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TOKYO
April 11, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
April 11, 2025
Trump tariffs
Shigeru Ishiba
Osaka Expo
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U.S. President Donald Trump attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Trump tariff pause leaves CEOs asking: What happens in 90 days?
By Fedja Grulovic, Patricia Weiss and Jaspreet Singh
Trump's tariff flip spurs a stock rally but sows deeper confusion for companies bracing for long-term trade fallout.

More coverage

U.S. allies greet Trump’s tariff U-turn with relief and defiance
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
Tokyo stocks tracked Wall Street lower as the United States and China hiked tariffs on imports from each other.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nikkei sinks over 1,800 points as tariff-fueled selling resumes
An increase in U.S. levies on China to 145% has reignited concerns about the global economy and corporate profits.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba raises his hand to answer a question about the U.S. tariff measures during a parliamentary committee session in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Government considers fresh economic package to tackle impact of U.S. tariffs
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Consensus is growing within the LDP-Komeito coalition over the need for intervention, though opinions are mixed on how to do it.
Hon Hai Precision Industry, which does business as Foxconn, wants to make electric vehicles for Japanese carmakers.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
It makes iPhones. Now Hon Hai wants to make cars for Japanese automakers.
By Kazuaki Nagata
The Taiwanese company's seemingly unlikely proposition — given the structure and history of Japan's auto industry — just might work.
The skyline during sunset in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Japan's new underground criminal groups operate under a highly organized and brutal system.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
How police are cracking down on 'scout' sex broker groups
By Karin Kaneko
Major scout groups are under scrutiny, as authorities uncover a far more systematized and sinister network than previously imagined.
The skyline during sunset in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Japan's new underground criminal groups operate under a highly organized and brutal system.

JAPAN

In a workshop organized by the Japanese American National Museum, teachers visited the site of an internment camp in Manzanar, California. Photo taken from YouTube.
Japanese American National Museum hit with subsidy cuts
The Japanese American National Museum, or JANM, in Los Angeles is struggling with subsidy cuts by the Elon Musk-led "Department of Government Efficiency," also known as DOGE.
Scrambles against Chinese military aircraft account for 464, or 65.9%, down by 15, according to the Defense Ministry.
Japan defense force scrambled fighter jets 704 times in fiscal 2024
Scrambles against Chinese military aircraft accounted for 65.9% of the total, and the number of Chinese drones detected by the ministry more than tripled to 30.
AI suitcase for visually impaired to be tested at expo
Abductee Megumi Yokota's classmates donate cherry trees to school
Tokyo police program for bereaved children marks 10 years
Shiga police identify frozen woman's body as suspect's wife

BUSINESS

Environmental, social and governance funds are increasingly looking to Japan, as efforts to boost diversity are coming amid a regulatory and government push for better corporate governance.
Trump’s DEI rollback gives Japan a chance to draw ESG inflows
By Alice French
Japanese firms have long lagged behind their Western peers on gender equality, but the U.S. crackdown on diversity may give them a chance to shine.
Trading indexes at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. Bets worth millions of dollars placed on a rebound by unidentified options traders shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff pause are drawing scrutiny.
Well-timed option trades ahead of Trump's tariff pause draw questions
By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed
Some unidentified options traders placed bets worth millions of dollars on a rebound minutes before the U.S. president's social media post sent the stock market rallying.
Berkshire sells $628 million in yen bonds in smallest Japan deal
By Ayai Tomisawa
Amid turmoil over tariffs, Bessent rises in Trump trade world
By Jeff Mason and Andrea Shalal
Trump trade war with China revives recession and bear market fears
By Jeff Mason, Philip Blenkinsop and Joe Cash
Tokyo cheers Trump’s tariff U-turn with second-biggest market gain ever
By Francis Tang

WORLD

Displaced Palestinians flee the Shejaiya district, east of Gaza City, on April 3.
Israel’s push into Gaza lays ground for full-scale occupation
By Ethan Bronner
The move would risk increasing the death toll in Gaza, siphoning more reserve soldiers away from an economy stifled by war and further isolating Israel.
First responders near the landing skids of a helicopter after it crashed into the Hudson River, in Newport, New Jersey, on Thursday.
Helicopter crashes into New York's Hudson River, all six aboard killed
By David Shepardson and Rich McKay
The victims, the pilot and five passengers, were believed to include a family from Spain.
Making money out of a disaster: Fake news and the Myanmar quake
By Lin Taylor
Fighter pilots call on Israel to prioritize release of Gaza hostages
Russia and U.S. bring spa worker and tech smuggler back home in prisoner swap
AUKUS nuclear submarine sale under scrutiny as U.S. tariffs shake Australia
By Kirsty Needham

Sports

Justin Rose reacts after finishing his round at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, on Thursday.
Justin Rose gets off to fast start to grab first-round lead at Masters
Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 champion, finished in a group of 13 golfers who ended the round at 1-over.
Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. working as photographer at Masters
Paris Saint-Germain in driver's seat in Champions League tilt after late goal
Augusta National celebrates legacy of Black caddies at Masters
By Paul Sullivan
Luka Doncic helps Lakers clinch playoff spot in emotional return to Dallas

Opinion

Japan needs a strong leader as it faces huge challenges. With Upper House and Tokyo gubernatorial elections coming up, the LDP needs to lay the groundwork for replacing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, whose polls have entered the danger zone.
The window to replace Japan's accidental prime minister is nigh
Edo Naito
Shigeru Ishiba isn't the right leader to weather Japan through the incoming storm. With Upper House elections this summer, it's time the LDP starts fielding his replacement.
Navigating the Trump storm
By Michael Spence
A conversation of the deaf after Trump’s tariffs
By Brad Glosserman
Le Pen ruling unleashes wave of hypocrisy on populist right
By Thomas O. Falk
Trump’s tariffs will accelerate America’s economic decline
By Kaushik Basu

ENVIRONMENT

A vandalized sign indicating an ultralow emission zone in west London.
Clean streets versus business woes: Pollution charge divides Londoners
By Akshata Kapoor
The plan in London requires motorists to switch to low-emission vehicles or face a daily charge.
AI surge to double data center electricity demand by 2030, report says
By Nathalie ALONSO
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

Margot Magnieres and Theo Poyer returned to Japan after pandemic-era restrictions were lifted and decided to stay for a while.
The band that turned a pandemic lockdown into a Tokyo dream
By Patrick St. Michel
On “Grand Voyage,” French pop act Tapeworms tap into Japanese cultural nostalgia and picopop.
‘The Brothers Kitaura’: A sordid tale of filial impropriety
By James Hadfield
‘Ghost Killer’: Spirited action and sharp humor make for deadly fun combo
By Mark Schilling
Sasami is in her pop era, and she’s not overthinking it
By Patrick St. Michel
Tottori takes a bold leap forward in the arts
By Jennifer Pastore

LIFE

Signs advertising the upcoming World Expo in Osaka have proliferated in the city's different neighborhood for the past few years.
I’ve only just come back from Osaka, but I’m ready to hit the Expo
By Yuko Tamura
The term “bakari” can be used in several different ways to emphasize and define the limit of a range.
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
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

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.
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
A tawny Kai ken discovers his courage

Editors' Picks

SUMO
Takayasu’s latest heartbreak makes sumo history
By John Gunning
Takayasu during the one-day Annual Sumo Tournament at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Feb 9, 2020
JAPAN
Who is Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's tariffs negotiator?
By Eric Johnston
Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, who Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has appointed Japan's tariff negotiator, is one of his closest allies and busiest ministers.
JAPAN
After a tumultuous buildup, a first look at the Osaka Expo
By Joel Tansey and Tomoko Otake
A large statue of Osaka Expo mascot Myaku Myaku sits near the east entrance of the event's venue in Yumeshima island, Osaka, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Japan gets a new U.S. ambassador — and he has his work cut out for him
By Jesse Johnson
George Glass, U.S. President Donald Trump's pick to be ambassador to Japan, attends a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington on March 13.
CULTURE
Online art scene eager to go offline, at least for the moment
By Zoria Petkoska
Digital artist Polygon1993 revels in the physicality of nostalgic technology, making art out of materials such as miniature CDs, holographic prints layered with plexiglass shards and a giant custom-made floppy disk.

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

SUMO
Takayasu’s latest heartbreak makes sumo history
By John Gunning
Takayasu during the one-day Annual Sumo Tournament at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Feb 9, 2020
BUSINESS
Trump's tariff gambit leaves Asia stunned and scrambling
By Francis Tang
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he attends the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner in Washington on Tuesday. Trump allowed new tariffs — including a 24% levy on Japan — to go into effect as scheduled on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Tokyo cheers Trump’s tariff U-turn with second-biggest market gain ever
By Francis Tang
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday in Washington.
JAPAN
Banks freeze withdrawals for foreign nationals upon expiration of visas
By Karin Kaneko
Foreign residents who fail to renew their residential statuses before their expiry may find that they won’t be able to withdraw cash from their bank accounts.
MORE SPORTS
Japanese badminton ace Shida blasts 'stalker' Chinese fans
Chiharu Shida of Japan in action during the bronze medal match with Nami Matsuyama against Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah of Malaysia at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France on Aug. 03, 2024