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April 10, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
April 10, 2025
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U.S. President Donald Trump looks on after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday in Washington.
BUSINESS / Economy
Tokyo cheers Trump’s dramatic tariff U-turn even as other big levies remain
By Francis Tang
The news of Trump’s 90-day pause on “reciprocal tariffs”was welcomed by Japan and its markets, with the 225-issue Nikkei stock average up more than 7% on Thursday morning.

More coverage

China raises tariffs on U.S. goods to 84% as trade war escalates
Japan and U.S. appoint tariff negotiators after Ishiba-Trump phone call
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday in Washington.
The skyline during sunset in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Japan's new underground criminal groups operate under a highly organized and brutal system.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
How police are cracking down on 'scout' sex broker groups
By Karin Kaneko
Major scout groups are under scrutiny, as authorities uncover a far more systematized and sinister network than previously imagined.
The Nikkei stock index jumped on Thursday morning following U.S. President Donald Trump's pause on reciprocal tariffs.
BUSINESS / Markets
Japan stocks rebound after Trump tariff reversal
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was up 8.3% in morning trade on Thursday after the U.S. president announced a 90-day pause on the most onerous new tariffs on imports.
Stockpiled rice at a rice-polishing factory in Saitama Prefecture in March
JAPAN
Japan to release stockpiled rice monthly amid record high prices
By Yukana Inoue
The move comes after two previous releases appeared to have had little effect in stabilizing prices.
Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, who Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has appointed Japan's tariff negotiator, is one of his closest allies and busiest ministers.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Who is Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's tariffs negotiator?
By Eric Johnston
The man tasked with convincing the U.S. drop its tariffs on Japanese goods is one of the prime minister's closest allies and busiest ministers.
Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, who Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has appointed Japan's tariff negotiator, is one of his closest allies and busiest ministers.

JAPAN

The whereabouts of a bear that attacked three people in Nagano Prefecture on Wednesday were still unknown the following day.
Authorities on alert after three injured in Nagano bear attack
Two men are believed to have sustained serious injuries, but all three victims remain conscious. The whereabouts of the bear remain unknown.
The woman's body found in a home freezer in the city of Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, has been identified as Mariko Nonaka, 57, from the city of Sakai, Osaka Prefecture.
Shiga police identify frozen woman's body as suspect's wife
Mariko Nonaka's body was found abandoned in a home's freezer in the city of Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, last week.
Tokyo police program for bereaved children marks 10 years
Local governments to showcase products at Osaka Expo
Ishiba names 180 regional revitalization officers
Banks freeze withdrawals for foreign nationals upon expiration of visas
By Karin Kaneko

BUSINESS

Guests play the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 console at an event in Paris on April 2.
Nintendo gets breathing room on tariffs — just in time for Switch 2 launch
By Vlad Savov and Takashi Mochizuki
Nintendo dodges a 46% tariff on Vietnam-assembled consoles, buying time to flood the U.S. with Switch 2 units before the launch window closes.
The operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores is taking a series of steps to boost its value, including share buybacks, selling the under-performing superstore business and divesting its banking unit.
Seven & I jumps most in a month on buyback plan and broader buying
By Kanoko Matsuyama
The operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores is taking a series of steps to try to boost shareholder value amid a takeover bid by Canadian retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard.
LVMH finds making Louis Vuitton bags messy in Texas
By Tassilo Hummel and Waylon Cunningham
Japan producer prices rise 3.3% in fiscal 2024
Ishiba picks ex-Mitsubishi executive Masu for BOJ board
By Toru Fujioka
Trump says he does not want to see U.S. Steel go to Japan

WORLD

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol agents chat beside a decorated Tahoe during the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday.
ICE chief says deportation system should run like Amazon Prime
By Alicia A. Caldwell and Hadriana Lowenkron
Immigrant rights advocates condemned Todd Lyons’ comments as dehumanizing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever and business officials in Kyiv on Tuesday
Zelenskyy says at least 155 Chinese nationals are fighting on Russia's side
By Olena Harmash
Ukraine captured two Chinese nationals in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops have been advancing.
Palau stands with Taiwan 'until death do us part,' President Whipps says
Australia turns down China's offer to 'join hands' to fight U.S. tariffs
By Renju Jose
U.N. may get first female chief as Latin bloc unites
By Simone Iglesias and Franco Dantas
New Zealand parliament rejects controversial move to revise indigenous law
By Lucy Craymer

Sports

Takayasu during the one-day Annual Sumo Tournament at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Feb 9, 2020
Takayasu’s latest heartbreak makes sumo history
By John Gunning
The former ozeki now has more second-place finishes without winning a championship than any other wrestler.
Paris Saint-Germain in driver's seat in Champions League tilt after late goal
Augusta National celebrates legacy of Black caddies at Masters
By Paul Sullivan
Luka Doncic helps Lakers clinch playoff spot in emotional return to Dallas
Liverpool to face Marinos as part of preseason tour of Asia

Opinion

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2.
A conversation of the deaf after Trump’s tariffs
Brad Glosserman
Trump likes win-win scenarios, but his version is different from those of his trade partners.
Le Pen ruling unleashes wave of hypocrisy on populist right
By Thomas O. Falk
Trump’s tariffs will accelerate America’s economic decline
By Kaushik Basu
The U.K. is trying to fight social scams. The U.S. not so much.
By Paul J. Davies
AI resurrecting the dead threatens our grasp on reality
By Parmy Olson

ENVIRONMENT

Brine pools at the Atacama salt flat in Antofagasta region, Chile, in 2023. Local Chilean Indigenous communities are pushing for greater control over lithium extraction in the country just as the government plans to raise production.
As Chile revs up lithium plans, Indigenous people demand more control
By Daina Beth Solomon
Mining companies describe a potential system as "unprecedented" in Chile, adding that it would comply with international treaties on Indigenous rights.
Global temperatures at near-historic highs in March, says EU monitor
Artificial glaciers boost water supply in northern Pakistan
Rising seas test defenses of South American ports
By Axl Hernandez
'It's gone': conservation science in Thailand's burning forest
By Sara Hussein

CULTURE

Bickering siblings Sota (Masaaki Nakano, left) and Akira (Hirota Otsuka) attempt to dispose of their father’s body in “The Brothers Kitaura.”
‘The Brothers Kitaura’: A sordid tale of filial impropriety
By James Hadfield
Masaki Tsujino’s dark comedy of errors unpacks family dysfunction and middle-class mediocrity.
‘Ghost Killer’: Spirited action and sharp humor make for deadly fun combo
By Mark Schilling
Sasami is in her pop era, and she’s not overthinking it
By Patrick St. Michel
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

LIFE

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
Outdated government policy, changing diets and even an earthquake scare have had an impact on the national food staple.
‘Japanese pastry has matured into its own distinct identity’
By Haru Beaufort
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

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.
This Kai ken’s a perfect 10
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
After a tumultuous buildup, a first look at the Osaka Expo
By Joel Tansey and Tomoko Otake
A large statue of Osaka Expo mascot Myaku Myaku sits near the east entrance of the event's venue in Yumeshima island, Osaka, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Japan gets a new U.S. ambassador — and he has his work cut out for him
By Jesse Johnson
George Glass, U.S. President Donald Trump's pick to be ambassador to Japan, attends a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington on March 13.
CULTURE
Online art scene eager to go offline, at least for the moment
By Zoria Petkoska
Digital artist Polygon1993 revels in the physicality of nostalgic technology, making art out of materials such as miniature CDs, holographic prints layered with plexiglass shards and a giant custom-made floppy disk.
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).

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

COMMENTARY
Wall Street will regret helping the world burn
By Mark Gongloff
Wall Street banks, under political pressure and tempted by short-term gains, are abandoning climate commitments and pouring billions into fossil fuels, risking both environmental catastrophe and massive future economic losses.
BUSINESS
Trump's tariff gambit leaves Asia stunned and scrambling
By Francis Tang
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he attends the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner in Washington on Tuesday. Trump allowed new tariffs — including a 24% levy on Japan — to go into effect as scheduled on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Japan and U.S. appoint tariff negotiators after Ishiba-Trump phone call
By Francis Tang and Gabriele Ninivaggi
Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa enters the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Japanese makers rush to mitigate possible Nankai Trough earthquake damage
Toyota is considering transferring some production in the key Tokai region, which is expected to be hit hard in a Nankai Trough earthquake, to the Tohoku and Kyushu regions.
LIFE
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it
By Alex K.T. Martin
An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.