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TOKYO
March 26, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
March 26, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
Gaza ceasefire efforts
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Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Wednesday that the government will continue to provide assistance in addressing humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip.
JAPAN
Japan takes in Palestinian woman injured in Gaza war for treatment
By Francis Tang and Himari Semans
Tokyo plans to accept another injured Palestinian woman in the coming days, marking its first acceptance of patients from Gaza since the conflict broke out in October 2023.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Wednesday that the government will continue to provide assistance in addressing humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip.
Smoke and flames rise from a wildfire in Andong, South Korea, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Recent spate of wildfires in Japan and South Korea linked to climate change
By Tomoko Otake
A study by European researchers has concluded that the role of human-driven climate change in contributing to the wildfires was undeniable.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks at the central bank's headquarters on March 19.
BUSINESS / Economy
BOJ to keep raising benchmark rate if outlook is met, Ueda tells parliament
By Toru Fujioka and Erica Yokoyama
The central bank governor noted that while there are pockets of weakness, “the economy is recovering moderately.”
The Gateway Park at Takanawa Gateway City on Tuesday
BUSINESS
JR's 'futuristic' Takanawa Gateway complex set to open in Tokyo
By Jessica Speed
Takanawa Gateway City is a long-planned redevelopment project from JR East that integrates residential, commercial and cultural facilities.
An advertisement featuring Shohei Ohtani in Tokyo.
BASEBALL / MLB
Tokyo Series proves to be big business for MLB — and Japanese companies
By Sam Byford
The weeklong festival of all things baseball highlights how Shohei Ohtani has created myriad business opportunities on both sides of the Pacific.
An advertisement featuring Shohei Ohtani in Tokyo.

JAPAN

Cherry blossoms along a road in Tokyo on Tuesday. The 2025 cherry blossom season is expected to have an economic impact of around ¥1.39 trillion on Japan.
Hanami season to have record ¥1.39 trillion economic impact on Japan
By Yukana Inoue
The estimate is 22.2% higher than last year's ¥1.14 trillion, according to an annual report compiled by Kansai University economist Katsuhiro Miyamoto.
The Meteorological Agency forecast the yellow sand to move away from eastern Honshu by 6 p.m. on Wednesday. But it will continue to cover parts of western Honshu and Shikoku until Thursday morning, it said.
Yellow sand blankets cities across Japan
By Francis Tang
The Meteorological Agency says the phenomenon, which could reduce visibility in some regions to under 5 kilometers, is forecast to last through Thursday morning.
Hyogo governor apologizes over harassment but denies breaking whistleblower law
Victims of Okinawa battle remembered on 80th anniversary of U.S. landing
Court convicts former judge over insider trading
Japan begins taking bids in second auction of stockpiled rice

BUSINESS

Potential buyers for a package of 7-Eleven and other convenience stores have until the end of March to express their interest, Alimentation Couche-Tard Chief Financial Officer Filipe Da Silva said.
Couche-Tard sees strong interest in U.S. stores for Seven & I deal
By Mathieu Dion and Reed Stevenson
The Canadian company has agreed with Seven & I to seek a buyer for overlapping retail outlets as a prerequisite for takeover talks to sidestep U.S. antitrust concerns.
While mobile games such as Pokemon Go are at the core of Scopely’s business, the company is developing or considering acquiring PC and console titles.
Behind the $3.5 billion Pokemon deal lies a consolidation strategy
By Cecilia D'Anastasio
While mobile games such as Pokemon Go are at the core of Scopely’s business, the company is looking into PC and console titles.
About 30% of major Japanese companies using AI for recruiting, poll says
BYD sales top Tesla as tech focus wins over Chinese drivers
By Danny Lee
Japan bond rout signals era of ultralow rates might really be over  
By Kazuaki Nagata
Xiaomi raises $5.5 billion in upsized Hong Kong share sale
By Julia Fioretti and Dave Sebastian

WORLD

Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre, seen behind orange construction fencing, speaks at an election campaign event Ontario, Canada, on Tuesday.
India said to have meddled in Canadian party election
By Norimitsu Onishi
A yearlong inquiry identified New Delhi as one of the main actors saying that it supported candidates believed to be pro-India.
A protestor waves a Turkish flag in front of riot police during a rally in Istanbul in support of its arrested mayor on Monday.
Turkey protesters fill streets, defying crackdown
By Fulya OZERKAN and Hazel Ward
The demonstrations erupted after the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu, the main political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Sudan's RSF squeezing relief supplies as famine spreads, aid workers say
By Nafisa Eltahir and Khalid Abdelaziz
Chinese influencer forced to leave Taiwan for supporting invasion
By Cindy Wang and Miaojung Lin
South Korea court reverses opposition leader's election law conviction
Trump team scrambles to handle fallout from Signal chat assailed as 'sloppy, careless'
By Patricia Zengerle and Doina Chiacu

Sports

Giants ace Shosei Togo is expected to get the start on opening day.
Big-spending Giants aim to hold off BayStars and Tigers in competitive Central League
By Jason Coskrey
The Giants spent big as the club aims to win its first Japan Series title since 2012. But can the BayStars or Tigers spoil the Kyojin's fun?
Bucks blow after Lillard diagnosed with blood clot
Afghan women players call for global support as they seek FIFA recognition
By Revathi Hariharan
NBA to review European league proposal this week
Red Bull set to swap Lawson for Tsunoda: reports
By Alan Baldwin

Opinion

Students in South Korea sit the annual College Scholastic Ability Test. There is huge pressure on this exam, which determines young people's university choices and, in turn, their job and even marital prospects, leading to a heavy mental health burden.
Entrance exam wars: A pressure cooker for South Korean youth
Waka Ikeda
South Korea comes to a standstill on the day of the national university entrance exam. But so does students' possibility to determine their future paths beyond a mere test score.
U.S. allies get a Signal chat’s worth of red flags
By Marc Champion
Japan-Europe: The security alliance the world needs now
By Lionel Laurent and Gearoid Reidy
Making sense of the tariff chaos
By Pinelopi Kouianou Goldberg
‘Use it or lose it’ — a grim mantra for the AI age
By Brad Glosserman

ENVIRONMENT

Ice is seen on the Pastoruri glacier in the Peruvian Andes, Peru, in May 2024.
World's glaciers are losing record ice as global temperatures climb, U.N. says
By Alexander Villegas
Glaciers are disappearing faster than ever, with the last three-year period seeing the largest glacial mass loss on record.
Why we should worry when whales stop singing
By Todd Woody
What the $660 million Greenpeace verdict means for U.S. activism
By Olivia Raimonde and Zahra Hirji
In the remote Amazon, midwives care for women stranded by drought
By Pilar Olivares and Manuela Andreoni
Extreme weather in 2024 forced most people to flee in 16 years
By Aaron Clark

CULTURE

AMKK’s latest exhibition, “X-Ray Flowers,” is the culmination of seven years of work aided by CT technologists, who help with the highly specialized imaging techniques.
Avant-garde botanists AMKK illuminate the inner worlds of flowers
By Kim Kahan
The punk florists' latest exhibition immerses visitors in darkness, bathed only in the glow of X-rays and CT scans of plants and flowers.
'One Hundred Flowers': A moving exploration of loss, love and living with dementia
By Kris Kosaka
Osaka’s kabuki fan culture fueled an elusive figure of the ukiyo-e scene
By Martin Laflamme
Virtual idols, real fans: Hololive’s bet on the future of pop
By Patrick St. Michel
‘My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999’ shows that even stoic gamers can fall in love
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

A sign at Tokyo's Haneda Airport shows users the way to the monorail in four different languages.
Can we make it official? Language in the age of Trump.
By Peter Backhaus
The United States made English its main language, but in Japan things seem to be heading in a different way.
The art of taking a pause: Discover the 1,000-year-old meditation technique of zazen in Tokyo's temples
By Laura Pollacco
World’s first public bonsai museum reopens after renovations
By Erik Augustin Palm
Now is the time to discover this Japanese mountain vegetable
By Elizabeth Andoh
At Osaka's Haraiso Sparkle, curry with a side of city pop
By Eric Millman

COMMUNITY

Megumi Koiwai (left) found refuge in writing and storytelling that allowed her to reconcile with her heritage and upbringing.
A community of stories: Making space for reflection and dialogue in Tokyo and beyond
By Megumi Koiwai
Through conversations with an international writing workshop, a writer of mixed heritage finds steadier footing and a sense of self.
Edanoshin Katsura: ‘Rakugo and techno are both about rhythm and groove’
By Wakaba Oto
A shy cat looking for a new start
From abandoned houses to ‘creative communities’: An Ishinomaki entrepreneur's vision for rural Japan
By Florentyna Leow
A shy Shiba mix is ready to bloom

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Hanami season to have record ¥1.39 trillion economic impact on Japan
By Yukana Inoue
Cherry blossoms along a road in Tokyo on Tuesday. The 2025 cherry blossom season is expected to have an economic impact of around ¥1.39 trillion on Japan.
JAPAN
New SDF command will be key for contingency planning, Australian commander says
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Maritime Self-Defense Force SH-60K "Super Auk" from JS Shiranui prepares to land on HMAS Brisbane during Exercise Malabar 2023 while off the coast of New South Wales, Australia.
BUSINESS
Japanese wages likely to rise more than 5% again this year
By Kazuaki Nagata
Wages are set for another big increase this year as annual negotiations secure generous agreements.
JAPAN
Stay at home if Mount Fuji erupts, government panel says
By Yukana Inoue
Mount Fuji in November. For the first time, the government has released specific guidelines on how residents should act in the event that Mount Fuji erupts.
BASEBALL
In pictures: Tokyo's weeklong celebration of baseball's best
Shohei Ohtani belts a home run in the fifth inning of the second game of the Tokyo Series between the Dodgers and Cubs.

Podcast

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

Longform

The sun shines from behind a waving Philippine flag at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
Eighty years after the Battle of Manila, old foes forge new ties
By Anton L. Delgado

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WHAT’S TRENDING

SUMO
Ozeki Onosato on doorstep of yokozuna promotion after latest title
By John Gunning
Onosato celebrates after winning the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka on Sunday.
JAPAN
Ehime wildfire blazes on while Okayama's begins to burn out
By Yukana Inoue
Smoke from a wildfire in the city of Okayama on Monday. The fire had subsided by Tuesday while a separate wildfire in Ehime Prefecture continues to spread.
BUSINESS
Japan bond rout signals era of ultralow rates might really be over  
By Kazuaki Nagata
Yields on Japan's 10-year government bonds have risen at a fast pace since the Bank of Japan ended its negative-rate policy last year and started to tighten.
JAPAN
Japan's first foreign swordsmith opens workshop in Hiroshima Prefecture
Johan Leutwiler checks a sword he made at his workshop studio in the Kui district of Mihara, Hiroshima Prefecture.
JAPAN
Tokyo court strips Unification Church of religious corporation status
By Karin Kaneko
Nobuya Fukumoto (far left), a lawyer for the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, known as the Unification Church, is surrounded by the media at the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday after it ordered the group to be stripped of its religious corporation status.