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November 29, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 29, 2024
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Members of the Self-Defense Forces march at the GSDF Camp Asaka, which straddles Tokyo and Saitama, on Nov. 9. As part of a five-year defense buildup launched in 2022, the government has said it will raise personal income, corporate and tobacco taxes to cover the added costs.
JAPAN
Japan wobbles on tax hikes to pay for historic defense buildup
By Alastair Gale, Takashi Hirokawa and Akemi Terukina
A decision on raising taxes to help cover rising defense spending may be delayed again, a senior ruling coalition official has said.
Members of the Self-Defense Forces march at the GSDF Camp Asaka, which straddles Tokyo and Saitama, on Nov. 9. As part of a five-year defense buildup launched in 2022, the government has said it will raise personal income, corporate and tobacco taxes to cover the added costs.
The Social Media Minimum Age bill sets Australia up as a test case for a growing number of governments which have legislated or said they plan to legislate an age restriction on social media amid concern about its mental health impact on young people.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Australia passes social media ban for children under 16
By Byron Kaye and Praveen Menon
The law forces tech giants to prevent minors from logging in or face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars.
SoftBank is unhappy that Moody's continues to issue ratings on the company.
BUSINESS / Companies
SoftBank blasts Moody’s for unsolicited ratings
By Elizabeth Beattie
It says it is considering legal action against the agency, which has continued to publish unsolicited ratings of the company over the past several years.
In 2022, the number of elderly people with dementia in Japan reached 4.43 million, according to data from the health ministry.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Japan researchers develop a simple way to spot signs of Alzheimer's disease
By Kathleen Benoza
The study showed that Alzheimer's disease can be predicted by identifying the "head-turning sign" in response to questions.
Hiroshi Kurosaki’s Netflix series “Beyond Goodbye” centers on a woman (Kasumi Arimura, left) who discovers her dead lover’s heart saved the life of a quiet pianist (Kentaro Sakaguchi).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Hiroshi Kurosaki looks beyond Japan for heart-wrenching drama
By Mark Schilling
The director’s Netflix series relies on lush visuals and truths about love and loss to appeal to an overseas audience.
Hiroshi Kurosaki’s Netflix series “Beyond Goodbye” centers on a woman (Kasumi Arimura, left) who discovers her dead lover’s heart saved the life of a quiet pianist (Kentaro Sakaguchi).

JAPAN

A fire broke out on the sixth floor of an apartment building where Upper House lawmaker Kuniko Inoguchi resides on Wednesday in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward.
Two dead after fire at Upper House lawmaker Kuniko Inoguchi’s apartment
By Himari Semans
The lawmaker's husband and eldest daughter, who were captured on security camera footage entering the building earlier, remain unaccounted for.
Officers from the Self-Defense Forces visit a Chinese air force facility in Tianjin, China, on Thursday.
SDF officers visit Chinese military in exchange program
SDF members have inspected an army unit in Beijing and plan to visit a naval facility in Guangzhou.
Japan will help revitalize willing municipalities, minister says
Tepco eyes second test removal of Fukushima nuclear fuel debris
Japan to lean heavily on extra tax revenue to cover costs of extra budget
Japan to overhaul tax exemption system for foreign visitors

BUSINESS

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group took a 15% stake in WealthNavi earlier this year.
MUFG considers bid for Japanese robo-adviser WealthNavi
By Taiga Uranaka
MUFG took a 15% stake in WealthNavi earlier this year.
Masato Kanda, then the foreign ministry's vice minister for international affairs, speaks during a news conference in Sao Paulo in February.
Former top Japanese currency diplomat Masato Kanda chosen as next ADB chief
Masato Kanda will be tasked to navigate the ADB through fresh challenges such as helping Asia reduce poverty and mitigate risks from climate change.
Japanese banks stick with Adani as Jefferies and Barclays review ties
By Preeti Singh, Saikat Das, Suvashree Ghosh and Katherine Doherty
Unitika announces withdrawal from textile business
Share of female presidents at Japanese firms hits record 8.4%
Toyota’s sales and output plateau on downturn in Japan and China

WORLD

A girl stands next to her house damaged by a Russian missile strike on the outskirts of Odesa, Ukraine, on Thursday.
Ukraine dubs Russian strikes on energy facilities 'despicable escalation'
By Anastasiia Malenko, Olena Harmash and Max Hunder
Ukrainian president said Russia used cruise missiles with cluster munitions on Thursday, its second big attack on energy infrastructure this month.
A man stands near a damaged house in Avivim, a community in northern Israel, on Wednesday, after a ceasefire was agreed to by Israel and Hezbollah.
Northern Israel residents fume at ceasefire, still feel vulnerable to attack
By Avi Ohayon and Emily Rose
Many residents of northern Israel fear Hezbollah may try to launch a ground assault, similar to the Hamas attack on Israel's south on Oct. 7, 2023.
Iran plans new uranium-enrichment expansion, IAEA report says
By Francois Murphy
Russia's labor shortage spreads as defense sector poaches staff
By Darya Korsunskaya, Gleb Stolyarov and Alexander Marrow
Chinese court to announce verdict in veteran journalist spy case-media group
Chinese ships near island disputed with Philippines, satellites show
By Greg Torode and Karen Lema

Sports

Yokohama's Takuma Nishimura goes on the attack during his team's Asian Champions League Elite win over Pohang Steelers on Wednesday in Yokohama.
Yokohama tops Pohang as Gwangju stays second in Asian Champions League
Goals from Yan Matheus and Anderson Lopes were enough for Yokohama as the club moved up to third in the standings.
Iga Swiatek accepts one-month suspension after failing doping test
Lions survive Bears rally to escape with victory on Thanksgiving Day
Taiwan Olympic boxing champion quits event after gender questions
By Joy Chiang
Verstappen switches focus to reboot defense of F1 teams' title

Opinion

According to a recent survey by Child Fund Japan, a nonprofit, one in eight minors in Japan have experienced online requests from strangers to meet or for sexual photos. Despite the potential harms of social media, strong regulations are lacking.
Japan doesn't need a social media ban, but it must protect children
Yuko Tamura
Short of stopping minors from using social media, Japan needs to beef up its response to an evermore perilous online environment. One that adults often struggle to grasp.
Trump's return heralds a new era of trade tensions for Japan
By Sam Baron
Bessent will have to fix America's finances. Good luck with that.
By Bill Dudley
Autocrats challenge traditional geopolitics and strategic boundaries
By Brad Glosserman
China will send a weaker yuan to the Trump front
By Daniel Moss

ENVIRONMENT

A man walks past a gasoline station in Tokyo on Thursday.
How Japan can exit the fossil fuel subsidies it can’t seem to quit
By Chris Russell
While offering relief to low-income households, such measures encourage the continued use of the fossil fuels driving climate change.
Turning tempura oil into fuel: 30 years of environmental efforts by Tokyo entrepreneur
By Aiko Imaizumi
How AI and cloud computing may delay the transition to clean energy
By Valerie Volcovici and Laila Kearney
How Saudi Arabia turned back climate progress at COP29
By Akshat Rathi, Jennifer A. Dlouhy and John Ainger
Rich countries provide no haven from climate doom, study finds
By Frances Schwartzkopff

CULTURE

“What Divides Us" producer Cannon Hersey says his grandfather, who wrote about the aftermath of nuclear destruction in Hiroshima, never spoke about what he had seen while working with Japanese minister Kiyoshi Tanimoto to preserve the stories of survivors.
‘What Divides Us’ producer honors grandfather’s Hiroshima reportage
By Himari Semans
The feature film centers on the bond between a Japanese minister and an American journalist who worked together to document the aftermath of nuclear destruction.
‘Faceless’: Fugitive thriller turns a blind eye to hard truths
By James Hadfield
The mind-bending melancholy of ‘Lust in the Rain’
By Mark Schilling
French-Japanese series takes best drama at International Emmys
By Kathleen Benoza
‘From 0 to 1’: Aiku Kurotaki’s fabric of existence
By Ansel Swindells

LIFE

Customers enter Aeon's Shinagawa Seaside store in Tokyo for a Black Friday sale in 2022.
Master this double negative to better express your Black Friday urges
By Yuko Tamura
What better time to learn how to say you can't resist a deal than on a weekend of discounted shopping.
Tokyo’s take on that viral chocolate from Dubai
By Yuko Tamura
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat
By Greg Dvorak
Tokyo’s newest three-star chef wants ‘harmony across every detail’
By Haru Beaufort
A buttery pound cake to die — or kill — for
By Simon Daly

COMMUNITY

After almost a decade of traveling around the world, a working holiday during the 2019 ski season in Nozawa Onsen was to be Rowie Geraerts’ last hurrah before she settled down in Australia.
How a solo yoga teacher built a wellness community in the Japanese Alps
By Samantha Mythen
A budding entrepreneur from Australia, Rowie Geraerts has created Shizen Collective in Nozawa Onsen — a new home for herself, locals and visitors.
Omar Nok: 'There are good people everywhere'
By Ansel Swindells
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
By Mike Fu
A bridge between kyogen and the world, Don Kenny dies at 88
By Rintaro Dainichi
Gary Perlman: ‘Kabuki is pure entertainment … the characters and themes are universal’
By Ansel Swindells

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
‘What Divides Us’ producer honors grandfather’s Hiroshima reportage
By Himari Semans
“What Divides Us" producer Cannon Hersey says his grandfather, who wrote about the aftermath of nuclear destruction in Hiroshima, never spoke about what he had seen while working with Japanese minister Kiyoshi Tanimoto to preserve the stories of survivors.
JAPAN
DPP’s Tamaki leverages new position with energy proposal
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
DPP leader Yuichiro Tamaki in Tokyo on Tuesday
BUSINESS
Bluesky is booming in Japan — mainly for reasons other than U.S. politics
By Elizabeth Beattie
According to Similarweb, average monthly user numbers for Bluesky on Android in Japan quintupled in the 12 months to October.
ASIA PACIFIC
China defense minister being investigated for corruption, report says
By Jesse Johnson
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun attends the opening ceremony of the Xiangshan Forum at the Beijing International Convention Center on Sept. 13. Dong is the third consecutive incumbent or former defense chief to be probed over alleged corruption.
ENVIRONMENT
How Japan can exit the fossil fuel subsidies it can’t seem to quit
By Chris Russell
A man walks past a gasoline station in Tokyo on Thursday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat
By Greg Dvorak

JT Directory Service

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Japan researchers develop a simple way to spot signs of Alzheimer's disease
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In 2022, the number of elderly people with dementia in Japan reached 4.43 million, according to data from the health ministry.
BUSINESS
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JAPAN
Two dead after fire at Upper House lawmaker Kuniko Inoguchi’s apartment
By Himari Semans
A fire broke out on the sixth floor of an apartment building where Upper House lawmaker Kuniko Inoguchi resides on Wednesday in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward.
BUSINESS
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