tangy Japanese filling
By Simon Daly

COMMUNITY

Arunima Mazumdar, a New Delhi-based communications professional, began sharing her love of Japanese literature online in 2022. The platform has grown into a robust community known as Dokusha Book Club.
Arunima Mazumdar: ‘Japanese literature has a niche but deeply engaged readership in India’
By Megha Wadhwa
The founder of Dokusha Book Club talks about why Indian readers love Japanese books and the community that she’s forged, online and offline.
How to spend the perfect day in Hiroo, Tokyo’s expat enclave
By Eric Margolis
Noriko Shakti: ‘Music reflects my journey and learnings’
By Miikka J. Lehtonen
Tokyo Humanities Cafe feeds hungry minds
By Jessica Kozuka
Montessori head educates Tokyo’s children for life
By Louise George Kittaka

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Amid uncertain tariffs, is now the time to buy a new iPhone?
By Elizabeth Beattie
An Apple store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in September. Prices for the newest iPhone models start at around ¥100,000 ($700) in Japan.
LIFE
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
By Thu-Huong Ha
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
BUSINESS
Japan weighs using U.S. rice imports as tariff negotiation tool with Trump
By Yukana Inoue
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo
JAPAN
Is Japan’s parliament ready to welcome more youth to its ranks?
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Lower House lawmaker Kai Odake in his Tokyo office on Wednesday
LIFE
Crow meat, goat tartare: Mauvaise Herbe raises its game
By Andrew Lee
Crow meat, shaped into a ball and attached to a foot of the bird, is one of the peculiar offerings of game at Mauvaise Herbe.

Podcast

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

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.
By Tomoko Otake

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones
Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Naked man’s rampage in Saitama linked to one fatality and 10 injured
Police believe Daisuke Nishimura may have been involved in roughly 20 incidents in the 90 minutes leading up to his arrest, including a fatal hit-and-run and multiple assaults.
JAPAN
Japan set to fine cyclists on the spot for rule violations from 2026
By Karin Kaneko
Under new rules, those who use smartphones while riding a bicycle would be subject to the maximum fine of ¥12,000.
JAPAN
Japan brings forward deadline for electronic travel authorization system
By Yukana Inoue
Japan is planning to implement by March 2029 a new online screening system in which foreign visitors who don’t need a visa apply for a certification before entering the country.
LIFE
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
By Thu-Huong Ha
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
BUSINESS
Tokyo prices rise most in two years, backing central bank's hike path
By Yoshiaki Nohara and Toru Fujioka
Consumer prices excluding fresh food in Tokyo gained 3.4% in April from a year earlier, as a mixture of impacts from last year’s school fee cuts and higher food and energy costs accelerated inflation, according to the internal affairs ministry.