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April 08, 2025
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April 08, 2025
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Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa enters the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan and U.S. appoint tariff negotiators after Ishiba-Trump phone call
By Francis Tang and Gabriele Ninivaggi
Ryosei Akazawa, minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy, will spearhead talks with the U.S.

More coverage

Japan responds to Trump's tariffs with a polite phone call and request
Japan to avoid direct confrontation with the U.S. over Trump tariffs
Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa enters the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Nippon Steel’s proposal to buy U.S. Steel is being given a second national security review by U.S. President Donald Trump.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nippon Steel’s purchase of U.S. Steel to get new national security review
By Francis Tang
The order for a second review came after a call between Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba over the tariffs.
The MSDF's stealthy, multimission Mogami frigate is moored at the Yokosuka Naval Base on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
NATO chief makes Japan debut with focus on defense industry tie-ups
By Gabriel Dominguez
Rutte will speak with defense industry representatives to get their assessment on “what they do to ramp up production and how we can better work together.”
Ryoko Hirosue
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Actor Ryoko Hirosue arrested for allegedly injuring medical staffer
By Yukana Inoue
Hirosue was in a “panicked state” and injured the medical staff member, her agency said in a statement.
Japan is facing challenges with Donald Trump's new tariffs and is considering increased purchases of U.S. goods, negotiating tariff reductions and expanding auto production in the U.S. to reduce the trade deficit and avoid further economic tension.
COMMENTARY / Japan
What is Japan's play on Trump's tariffs?
Edo Naito
Japan had expected some consideration for being the largest source of foreign direct investment in the U.S. from 2019 to 2024, with total investment of around $860 billion.
Japan is facing challenges with Donald Trump's new tariffs and is considering increased purchases of U.S. goods, negotiating tariff reductions and expanding auto production in the U.S. to reduce the trade deficit and avoid further economic tension.

JAPAN

A MQ-4C Triton drone taxis at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam
U.S. to send long-range surveillance drones to Japan amid Taiwan tensions
By Jesse Johnson
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said that the drones will be sent to the U.S. air base in Kadena, on Okinawa Prefecture’s main island, in the coming weeks.
Yamaguchi-gumi executives (center and right) leave the Hyogo Prefectural Police headquarters in Kobe after submitting a pledge to end turf battles on Monday.
Yamaguchi-gumi pledges end to yakuza war
The crime syndicate has been involved in turf battles with the rival Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, formed by more than a dozen gangs that splintered from it, since 2015.
Japan begins monitoring acute respiratory infections
DPP leader floats BOJ rate cut if tariffs throttle economy
By Toru Fujioka
Hokkaido group set as recipient of Unification Church assets
Japan's Lower House passes active cyber defense bill

BUSINESS

A television station broadcasts U.S. President Donald Trump speaking during a Rose Garden event, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Wednesday.
Frustrated world leaders wonder if Trump even wants a deal
By Rebecca Choong Wilkins, Alastair Gale and Ruchi Bhatia
U.S. President Donald Trump has set a high bar, telling reporters that any agreements would need to eliminate bilateral trade deficits.
A screen displays rising share prices outside a securities firm in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan stocks rebound on hopes of Trump tariff deal and weaker yen
Major shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange ended Tuesday's session at 33,012.58, up 1,876 points, or 6.02%, from Monday, when it suffered its third-biggest daily point loss.
Japan bankruptcies in fiscal 2024 hit 11-year high
Kawasaki Heavy hit with ¥1 billion in back taxes over MSDF scandal
Samsung shares jump after profit gets boost from new Galaxy S25
By Yoolim Lee
Japan's current account surplus hits record high in February

WORLD

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Tuesday that the country will hold a presidential election on June 3, adding that the day would be designated as a temporary public holiday to facilitate voting.
South Korea to hold snap presidential election on June 3
The announcement comes days after former leader Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over a short-lived martial law declaration.
Iranian missiles are displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran last November.
U.S. and Iran set for return to nuclear talks
While U.S. President Donald Trump called the talks "direct," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said they would be "indirect" and held in Oman on April 12.
Trump administration food aid cuts put millions at risk, aid sources say
By Jonathan Landay and Patricia Zengerle
Taiwan says China using AI to 'divide' the island with disinformation
Harvard plans to borrow $750 million amid federal funding threats
By Kanishka Singh
U.S. admiral at NATO fired in expanding national security purge
By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Lili Bayer

Sports

Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Monday.
Trump honors 'legendary' Dodgers at White House reception
Trump highlighted the achievements of several players, notably Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani.
Why is the NBA eyeing Europe?
By Nicolas Kienast
Kodai Senga and Mets' bullpen bottle up Marlins in 2-0 win
Scheffler eyes Masters repeat; McIlroy primed for career Grand Slam
By Frank Pingue
Milano Cortina tickets seen in demand despite prices
By Alberto Chiumento

Opinion

Japan is facing challenges with Donald Trump's new tariffs and is considering increased purchases of U.S. goods, negotiating tariff reductions and expanding auto production in the U.S. to reduce the trade deficit and avoid further economic tension.
What is Japan's play on Trump's tariffs?
Edo Naito
Japan had expected some consideration for being the largest source of foreign direct investment in the U.S. from 2019 to 2024, with total investment of around $860 billion.
The Japan tariff myth that just won’t die
By Gearoid Reidy
Wall Street will regret helping the world burn
By Mark Gongloff
What does your beard say about you?
By Stephen L. Carter
Emerging economies must get rich before they get old
By Anu Madgavkar and Marc Canal Noguer

ENVIRONMENT

An artificial glacier built by local residents during the winter to conserve water for the summer at Pari village in the Kharmang district of Pakistan's mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region are seen on March 18. At the foot of Pakistan's impossibly high mountains whitened by frost all year round, farmers grappling with a lack of water have created their own ice towers. The ice forms in the shape of cones that resemble Buddhist stupas, and act as a storage system — steadily melting throughout spring, when temperatures rise.
Artificial glaciers boost water supply in northern Pakistan
Warmer winters as a result of climate change has reduced the snowfall and subsequent seasonal snowmelt that feeds the valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan.
As Chile revs up lithium plans, Indigenous people demand more control
By Daina Beth Solomon
Global temperatures at near-historic highs in March, says EU monitor
Rising seas test defenses of South American ports
By Axl Hernandez
'It's gone': conservation science in Thailand's burning forest
By Sara Hussein

CULTURE

Sasami has had a connection to Japan since childhood as her mother's side of the family is Zainichi Korean and has lived in Japan for years. The musician grew up listening to city pop and watching Japanese TV.
Sasami is in her pop era, and she’s not overthinking it
By Patrick St. Michel
As the singer explores Tokyo, she reflects on identity and her latest album, “Blood On the Silver Screen.”
Online art scene eager to go offline, at least for the moment
By Zoria Petkoska
Authors hold London protest against Meta for 'stealing' work to train AI
By James PHEBY
‘Unreachable’: An attractive but half-baked fantasy
By James Hadfield
AI may be coming for anime, but Hayao Miyazaki is irreplaceable, son says
By Natsuko Fukue

LIFE

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it
By Alex K.T. Martin
Outdated government policy, changing diets and even an earthquake scare have had an impact on the national food staple.
‘Japanese pastry has matured into its own distinct identity’
By Haru Beaufort
In Los Angeles, Courtney Kaplan says sake is having a moment
By Melinda Joe
Can Japan's take on fandom help drive spending?
By Satoshi Sugiyama
Meeting new colleagues and introducing yourself in Japanese
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

Tokyo Humanities Cafe was launched in 2017 by Laurence Williams (left) and Alex Watson, professors at Sophia and Meiji Universities, respectively.
Tokyo Humanities Cafe feeds hungry minds
By Jessica Kozuka
A free quarterly event invites everyone to explore what it means to be human.
Meet the cool cat with a roguish mustache
Montessori head educates Tokyo’s children for life
By Louise George Kittaka
How to navigate Japan’s e-commerce platforms and online flea markets
By Jessica Speed
Shogo Yamaguchi: ‘Traditional culture thrives in a peaceful society’
By Laura Pollacco

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
‘Let’s make it practical’: NATO chief eyes greater defense-industrial ties with Japan
By Gabriel Dominguez
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte plans to visit Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday — his first to the Indo-Pacific region since taking office in October, as he seeks to implement lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
CULTURE
Tottori takes a bold leap forward in the arts
By Jennifer Pastore
The city of Kurayoshi in Tottori Prefecture celebrated the opening of its public art museum with festivities such as a parade that drew 1,000 revelers.
CULTURE
Haruki Murakami TV adaptation revisits 30 years of watershed moments
By Mike Fu
Though Haruki Murakami's trademark whiff of offbeat existentialism is threaded throughout NHK's "After the Quake," the final episode — conceived as a sequel to the story "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" — is the most stylized, featuring an anthropomorphic talking frog (voiced by Non) and his erstwhile associate Katagiri (Koichi Sato).
LIFE
Nintendo to launch the Switch 2 on June 5
By Sam Byford
The controllers for the Switch 2 will attach to the console magnetically rather than sliding on rails as with the original device.
JAPAN
A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers
By Yukana Inoue
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar gather at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud center on the country's border with Thailand, after a multinational crackdown in February.

Podcast

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

Longform

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it
By Alex K.T. Martin

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BOARDING & INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL DAY 2025 (Sunday, April 20)
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WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Nissan says it will not take new U.S. orders for Mexican-built Infiniti SUVs
A Nissan manufacturing complex in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Nissan says it will not take new orders from the United States for two Mexican-built Infiniti SUVs following new auto tariffs levied by the U.S.
LIFE
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it
By Alex K.T. Martin
An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
BUSINESS
Nikkei plunges in third-biggest daily loss ever amid Trump tariff concerns
Pedestrians stand in front of an electronic board showing the numbers of the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange along a street in the Japanese capital on Monday.
JAPAN
Ride-hailing services spreading in Japan
Vehicles used for ride-hailing services in the city of Kiryu, in Gunma Prefecture
JAPAN
Japan responds to Trump's tariffs with a polite phone call and request
By Francis Tang and Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a joint press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Feb. 7.