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April 07, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
April 07, 2025
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Pedestrians stand in front of an electronic board showing the numbers of the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange along a street in the Japanese capital on Monday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Japan's Nikkei plunges further on Trump tariff concerns
In early trading, the broader Topix slumped as much as 9.6% to levels last since in August while the blue-chip Nikkei slid 6.5% to the lowest level since October 2023.

More coverage

Trump team rejects market fears, projecting defiance on tariffs
Japan digs deep to address 'national crisis' caused by Trump tariffs
Pedestrians stand in front of an electronic board showing the numbers of the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange along a street in the Japanese capital on Monday.
Palestinians mourn medics who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on March 31.
WORLD
Israeli military changes initial account of Gaza aid worker killings
By James Mackenzie
Fifteen paramedics and emergency responders were shot dead on March 23 and buried in a shallow grave where their bodies were found a week later.
Leaders of ruling and opposition political parties meet Friday at the Diet building in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Calls for consumption tax cut increasing in Japan
With food and other prices still rising, even ruling party officials have started to demand consumption tax cuts as a key policy for this summer's elections.
ETC lanes are closed at a toll booth on the Chuo Expressway in the city of Mitaka in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN
Malfunctioning tollbooths snarl traffic around Honshu
The Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system was unusable at over 90 tollbooths in seven prefectures — Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Yamanashi, Aichi, Gifu, and Mie.
An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Longform
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it
By Alex K.T. Martin
Outdated government policy, changing diets and even an earthquake scare have had an impact on the national food staple.
An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.

JAPAN

Vehicles used for ride-hailing services in the city of Kiryu, in Gunma Prefecture
Ride-hailing services spreading in Japan
About 3,300 people have registered as ride-hailing drivers in central Tokyo and other areas.
At the launch ceremony on Sunday of the Self-Defense Forces Maritime Transport Group in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani presents the unit's group flag.
Inaugural ceremony held for Japan SDF's Maritime Transport Group
The Maritime Transport Group was launched on March 24 as a unit jointly run by the Ground, Maritime and Air Self Defense Forces under the direct oversight of the defense minister.
'Local hero' trading cards nudge children toward community activities
Three dead after ambulance helicopter crashes in waters off Nagasaki
Japan to play major defense role during Taiwan conflict, U.S. expert says
U.N. group Japan chief warns of backlash against women's rights

BUSINESS

Kids view the area from a lookout point over cranes and containers at the Port of Keelung, Taiwan, on Thursday.
Taiwan eyes zero tariffs with U.S., pledges more investment
By Ben Blanchard
The U.S. is Taiwan's most important international backer and main source of arms, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order during a tariff announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Wednesday. Trump's tariff policies are the centerpiece of his effort to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and reshape a world trade system he has long decried as unfair.
Trump promised a manufacturing boom. Industries are not so sure.
Some question the tariffs' underlying logic, saying that supply chain issues, high costs and other obstacles stand may in the way.
Snappy birthday: Germany's Leica camera turns 100
By Jean-Philippe LACOUR
Japan’s nominal wages rise in bright spot as outlook darkens
By Erica Yokoyama
Sex toys and exploding cosmetics: anatomy of a 'hybrid war' on the West
By Anna Koper, Marek Strzelecki, Filipp Lebedev and Andrius Sytas
'Anxious' U.S. farmers see tariffs as threatening earnings
By Beiyi Seow

WORLD

A Chinese military unit fires a land-based rocket during military exercises near Taiwan last week.
G7 condemns 'provocative' Chinese military drills around Taiwan
By Jesse Johnson
Group of Seven foreign minsters expressed “deep concern” over the “provocative” and “destabilizing” drills.
Military personnel stand guard at a nuclear facility in the Zardanjan area of Isfahan, Iran, in April 2024 in this screen shot taken from video.
Iran seeks indirect talks with U.S., warns regional countries over strikes
Although Iran has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for direct talks, it wants to continue indirect negotiations through Oman.
Trump's third term talk defies constitution and tests democracy
By Peter Baker
The scientist rewriting DNA, and the future of medicine
By Issam AHMED
Bolsonaro whips up Sao Paulo protest over coup charges
South Korea cabinet to decide on June 3 presidential election date, Yonhap says

Sports

Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates after winning the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture.
Clinical Verstappen caps final home race for Red Bull-Honda with a win
By Joel Tansey
The victory was the Dutch star’s fourth straight at Suzuka Circuit, while Red Bull debutant Yuki Tsunoda finished back in 12th.
UConn crushes South Carolina for record-extending 12th NCAA women's title
Alex Ovechkin passes Wayne Gretzky to become all-time leader in career goals
Arsenal draws at Everton to push Liverpool closer to Premier League title
By Kieran CANNING
Ice legends: Alex Ovechkin and Wayne Gretzky had different paths to 894

Opinion

DOGE, the U.S. government reform project, embodies America's brash, fast-paced approach to change, while Japan’s cultural norms emphasize slower, more deliberate decision-making rooted in consensus.
The DOGE solution? 'No thanks,' says Japan, with reason
Brad Glosserman
I can’t imagine a DOGE-like beast in Japan. No one can. It is utterly alien to every tradition, precedent or cultural inclination in this country.
How the U.S. and Japan can keep partnering for the future
By Joshua W. Walker and James Kondo
‘Liberation Day’ will weigh heavily on the world
Identifying choke points in the semiconductor supply chain
By Eiki Tagami
Europe must set the terms for postwar Russia engagement now
By Thomas O. Falk

ENVIRONMENT

Nattanit Yiamthaisong (right), a Ph.D. student, Thongyod Chiangkanta, a technician from the Forest Restoration Research Unit at Chiang Mai University (center) and a forest guide walk through areas damaged by wildfires in Thailand's Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary on March 22.
'It's gone': conservation science in Thailand's burning forest
By Sara Hussein
Scientists are confronting the toll that human activity and climate change are already having on forests that are supposed to be pristine and protected.
Artificial glaciers boost water supply in northern Pakistan
Rising seas test defenses of South American ports
By Axl HERNANDEZ
Clouds changing as world warms, adding to climate uncertainty
By Nick Perry
Trump can't stop 'sustainability revolution': Al Gore

CULTURE

Sasami has had a connection to Japan since childhood as her mother's side of the family is Zainichi Korean and has lived in Japan for years. The musician grew up listening to city pop and watching Japanese TV.
Sasami is in her pop era, and she’s not overthinking it
By Patrick St. Michel
As the singer explores Tokyo, she reflects on identity and her latest album, “Blood On the Silver Screen.”
Authors hold London protest against Meta for 'stealing' work to train AI
By James PHEBY
‘Unreachable’: An attractive but half-baked fantasy
By James Hadfield
AI may be coming for anime, but Hayao Miyazaki is irreplaceable, son says
By Natsuko Fukue
‘Let’s Meet at Angie’s Bar’: A granny like none other
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

Japanese desserts have been turning heads in recent months for a series world-firsts.
‘Japanese pastry has matured into its own distinct identity’
By Haru Beaufort
“There’s been a shift over the years where Japanese pastry chefs are moving away from simply replicating French techniques,” says chef Koichi Katsumata.
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
Meeting new colleagues and introducing yourself in Japanese
By Yuko Tamura
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
By Johan Brooks

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.
Meet the cool cat with a roguish mustache
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

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
‘Let’s make it practical’: NATO chief eyes greater defense-industrial ties with Japan
By Gabriel Dominguez
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte plans to visit Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday — his first to the Indo-Pacific region since taking office in October, as he seeks to implement lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
CULTURE
Tottori takes a bold leap forward in the arts
By Jennifer Pastore
The city of Kurayoshi in Tottori Prefecture celebrated the opening of its public art museum with festivities such as a parade that drew 1,000 revelers.
CULTURE
Haruki Murakami TV adaptation revisits 30 years of watershed moments
By Mike Fu
Though Haruki Murakami's trademark whiff of offbeat existentialism is threaded throughout NHK's "After the Quake," the final episode — conceived as a sequel to the story "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" — is the most stylized, featuring an anthropomorphic talking frog (voiced by Non) and his erstwhile associate Katagiri (Koichi Sato).
LIFE
Nintendo to launch the Switch 2 on June 5
By Sam Byford
The controllers for the Switch 2 will attach to the console magnetically rather than sliding on rails as with the original device.
JAPAN
A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers
By Yukana Inoue
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar gather at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud center on the country's border with Thailand, after a multinational crackdown in February.

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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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Nissan says it will not take new U.S. orders for Mexican-built Infiniti SUVs
A Nissan manufacturing complex in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Nissan says it will not take new orders from the United States for two Mexican-built Infiniti SUVs following new auto tariffs levied by the U.S.
BUSINESS
Japan digs deep to address 'national crisis' caused by Trump tariffs
By Francis Tang and Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office on April 1. He has said that Japan is facing a "national crisis" following the introduction of new tariffs by the United States.
BUSINESS
'Hang tough, it won't be easy': Trump defiant on tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he walks to deliver remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden entitled "Make America Wealthy Again" at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Ishiba says he plans to speak to Trump about tariffs in coming days
By Jesse Johnson
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Nissan considers transferring some domestic production to U.S., report says
Nissan plans to reduce production at its Fukuoka factory and shift some manufacturing of its Rogue SUV to the United States to mitigate the impact of Trump's tariffs.