Home page

 
Menu
Search
 
Menu
Search
Tokyo Weather 9℃
TOKYO
January 16, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
January 16, 2025
Earthquakes
Nippon Steel
Trump transition
Latest News
Deep Dive
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Ispace's Resilience lunar lander lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Japanese space startup launches second bid for historic moon landing
By Jessica Speed
A successful landing would make Ispace the first private Asian company to touch down on the moon.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Ispace's Resilience lunar lander lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday.
A screen displays a news report on the arrest of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Wednesday. Investigators arrested Yoon after launching a pre-dawn operation to bring the impeached leader in for questioning over his short-lived martial law declaration.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
South Korean investigators question arrested President Yoon in insurrection probe
By Hyunsu Yim and Ju-min Park
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested and questioned by authorities in relation to a criminal insurrection investigation on Wednesday, saying he was only cooperating with what he called an illegal probe to avoid violence.
Shinji Ishimaru announces details of his new regional party at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
With new regional party, Shinji Ishimaru touts rebirth
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
The former mayor of Akitakata in Hiroshima Prefecture aims to field candidates in July's Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election.
Tourists visit Fushimi Inari Shrine in the city of Kyoto on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Kyoto to raise accommodation tax to a maximum ¥10,000 per night
By Yukana Inoue
The collected money under the new plan would be used to improve infrastructure in the city, such as increasing public transportation.
Tourists take photos at Sensoji temple in Tokyo's Asakusa district on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Japan saw a record 37 million visitors from abroad in 2024
By Francis Tang
The full-year number in 2024 represents a 47.1% year-to-year increase and was up 15.6% compared with 2019.
Tourists take photos at Sensoji temple in Tokyo's Asakusa district on Tuesday.

JAPAN

The Fuji TV building in Tokyo's Odaiba district. In a letter to Fuji Media Holdings' board of directors, Dalton Investments expressed outrage over the “serious flaws” in the broadcaster’s corporate governance in relation to its handling of the uproar sparked by TV star Masahiro Nakai, a former member of boy band SMAP.
U.S. investment firm demands Fuji TV probe Nakai's alleged sex misconduct
By Tomoko Otake
Dalton Investments expressed outrage over the “serious flaws” in the broadcaster’s corporate governance amid the uproar sparked by the former member of boy band SMAP.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (right center) meets his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, during bilateral talks in Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Wednesday.
Trump concerns top agenda as Japanese and Philippine foreign ministers meet
By Gabriel Dominguez
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who is set to attend Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, also stressed the necessity of being on the same wavelength as the incoming president’s team.
Bird flu cases surge as new year begins
Over 40% of those content with sleep hours lack sleep, study shows
Disaster area tour boosting Kobe revival 30 years after 1995 quake
Japan ruling party execs and Chinese premier agree to seek stable ties

BUSINESS

U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Steel Works in Braddock, Pennsylvannia, in 2019. Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel face significant legal challenges in their case against the United States.
Nippon Steel’s case against Biden probably unwinnable, attorneys argue
By Elizabeth Beattie
A U.S. president's rejection of a deal following review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has only been successfully challenged once.
The number of corporate bankruptcies with liabilities of ¥10 million or more in Japan last year marked the third consecutive year of increases as rising prices due to the yen's weakening and labor shortages caused business failures in a wide range of industries.
Japan business failures top 10,000 in 2024, worst in 11 years
The annual figure marked the third consecutive year of increases as rising prices due to the yen's weakening and labor shortages caused business failures.
Over half a million ‘TikTok refugees’ flock to China's RedNote app
By Eduardo Baptista, Krystal Hu and Doyinsola Oladipo
Suzuki Motor eyes cow feces for biogas fuel in India
BOJ’s Ueda joins deputy chief in flagging chance of January hike
By Erica Yokoyama and Toru Fujioka
Japan's tourism boom prices out local business travelers
By Natsuko Fukue

WORLD

The flight data recorder retrieved from Jeju Air flight 2216, which crashed killing 179 people in December. Black boxes holding the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for the flight stopped recording four minutes before the disaster, South Korea's transport ministry said Saturday.
Crashed Jeju jet’s black box failure shows decadeslong gap in power rules
By Allyson Versprille, Heejin Kim and Siddharth Philip
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board first recommended that cockpit voice recorders be fitted with an independent power source in the late 1990s.
Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday
Trump nominee Pete Hegseth weathers Democrat grilling largely unscathed
Hegseth, a former Fox News host and decorated veteran, is one of the most controversial figures ever nominated to be secretary of defense.
'Holiday is over' and Europe must boost defense, Finnish president says
Why does Trump want Greenland and could he get it?
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Louise Rasmussen and Stine Jacobsen
LA schools rush to reopen as memories of COVID-19 disruption linger
By Maxwell Adler and Erin Hudson
EU’s top diplomat aims to use economic muscle against Russia
By Andrea Palasciano

Sports

Hoshoryu (right) defeats Kirishima on Sunday. Hoshoryu has the look of a contender in the early days of the year's first tournament.
Wide-open field has the New Year Basho looking like anyone's tourney
By John Gunning
There has still been enough shakiness among the top-rankers to preclude ruling out any kind of outcome in the year's first tournament.
Wallabies great Michael Hooper set for comeback with Japan move
Osaka gets 'revenge' on Muchova in Australian Open fightback
'Queen Wen' deposed in huge shock at Australian Open
Tiger Woods pledges support amid 'unimaginable loss' in Los Angeles

Opinion

China has increased provocations against Japan under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's weak leadership, exploiting political instability to push its agenda, including military incursions, cyberattacks and other forms of coercion.
China seizes opportunities amid Ishiba’s weak leadership
Edo Naito
China is also no longer hesitant to send its aircraft carrier group through narrow straits in the southernmost Nansei Islands to conduct drills.
Trump’s immigration crackdown will be swift and ugly. Here’s how.
By Patricia Lopez
Hong Kong-dollar peg makes less sense than ever
By Shuli Ren
Now is not the time for ‘madmen’ theory in international relations
By Brad Glosserman
China's rising violence that could lead to foreign aggression
By Irene Chou

ENVIRONMENT

Rescue workers search a flooded area during the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, which caused severe floods at the Chikuma River, in the city of Nagano in October 2019.
Disaster-hardened Japan faces enormous costs from climate change
By Anton L. Delgado
The total cost in climate damages for the country through 2050 could amount to ¥952 trillion if more ambitious action isn't taken.
Europe threatens to trigger a global scramble for natural gas
By Anna Shiryaevskaya, Priscila Azevedo Rocha, Stephen Stapczynski and Ruth Liao
In Brazil, an Amazon reforestation project seeks to redeem carbon markets
By Anna PELEGRI
The 'climate archive': How scientists study the ancient past
By Benjamin Legendre
Study documents extinction threats to world's freshwater species
By Will Dunham

CULTURE

The Akutagawa and Naoki prizes are Japan's most prestigious literary honors.
Japan's most prestigious literary awards go to a trio of contemporary voices
By Alyssa I. Smith
Jose Ando and Yui Suzuki take home Akutagawa honors, while Shin Iyohara nabs the Naoki Prize.
The unnervingly timed return of ‘Squid Game’
By Erik Augustin Palm
Isekai anime offers a key to understanding globalization
By Stevie Suan
An explosive B’z set on ‘Kohaku’ hints at a strategy to win over viewers
By Patrick St. Michel
‘Unbound’ breaks NHK period drama tradition with a hero of the common folk
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?
By Tomoko Otake
Amid a push to digitalize, some experts believe citizens should have the right to stay offline.
‘Dorayaki’ creators say flavors trump the dessert’s murky origins
By Cassandra Lord
The case for Japan-ifying everything you cook
By Simon Daly
Can an international makeover help Tokyo salons meet foreign demand?
By Laura Pollacco
American stationery nerds are fueling a Japanese notebook boom
By Thu-Huong Ha

COMMUNITY

Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
By Justin Randall
With adventure tourism on the rise in Hokkaido, a new generation of foreign-born guides is eager to greet travelers.
Kaz Shiomi: ‘I want to show people … how to color outside the lines’
By Laura Pollacco
There were plenty of hot topics to opine on in 2024
By Gendel Gento, Kimberly Hughes, Ora Margolis, David McElhinney, Zoria Petkoska, Justin Randall, Himari Semans, Patrick St. Michel and Ansel Swindells
A holiday season built on creativity and care
By Baye McNeil
From the stage to the streets, make a difference this holiday season
By Kimberly Hughes

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Japanese companies rush to up English-language disclosures in 2025
By Kazuaki Nagata
The Tokyo Stock Exchange will soon require some companies to publish their financials in English in addition to Japanese.
JAPAN
From wrath to radiance: Why the 'Manyoshu' feels like paradise lost
By Michael Hoffman
The entrance gate to Arakura Sengen Shrine in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, with Mount Fuji in the distance.
JAPAN
Tokyo plans to subsidize epidurals, but are hospitals ready?
By Tomoko Otake
Epidurals during childbirth have long been uncommon in Japan, though they have been growing more popular in recent years.
COMMUNITY
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
By Justin Randall
Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
MORE SPORTS
30 minutes with Yuzuru Hanyu
By Mai Yoshikawa
Yuzuru Hanyu smiles during an interview in his hometown of Sendai in between performances of his latest tour, Ice Story.

Podcast

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

Longform

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?
By Tomoko Otake

JT Directory Service

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Ex.Portal By Synergy Media Specialists

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’
SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Japan avoids commenting on Cleveland-Cliffs CEO's provocative comment
By Francis Tang and Gabriele Ninivaggi
Cleveland-Cliffs is reportedly in talks with North Carolina-based steelmaker Nucor to acquire U.S. Steel.
JAPAN
Miyazaki quake falls short of triggering Nankai Trough megaquake advisory
By Yukana Inoue
A mirror reflects a collapsed house in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Dec. 10, nearly one year after a major earthquake struck nearby on New Year's Day in 2024.
JAPAN
Antioxidant found in broccoli, celery suppresses gray hair in mice
A research team from Nagoya University and other institutions hopes that further testing on humans involving the antioxidant luteolin will lead to the development of a drug for preventing or reducing gray hair.
JAPAN
Tokyo plans to subsidize epidurals, but are hospitals ready?
By Tomoko Otake
Epidurals during childbirth have long been uncommon in Japan, though they have been growing more popular in recent years.
BUSINESS
Japan business failures top 10,000 in 2024, worst in 11 years
The number of corporate bankruptcies with liabilities of ¥10 million or more in Japan last year marked the third consecutive year of increases as rising prices due to the yen's weakening and labor shortages caused business failures in a wide range of industries.