Home page

 
Menu
Search
 
Menu
Search
Tokyo Weather 15℃
TOKYO
November 30, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 30, 2024
Yen
Japan tax reform
Russia-Ukraine war
Latest News
Deep Dive
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a news conference after a policy meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 31.
BUSINESS / Economy
BOJ's Ueda says rate hike timing 'approaching,' Nikkei reports
By Leika Kihara and Roushni Nair
The remarks reinforce growing market expectations that the BOJ will raise its short-term policy rate from the current 0.25% as soon as its next meeting on Dec. 18-19.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a news conference after a policy meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 31.
Wealthy people in Japan failed to declare a total of ¥65.5 billion in taxable income in the year through June, down 33.2% from the year before, a National Tax Agency report showed Friday.
JAPAN
Japan's wealthy fail to declare ¥65.5 billion in income
The tax agency attributed the rise partly to the full-fledged use of artificial intelligence to make investigations more efficient.
The largest corporate donors to the ruling LDP were Toyota Motor and Sumitomo Chemical, with ¥50 million each.
JAPAN / Politics
LDP received ¥2.4 billion in corporate donations in 2023
The figure is down 1.9% from the previous year, the first decline in three years, according to political funds records released Friday.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a meeting during the Group of 20 leaders' summit in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 18.
JAPAN / Politics
Ishiba considering visit to South Korea in early January
The two East Asian countries will next year mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations.
Discovered in the 1930s, the Geisha coffee plant came to worldwide fame in the early 2000s and now represents some of the best coffee on the planet — Tokyo's top cafes included.
LIFE / Food & Drink
The Geisha bean is the leading lady of Tokyo's coffee scene
By Melinda Joe
Named for a region of Ethiopia (and not Japan’s kimono-clad performers), Geisha has become the crown jewel of Tokyo’s flourishing specialty coffee scene.
Discovered in the 1930s, the Geisha coffee plant came to worldwide fame in the early 2000s and now represents some of the best coffee on the planet — Tokyo's top cafes included.

JAPAN

A Chinese J-16 fighter jet is seen during a joint patrol with Russian forces on Friday.
China and Russia conduct joint military air patrol near Japan
This was the eighth large-scale joint flight by military aircraft from the two countries near Japan and the first since December last year.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant
Tepco eyes second test removal of Fukushima nuclear fuel debris
As in the previous test, the operator plans to use a fishing rod-shaped device to remove the debris.
Crown Prince Akishino turns 59
Japan panel proposes law to monitor communications for cyberdefense
Tokyo police arrest six Chinese nationals over yami baito scheme
By Jessica Speed
Chinese man pleads guilty to role in vandalizing Yasukuni Shrine
By Karin Kaneko

BUSINESS

The Nikkei stock average outside a brokerage in Tokyo in late October.
Japan companies boosting benefits for long-term shareholders
Behind the move are growing calls for listed companies to reward shareholders more through measures including dividend hikes.
Hiroyuki Fukuda is due to become the new president of Nippon Television Holdings in April.
Four Nippon TV affiliates to integrate management in April
The aim of the merger is to stabilize their business base and address the increasingly tough business environment resulting from media diversification.
Shiseido profit outlook squeezed by China downturn, president says
Stimulus staved off years of deflation, BOJ study says
Japan earmarks extra ¥1.5 trillion for chips and AI this year
Uniqlo criticized in China after CEO says retailer does not use Xinjiang cotton

WORLD

Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of defense, speaks to reporters at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington on Nov. 21.
Pete Hegseth’s mother accused her son of mistreating women for years
By Sharon LaFraniere and Julie Tate
She said on Friday that she regretted the 2018 email and had apologized to him.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping speaks during a news conference in Brasilia on Nov. 20.
China’s lone-wolf attacks pose challenge for Xi’s security state
A new wave of deadly attacks is putting pressure on officials to expand the country's sprawling security system.
U.S. approves $385 million arms sale to Taiwan
Canada’s Justin Trudeau holds crucial meeting with Trump in Florida
North Korea's Kim and Russian defense chief agree to boost military ties
Jihadis and allies breach Syria's second city in lightning assault

Sports

Kylian Mbappe had a penalty saved during Real Madrid's loss against Liverpool during the Champions League.
European giants struggle in new Champions League format
Heavyweights such as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are currently at risk of an early exit.
Fans flocking to PWHL as women's league returns for second season
By Amy Tennery
Audi's deal with Qatar deepens Formula One's Gulf ties
By Alan Baldwin
FIFA should pay workers injured building Qatar World Cup, internal report says
By Tariq Panja
Chiefs hold off Raiders to clinch NFL playoff berth

Opinion

While the economic benefits of Nippon Steel's acquisition of U.S. Steel are clear, concerns remain about sustaining U.S. domestic steel production, preserving national security interests and addressing union concerns.
Nippon Steel endgame: Resistance or renaissance for the U.S. steel industry
James L. Schoff
The endgame for Nippon Steel’s bid for U.S. Steel appears near and the results could have a significant impact on U.S.-Japan relations, depending on the outcome.
Japan should prepare for tariff-loving Trump
We’re finally starting to understand the pregnant brain
By Lisa Jarvis
Japan doesn't need a social media ban, but it must protect children
By Yuko Tamura
Trump's return heralds a new era of trade tensions for Japan
By Sam Baron

ENVIRONMENT

Environmental activists demonstrate in front of the convention center in Busan, South Korea, where delegates from around the world are seeking to reach a binding treaty against plastic waste.
Showdown looms on plastic treaty days before deadline
By Katie Forster
With just two days of talks left, countries seeking an ambitious treaty urged delegations that "have not moved a centimeter" to make compromises or "get out of the way."
Turning tempura oil into fuel: 30 years of environmental efforts by Tokyo entrepreneur
By Aiko Imaizumi
How AI and cloud computing may delay the transition to clean energy
By Valerie Volcovici and Laila Kearney
How Saudi Arabia turned back climate progress at COP29
By Akshat Rathi, Jennifer A. Dlouhy and John Ainger
Rich countries provide no haven from climate doom, study finds
By Frances Schwartzkopff

CULTURE

Drag queen Becca D’Bus plays Dido, the forlorn queen of Carthage, in a drag version of “Dido and Aeneas."
Divas and diversity: Opera meets drag in ‘Dido and Aeneas’
By Zoria Petkoska
Becca D’Bus, one of Singapore’s most popular drag queens, and Tokyo’s voguers and queens team up for a grand show at the Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting.
‘Faceless’: Fugitive thriller turns a blind eye to hard truths
By James Hadfield
The mind-bending melancholy of ‘Lust in the Rain’
By Mark Schilling
French-Japanese series takes best drama at International Emmys
By Kathleen Benoza
‘From 0 to 1’: Aiku Kurotaki’s fabric of existence
By Ansel Swindells

LIFE

Designed by Kei Atsumi and Motoya Iizawa, "The Warp" was a 3D-printed tea pavilion with organic, twisting curves placed in downtown Dubai.
Far East meets Middle East at Dubai Design Week 2024
By Erik Augustin Palm
This year's Dubai Design Week functioned much like a portal between continents, philosophies and futures.
The young sap collectors underpinning Japanese lacquerware
By Jessica Kozuka
Master this double negative to better express your Black Friday urges
By Yuko Tamura
Tokyo’s take on that viral chocolate from Dubai
By Yuko Tamura
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat
By Greg Dvorak

COMMUNITY

Kumiko Shichijo provides tips on Japanese etiquette and manners on Instagram and says videos on gift-giving and hand towels have done particularly well.
Kumiko Shichijo: ‘Living abroad helped me appreciate Japanese etiquette’
By Ansel Swindells
Worried about committing a social faux pas while in Japan? This manners expert hopes to help you be your most polite while out and about.
How a solo yoga teacher built a wellness community in the Japanese Alps
By Samantha Mythen
Omar Nok: 'There are good people everywhere'
By Ansel Swindells
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
By Mike Fu
A bridge between kyogen and the world, Don Kenny dies at 88
By Rintaro Dainichi

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Ishiba sticks to the basics in second policy speech
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
CULTURE
Hiroshi Kurosaki looks beyond Japan for heart-wrenching drama
By Mark Schilling
Hiroshi Kurosaki’s Netflix series “Beyond Goodbye” centers on a woman (Kasumi Arimura, left) who discovers her dead lover’s heart saved the life of a quiet pianist (Kentaro Sakaguchi).
JAPAN
Japan researchers develop a simple way to spot signs of Alzheimer's disease
By Kathleen Benoza
In 2022, the number of elderly people with dementia in Japan reached 4.43 million, according to data from the health ministry.
CULTURE
‘What Divides Us’ producer honors grandfather’s Hiroshima reportage
By Himari Semans
“What Divides Us" producer Cannon Hersey says his grandfather, who wrote about the aftermath of nuclear destruction in Hiroshima, never spoke about what he had seen while working with Japanese minister Kiyoshi Tanimoto to preserve the stories of survivors.
BUSINESS
Bluesky is booming in Japan — mainly for reasons other than U.S. politics
By Elizabeth Beattie
According to Similarweb, average monthly user numbers for Bluesky on Android in Japan quintupled in the 12 months to October.

Podcast

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

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat
By Greg Dvorak

JT Directory Service

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Ex.Portal By Synergy Media Specialists

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono
The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan researchers develop a simple way to spot signs of Alzheimer's disease
By Kathleen Benoza
In 2022, the number of elderly people with dementia in Japan reached 4.43 million, according to data from the health ministry.
JAPAN
Japan to overhaul tax exemption system for foreign visitors
The Ginza shopping district in Tokyo in August
JAPAN
Two dead after fire at Upper House lawmaker Kuniko Inoguchi’s apartment
By Himari Semans
A fire broke out on the sixth floor of an apartment building where Upper House lawmaker Kuniko Inoguchi resides on Wednesday in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward.
JAPAN
Real-life ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ ordered to pay ¥1 billion in damages
By Yukana Inoue
High-rise buildings in Tokyo. Through faking documents and passports a criminal group conspired to pose as the owner of a real-estate plot and buildings in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward in 2017, defrauding Sekisui House of ¥5.5 billion.
BUSINESS
Real estate worth ¥25 trillion puts Japan companies in spotlight
By Lisa Du
Elliott Investment Management's stake in Tokyo Gas is centered around getting the utility to sell off its real estate holdings, including Shinjuku Park Tower, which houses the Park Hyatt Hotel Tokyo.