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February 05, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
February 05, 2025
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The talks by Honda and Nissan to create the world’s third-largest carmaker have gone haltingly since the plans were first announced in December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nissan likely to reject Honda offer in blow to tie-up plan
By Masatsugu Horie and Chester Dawson
The carmaker plans to convene a board meeting as soon as Wednesday afternoon, where it will likely vote down Honda’s proposal to make it a subsidiary.
The talks by Honda and Nissan to create the world’s third-largest carmaker have gone haltingly since the plans were first announced in December.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump, in shock announcement, says U.S. wants to take over Gaza Strip
By Jeff Mason, Matt Spetalnick and Steve Holland
He did not elaborate on how and under what authority the U.S. can take over the land of Gaza and occupy it in the long term.
Cargo containers await loading onto ships at the port of Tianjin, China, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Xi’s careful reply to Trump tariffs shows China has more to lose
The shift reflects both Xi’s success at diversifying imports away from the U.S. since Trump’s first term, as well as China’s more precarious economic situation.
Based on his own assessment, Hideo Hayakawa, the former director, says he sees the BOJ’s terminal rate in this cycle somewhere around 1.5%.
BUSINESS / Economy
BOJ’s rate likely to go higher than consensus, ex-official says
By Toru Fujioka and Sumio Ito
"My base view is that there is a lot more coming,” the former director said. "There is little logical reason to believe that rate hikes will stop early.”
The Osaka Expo site on Yumeshima island in December. A survey of 3,000 people from across Japan conducted in October by the Mitsubishi Research Institute showed that just 24% of respondents expressed an interest in attending the Osaka Expo.
JAPAN / Society
Excitement for the Osaka Expo is low. Can organizers build hype?
By Joel Tansey
A little over two months before it opens, the Osaka Expo is just about ready to welcome guests from Japan and the rest of the world — that is, if they are ready to come.
The Osaka Expo site on Yumeshima island in December. A survey of 3,000 people from across Japan conducted in October by the Mitsubishi Research Institute showed that just 24% of respondents expressed an interest in attending the Osaka Expo.

JAPAN

A vigil is held in central Budapest on Tuesday to commemorate a 43-year-old Japanese woman, whose charred body was found in a burned out apartment the previous week. Counter terrorism forces detained her husband, an Irish citizen, on Monday on suspicion of killing the woman.
Irish man held over suspicious death of Japanese woman in Hungary
The charred body of the victim — the man's former wife and mother of their two children — was found in a burned-out apartment in central Budapest on Jan. 29.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi
IAEA chief to visit Japan nuclear power plants this month
Rafael Grossi will visit Tepco's Fukushima No. 1 power plant and an interim storage facility for soil from radiation decontamination work.
Japan to support efforts to attract digital nomads
44% in Japan feel they might be affected by dual-surname debate
Tokyo police arrest brothel operator catering to foreign tourists
Kishida's attacker denies having intention to kill ex-PM

BUSINESS

Based on his own assessment, Hideo Hayakawa, the former director, says he sees the BOJ’s terminal rate in this cycle somewhere around 1.5%.
BOJ’s rate likely to go higher than consensus, ex-official says
By Toru Fujioka and Sumio Ito
"My base view is that there is a lot more coming,” the former director said. "There is little logical reason to believe that rate hikes will stop early.”
While it's unclear whether U.S. President Donald Trump will follow through with his promised 25% levies on Mexico and Canada after agreeing to a 30-day pause on Monday, the blowback would be profound for Nissan.
Trump tariffs will only add to the pain for hard-hit Nissan
By Daniel Leussink and Maki Shiraki
The blowback from potential tariffs on Mexico and Canada would be profound for Japan's No.3 carmaker, which is struggling to turn itself around.
Tokyo’s first listing of the year soars in trading debut
By Yasutaka Tamura
Japan weighs tougher management buyout rules to protect minority shareholders
By Yasutaka Tamura
Smuggled grand pianos show Trump’s challenge in pressuring Putin
By Alastair Gale, Eddy Duan and yihui xie
Two ex-Japan Airlines pilots grounded after lying about drinking

WORLD

Protestors gather outside of the headquarters for United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Monday ahead of a news conference by Congressional Democrats.
U.S. aid agency places global staff on leave as part of Trump's purge
The move is part of the Trump administration's radical drive to shrink the U.S. government, which has shocked Washington and caused angry protests.
Police cars are parked near the house of a suspect in a deadly shooting at an adult education center in Orebro, Sweden, on Tuesday.
Sweden's deadliest attack leaves 10 dead at Orebro adult school
By Johan Ahlander and Simon Johnson
The gunman, whose motive was not immediately known, is believed to be among those killed.
Thousands leave as fresh tremors shake Greece's Santorini
By Will VASSILOPOULOS and John HADOULIS
Greenland PM calls election with Trump pressure mounting
By Sara Sjolin, Kati Pohjanpalo and Sanne Wass
Panama considers canceling port deal with Hong Kong firm
By Eric Martin
Trump reimposes 'maximum pressure' on Iran that aims for zero oil exports
By Steve Holland and Jeff Mason

Sports

Roki Sasaki pitches in a game against the Czech Republic during the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo on March 11, 2023, the 12th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Roki Sasaki's road to glory was paved by ache of a tragedy
By Stephen J. Nesbitt
Long before he became a pitching phenom and signed a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Roki Sasaki's life was marked by tragedy.
Former world number one Simona Halep announces retirement
By Janina Nuno Rios
Alcaraz battles through in first match since Australian Open
By Richard CARTER
The closed-door battle to lead the Olympics
By Tariq Panja
Trump to make unprecedented Super Bowl visit, says White House

Opinion

DeepSeek’s AI breakthrough has shaken assumptions about China’s innovation, highlighted weaknesses in U.S. tech restrictions, and reinforced China’s push for self-sufficiency despite export controls.
DeepSeek forces a rethink of China’s ability to innovate
Brad Glosserman
The Trump administration hasn’t outlined a policy toward technology flows yet, but it ordered a review of export controls on day one.
Ishiba will finally meet Trump, but expectations need to be kept low
By Edo Naito
What’s in a name? In the South China Sea, a whole lot.
By Dalbir Ahlawat
Confronting the pandemic’s toxic political legacy
By Jan-Werner Mueller
America versus China, the troubling prequel
By Howard Chua-Eoan

ENVIRONMENT

Highway One after a portion of the road collapsed into the Pacific Ocean in Monterey County, California, in March 2024
These roads aren’t built for wilder weather driven by climate change
By Kendra Pierre-Louis
Worldwide warming temperatures are hammering roads that were built for a different climate and ballooning repair budgets.
Trump’s freeze on climate money sows fear and confusion
By Zahra Hirji and Danielle Bochove
Mitsubishi reviews Japanese offshore wind after economic changes
By Shoko Oda
Brazil's carbon trade takes off, but agribusiness escapes scrutiny
By Andre Cabette Fabio
Vanishing mountains: Winter air pollution smothers Iran
By Sanam Mahoozi

CULTURE

After a long wait, Beyonce proudly holds the one prize that has alluded her for many years: the Album of the Year award. "Cowboy Carter" also garnered the Best Country Album award.
Beyonce finally wins top album, as Kendrick Lamar sweeps Grammys' rap category
By Maggy Donaldson
Beyonce made history at the Grammys as she became the annual event's most decorated artist while the night paid tribute to the community of fire-ravaged Los Angeles.
In pictures: The Grammys 2025 moments to remember
By Maggy Donaldson
Taiwan's 'Meteor Garden' star Barbie Hsu dies at 48
Louvre opens first fashion exhibition after shock memo about decay
By Sandra Biffot-Lacut and Adam PLOWRIGHT
Two decades of unparalleled access into the world of Hayao Miyazaki
By Erik Augustin Palm

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.
Novel seafood noodles become flavor of the moment in Tokyo
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

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.
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
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
By Justin Randall

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Fuji Media’s crisis entices investors betting on changes
By Bret Okeson, Hideyuki Sano and Lisa Du
While Fuji Media Holdings is known for its iconic sphere-and-lattice headquarters in the Odaiba district near Tokyo Bay, it also owns office buildings, condominiums, hotels, nursing homes, logistic facilities, resorts and even two aquariums.
BUSINESS
Job-hopping Japanese workers push salaries higher
By Kazuaki Nagata
Japanese workers are increasingly job-hopping from one full-time position to another.
CULTURE
At the new Ginza Sony Park, listening is an art form
By Patrick St. Michel
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.
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.

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

WORLD
Crashed U.S. Army Black Hawk unit was responsible for doomsday readiness
A U.S. Coast Guard vessel attempts to retrieve the remains of a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Friday after it crashed into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport earlier in the week.
JAPAN
Why it's taking so long to reach the driver trapped in a Saitama sinkhole
By Jessica Speed
Construction workers near a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Monday
JAPAN
Record-breaking snowfall hits Hokkaido as cold front sweeps Japan
By Jessica Speed
Snow-covered streets in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on Tuesday
BUSINESS
Job-hopping Japanese workers push salaries higher
By Kazuaki Nagata
Japanese workers are increasingly job-hopping from one full-time position to another.
JAPAN
Tokyo police arrest brothel operator catering to foreign tourists
English-language signs and other materials seized from men’s aesthetic salon Sparaku by the Metropolitan Police Department on Tuesday in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward