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February 03, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
February 03, 2025
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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a Lower House plenary session last week.
JAPAN / Politics
LDP conservatives frustrated by Ishiba's diplomacy with China
As Ishiba's foothold within the LDP remains precarious, one misstep could spark moves to undermine his administration.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a Lower House plenary session last week.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato holds a virtual meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan to closely monitor impact on yen of Trump tariffs, Kato says
By Yoshiaki Nohara
Kato spoke as the world braces for first salvo in Trump's tariff war, with general levies of 25% on Canada and Mexico and 10% on China.
Philippines Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo poses for a photo at the Foreign Ministry in Manila during a recent interview with The Japan Times.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Manila expects continuity in critical ties with Washington, top Philippine diplomat says
By Gabriel Dominguez
Washington’s backing remains crucial, particularly as tensions with Beijing over territorial and maritime disputes remain high.
Rescuers on Thursday continue to try and free a truck driver after his vehicle plunged into a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, earlier in the week.
JAPAN
Residents near Japan sinkhole urged to evacuate
The growing sinkhole in Saitama Prefecture could be the result of corroded sewerage pipes, according to local authorities.
Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?
By Alex K.T. Martin
They're no substitute for policy, but by providing food and belonging, these safe spaces are filling in the cracks of the nation's fraying communities.
Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.

JAPAN

An H-3 rocket, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima on Feb. 17, 2024.
Fifth H-3 rocket with Michibiki No. 6 satellite successfully launched
The rocket blasted off at 5:30 p.m. from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. The satellite was placed into its target orbit.
Yoshihiko Noda, the head of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, attends a news conference last week.
CDP to present 'full package' of budget revisions in mid-February
The opposition party's upcoming revisions will include a gasoline tax cut, free school lunches and tuition-free high school education regardless of parents' income levels.
Imperial Household Agency finds success on Instagram amid public relations push
Nihon Hidankyo urges nuclear weapon ban as it reports on Nobel Prize ceremony
Slope built to reach man trapped in sinkhole in Saitama
Victims of 1942 Yamaguchi underwater mine disaster remembered

BUSINESS

Supply ships that service the offshore oil rigs on Canada's east coast load cargo in in St. John's, Newfoundland, on Saturday.
To Trump, tariffs are not a means but an end
By David E. Sanger
What makes U.S. President Donald Trump’s move against Mexico, Canada and China different compared with past uses of tariffs is that he seems uninterested in pursuing deals.
Branded bags are displayed at a secondhand store in Tokyo in December.
Secondhand shops rush for branded goods in Japan
Some operators have partnered with department stores, while others have use AI to determine the value of vintage luxury goods.
Nikkei sheds over 1,000 points as markets react to Trump's tariffs
Trump says Americans could feel 'pain' in trade war with Mexico, Canada and China
By David Lawder, Doina Chiacu and Jarrett Renshaw
Honda’s motorcycle business is the gem in a messy Nissan union
By Nicholas Takahashi
Trump’s ‘tariff thrashing’ spurs crisis response from Canada
By Randy Thanthong-Knight and Christine Dobby

WORLD

Visitors attend the Myanmar Power and Solar Energy Storage Expo 2025 in Yangon on Jan. 10. Power outages are common across Yangon, a result of rolling blackouts scheduled by the country's junta government.
Seeking light in dark times four years after Myanmar coup
The country has fossil fuel reserves and strong potential for renewables but is crippled by instability, investor flight, a lack of infrastructure and other problems.
More than two dozen news organizations operate out of the Pentagon reporting on the daily activities of the U.S. military.
Trump's Pentagon says it will 'rotate' out some media from offices
The memo said that the New York Times, National Public Radio, NBC News and Politico must vacate their spaces by Feb. 14
At least 160,000 rally in Berlin against far right
By Sophie Makris
Rubio tells Panama to end China's influence of canal or face U.S. action
By Simon Lewis and Elida Moreno
U.K. to become first country to criminalize AI child abuse tools
Small plane crash in Philadelphia leaves seven dead, 19 injured

Sports

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic drives to the basket past Lakers forward Anthony Davis during a game in December 2023. Early Sunday, the two superstars were traded for one another in a blockbuster deal.
Lakers reportedly land Luka Doncic in blockbuster that sends Anthony Davis to Mavs
The Lakers and Mavericks have sent the NBA world into a frenzy with the deal involving the two superstars.
Aston Villa signs Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United
Mavericks defend stunning move to send superstar Luka Doncic to Lakers
Sizzling McIlroy captures PGA Pebble Beach title
Reigning champion Al-Ain faces must-win clash as Asian Champions League resumes
By Michael Church

Opinion

Many attribute the far right’s recent global rise to “anti-incumbency” bias, but this overlooks how the COVID-19 crisis fostered division and distrust, turning voters against their governments. 
Confronting the pandemic’s toxic political legacy
Jan-Werner Mueller
Libertarian resentment over past restrictions and mandates is one thing; an abiding distrust of scientists is quite another.
Bollywood’s dark past is threatening to return
By Andy Mukherjee
The Trump test begins: Tariffs, power plays and economic risk
Why Chinese tech keeps surprising the West
By Catherine Thorbecke
Ishiba nudges his ‘little Japan’ closer to China
By Gearoid Reidy

ENVIRONMENT

Though vegan restaurants have been on the upswing since 2017, Japanese vegans still lack a wide variety of options.
In meat- and fish-loving Japan, veganism is making a comeback
By Sachi Kitajima Mulkey and Joseph Winters
Tourism, climate goals and animal rights concerns are sparking a plant-based renaissance in a country famous for sushi and pork ramen.
The global climate order teeters under a second assault from Trump
By Akshat Rathi, Ewa Krukowska and Alfred Cang
Dead Sea an 'ecological disaster,' but no one can agree how to fix it
By Ruth EGLASH
Oceans are warming faster and faster as the Earth traps more energy
By Danielle Bochove
Rubbish roads: Nepal explores paving with plastic
By Paavan MATHEMA

CULTURE

In addition to the commercial benefits from Ginza Sony Park's music-centered exhibition — such as promoting Sony's artists and products — there is a real effort to put music in focus.
At the new Ginza Sony Park, listening is an art form
By Patrick St. Michel
“Sony Park Exhibition 2025” features installations created in collaboration with six music artists: Vaundy, Yoasobi, Hitsujibungaku, Creepy Nuts, Babymonster and Kensuke Ushio.
Louvre opens first fashion exhibition after shock memo about decay
By Sandra Biffot-Lacut and Adam PLOWRIGHT
'Cute and murderous': How the iconic killer doll in 'Squid Game' came to life
By Minwoo Park and Hyunsu Yim
Indie animator Gensho Yasuda paves his own way with a DIY spirit
By Matt Schley
‘The Rose of Versailles’ opts for empty opulence
By Matt Schley

LIFE

Dress-up games and dating sims were once forgotten genres, but now expanded player bases are helping to generate major profits.
Gaming’s feminine side is starting to make big bucks
By Samantha Low
Two recent releases — a sci-fi dating sim and a souped-up dress-up simulator — are starting to change the conversation around previously dismissed genres.
Sipping down the rabbit hole at Craft Sake Shoten
By Melinda Joe
Mind the gap — and the shoulder checking: Dealing with pushy people in Japan's crowded spaces
By Yuko Tamura
How Tokyo taught a French architect the power of colors
By Ran Kawai
Of sake and spirits: Indulging in Yamanashi’s best
By Kimberly Hughes

COMMUNITY

Billed as a “cultural bridge that connects Japan and Vietnam,” Tet Viet Saitama drew tens of thousands of attendees from across the Kanto region.
Home away from home: My first time at a Tet festival in Japan
By Nguyen Bao Anh
A longtime resident of Japan attends Saitama’s first public celebration of Vietnam’s most important holiday.
Fanta-stic cuddler seeks new home
Ken Rodgers, a fixture of the Kyoto literary scene, dies at 72
By Eric Johnston
Kenny Colvin: ‘Work hard, drink hard, eat hard … relax hard’
By Mike Fu
Namnam reborn: A queer, anarchist space resettles in Tokyo's Koenji
By Aku Owaka-Haigh

Editors' Picks

COMMUNITY
Home away from home: My first time at a Tet festival in Japan
By Nguyen Bao Anh
Billed as a “cultural bridge that connects Japan and Vietnam,” Tet Viet Saitama drew tens of thousands of attendees from across the Kanto region.
LIFE
First official survey set to change backcountry Hokkaido skiing
By Justin Randall
The first official government survey of Hokkaido backcountry skiing could spell changes for trails in the northern prefecture.
BUSINESS
Fuji TV’s go-big PR strategy wins grudging praise globally
By Elizabeth Beattie
Fuji TV executives take questions during a news conference on Monday in Tokyo in which some participants became unruly.
CULTURE
Two decades of unparalleled access into the world of Hayao Miyazaki
By Erik Augustin Palm
Documentary director Kaku Arakawa’s filming style — naturalistic, intimate and unobtrusive — proved essential to portraying anime powerhouse Hayao Miyazaki as a man as flawed and human as he is a visionary artist in “Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron.”
LIFE
For two weeks only, cold-water yellowtail can give you chills
By Elizabeth Andoh
Yellowtail caught during the coldest period of the year is delicious enough — but paired with a classic method of marinade and pan-searing, it's divine.

Podcast

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

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?
By Alex K.T. Martin

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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan scrambles jets as Russian bombers fly over high seas
Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bombers perform a flypast during the victory day parade in Moscow in June 2020.
JAPAN
Slope built to reach man trapped in sinkhole in Saitama
A slope (left) is built at the intersection of a sunken road in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture on Saturday.
JAPAN
Japan to ease foreign worker rules for hotel restaurants
The Japanese government is considering allowing foreign workers under its specified skilled worker program to take orders and serve and cook food at restaurants within inns and hotels.
WORLD
Trump's Pentagon says it will 'rotate' out some media from offices
More than two dozen news organizations operate out of the Pentagon reporting on the daily activities of the U.S. military.
JAPAN
Residents near Japan sinkhole urged to evacuate
Rescuers on Thursday continue to try and free a truck driver after his vehicle plunged into a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, earlier in the week.