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April 15, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
April 15, 2025
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Toyota and Lexus cars and sport utility vehicles unloaded from car carrier ships to the Toyota Logistics Services automotive processing terminal at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, on Thursday
BUSINESS / Economy
Trump floats temporary reprieve for autos as parts tariffs loom
The president said he is exploring exemptions to his tariffs on imported vehicles and parts to give auto companies more time to set up manufacturing in the U.S.

More coverage

Japan avoids tariff confrontation ahead of crucial U.S. trade talks
Who is Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's tariffs negotiator?
Can anyone deal with Trump better than Ishiba?
Toyota and Lexus cars and sport utility vehicles unloaded from car carrier ships to the Toyota Logistics Services automotive processing terminal at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, on Thursday
The U.S. Commerce Department has begun investigating how semiconductors and pharmaceuticals impact national security.
BUSINESS / Economy
Trump initiates chips and drug probes, ahead of more tariffs
By Madison Muller and Jennifer A Dlouhy
The moves, announced Monday in the Federal Register, are a precursor to imposing tariffs and threaten to broaden the president’s sweeping U.S. trade war.
This satellite image taken on March 25 shows three Chinese barges connected via extendable bridges in waters off Zhanjiang, in southern China's Guangdong province. Experts say the new barges could be used to land heavy equipment and thousands of personnel in a possible invasion of Taiwan.
ASIA PACIFIC
China’s new bridge-forming barges offer new options for Taiwan invasion
By Gabriel Dominguez
The ships can be linked up one behind the other to form a long, relocatable pier that extends from deeper waters nearly a kilometer out at sea onto a beach.
Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, well regarded in Tokyo as a leading voice in the promotion of U.S.-Japan ties, has died at the age of 79.
JAPAN / Politics
Richard Armitage, ex-U.S. diplomat known for boosting Japan ties, dies at 79
By Jesse Johnson
He was a leading voice in the promotion of U.S.-Japan relations even after leaving government service.
Japan’s population has been falling year on year since 2011 after peaking in 2008.
JAPAN / Society
Japan’s population shrinks for the 14th consecutive year
By Karin Kaneko
Japan’s population has been falling year on year since 2011 after peaking in 2008.
Japan’s population has been falling year on year since 2011 after peaking in 2008.

JAPAN

The head of a child dummy hits the ground after falling from a balance bike on a slope during a simulation conducted by the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan.
Consumer watchdog warns about the dangers of balance bikes for children
By Jessica Speed
Between April 2019 and December 2024, there were 101 reported accidents involving such bikes.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura speaks during the opening ceremony of the 2025 Osaka Expo on Saturday.
As Osaka Expo kicks off, Nippon Ishin continues to hold its breath
By Eric Johnston
The Kansai-centered opposition party has a lot to lose if the six-month event being held in its stronghold turns out to be a flop.
Japan begins work on naval patrol vessels to boost surveillance
By Gabriel Dominguez
Kyoto hospital succeeds in iPS sheet transplant to diabetic patient
Japanese companies call for improved distribution of stockpiled rice
Wakayama governor taken to hospital after collapse

BUSINESS

The Bank of Japan will likely postpone raising interest rates due to uncertainties stemming from U.S. tariff measures that could deal a blow to Japan’s economy, a former executive director said.
BOJ will likely put rate hike aside for now, ex-official says
By Toru Fujioka and Sumio Ito
"They will be in a wait-and-see mode for a while,” said Kenzo Yamamoto, a former executive at the Bank of Japan.
Nomura Orient International Securities has trimmed staffing by about two-thirds in its China wealth business over the past two years.
Nomura scaling back China wealth unit, shifting focus to brokerage and assets
By Cathy Chan and Takashi Nakamichi
Japan's biggest brokerage is currently seeking a new CEO for the securities business on the mainland.
Norinchukin dodges Trump’s market chaos after selling Treasuries
By Taiga Uranaka
India to adopt JR East's new E10 shinkansen trains
Sony announces PS5 price hikes in some regions
Maryland governor talks trains and trade while in Japan
By Francis Tang

WORLD

Vehicles wait in line to cross into the United States at the Canada-U.S. border in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, Canada.
Avoid U.S. travel or take burner devices, Canadian organizations tell staff
By Thomas Seal
Employees have also been given advice on how to minimize information that can be accessed by border agents.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele (not pictured) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Monday.
Trump calls for deporting some citizens to El Salvador, testing U.S. law
By Gram Slattery and Sarah Morland
The comments are the clearest signal yet that the president is serious about deporting naturalized and U.S.-born citizens, a proposal many legal scholars say is unconstitutional.
Pandemic treaty talks inch toward accord
By Agnes Pedrero
Harvard hit with $2.3 billion funding freeze after rejecting Trump demands
By Ismail Shakil and Brad Brooks
China accuses U.S. of launching 'advanced' cyberattacks, names alleged NSA agents
By Laurie Chen
Hungary amends constitution to enable Orban’s crackdown
By Zoltan Simon

Sports

Kimitaka Sakurai displays a sharpening stone for working on skate blades, in Yokohama on March 28. Sakurai has been sharpening skates full time for 14 years.
The man who helps Japanese figure skaters stay sharp
By Mai Yoshikawa
Skate sharpening is not a lucrative endeavor, but Kimitaka Sakurai has been doing it full time for 14 years, and he is a master at his craft.
Marko concerned over Verstappen's Red Bull future
By Alan Baldwin
Aaron Judge to captain United States in World Baseball Classic
All Black wing Tele'a announces Japan switch
Winter Games torches unveiled in joint ceremony in Milan and Osaka

Opinion

Overcrowded trains and a lack of legal consequences for groping in Japan have led to a rise in "chikan," or groping, which has been linked to a mental condition and compounded by cultural stigmas.
'Chikan' incidents rise as Japan grapples with mental health and cultural challenges
Takayuki Harada
The governments of the U.K. and Canada have warned their citizens traveling to Japan that they could experience inappropriate physical contact — or "chikan" — on crowded trains
Why should Iran believe anything the U.S. threatens or promises?
By Andreas Kluth
How should Beijing respond to Trump’s tariffs?
By Huang Yiping
Unmarked vans and secret lists. The police state has arrived.
By M. Gessen
The very idea of LGBTQ+ health is under attack
By Lisa Jarvis

ENVIRONMENT

The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, in October. Microsoft is set to use energy from new reactors at the plant.
AI surge to double data center electricity demand by 2030, report says
By Nathalie ALONSO
AI can also unlock opportunities to produce and consume electricity more efficiently, the International Energy Agency said in its first report on the technology's implications.
Clean streets versus business woes: Pollution charge divides Londoners
By Akshata Kapoor
Once-dying Mexican river delta slowly nursed back to life by conservationists
By Daniel Rook
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

CULTURE

In the dystopian society of Sayaka Murata's latest book to come out in English, sex between married couples is considered incest and therefore taboo.
'Vanishing World': Sayaka Murata’s vision of a sex-hating society
By Thu-Huong Ha
In Sayaka Murata’s latest book to come out in English, sex between married couples is considered taboo, and humans reproduce predominantly via IVF.  
Indonesia's horror movie industry rises from the grave
By Baptiste Anse
Digital divas: Can Japan's virtual YouTuber craze crack America?
By Tomohiro Osaki, Paula Ramon and Gilles Clarenne
National Ballet of Japan takes its 'Giselle' to Royal Opera House in London
By Kris Kosaka
The band that turned a pandemic lockdown into a Tokyo dream
By Patrick St. Michel

LIFE

After focusing on cabernet sauvignon in Napa Valley, winemaker Eiji Daniel Akaboshi moved to make pinot noir at the renowned Freeman Vineyard & Winery in Sonoma County.
In California, a Nikkei vintner finds his heritage and purpose
By Weiwen Lin
The discovery of a distant relative's wine legacy in California led winemaker Eiji Daniel Akaboshi to look at his vocation in a new light.
As rice prices rise, a bit of tea adds needed luxury
By Simon Daly
I’ve only just come back from Osaka, but I’m ready to hit the Expo
By Yuko Tamura
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it
By Alex K.T. Martin
‘Japanese pastry has matured into its own distinct identity’
By Haru Beaufort

COMMUNITY

Customers line up patiently for some early-afternoon baked goods outside Truffle, which is located close to Hiroo Station on the Hibiya Line.
How to spend the perfect day in Hiroo, Tokyo’s expat enclave
By Eric Margolis
A stroll through Hiroo reveals both the comforts of expat luxury and the quiet intrusions of a changing Tokyo.
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
How to navigate Japan’s e-commerce platforms and online flea markets
By Jessica Speed

Editors' Picks

LIFE
A new tour of Tokyo’s most underground attraction
By Owen Ziegler
When you stare into the abyss at the bottom of the No. 3 shaft of the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, the abyss stares back.
JAPAN
Two-thirds of fourth to sixth graders in Japan use social media, survey finds
By Jessica Speed
The survey showed that more children are starting to use social media at an earlier age.
LIFE
Osaka Expo-bound? Take your pick of the city’s new luxury hotels.
By Jessica Kozuka
The Four Seasons Hotel Osaka opened in 2024, just one of many new luxury accommodations the city boasts ahead of the 2025 World Expo.
LIFE
Heaven from hells: The sulfuric pleasure of Unzen Onsen
By Erik Augustin Palm
While Unzen Onsen's "hells" can be visually striking, locals describe them and their effects as "a source of emotional healing."
JAPAN
Osaka Expo throws open its doors as mega-event kicks off
By Joel Tansey
People visit the Osaka Expo on the first day it opened to the public, in the city of Osaka on Sunday.

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

BOARDING & INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL DAY 2025 (Sunday, April 20)
BOARDING & INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL DAY 2025 (Sunday, April 20)

WHAT’S TRENDING

LIFE
A new tour of Tokyo’s most underground attraction
By Owen Ziegler
When you stare into the abyss at the bottom of the No. 3 shaft of the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, the abyss stares back.
BUSINESS
China halts critical rare earth exports as trade war intensifies
By Keith Bradsher
Workers transport soil containing rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, in China's Jiangsu province, in October 2010.
COMMENTARY
'Chikan' incidents rise as Japan grapples with mental health and cultural challenges
By Takayuki Harada
Overcrowded trains and a lack of legal consequences for groping in Japan have led to a rise in "chikan," or groping, which has been linked to a mental condition and compounded by cultural stigmas.
BUSINESS
Japan doesn’t plan to use U.S. Treasurys as tariff talk leverage
Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Itsunori Onodera speaks at LDP headquarters in Tokyo last October.
JAPAN
Osaka Expo throws open its doors as mega-event kicks off
By Joel Tansey
People visit the Osaka Expo on the first day it opened to the public, in the city of Osaka on Sunday.