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January 24, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
January 24, 2025
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Shipping containers at an industrial port in the Keihin Industrial Zone in Kawasaki. Japanese businesses see a larger role for Japan if global trade breaks down and multilateral trade institutions become less effective without U.S. participation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan contemplates global free-trade leadership as U.S. goes protectionist
By Kazuaki Nagata
Tokyo could find opportunity in the turmoil while avoiding direct confrontation with Washington.
Shipping containers at an industrial port in the Keihin Industrial Zone in Kawasaki. Japanese businesses see a larger role for Japan if global trade breaks down and multilateral trade institutions become less effective without U.S. participation.
The Bank of Japan is set decide to raise interest rates at a policy meeting on Friday, according to Jiji Press.
BUSINESS / Economy
Bank of Japan set to raise rates on Friday: report
By Kazuaki Nagata
The move would mark the central bank's first rate hike since July last year, when it increased rates to 0.25%.
TV star Masahiro Nakai abruptly announced his retirement Thursday as the fallout from sexual misconduct allegations against him continued to expand.
JAPAN
Ex-SMAP member Masahiro Nakai to retire amid sexual misconduct allegations
By Yukana Inoue
The 52-year-old former SMAP member said his contracts had been wound up, and that negotiations with sponsors were in progress.
The bus stop in Suzhou, China, where a bus used by a Japanese school came under attack from a man, since identified as Zhou Jiasheng, in June last year
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
China sentences man to death over Japanese school bus attack
By Francis Tang
A Chinese court deemed the death penalty as appropriate in view of the "extremely heinous" nature of the crime, which resulted in the death of a bus attendant.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a policy speech at the Lower House of the parliament in Tokyo last November.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
As parliament opens, ruling coalition enters uncharted territory
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
For the Liberal Democratic Party, the days of pushing through bills on the back of an overwhelming majority in both chambers of parliament are over.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a policy speech at the Lower House of the parliament in Tokyo last November.

JAPAN

Japanese Communist Party leader Tomoko Tamura speaks at a Lower House session in Tokyo in December 2024.
Japanese Communist Party's Tomoko Tamura faces leadership questions ahead of polls
By Eric Johnston
Tamura is aiming for 6.5 million proportional representation votes, but experts say that's unrealistic.
The crime scene where three people were attacked near JR Nagano Station on Wednesday
Search for suspect underway after fatal stabbing at Nagano Station
By Jessica Speed
One person died in the attack, which happened around 8 p.m. Wednesday, while two others sustained injuries.
Parliament to resume discussions over imperial family succession this month
On Japan's 'rabbit island,' bunnies are mysteriously dying one by one
Japan police agency sets rules for fake IDs in undercover yami baito probes
Drunken driver hits and kills 19-year-old student in Fukushima

BUSINESS

The number of new units for sale in the Tokyo metropolitan area fell 14.4% last year to a record low.
Tokyo apartment prices retreat in 2024 as market calms
By Lisa Du
The decrease — the first in six years — came after prices rose nearly 30% to a record high in 2023 when several luxury condos went up for sale.
Investment trusts that cater to Japanese individuals bought a net ¥10.4 trillion of overseas equities and funds last year after the government expanded the scope of the Nippon Individual Savings Account system.
Japan’s love of foreign stocks risks pushing the yen even lower
By Mia Glass and Masaki Kondo
Investment trusts that cater to Japanese individuals bought a net ¥10.4 trillion of overseas equities and funds last year.
Japan supermarket sales up for fifth year in 2024
Japan to tighten investment pre-screening amid security concerns
By Erica Yokoyama and Takashi Umekawa
Japan's electronics unions to seek ¥17,000 pay hike
South Korea’s economy struggles to grow amid political crisis
By Soo-hyang Choi and Sam Kim

WORLD

Thai actors Apiwat "Porsch" Apiwatsayree (right) and Sappanyoo "Arm" Panatkool pose for pictures in front of a Thai national flag after registering their same-sex marriage at the Phra Nakhon district office in Bangkok on Thursday.
Hundreds to wed as Thai same-sex marriage law comes into force
Thursday's milestone makes Thailand the first Southeast Asian country to allow equal marriage, and the biggest place in Asia to recognize such unions.
South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives to attend the fourth hearing of his impeachment trial over his short-lived imposition of martial law, at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Thursday.
South Korea investigators seek Yoon indictment for insurrection and abuse of power
By Ju-min Park and Hyonhee Shin
Yoon Suk Yeol, impeached and suspended from power on Dec. 14, has been incarcerated since last week.
Los Angeles wildfires spark interest in adobe and natural building materials
By Peter Henderson
Musk calls for defunding of Wikipedia over description of gesture
By Becca MILFELD
Navalny's lawyer regrets she couldn't stop his return to Moscow
By Anna Smolchenko
As Trump threatens tariffs, his orders kick off more extensive trade overhaul
By Eric Martin and Daniel Flatley

Sports

Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki speaks during his introductory news conference with the team in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Dodgers introduce Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki
By Jason Coskrey
A frenzied sweepstakes among MLB clubs officially came to an end with Sasaki's decision to join Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in LA.
Jannik Sinner taking nothing for granted ahead of Australian Open semifinal
Celtic makes 'little bit of history' with Champions League progress
Celtic captain Calum McGregor hopes Kyogo Furuhashi remains with club
Lewis Hamilton calls first laps in Ferrari car 'one of the best feelings'

Opinion

Tourists visit shops near Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Shrine on Jan. 13. The nation's growing tourism sector, set to hit 40 million visitors in 2025, boosts the economy but is straining the nation's infrastructure.
Japan has '$100 billion' reasons to welcome more visitors
Gearoid Reidy
Japan's growing tourism, set to hit 40 million visitors in 2025, boosts the economy but strains infrastructure, highlighting a need for smarter policies to manage overtourism.
Europe needs a defense production act
By Nicu Popescu
Even this year is the best time ever to be alive
By Nicholas Kristof
Ueda’s doctrine for the BOJ is finally emerging
By Daniel Moss and Gearoid Reidy
Sustainable finance taxonomies light up Asia’s net-zero path
By Michelle Loi

ENVIRONMENT

U.S. President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday.
Trump withdraws from Paris climate agreement — again
The newly minted president removed the world's biggest historic emitter from global efforts to fight climate change for the second time in a decade.
Amid rising world hunger, a Japan-inspired group in Kenya is making a big impact
By Joel Tansey
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

CULTURE

Strange things are afoot in Ryota Kondo’s “Missing Child Videotape” as Keita (Rairu Sugita) investigates the 13-year-old disappearance of his younger brother.
‘Missing Child Videotape’: Subtle chiller may leave J-horror fans underwhelmed
By James Hadfield
Ryota Kondo’s eerie ghost story debut goes for ambient dread rather than jump scares.
The cartoon chaos of ‘Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi’ was ahead of its time
By Patrick St. Michel
'Emilia Perez' tops Oscar nominations in fire-hit Hollywood
By Paula Ramon and Andrew Marszal
‘Teki Cometh’ slides in and out of a hypnotic dreamworld
By Mark Schilling
How 'Twin Peaks' turned David Lynch into Japan's favorite weirdo
By James Hadfield

LIFE

Getting caught in the rain while walking home may require you to use the passive voice when relaying your bad luck to others.
Annoyed? Unfairly treated? Express yourself in Japanese with the passive voice
By Yaeko Kabe
Verbs get complicated when they're used to describe feelings of annoyance or victimization.
For tourists in search of seasonal sights, Yamagata makes its case
By Johan Brooks
Let’s make some predictions about what will happen in the year ahead
By Yuko Tamura
Nintendo announces Switch 2, its first new console in eight years
By Sam Byford
From Tokyo to Manhattan, Takuma Watanabe stirs up a stiff drink
By Mike Fu

COMMUNITY

Alberto "Beto" Carrasco" (center) and his compatriots in Namnam Space
Namnam reborn: A queer, anarchist space resettles in Tokyo's Koenji
By Aku Owaka-Haigh
After previous incarnations in Shinjuku Ni-chome and Kawasaki, Namnam is bringing art, music and camaraderie to a new neighborhood.
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
By Justin Randall
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

Editors' Picks

BASEBALL
Dodgers introduce Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki
By Jason Coskrey
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki speaks during his introductory news conference with the team in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
LIFE
Japan-made games part of a rising tide of indie greatness
By Samantha Low
One of the brighest spots of Japan's indie gaming landscape in 2024 was Sonokuni, and with more incubators and other avenues of support springing up, there may be more games like it in the future.
SUMO
Terunofuji’s career was unique — and great
By John Gunning
Yokozuna Terunofuji enters the ring at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo earlier this month during what would be his final tournament.
JAPAN
Fuji TV scandal sparks probes on exploitation within TV industry
By Karin Kaneko
Fuji Media Holdings' headquarters in Tokyo's Minato Ward. The company will hold an extraordinary board meeting on Thursday over the firestorm sparked by TV host Masahiro Nakai's alleged sexual misconduct.
LIFE
For kids, Japanese food ‘is a doorway to exploration’
By Simon Daly
"A Very Asian Guide to Japanese Food" is the first edition of the Asia-centric series to focus on rice balls, fermented soybeans and other Japanese staples.

Podcast

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

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go
By Kazuaki Nagata and Richard Meyer

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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
U.S. Osprey accidentally drops cargo into sea in Okinawa
A V-22 Osprey
JAPAN
Search for suspect underway after fatal stabbing at Nagano Station
By Jessica Speed
The crime scene where three people were attacked near JR Nagano Station on Wednesday
JAPAN
Large fire breaks out near Osaka's Tsutenkaku Tower
Smoke rises from a fire at a commercial building near Tsutenkaku Tower, in Osaka, on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Fuji TV scandal sparks probes on exploitation within TV industry
By Karin Kaneko
Fuji Media Holdings' headquarters in Tokyo's Minato Ward. The company will hold an extraordinary board meeting on Thursday over the firestorm sparked by TV host Masahiro Nakai's alleged sexual misconduct.
JAPAN
Drunken driver hits and kills 19-year-old student in Fukushima
Fukushima Prefectural Police have arrested an alleged drunken driver who fatally struck a 19-year-old in Fukushima Prefecture.