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December 22, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
December 22, 2024
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Lawyers estimate that personal bankruptcies in Japan are on track to reach the highest since 2012 this year.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Bankruptcies and suicides rise as Japanese struggle with mounting debt
By Ayai Tomisawa
Personal debt is overwhelming an increasing number of Japanese as higher interest rates and the rising cost of living bite.
Lawyers estimate that personal bankruptcies in Japan are on track to reach the highest since 2012 this year.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky delivers a speech during a handover ceremony of Self-Defense Force vehicles to Ukraine, at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, in May last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Zelenskyy to replace Ukraine ambassador to Japan
By Kathleen Benoza
Sergiy Korsunsky played a key role in galvanizing Tokyo’s support for Kyiv amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
U.S.-Canadian anti-whaling environmental activist Paul Watson talks to journalists after he was released from prison in Greenland's capital Nuuk after five months in detention, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on Saturday.
JAPAN
Freed activist Paul Watson vows to 'end whaling worldwide'
The 74-year-old returned to France after spending five months in detention in Greenland due to an extradition demand from Japan.
A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force V-22 Osprey tiltrotor military transport aircraft participates in a live fire exercise at GSDF's training grounds in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in May.
JAPAN
Japan's SDF to resume Osprey flights
Officials announced the decision after the U.S. military said that its Ospreys will resume flights after undergoing an additional safety inspection.
North Korean special forces soldiers march and shout slogans during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang in April 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
North Korea aiding Russia where it needs it most, Canadian general says
By Gabriel Dominguez
Pyongyang's provision of troops as well as weapons and munitions that Moscow can't produce fast enough carries a symbolic element.
North Korean special forces soldiers march and shout slogans during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang in April 2017.

JAPAN

Self-Defense Force members march in formation at Camp Asaka, which straddles Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture, during a ceremony on Nov. 9.
Japan ready to improve working conditions for SDF members
Improving working conditions for the members "is a serious challenge" for his administration, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a meeting of relevant Cabinet ministers.
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The poll found that people worry most about their own health, plans for life after retirement, and the outlook for future income and assets.
Cambodia to grant Japan visitation rights to China-linked naval base
Freed anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrives in France
77-year-old man arrested in connection with fatal stabbings and arson in Chiba
Ruling camp approves tax reform proposal
By Himari Semans

BUSINESS

A container ship transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City last August.
Trump demands Panama lower transit fees or return canal
The U.S. completed the 82-kilometer canal through the Central American isthmus in 1914, but ceded it back to Panama in 1999.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
By Alexandra Alper
The accusation was made in a Dec. 17 letter, signed by counsel for Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel, to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.
1 billion users, but controversies mount up for TikTok
Economists see BOJ's policy review as insufficient
Honda and Nissan consider mutual production of vehicles, report says
Ghosn says Honda deal talks indicate Nissan in ‘panic mode’

WORLD

California Gov. Gavin Newsom stands with Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng at an event welcoming pandas to the San Diego Zoo on Aug. 8. American intelligence agencies have warned of influence operations targeting city halls and statehouses. But what's in it for Beijing?
As China seeks influence, it has a cuddly way into city hall: pandas
By Mara Hvistendahl, Heather Knight and Vik Jolly
Records and interviews show that Beijing has used pandas as leverage to shape policy on Taiwan and to cultivate relationships with local U.S. politicians.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (third from right) and other officials visit the site Saturday of a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, eastern Germany.
Suspect in deadly Christmas market attack railed against Islam and Germany
The attack left five people dead — including a 9-year-old child — and wounded 205 others.
How Bashar Assad's inner circle fled Syria after his fall
From liberal icon to MAGA joke: The waning fortunes of Justin Trudeau
By Matina Stevis-Gridneff
Starmer is deepening China ties while the U.K.’s allies turn away
U.S. Congress passes bill to avert shutdown

Sports

MLB Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before a game between the Mariners and the Athletics in Seattle on Sept. 29.
Rickey Henderson, baseball’s flamboyant ‘Man of Steal,’ dies at 65
By Michael S. Rosenwald
Henderson holds the MLB career record for stolen bases with 1,406 — a mark unlikely to be swiped from him anytime soon, or perhaps ever.
NFL-best Chiefs beat Texans while Ravens clinch playoff spot
'Perfect start' for ski great Vonn on World Cup return
Mbappe's adaptation period over, Real Madrid boss says
Ukraine's Usyk outpoints Fury to retain world heavyweight crowns

Opinion

Greenpeace activists protest next to a fake whale's tail in front of the Japanese Embassy in Berlin in 2010. The real motivation behind Japan's whaling may lie in asserting its maritime sovereignty, as the country defends its exclusive economic zone amid territorial disputes.
For Japan, whaling is intertwined with maritime sovereignty
Maxime Polleri
While Japan has an undeniable culture surrounding seafood, the current generation of people do not show much interest in whale meat.
Chip cities rise in Japan’s fields of dreams
By Gearoid Reidy
Why Trump can’t just end birthright citizenship
By Barbara McQuade
Europe’s militaries make their presence known in the Indo-Pacific
An OPEC for solar power isn’t going to work
By David Fickling

ENVIRONMENT

The entrance of the Sodegaura LNG Terminal, operated by Tokyo Gas, in Sodegaura, Chiba Prefecture
Japan's draft climate strategy spurs calls for bolder cuts in carbon emissions
By Makiko Yamazaki and Ritsuko Shimizu
The government last month presented a draft plan to aim for a 60% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 from 2013 levels.
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
Indigenous people in Canada weigh costs of a gas windfall
By Max Bearak
World falls short of drought deal at Saudi-hosted talks
By Robbie COREY-BOULET

CULTURE

Tokyo Comic Con took place at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Dec. 6, 7 and 8.
Comic cons are far more than just cosplay
By Howard Chua-Eoan
The conventions allow fans of comics to meet their heroes — both actors and authors — with manga and anime playing an increasingly bigger role each year.
‘The Hotel of My Dream’: A literary comedy that never really gels
By James Hadfield
‘More Than Words’: A morally gray melodrama about sexual assault
By Mark Schilling
Zakir Hussain, peerless Indian tabla player, dies at 73
By Yan Zhuang
Jay Rubin takes us back to Haruki Murakami's world
By Kris Kosaka

LIFE

When chef Yoshihiro Kitagawa returned to his hometown of Matsusaka to open Shibousai Kitagawa in 2015, he chose a tranquil location on the rural fringe of the city.
Shibousai Kitagawa: Creative Chinese in the home of Matsusaka wagyu
By Robbie Swinnerton
Alongside the superlative array of vegetable appetizers, a focal point at Shibousai Kitagawa is the revered local Matsusaka wagyu.
A brief history of ‘osechi ryōri,' Japan's edible year-end tradition
By Elizabeth Andoh
Make the Yuletide gay: Tokyo’s LGBTQ+ Christmas events
By Kat Joplin
Silent night? Not if you want to impress your Christmas Eve date.
By Yuko Tamura
Looking for ways to be charitable in Japan? Give the gift of reading.
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

Tokyo Union Church volunteers prepare food for unhoused individuals. The church helps people regardless of religion, race or sexuality.
From the stage to the streets, make a difference this holiday season
By Kimberly Hughes
Discover the joy of giving back through a variety of charitable efforts. Helping others helps you, too.
A green-eyed cutie who loves to eat
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
Kumiko Shichijo: ‘Living abroad helped me appreciate Japanese etiquette’
By Ansel Swindells

Editors' Picks

LIFE
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
By Tomoko Otake
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
ENVIRONMENT
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
By Anton L. Delgado
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
JAPAN
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
By Tomoko Otake
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
JAPAN
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
By Francis Tang
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
CULTURE
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
By Mark Schilling
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.

Podcast

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

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
By Alex K.T. Martin

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WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
By Alexandra Alper
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
JAPAN
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
JAPAN
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
ASIA PACIFIC
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
JAPAN
Mother hopes for reunion with daughter ensnared by Tokyo host clubs
The Kabukicho district in Tokyo, where the daughter of a woman in her 60s fell deeply into the host club culture.