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TOKYO
October 04, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
October 04, 2024
Shigeru Ishiba
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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Early Ishiba missteps add to anticipation over key policy speech
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
The prime minister's early days in power have been marked by a U-turn on the approach to a general election as well as challenges forming his government.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets with Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda at the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Further BOJ rate hike this year in doubt after Ishiba's surprise warning
By Toru Fujioka
A survey last month showed 53% of economists forecast the BOJ would push up interest rates in December, but that outlook is now in question.
A bus is seen submerged in floodwaters in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on Aug. 29 as Typhoon Shanshan dumps torrential rain across southern regions of Japan.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
How climate change affects Japan's typhoons
By Jessica Speed
The number of typhoons appears to be dropping, but the ones that do arrive are also becoming more violent.
The Ishikawa Prefectural Government engaged KDDI SmartDrone to have its drone operators survey flood-hit areas in the cities of Wajima and Suzu in the prefecture last week.
JAPAN / Society
Private drone operators seek bigger role in disaster response
By Himari Semans
Establishing protocols with local governments and coordinating the use of drones with manned aircraft would make efforts more effective, they say.
Water is seen at the bottom of the No.1 shaft, which maintains and controls the inflow and discharge channel as part of a complex of underground tunnels at the Metropolitan Outer Area Underground Discharge Channel in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, which protect Tokyo and its suburbs against floods.
JAPAN
Japan expands underground complex to counter climate change rains
By Issei Kato and Tom Bateman
The Metropolitan Outer Area Underground Discharge Channel has already prevented more than ¥150 billion in flood damage.
Water is seen at the bottom of the No.1 shaft, which maintains and controls the inflow and discharge channel as part of a complex of underground tunnels at the Metropolitan Outer Area Underground Discharge Channel in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, which protect Tokyo and its suburbs against floods.

JAPAN

The number of consultations from foreign visitors to Japan about problems related to accommodations and shopping is increasing.
Consumer consultations by foreign visitors to Japan on the rise
The number of consultations from foreign visitors in fiscal 2023, which ended in March this year, stood at 227, up for the second straight year.
Japan's new justice minister Hideki Makihara says abolishing the death penalty would be "inappropriate."
New justice minister says scrapping death penalty 'inappropriate'
Capital punishment has strong public support in Japan, where scrapping it is rarely discussed.
One in 6 workers in Japan use resignation agencies to change jobs
Gunma Bank dismisses employee over alleged ¥55 million scam
Japan to keep nuclear and boost renewables, new industry minister says
By Katya Golubkova
South Korea's Yoon and Japan's Ishiba agree to continue 'shuttle diplomacy'
By Jesse Johnson

BUSINESS

Analysts say Warren Buffett may be looking to buy Japanese financial firms and shipping companies.
Buffett may target Japan banks or insurers for next purchase, analysts say
By Momoka Yokoyama
The billionaire’s company this week mandated banks to manage a yen bond sale in the global market, in a sign he may increase holdings in Japan.
Mobile phone numbers with a 060 prefix could be available as soon as December.
Japan considers new 060 mobile number prefix as 070 runs low
By Yukana Inoue
Numbers starting with 060 could be available as early as December, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Starbucks buys research farms as climate change threatens coffee supply
By Daniela Sirtori
7-Eleven owner seeking to sell off part of stake in banking unit
By Hideki Suzuki and Koh Yoshida
SoftBank’s Son envisions AI running households in the next few years
By Min Jeong Lee and Takahiko Hyuga
Musk funded right-wing nonprofit for years before endorsing Trump, sources say
By Alexandra Ulmer and Rachael Levy

WORLD

Relatives and friends mourn by the grave of Israeli soldier Eitan Itzhak Oster, killed in fighting in the northern border area with Lebanon, at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on Oct. 2.
Biden seeks to deter Israeli attack on Iran nuclear sites
By Akayla Gardner, Henry Meyer and Marissa Newman
The comments opposing such a strike mark a fresh U.S. attempt to rein in Israel, something it’s frequently failed to achieve in almost a year of military conflict.
People walk with water collected from a truck following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, North Carolina, on Wednesday.
Many in North Carolina still without water after Helene's destruction
By Karl Plume
The powerful storm inundated the western part of Georgia in the U.S. with catastrophic flooding, destroying pipes, damaging water plants and cutting off power.
New Israeli rules slowing flow of food aid into Gaza, sources say
By David Gauthier-Villars and John Davison
Trump said ‘so what’ when told of Pence's peril on Jan. 6, U.S. prosecutors say
By Zoe Tillman, Chris Strohm and David Voreacos
Iran's Khamenei warned Nasrallah of Israeli plot to kill him, sources say
By Samia Nakhoul and Laila Bassam
Guns and transgender rights cases loom as U.S. Supreme Court returns
By Andrew Chung

Sports

Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches against the Rockies in Denver on Sept. 28.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto to start in Game 2 of NLDS for Dodgers
The 26-year-old from Japan went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts.
Aston Villa stuns Bayern in repeat of 1982 European Cup final
Carlos Alcaraz regains joy for tennis after dramatic win in Beijing final
LeBron James enters 22nd NBA season with nothing to prove
Upstart Tigers continue stunning run by sweeping Astros

Opinion

A gas station damaged by Hurricane Helene in Perry, Florida, on Sept. 27. Extreme weather and climate change are exposing the flaws in how we handle hazardous waste.
Toxic waste is at the mercy of climate change
Liam Denning
Among Hurricane Helene’s roster of disasters is a storm surge that deluged a retired nuclear power plant in Florida. While radioactive material there remains secure, according to operator Duke Energy, one of the plant’s industrial wastewater ponds overflowed amid the flood. With luck, any resulting...
A stimulus is good, but China still faces a hard slog
By Daniel Moss
Vietnam’s bamboo diplomacy has lessons for the Global South
By Akhil Ramesh
The China-Russia relationship once derided, now looks to endure
By Brad Glosserman
Iran’s missile salvo was yet another strategic blunder
By Marc Champion

ENVIRONMENT

Cracked ground at a farm in Lincoln, U.K. Extreme weather worldwide is pushing up prices for food staples in ways that could eventually flow through to higher grocery bills.
Rising food costs due to extreme weather likely to drive up grocery bills
By Keira Wright, Bernadette Toh and Charlotte Hughes-Morgan
One index of nine major food products has recorded a monthly gain of more than 7% — the most since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent markets soaring in early 2022.
Despite snowy winter, Swiss glaciers 'on track to disappear'
By Agnes Pedrero and Elodie LE MAOU
Tuvalu fights to retain its maritime rights amid climate change inundation
By Kirsty Needham
Climate change made Europe’s floods worse and more likely, study shows
By Olivia Rudgard and Eamon Akil Farhat
Offshore wind opponents in Australia and Europe look to U.S. for advice
By Nichola Groom and Lewis Jackson

CULTURE

Kim Sang-man’s “Uprising” has attracted significant attention ahead of its world premiere thanks largely to the involvement of its producer Park Chan-wook, best-known for directing ultra-violent thrillers like 2003’s “Old Boy,” which played a key role in bringing South Korean cinema to the global forefront.
Netflix war epic to open Asia's largest film festival
By Claire Lee
Streaming-only content has contributed to a significant surge in the global visibility of Korean and Korean diaspora stories.
‘Super Happy Forever’: Melancholy romance makes most of fleeting happiness
By James Hadfield
‘See You Again Tomorrow’: A pursuit of passion grounded in reality
By Mark Schilling
Wozme, an all-women dance troupe, wants to move the needle in butoh
By Zoria Petkoska
Masayoshi Fujita’s ‘Migratory’ is an ode to nature and nurture
By Russell Thomas

LIFE

A pedestrian walks past a 7-Eleven convenience store in Tokyo. The Japanese model for a convenience store is gaining fans overseas where similar stores sell mostly gasoline and junk food.
Making a habit of describing your morning convenience store run
By Yuko Tamura
Hitting up the local convenience store before or after work can wind up becoming habitual, and there are a number of grammar points to help describe it.
Award ceremony for Japanese alcohol held in Paris
'Need a bag for that?': Knowing what the clerks are saying at the convenience store
By Yuko Tamura
How to own something by the punk poet designer Jun Takahashi
By Jessica Iredale
Neither allergies nor ADHD could stop chef Hiroshi Tsubouchi
By Kimberly Hughes

COMMUNITY

Having grown up in North Carolina, where people are chatty and friendly, Duane Levi says Kansai and Osaka in particular had a similar vibe.
Duane Levi: 'Once you are able to create something that has sustainability … you’re going to get help and support.'
By Patrick St. Michel
Unable to get a job in PA and recording, Duane Levi forged his own path in the Japanese music scene and has introduced many artists to the market here.
What’s a mother to do when your non-Japanese child is bullied in school?
By Harriet Ocharo
Saying good riddance to what bugs me about a Japanese summer
By Jordan Allen
‘The people I’d seen in kimono didn’t have as much melanin as I do’
By Baye McNeil
Andreas Fuchs: ‘I love that no two days are the same’
By Louise George Kittaka

Editors' Picks

SUMO
Who can challenge Onosato's dominance? Takerufuji might be the best bet.
By John Gunning
Takerufuji, the most recent Emperor’s Cup winner apart from Terunofuji and Onosato, claimed the second-tier title in September in his first full tournament back from injury after a six-month absence.
JAPAN
Japan's new top diplomat calls 'Asian NATO' an idea for the future
By Kathleen Benoza
Newly appointed Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya speaks during his first news conference as Japan's top diplomat at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Ishiba looks to 'defense tribe' to fill key Cabinet positions
By Jesse Johnson and Kathleen Benoza
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, 66, has experience as the onetime head of Japan’s former Defense Agency before it became a full-fledged ministry and is seen as a pair of steady hands.
JAPAN
Investment and romance fraud cases triple in first eight months of year
By Himari Semans
The National Police Agency has noted a major rise in online investment fraud cases, incidents of which have more than quadrupled in the first eight months of this year.
JAPAN
A very LDP Cabinet — more of the same, despite hints of a power shift
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Incoming child care policy minister Junko Mihara (center) arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday. Mihara is one of only two female ministers in Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet.

Podcast

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

Longform

Wozme, founded by dancer and choreographer Wakaba Kohei, is composed of Kana Kitty, Ami Ishii, Akane Watanabe and Natsuki. Its aim is to inject elegance and beauty, traits traditionally associated with femininity, into the sometimes grotesque art form of butoh dance.
Wozme, an all-women dance troupe, wants to move the needle in butoh
By Zoria Petkoska

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono
The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Massive carry trade still lurks in the shadows and looms over markets
By Elizabeth Beattie
Traders borrow in currencies where rates are low and put that money to work in economies where rates are high, pocketing the difference.
JAPAN
17-year-old girl found dead in Osaka hotel room was strangled
A security camera footage shows a 17-year-old girl and a man entering a hotel in the city of Osaka on Saturday. She was found dead in the hotel room several hours later.
JAPAN
Blast from unexploded ordnance halts flights at Japanese regional airport
Unexploded ordnance detonates near a taxiway at Miyazaki Airport on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Ishiba looks to 'defense tribe' to fill key Cabinet positions
By Jesse Johnson and Kathleen Benoza
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, 66, has experience as the onetime head of Japan’s former Defense Agency before it became a full-fledged ministry and is seen as a pair of steady hands.
BUSINESS
Japan’s new prime minister moots minimum wage moon shot
By Kazuaki Nagata
Labor union members rally and call for an increase of the average minimum wage in Tokyo in July.