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November 27, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 27, 2024
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Packages move along a conveyor belt at an Amazon warehouse
BUSINESS / Companies
Japan investigating Amazon for allegedly bullying other businesses
By Elizabeth Beattie
Tactics allegedly employed by the retailer involve the squeezing of business partners in exchange for visibility.
Packages move along a conveyor belt at an Amazon warehouse
Kunihiko Katsuta (back) is taken to Hyogo Prefectural Police's Tatsuno police station on Wednesday after he was rearrested for a murder that occurred in 2007.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
17-year-old murder case makes progress as Hyogo police rearrest suspect
The suspect, Kunihiko Katsuta, is serving an indefinite prison sentence for the 2004 murder of another girl in Okayama Prefecture.
A concept model of the Global Combat Air Program's fighter jet is displayed at the DSEI Japan defense show at Makuhari Messe in Chiba in March last year. Europe’s defense industry sees “very significant potential” to further deepen cooperation with Japanese firms in areas ranging from space tech to advanced electronics and unmanned weapons systems, a key lobbying group has said.
JAPAN
European defense industry sees ‘significant potential’ to work with Japan
By Gabriel Dominguez
The remarks by industry officials come after Tokyo and Brussels launched a new security and defense partnership earlier this month.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun attends the opening ceremony of the Xiangshan Forum at the Beijing International Convention Center on Sept. 13. Dong is the third consecutive incumbent or former defense chief to be probed over alleged corruption.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
China defense minister being investigated for corruption, report says
By Jesse Johnson
The probe could undermine efforts to maintain military-to-military communications just months before Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Chinese police have signed cooperation agreements with countries across Asia, Latin America, the Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa, offering embedded officers, training, joint patrols and exporting security equipment, especially to developing economies.
COMMENTARY / World
China’s cops are coming to a city near you
KARISHMA VASWANI
When asked about covert overseas police outposts, China either denies their existence or claims they are service centers for overseas citizens.
Chinese police have signed cooperation agreements with countries across Asia, Latin America, the Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa, offering embedded officers, training, joint patrols and exporting security equipment, especially to developing economies.

JAPAN

People line up to board a bus in the city of Kyoto. To ease heavy congestion caused by an influx of visitors, the Kyoto Municipal Government in June launched sightseeing express buses that run directly from Kyoto Station to major tourist attractions.
Japan's local governments weigh implementing an accommodation tax
The number of visitors to Japan between January and September 2024 reached 26.88 million, setting a record-breaking pace.
Hyogo Prefectural Police headquarters. A wild boar attacked children and staff at a child care facility in the prefecture on Tuesday.
Wild boar injures six at Himeji child care facility
By Kathleen Benoza
A 3-year-old boy was hospitalized after sustaining serious injuries from the attack.
Japanese man broke into 1,000 homes to 'relieve stress'
Police raid Vietnamese theft ring's collection points
Shizuoka prosecutor apologizes to Hakamata following his acquittal
Two years pass since Japan's last execution, amid calls for abolition

BUSINESS

Scale is becoming important even for distributors like Macnica Holdings, which sells chips made by the likes of Intel’s Altera.
Japan’s top chip distributor eyes acquisitions in China and India
By Takashi Mochizuki and Yuki Furukawa
Macnica Holdings is eyeing an overseas acquisition to better hold its own against bigger competitors.
Alimentation Couche-Tard CEO Alex Miller said on Tuesday the Canadian retailer remains persistent in its efforts to pursue a deal with Seven & I Holdings.
Couche-Tard not giving up on bid to acquire 7-Eleven owner
By Mathieu Dion
The commitment comes despite a new management buyout proposal from the founding family of Seven & I Holdings valued at about $59 billion.
VW confirms plans to exit controversial Xinjiang operation
Panel defers decision on scrapping Japan's NTT law
Iran's businesses bear brunt of daily power blackouts
By Payam DOOST MOHAMADI
German family winery taps into zero-alcohol trend
By Sam Reeves

WORLD

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah at Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, on Tuesday.
Biden hopes to parlay Lebanon ceasefire into a broader regional peace
By Peter Baker
With a deal to end more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, the U.S. leader turns his attention back to halting the war in Gaza before leaving office.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te waves to the crowd on the island's national day in Taipei on Oct. 10.
China could launch military drills near Taiwan over president's Pacific visit
By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard
President Lai Ching-te will start a visit to diplomatic allies in the Pacific on Saturday, and was also planning stops in Hawaii and possibly the U.S. territory of Guam.
Ukrainian delegation visiting Seoul to ask for weapons aid, reports say
Trump team signs transition agreement with Biden White House after delays
Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire, brokered by U.S. and France, takes effect
Vietnam mogul told to refund missing billions to overturn death sentence
By Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen

Sports

Daiju Sasaki scores the winning goal for Vissel Kobe on Tuesday.
Vissel Kobe retains top spot in Asian Champions League after goalkeeping error gifts win
Takayuki Yoshida's Kobe side leads the east Asian standings with 13 points from the first five league phase games.
World Athletics chief 'very pleased' with India's Olympic interest but warns of hurdles
By Sudipto Ganguly
President welcomes home victorious team amid surge of Taiwan pride
Manchester City not 'stable,' says Guardiola after Feyenoord collapse
When Roki Sasaki signs his deal, Latin American amateurs will suffer
By Ken Rosenthal

Opinion

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2019. Tokyo may be forced to balance its priorities in the U.S. alliance with its economic reliance on China.
Trump's return heralds a new era of trade tensions for Japan
Sam Baron
Tokyo faces a balancing act: aligning with Washington's priorities while maintaining its critical economic ties to China.
Autocrats challenge traditional geopolitics and strategic boundaries
By Brad Glosserman
China will send a weaker yuan to the Trump front
By Daniel Moss
Trump’s best hope for peace is to support Ukraine
By Tatyana Deryugina, Anastassia Fedyk, Yuriy Gorodnichenko and Ilona Sologoub
The derailing of potential female prime ministers
By Edo Naito

ENVIRONMENT

A man walks past a gasoline station in Tokyo on Thursday.
How Japan can exit the fossil fuel subsidies it can’t seem to quit
By Chris Russell
While offering relief to low-income households, such measures encourage the continued use of the fossil fuels driving climate change.
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

Aiku Kurotaki’s “Human 1” (2024) — and “Human 0” (2024) to the left — on display at Tokyo’s Som Gallery earlier this year.
‘From 0 to 1’: Aiku Kurotaki’s fabric of existence
By Ansel Swindells
The artist's wool sculptures play off the idea of string theory, which conceptualizes subatomic particles as infinitesimal strings vibrating in fixed patterns.
French-Japanese series takes best drama at International Emmys
By Kathleen Benoza
Chinese films about COVID-19 and gay romance win big at Taiwan awards
There's no room for wallflowers at Amapinight
By Kim Kahan
'Kohaku' still matters for J-pop bragging rights
By Patrick St. Michel

LIFE

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
The modern sauna experience is more than just taking a seat in some steam — whisking, aufguss shows and spectacle all play a part.
Tokyo’s newest three-star chef wants ‘harmony across every detail’
By Haru Beaufort
A buttery pound cake to die — or kill — for
By Simon Daly
After Shohei Ohtani bump, Iwate ironware maker sees brighter future
By Jessica Kozuka
In rugged Yamanashi, a wild-goose chase for ‘real Japan’
By Owen Ziegler

COMMUNITY

After almost a decade of traveling around the world, a working holiday during the 2019 ski season in Nozawa Onsen was to be Rowie Geraerts’ last hurrah before she settled down in Australia.
How a solo yoga teacher built a wellness community in the Japanese Alps
By Samantha Mythen
A budding entrepreneur from Australia, Rowie Geraerts has created Shizen Collective in Nozawa Onsen — a new home for herself, locals and visitors.
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
Gary Perlman: ‘Kabuki is pure entertainment … the characters and themes are universal’
By Ansel Swindells

Editors' Picks

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.
ENVIRONMENT
How Japan can exit the fossil fuel subsidies it can’t seem to quit
By Chris Russell
A man walks past a gasoline station in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Are you leaving your loved ones digital legacies or headaches?
By Karin Kaneko
The National Consumer Affairs Center reports a growing number of consultations regarding "digital legacies" — data and online services left behind when people die.
MORE SPORTS
Rayssa Leal and Chloe Covell on Japan’s teen skaters: We are friends, not rivals
By Mai Yoshikawa
Brazil’s Rayssa Leal celebrates after winning the women's Street League Skateboarding competition on Saturday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
An iconic 32-foot doughnut might give Randy’s an edge in Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie
Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, California. Replicas of the giant doughnut sculpture will be installed, where possible, at shops in Japan.

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

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WHAT’S TRENDING

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.
BUSINESS
Trump pledges 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and more levies on China
By Jesse Johnson and Kathleen Benoza
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, on Nov. 19. Trump on Monday threatened to slap China, Mexico and Canada with hefty tariffs upon his return to the White House.
BUSINESS
AI boom makes 139-year-old cable maker Japan’s hottest stock
By Aya Wagatsuma
Fujikura's headquarters in Tokyo's Koto Ward. The company's share price has surged by more than 400% this year.
JAPAN
Suspected arson in Sapporo leaves four injured
Firetrucks outside a building in Sapporo where an explosion left four people injured on Tuesday.
LIFE
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat
By Greg Dvorak
Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.