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January 18, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
January 18, 2025
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Children pray for the victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake during an early morning ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the quake, in Kobe on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
30th anniversary of Hanshin quake marked with desire to pass on lessons
By Eric Johnston
Hyogo Prefecture is also calling on the central government to pick Kansai as the base of a new disaster relief agency currently in the works.

More coverage

The efforts to bridge the disaster information gap, 30 years on
Children pray for the victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake during an early morning ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the quake, in Kobe on Friday.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. Tokyo prosecutors on Friday indicted an accountant of the Liberal Democratic Party’s bloc in the assembly for underreporting over ¥60 million ($386,000) of the group’s income and expenditure.
JAPAN / Politics
Accountant for LDP bloc in Tokyo assembly accused of underreporting funds
By Himari Semans
Hidekatsu Yajima, 72, is alleged to have underreported over ¥60 million ($386,000) of LDP assembly members’ income and expenditure.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo hold a joint news conference in Taguig City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Japan looks to up the ante with more money and partners in military aid program
By Gabriel Dominguez
As funds for Japan's official security assistance increase, so will Tokyo's efforts to boost the number of countries it assists, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Fuji TV President Koichi Minato speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Fuji TV to launch third-party probe after allegations of sexual misconduct
By Karin Kaneko
The move comes amid rising criticism over the broadcaster’s handling of alleged sexual misconduct by former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai.
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.
BUSINESS / Companies / Longform
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go
By Kazuaki Nagata and Richard Meyer
The CEO and president of Rapidus says the chip venture in Hokkaido is key to Japan's fortunes.
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.

JAPAN

More Japanese students are reluctant to study abroad following the pandemic, when borders were closed for many countries.
Tokyo to offer financial aid to students studying abroad
By Yukana Inoue
Applicants need to be Japanese nationals who are either enrolled in or set to enter a university or technical college in Japan and whose parents reside in Tokyo.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday following talks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Top Japan diplomat to highlight investment and defense spending at Trump inaugural
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will be the first senior Japanese official to meet members of the incoming president's governing team.
Hiroshima forest on fire after military explosives drill
From Genji to 'hikikomori,' how we make peace with disappearing
By Michael Hoffman
Tokyo police arrest dentists and others over ¥20 million medical fraud
Tokyo couple re-arrested in ¥26 million insurance fraud murder case

BUSINESS

Japan’s primary balance is once again set to miss its long-standing target of achieving a balanced budget by the year ending March 2026.
Japan now expects to miss its 2025 primary balance goal
By Erica Yokoyama
The primary balance, which excludes interest payments on public debt, is projected to remain in the red with a deficit of around ¥4.5 trillion.
Rakuten Group CEO Hiroshi Mikitani speaks during an interview at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Rakuten’s Mikitani wants to sell bonds to Japanese investors
By Takahiko Hyuga and Shery Ahn
Market pricing indicates that views on Rakuten are improving after years of losses and a stretched balance sheet.
Major Japanese firms pay record winter bonuses
Nintendo hopes to reprise blockbuster Switch with 2025 successor
Ukrainian migrant exit could squeeze Eastern Europe's economies
By Libby George
TikTok's fight against going dark gains support from key U.S. lawmakers
By David Shepardson

WORLD

People gather as family members and supporters of hostages deliver statements for the release of people who were kidnapped during Hamas' attack in October 2023, on Jan. 17 in Tel Aviv.
Hamas to release first hostages under Gaza ceasefire deal on Sunday, Israel says
If successful, the ceasefire would halt fighting that has razed much of heavily urbanized Gaza and killed over 46,000 people.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers an address to the nation at the Presidential Office in Seoul on Dec. 12.
South Korea investigators file request to extend President Yoon's detention
In order to hold Yoon in custody for longer, investigators need a court to approve a detention warrant for up to 20 days.
Los Angeles evacuees told not to go home for at least another week
By Chad Terhune and Rollo Ross
Private firefighters highlight wealth divide in ruined Los Angeles
By Romain FONSEGRIVES
Chinese hackers accessed Yellen's computer in U.S. Treasury breach
By JAKE BLEIBERG and Jamie Tarabay
American ‘oligarchy’ decried by Biden gained $1.5 trillion in his term
By Ben Steverman

Sports

Terunofuji won 10 titles in sumo's top division during his career.
Yokozuna Terunofuji retires after injury-plagued career
Terunofuji, who has already acquired Japanese citizenship, will become a stablemaster after his retirement.
Naomi Osaka retires with injury during third round of Australian Open
Tiger Woods-hosted PGA Tour event to be relocated due to LA wildfires
Beloved Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker dies at 90
Aryna Sabalenka survives tough battle to reach fourth round of Australian Open

Opinion

Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and other Asian leaders pose for a family photo during a the ASEAN-U.S. 40th Anniversary Summit in Manila in November 2017. The U.S. president-elect’s Cabinet secretary level and other picks for his second term point to a tougher China policy.
What Trump’s appointments tell us about his Asia policy
Joshua Kurlantzick
Donald Trump’s second term as president appears set to intensify efforts to curb China’s influence while maintaining crucial alliances in Asia.
A moment of opportunity for Japan-China relations
Japan has nothing to fear from Trump — except in maybe one area
By Edo Naito
Gaza ceasefire deal is a win for Trump
By Marc Champion
Elon Musk won’t save TikTok
By Catherine Thorbecke

ENVIRONMENT

Rescue workers search a flooded area during the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, which caused severe floods at the Chikuma River, in the city of Nagano in October 2019.
Disaster-hardened Japan faces enormous costs from climate change
By Anton L. Delgado
The total cost in climate damages for the country through 2050 could amount to ¥952 trillion if more ambitious action isn't taken.
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
Study documents extinction threats to world's freshwater species
By Will Dunham

CULTURE

Filmmaker David Lynch at his Hollywood Hills home in Los Angeles in 2002. The painter turned avant-garde film artist, whose fame, influence and distinctively skewed worldview extended far beyond the movie screen, died on Thursday at 78.
David Lynch, maker of florid and unnerving films, dies at 78
By J. Hoberman
A painter turned artist whose films included “Eraserhead,” “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive,” Lynch also brought his visionary view to the small screen with “Twin Peaks.”
A slow dive into ‘a moment and an eternity’ with Ryuichi Sakamoto
By James Hadfield
‘Muromachi Outsiders’: Yo Oizumi commands attention in rebellion tale
By James Hadfield
Japan's most prestigious literary awards go to a trio of contemporary voices
By Alyssa I. Smith
The unnervingly timed return of ‘Squid Game’
By Erik Augustin Palm

LIFE

It's taken Takuma Watanabe little time to establish himself as one of New York's hottest bartenders.
From Tokyo to Manhattan, Takuma Watanabe stirs up a stiff drink
By Mike Fu
Tokyo native Takuma Watanabe offers a formidable addition to New York’s pantheon of cocktail bars.
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
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?
By Tomoko Otake
‘Dorayaki’ creators say flavors trump the dessert’s murky origins
By Cassandra Lord

COMMUNITY

Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
By Justin Randall
With adventure tourism on the rise in Hokkaido, a new generation of foreign-born guides is eager to greet travelers.
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
From the stage to the streets, make a difference this holiday season
By Kimberly Hughes

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Possibility of Nankai Trough megaquake now 80%, government panel reports
By Yukana Inoue
A map of the hypocentral region of an anticipated Nankai Trough earthquake
JAPAN
With new regional party, Shinji Ishimaru touts rebirth
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Shinji Ishimaru announces details of his new regional party at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nippon Steel’s case against Biden probably unwinnable, attorneys argue
By Elizabeth Beattie
U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Steel Works in Braddock, Pennsylvannia, in 2019. Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel face significant legal challenges in their case against the United States.
BUSINESS
Japanese companies rush to up English-language disclosures in 2025
By Kazuaki Nagata
The Tokyo Stock Exchange will soon require some companies to publish their financials in English in addition to Japanese.
JAPAN
Tokyo plans to subsidize epidurals, but are hospitals ready?
By Tomoko Otake
Epidurals during childbirth have long been uncommon in Japan, though they have been growing more popular in recent years.

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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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Possibility of Nankai Trough megaquake now 80%, government panel reports
By Yukana Inoue
A map of the hypocentral region of an anticipated Nankai Trough earthquake
JAPAN
Hanshin quake sparked changes to Japan's disaster response policies
By Eric Johnston
Self-Defense Forces members search for victims in Kobe's Nagata Ward on Jan. 28, 1995, in the wake of the Great Hanshin Earthquake.
COMMENTARY
Elon Musk won’t save TikTok
By Catherine Thorbecke
Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has expressed ambitions to build an "everything app," and adding TikTok to X, formerly Twitter, could bring him closer to that vision.
ASIA PACIFIC
Crashed Jeju jet’s black box failure shows decadeslong gap in power rules
By Allyson Versprille, Heejin Kim and Siddharth Philip
The flight data recorder retrieved from Jeju Air flight 2216, which crashed killing 179 people in December. Black boxes holding the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for the flight stopped recording four minutes before the disaster, South Korea's transport ministry said Saturday.
BUSINESS
KKR considers joining Seven & I management buyout after Apollo
By Taro Fuse and Hideki Suzuki
KKR is discussing investing several hundred billion yen for an equity stake in the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores.