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December 17, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
December 17, 2024
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Businessman George Glass has been selected by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to be the next ambassador to Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Trump picks businessman George Glass as Japan ambassador
By Jesse Johnson
Glass, who served as ambassador to Portugal during Trump's first administration, is known as one of the biggest fundraisers for his reelection bid.

More coverage

Trump says he's open to meeting Ishiba before inauguration
Businessman George Glass has been selected by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to be the next ambassador to Japan.
A flyer created by the Metropolitan Police Department to warn people about <i>yami baito</i>, or "dark" part-time jobs
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Japan to let investigators go undercover to crack down on yami baito
By Karin Kaneko and Francis Tang
Until now, undercover operations have been allowed only for drug- and gun-related criminal investigations.
The flight deck of the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier during a stop at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in May 2019
ASIA PACIFIC
With rare Asia carrier deployment, France seeks greater interoperability
By Gabriel Dominguez
“The Indo-Pacific is the world’s new center of gravity," Rear Adm. Guillaume Pinget told The Japan Times during a visit to Tokyo.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (second from left) speaks at a ministerial meeting on foreign workers at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Japan begins process to replace controversial foreign trainee program
By Francis Tang
An expert panel has been appointed to assist the government in drafting a system to replace the controversial Technical Intern Training Program.
Book Santa is a program that delivers books to children in need for Christmas, but it also operates year-round.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Looking for ways to be charitable in Japan? Give the gift of reading.
By Yuko Tamura
Book donations are just one of many ways you can give back to the community during the holidays.
Book Santa is a program that delivers books to children in need for Christmas, but it also operates year-round.

JAPAN

The three Cambodian women are seeking compensation for damages over alleged sexual abuse and unpaid overtime wages.
Cambodian interns accuse farmer of sexual abuse and wage theft
By Kathleen Benoza
One woman was raped nearly every day and endured conditions “akin to sexual slavery,” the three women's lawyer said in a statement.
Nobuko Nishizawa, the younger sister of Kotaro Nishizawa, director of a mental health clinic in Osaka who died in an arson attack three years ago, prays outside the site on Tuesday.
Three years on, mourners remember those lost in Osaka arson attack
“My life completely changed," said one woman who lost her son in the attack on a mental health clinic in Osaka’s Kita Ward that left 26 dead.
Three years on, mourners remember those lost in Osaka arson attack
New fencing installed to help manage tourists at Mount Fuji photo spot
By Kathleen Benoza
Japan's labor productivity rises to 29th among OECD countries
Japan drafts more ambitious 60% goal for cutting business food loss by 2030

BUSINESS

Japan wants renewable energy to account for around 40% to 50% of its electricity mix by fiscal year 2040 with nuclear power taking up another 20%, according to a new energy plan released Tuesday.
Japan aims to expand nuclear power in break from Fukushima era
The nation set out a proposed new energy strategy which urges both nuclear and renewables to be utilized to maintain growth and help curb emissions.
Most market players expect shareholder activism to be as frenetic, if not more, next year.
Activist investors set record with $6.6 billion spree in Japan
By Hideyuki Sano and Momoka Yokoyama
Activists have taken stakes in at least 146 companies, successfully demanding disposal of real estate, changes in strategy and stock buybacks.
Japan and India startups to study using lasers to tackle space debris
By Kantaro Komiya
New EU emissions rules drive petrol car price hikes and EV discounts
Congo files criminal complaints against Apple over conflict minerals
By Sonia Rolley
Japanese sake brewery to make foray into Indian market

WORLD

The scene of an explosion in which, according to Russia's investigative committee, Russian Gen. Igor Kirillov, in charge of nuclear protection forces and his assistant were killed, in Moscow on Tuesday.
Bomb kills chief of Russian nuclear protection forces in Moscow
By Andrew Osborn
The general, accused by Ukraine of using chemical weapons, has been assassinated using a bomb hidden in an electric scooter, Russian investigators said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gestures as he addresses the lower house of parliament in Berlin on Monday.
Germany's Scholz loses confidence vote, triggering early elections
By Frank Zeller
Berlin's troubles come as Germany's main European Union partner France is also mired in a government crisis.
Tajik migrants fear for income and security as Russia reels from terror attack
By Lucy Papachristou and Nazarali Pirnazarov
Trudeau teeters in Canada after deputy’s scathing resignation
By Thomas Seal, Brian Platt, Randy Thanthong-Knight and Laura Dhillon Kane
U.S. hits North Korea and Russia with new sanctions, Treasury says
By Timothy Gardner and Doina Chiacu
Myanmar’s war has forced doctors and nurses into prostitution
By Sui-Lee Wee

Sports

Panthers captain Daichi Yamazaki gets thrown in the air after the Koshien Bowl at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Sunday.
Kanto misses out yet again as Ritsumeikan wins the Koshien Bowl
By John Gunning
Panthers claim victory in thrilling contest, but challenges abound for Japanese gridiron.
Kyrgios to team up with Djokovic for Brisbane International doubles
Former England assistant Holland named Yokohama F. Marinos manager
Orioles sign pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano to one-year deal
Manchester City players still believe in Guardiola, says Foden

Opinion

A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Mogami-class frigate, featuring stealth capability, is anchored at the Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture in September 2022.
Japan's security assistance does not match its ambitions
Raymond Yamamoto and John F. Bradford
ODA remains central to Japan’s contribution to regional security, with a focus primarily on nonmilitary means, including providing nonlethal equipment to law enforcement.
Cartels are conglomerating. Governments must too.
By Juan Pablo Spinetto
Yoon's impeachment widens East Asia fault lines
By Gearoid Reidy
Bangladesh’s descent into Islamist violence
By Brahma Chellaney
The next Iranian proxy to target is the Houthis
By James Stavridis

ENVIRONMENT

Crystal Smith, the elected chief of the Haisla people, stands on the shoreline of the Douglas Channel in Kitamaat, British Columbia, Canada, on Oct. 1.
Indigenous people in Canada weigh costs of a gas windfall
By Max Bearak
The promise of billions of dollars of gas investment has renewed a generations-old debate over Indigenous identity and environmental stewardship.
Companies challenged by fewer weeks of winter
By Ethan M Steinberg
World falls short of drought deal at Saudi-hosted talks
By Robbie COREY-BOULET
Earthquakes and blowouts undermine case for carbon storage in Texas
By Valerie Volcovici and Leah Douglas
Climate change forged a new reality in 2024: 'This is life now'
By Clar Ni Chonghaile and Diana Baptista

CULTURE

Jay Rubin’s new translation of Haruki Murakami’s “End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland,” in part set in a walled city where inhabitants’ shadows are forcibly removed, speaks to the author’s quirky, exhaustive attention to detail when rendering his imaginative world on the page.
Jay Rubin takes us back to Haruki Murakami's world
By Kris Kosaka
A new translation of “End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland” brings the fan favorite closer to the original Japanese text.
Zakir Hussain, peerless Indian tabla player, dies at 73
By Yan Zhuang
'Into the New World': the K-pop song that became South Korea's protest anthem
By Claire Lee
‘Cells at Work!’: Cellular shenanigans make for a fantastic voyage
By James Hadfield
‘Ainu Puri’: A vital portrait of indigenous culture in contemporary Japan
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
By Patrick St. Michel
Cat memes continued to thrive and evolve in 2024. In Japan, they're not just for jokes — they’re for storytelling, venting and a little therapy.
From Florence to Osaka, Gucci’s newest concept bar oozes style
By Melinda Joe
A Christmas miracle? No, just brownies ‘baked’ sans oven.
By Makiko Itoh
USJ’s new Donkey Kong Country is a barrel of fun
By Joel Tansey
How often do Japan's buzzwords make it into the vernacular?
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

Tokyo Union Church volunteers prepare food for unhoused individuals. The church helps people regardless of religion, race or sexuality.
From the stage to the streets, make a difference this holiday season
By Kimberly Hughes
Discover the joy of giving back through a variety of charitable efforts. Helping others helps you, too.
Yurie Collins: ‘Everyone seems sedated, fed-up … that’s why they turn to comedy’
By Zoria Petkoska
Seven strangers and an algorithm: Can this new dinner app help you make friends?
By Phoebe Amoroso
Kumiko Shichijo: ‘Living abroad helped me appreciate Japanese etiquette’
By Ansel Swindells
How a solo yoga teacher built a wellness community in the Japanese Alps
By Samantha Mythen

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
Women are writing a new chapter in Japanese literature in the 2020s
By Mike Fu
"Butter," Asako Yuzuki’s thrilling novel inspired by a real-life femme fatale, was named the Waterstones Book of the Year in 2024.
LIFE
The year that Shohei Ohtani achieved 'yokozuna' status … in the market
By Mark Schreiber
Shohei Ohtani's prowress on the diamond translated into an outsized influence on Japan's consumer trends this year.
CULTURE
Big franchises and bold voices dominated anime in 2024
By Matt Schley
In a year of anime hits, Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s “Look Back” stood out from the bunch.
LIFE
Glass half full: Japan’s sake industry celebrates a brighter 2024
By Phoebe Amoroso
Despite ongoing struggles, 2024 had plenty of bright spots for Japan's sake industry.
JAPAN
'Kin' selected as the kanji of 2024 after strong year for Japanese athletes
By Kathleen Benoza
The head priest of Kiyomizu Temple writes the kanji "kin," which was chosen by the public as the character that best represents 2024, on Thursday in Kyoto.

Podcast

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

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
By Alex K.T. Martin

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WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Indian-born CEO of Japanese company says nation needs immigration to thrive
By Simon STURDEE
Lekh Juneja, chairman and CEO of Kameda Seika, at the company's headquarters in the city of Niigata in August
JAPAN
Schoolgirl stabbed to death in Kitakyushu
A McDonald's in Kitakyushu where a junior high school student was stabbed to death on Saturday
JAPAN
Fatal knife attack in Kitakyushu McDonald’s took less than 30 seconds
Flowers and offerings are placed outside a McDonald's restaurant in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, where two junior high school students were stabbed by a man on Saturday, one fatally.
BUSINESS
Taiwan’s bullet train a testament to shinkansen’s export potential
By Kazuaki Nagata
A Taiwan High Speed Rail bullet train arrives at Nangang Station in the city of Taipei.
JAPAN
Akie Abe, widow of slain prime minister, meets with Trump
By Jesse Johnson
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (left) and his wife, Melania (right), pose for a photo with Akie Abe, the widow of assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday in this image posted on Melania Trump's X social media account.