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TOKYO
December 28, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
December 28, 2024
Honda-Nissan alliance
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2024 in review
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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Ishiba hints at possibility of double election next summer
An Upper House poll is scheduled for next July, and Ishiba hinted at the possibility that a Lower House election might coincide with that poll.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
A Nissan dealership and a Honda dealership in Tokyo. As the two firms negotiation a potential merger, Nomura Holdings is advising Honda, while Nissan has retained Mizuho Financial Group and Bank of America.
BUSINESS / Companies
Honda-Nissan deal sets up next fight for bankers in Japan M&A boom
By Manuel Baigorri
At roughly $200 billion, the volume of transactions including mergers and acquisitions in the country is up 48% this year.
Keisuke Oma closes his eyes and talks about memories with his family, in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecuture, on Dec. 7
JAPAN
One year after Ishikawa quake, a mourning father tries to persevere
As Keisuke Oma tries to cope with losing his wife and three children, he finds comfort in the family motto: "If we try, we can certainly do it."
Discussions on greater rights for same-sex couples have not deepened at the national level despite recent court rulings saying that said Japan's same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Tokyo ward mayors call for greater rights for same-sex couples
Among the wards, Setagaya and Nakano launched initiatives in November to register the relationships of same-sex couples in the same way as for common-law couples.
Hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts' uptempo “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” quickly became a TikTok favorite after its release days into 2024, which helped turn the song into a Billboard Japan Hot 100 topper for 19 weeks before rising up viral streaming charts around the world.
CULTURE / Music / 2024 in Review
Bling-Bang, baby: The J-pop soundtrack of 2024
By Patrick St. Michel
Japanese music made waves globally, fueled by Coachella debuts, TikTok virality and unexpected hits like Creepy Nuts' "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born."
Hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts' uptempo “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” quickly became a TikTok favorite after its release days into 2024, which helped turn the song into a Billboard Japan Hot 100 topper for 19 weeks before rising up viral streaming charts around the world.

JAPAN

Discussions on greater rights for same-sex couples have not deepened at the national level despite recent court rulings saying that said Japan's same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional.
Tokyo ward mayors call for greater rights for same-sex couples
Among the wards, Setagaya and Nakano launched initiatives in November to register the relationships of same-sex couples in the same way as for common-law couples.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police headquarters
Tokyo man accused of killing wife with car
The man has admitted to the allegations, saying that he killed his wife because he was angry and upset after she suspected him of having an affair, according to police sources.
Japanese lawmaker dies in Maldives
Japan and U.S. draw up guidelines for extended deterrence
Japan uncovers 100 new cases of mishandled security secrets at SDF
Prosecutors drop cases against LDP lawmakers over slush fund scandal
By Eric Johnston

BUSINESS

A poster depicting the characters of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" in Tokyo's Shibuya Station in 2023.
Sony's Crunchyroll finds its early lead in anime under attack
By Takashi Mochizuki
Netflix, Walt Disney and Amazon are all digging into their deep pockets to license shows, making it more expensive for anime-steaming site to compete.
Osamu Suzuki, a former president of Suzuki Motor, in October 2016
Osamu Suzuki, who ran Suzuki Motor for five decades, dies at 94
By Yuki Hagiwara
Suzuki is known for spearheading the carmaker’s entrance in the Indian market, starting manufacturing there in 1983.
Trump asks Supreme Court to pause law threatening TikTok ban
Japan's Nidec takes aim at Makino Milling with $1.6 billion unsolicited bid
By Kantaro Komiya and Rocky Swift
Kawasaki Heavy found to have pooled ¥1.7 billion in slush funds
Some BOJ policymakers called for rate hike soon, December summary shows
By Leika Kihara

WORLD

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington earlier this month.
North Koreans see mass casualties on Ukraine front lines, U.S. says
About a thousand North Korean troops were killed or wounded in the last week alone in Russia's Kursk region, U.S. officials say.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump sits with Elon Musk at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 16.
Cracks emerge in Trump's MAGA coalition
Squabbling over immigration between Elon Musk and his Silicon Valley "tech bros" and Trump's hardcore Republican backers is roiling the movement.
Ukraine risks losing all Russian land it seized within months, U.S. says
New bird flu mutation discovered in U.S. as cat infections cause alarm
World news images of 2024: A year of power plays and shifting tides
South Korea's parliament impeaches acting president Han Duck-soo

Sports

Poland's Iga Swiatek practices in Sydney on Friday.
Swiatek feared more negative public response after failed doping test
Swiatek tested positive in an out-of-competition sample in August but the ITIA, which runs tennis's anti-doping program, accepted that it was caused by contamination.
Liverpool powers to seven-point lead in Premier League
Dodgers voice Stephen Nelson paves way for Japanese Americans in media
By Jason Coskrey
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers deflects questions about future with Jets
JFA hopes Nils Nielsen's international focus leads Nadeshiko Japan back to glory
By Alex Bishop

Opinion

The next 12 months will be more challenging, with some countries pursuing quick interest-rate cuts while others will proceed cautiously.
A view to 2025: Enough with the central bank hawks and doves
Daniel Moss
Interest-rate cuts will be a feature, including at institutions that resisted easing in 2024. But mind the nuances.
To serve humankind, AI must be shaped by U.N. values
By Tshilidzi Marwala
When Russia fights the wrong enemy
By S.C.M. Paine
Why cultural heritage must be protected in wartime
By Karel Komarek
Rejecting the Nippon Steel bid is a slap in the face to Japan

ENVIRONMENT

Steam rises from a geothermal plan in Yuzawa, Akita Prefecture. Despite its long history and potential, geothermal provided just 0.3% of Japan's overall energy mix in the fiscal year from April 2023
Is Japan finally ready to tap its abundant geothermal energy potential?
By Eric Johnston
Japan boasts the world’s third-largest potential supply of geothermal energy, but this renewable energy resource has mostly been untapped.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
By Anton L. Delgado
Japan's draft climate strategy spurs calls for bolder cuts in carbon emissions
By Makiko Yamazaki and Ritsuko Shimizu
Japanese study links heavy Hokkaido snowfall in 2021 to climate change
By Tomoko Otake
Companies challenged by fewer weeks of winter
By Ethan M Steinberg

CULTURE

Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada attends the red carpet event for FX's "Shogun" at the Academy theater in Los Angeles in February.
Demand for Japanese content booms after 'Shogun' success
By Mathias Cena
With interest coming from overseas producers, Japan-based companies are trying to help creators get their stories told.
The cultural luminaries we lost in 2024
By Alyssa I. Smith
‘The War of the Rohirrim’: Striking visuals, insipid storytelling
By Matt Schley
‘Moving’: A profound, poetic coming-of-age masterpiece restored in 4K
By Mark Schilling
Step into ukiyo-e: A digital journey through Japan’s traditional art form
By Masaru Urano

LIFE

The central Hokkaido city of Asahikawa made headlines this year when one of its suburbs was named as the best place to live in Japan — a ranking earned in part due to the community's many outstanding restaurants and cafes.
How Hokkaido quietly became a culinary treasure trove in 2024
By Simon Daly
Food trucks, morsels with cutesy cues from nature and more helped Japan’s northernmost island have a stellar year.
Start the new year not with one temple visit, but seven
By Zoria Petkoska
True blue tradition: How Japan's coveted jeans are made
By Natsuko Fukue
Small letter, big impact: A little 'tsu' makes all the difference
By Peter Backhaus
'Don't mess with our mince pies,' some Brits plead
By Helen ROWE

COMMUNITY

For the 20 Questions column this year, writers asked their interview subjects about everything from their lives in Japan to their thoughts on news topics.
There were plenty of hot topics to opine on in 2024
By Gendel Gento, Kimberly Hughes, Ora Margolis, David McElhinney, Zoria Petkoska, Justin Randall, Himari Semans, Patrick St. Michel and Ansel Swindells
We take a look back at some of the best answers that our interviewees gave for 20 Questions from throughout the year.
A holiday season built on creativity and care
By Baye McNeil
From the stage to the streets, make a difference this holiday season
By Kimberly Hughes
Yurie Collins: ‘Everyone seems sedated, fed-up … that’s why they turn to comedy’
By Zoria Petkoska
Seven strangers and an algorithm: Can this new dinner app help you make friends?
By Phoebe Amoroso

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Flu cases surge above ‘warning’ levels in much of Japan
By Tomoko Otake
Authorities are calling for utmost vigilance as Japan heads into the New Year holiday season, when many people plan getaways.
JAPAN
Human error caused JAL jet collision at Haneda Airport: safety board
By Kathleen Benoza
The wreckage of a Japan Airlines plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Jan. 5, three days after the crash.
JAPAN
Japan and China to continue delicate diplomatic dance in 2025
By Jesse Johnson
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Nov. 15 during their meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima.
JAPAN
Increasing number of Japanese bears find human dwellings ‘just right’
By Yukana Inoue
A bear trap in Hokkaido Prefecture. Bears have recently been found inside homes and shops.
JAPAN
High levels of PFAS found in water from 44 private suppliers across Japan
By Tomoko Otake
The Self-Defense Forces facilities are believed to have become sources of PFAS contamination because they used firefighting foam containing the toxic chemicals in the past.

Podcast

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

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?
By Kathryn Wortley

JT Directory Service

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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Ex-PM Miyazawa aired doubts about China's democratization to Clinton in '93
Then-Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa (left) and then-U.S. President Bill Clinton meet for talks at the White House on April 16, 1993.
ASIA PACIFIC
Images show new Chinese military aircraft designs, experts say
By Gerry Doyle
A Chinese military aircraft flies in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, in this screengrab of a video posted on Chinese social media on Thursday.
JAPAN
Flu cases surge above ‘warning’ levels in much of Japan
By Tomoko Otake
Authorities are calling for utmost vigilance as Japan heads into the New Year holiday season, when many people plan getaways.
JAPAN
Human error caused JAL jet collision at Haneda Airport: safety board
By Kathleen Benoza
The wreckage of a Japan Airlines plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Jan. 5, three days after the crash.
BUSINESS
Some BOJ policymakers called for rate hike soon, December summary shows
By Leika Kihara
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo following a BOJ policy meeting on Dec. 19