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February 05, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
February 05, 2025
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Talks by Honda and Nissan to create the world’s third-largest carmaker have gone haltingly since the plans were first announced in December.
Breaking News
BUSINESS / Companies
Nissan shares plunge, Honda's rise as end to merger talks reported
By Maki Shiraki and Daniel Leussink
Shares in Nissan slid more than 4% before trade was suspended by the Tokyo Stock Exchange following the Nikkei report.
Talks by Honda and Nissan to create the world’s third-largest carmaker have gone haltingly since the plans were first announced in December.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama has been credited with convincing opposition parties to remain at the negotiating table with his diplomatic skills.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Who is Hiroshi Moriyama, the man behind the prime minister?
By Eric Johnston
The Liberal Democratic Party secretary-general is known for his negotiation skills and diplomacy, making him integral for a party that now rules as a minority government.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump says U.S. should control Gaza, sparking rebukes and ridicule
By Jennifer A Dlouhy, Jordan Fabian and Iain Marlow
The proposal, at odds with Mideast reality and America’s fraught history in the region, quickly drew sharp opposition from Saudi Arabia.
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.
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi (left) describes a detail of a mawashi presented as a gift to French President Jacques Chirac at the Elysee Palace in 1999.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
No Paris Syndrome for Japan’s national sport
By John Gunning
Despite an up and down history, sumo and France remain amorous.
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi (left) describes a detail of a mawashi presented as a gift to French President Jacques Chirac at the Elysee Palace in 1999.

JAPAN

The area near the site where the remains of a dismembered body was found in the city of Higashiosaka, on Jan. 30.
Osaka police identify dismembered body as ministry official
The deceased, 52-year-old Takamichi Kamioka, had been missing since late last year, prompting his family to file a missing persons report.
A site where a road collapsed in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, swallowing a truck, is seen on Tuesday.
Japan plans to strengthen water infrastructure after major road collapse
The move comes after it is believed a damaged sewer pipe caused a sinkhole to open up in the city of Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Jan. 28.
Ex-MUFG bank worker paid interest to pawnshops to keep gold available to her
Irish man held over suspicious death of Japanese woman in Hungary
IAEA chief to visit Japan nuclear power plants this month
Japan to support efforts to attract digital nomads

BUSINESS

Next Generation Technology Group acquires companies in need of future leadership with competitive technologies and high margins, said Eiichi Arai, the Tokyo-based firm’s CEO.
Tokyo’s first listing of the year soars in trading debut
By Yasutaka Tamura
The shares climbed as much as 58% to ¥3,165 in early trading in Tokyo on Wednesday.
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.
Toyota raises annual profit guidance despite quarterly income drop
By Nicholas Takahashi
Australia bans DeepSeek from government tech, citing security
By Ben Westcott
Google pledge against using AI for weapons vanishes
Japan weighs tougher management buyout rules to protect minority shareholders
By Yasutaka Tamura

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.
At least 10 dead in Sweden’s ‘worst mass shooting,’ prime minister says
By Christina Anderson and Lynsey Chutel
Police say the shooter likely acted alone in the attack at an adult education campus in central Sweden, but the involvement of others has not been ruled out.
Trump's Gaza stunner builds on his expansionist aims
By James Oliphant
'I don't want to die': Trump's aid plans incites fear in Africa
By Kim Harrisberg and Nelson Chigozirim
Myanmar junta bans possible conscripts from foreign travel
Thousands leave as fresh tremors shake Greece's Santorini
By Will VASSILOPOULOS and John HADOULIS

Sports

Tigers players toss manager Yoshio Yoshida into the air after the club clinched its first Japan Series title, on Nov. 11, 1985.
Hanshin Tigers legend Yoshio Yoshida dies at 91
During his 17-year playing career, Yoshida appeared in 2,007 games and recorded 1,864 hits. But he was perhaps most notable for leading the Tigers to the 1985 Japan Series.
African football may have platform for historic World Cup success
By Pirate IRWIN
Chiefs take comfort riding with QB Patrick Mahomes
By David Gladow
Former world No. 1 Simona Halep announces retirement
By Janina Nuno Rios
Alcaraz battles through in first match since Australian Open
By Richard CARTER

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

A climate change demonstrator takes part in a protest to denounce the impact of U.S. politics on climate change, outside the U.S. Embassy in London on Jan. 11.
Top climate scientist declares 2 degrees Celsius climate goal 'dead'
A stark new analysis concludes that Earth's climate is more sensitive to rising greenhouse gas emissions than previously thought.
Trump’s freeze on climate money sows fear and confusion
By Zahra Hirji and Danielle Bochove
These roads aren’t built for wilder weather driven by climate change
By Kendra Pierre-Louis
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

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
First official survey set to change backcountry Hokkaido skiing
By Justin Randall
Mind the gap — and the shoulder checking: Dealing with pushy people in Japan's crowded spaces
By Yuko Tamura

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

JAPAN
Excitement for the Osaka Expo is low. Can organizers build hype?
By Joel Tansey
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.
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.

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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SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

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
SATOYAMA CONSORTIUM
Yamagata’s Zao Onsen Ski Resort is a classic beauty
By Andrew Lee
Risshaku-ji Buddhist temple in the snow, with the valley and town in the background.
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.