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November 25, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 25, 2024
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A man walks past a gasoline station in Tokyo on Thursday.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
How Japan can exit the fossil fuel subsidies it can’t seem to quit
By Chris Russell
While offering relief to low-income households, such measures encourage the continued use of the fossil fuels driving climate change.
A man walks past a gasoline station in Tokyo on Thursday.
The National Consumer Affairs Center reports a growing number of consultations regarding "digital legacies" — data and online services left behind by the deceased.
JAPAN / Society
Are you leaving your loved ones digital legacies or headaches?
By Karin Kaneko
The National Consumer Affairs Center is getting an increasing number of consultations regarding data and online services left behind by deceased persons.
Japan starter Shosei Togo reacts after allowing a three-run home run against Taiwan in the fifth inning of the Premier12 final on Sunday.
BASEBALL
Taiwan stuns Samurai Japan to capture Premier12 title
By Jason Coskrey
Taiwan won the Premier12 crown for the first time.
A resident of Kibichuo in Okayama Prefecture takes a blood test in the town on Monday.
JAPAN
PFAS blood tests start in Okayama Prefecture town
About 800 residents are expected to take a blood test under the program, which runs through Dec. 8.
Seiji Osaka, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's Hokkaido chapter, has expressed concern over the finances of Rapidus, which is supposed to be in full production of cutting-edge 2-nanometer chips by 2027.
JAPAN / Politics / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
CDP’s gains in Hokkaido raise political questions about Rapidus
By Eric Johnston
The head of the party's Hokkaido chapter has expressed concern over the finances for the project, which aims to produce 2-nanometer chips by 2027.
Seiji Osaka, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's Hokkaido chapter, has expressed concern over the finances of Rapidus, which is supposed to be in full production of cutting-edge 2-nanometer chips by 2027.

JAPAN

Reiko Okada shows her ink paintings that depict female students making paper balloons as she talks about her wartime experience on Okunoshima island in Hiroshima Prefecture.
The stories behind Japan's WWII 'balloon bombs'
Former students are detailing wartime work that had the potential to unleash devastation.
People offer a moment of silence during a ceremony held for the first time on Sunday to remember all those who worked at the now-defunct gold mines on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, including those from the Korean Peninsula.
First ceremony held to remember Sado gold mine workers
The event came after the Sado Island Gold Mines were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site earlier this year.
Ex-deputy mayor wins Nagoya mayoral election
Japan and U.S. to form missile plan in case of Taiwan emergency
Japan's foreign minister may visit China within this year
Government aims to ease care worker shortages through wage hikes

BUSINESS

Fujikura's headquarters in Tokyo's Koto Ward. The company's share price has surged by more than 400% this year.
AI boom makes 139-year-old cable maker Japan’s hottest stock
By Aya Wagatsuma
Fujikura, which makes narrow wire cabling, is the best performer on the Nikkei stock index this year due to a boom in demand for data centers.
The Keikyu Line in Yokohama
Japan’s rail stocks soar on Keisei Electric activist stake news
By Alice French
Keisei’s stock jumped over 18%, its sharpest intraday rise since October 2008, with Keikyu climbing more than 16%.
Dai Nippon Printing says Elliott has sold most of its stake
By Hideyuki Sano
China's startups suffer as investors exercise redemption rights
Ito-Yokado closes store that inspired 'Crayon Shin-chan' supermarket
Chinese exports to hit record this year before second Trump term

WORLD

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump approaches to embrace Donald Trump Jr. at his campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 4.
Trump's son helping him pick most controversial Cabinet of modern times
By Alexandra Ulmer
Donald Trump Jr. is helping contenders sink or rise to the fore, according to a half dozen sources with knowledge of his role.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Joe Biden greet one another during a meeting in Washington in September.
Biden rushes to bolster Ukraine before Trump takes control
By Courtney McBride
Biden’s recent steps include, most notably, allowing Kyiv to hit military targets deeper inside Russia.
Trump victory forces ESG investors to regroup
By Frances Schwartzkopff
Mohammed bin Salman’s style shift sets up a new world order strategy
By Bradley Hope
Afghan women turn to entrepreneurship under Taliban
By Aysha Safi
Adani charges to test Trump’s desire to keep India in U.S. orbit
By Sudhi Ranjan Sen

Sports

Brazil’s Rayssa Leal celebrates after winning the women's Street League Skateboarding competition on Saturday in Tokyo.
Rayssa Leal and Chloe Covell on Japan’s teen skaters: We are friends, not rivals
By Mai Yoshikawa
On Saturday, there were plenty of high-fives, fist bumps and hugs between “rivals” as Leal won Street League Skateboarding's Tokyo stop.
Japan coach Eddie Jones calls for patience after blowout loss against England
Star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka to part ways with Eagles
By Jason Coskrey
U.S. finishes Premier12 on high note with victory over Venezuela for bronze
By Jason Coskrey
Verstappen wins fourth consecutive Formula One world title

Opinion

The Clintons and Barack Obama engineered the disastrous situation in the 2024 election and have long dominated the Democratic Party, with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris serving as their appointees. 
How the Democrats sunk their own ship this year
James K. Galbraith
The Democratic leadership would far rather lose an election or two — or even become a permanent minority party – than open the party to people it cannot control.
Nintendo’s latest device, the Alarmo, is a $100 wake-up call
By Gearoid Reidy
Paranoia and Beijing trump democracy in Hong Kong
Like in Elden Ring, Sony must learn from its mistakes
By Gearoid Reidy
Has the age of populism finally reached Japan?
By Kuni Miyake

ENVIRONMENT

Titan Cement's factory in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Egypt
How big fossil-fuel-producing countries export emissions abroad
By Mohamed Ezz and Valerie Volcovici
A loophole in the 2015 Paris accord has allowed countries to say they are making climate progress while also exporting fossil fuels at breakneck pace.
Can the world unite to end the plastic pollution crisis?
By Aaron Clark and Leslie Kaufman
Surprise solar boom in Pakistan helps millions, but harms grid
By Faseeh Mangi
South Korea's mountain of plastic waste shows limits of recycling
By Joyce Lee
Climate finance's 'new era' shows new political realities
By Shaun TANDON

CULTURE

Emerging Gen Z J-pop group ME:I will perform on this year's "Kohaku Uta Gassen," national broadcaster NHK’s New Year's Eve spectacle.
'Kohaku' still matters for J-pop bragging rights
By Patrick St. Michel
The recently announced 2024 lineup underlines how capturing a year of J-pop in one broadcast bonanza is impossible these days.
There's no room for wallflowers at Amapinight
By Kim Kahan
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
By Kris Kosaka
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
By James Hadfield
‘Angry Squad’: A caper comedy with a lot of heart
By James Hadfield

LIFE

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat
By Greg Dvorak
The modern sauna experience is more than just taking a seat in some steam — whisking, aufguss shows and spectacle all play a part.
A buttery pound cake to die — or kill — for
By Simon Daly
In rugged Yamanashi, a wild-goose chase for ‘real Japan’
By Owen Ziegler
You don’t need an onion bouquet to say thanks — just the right words
By Yuko Tamura
Healthy low-carb foods on the rise in Japan

COMMUNITY

After almost a decade of traveling around the world, a working holiday during the 2019 ski season in Nozawa Onsen was to be Rowie Geraerts’ last hurrah before she settled down in Australia.
How a solo yoga teacher built a wellness community in the Japanese Alps
By Samantha Mythen
A budding entrepreneur from Australia, Rowie Geraerts has created Shizen Collective in Nozawa Onsen — a new home for herself, locals and visitors.
Omar Nok: 'There are good people everywhere'
By Ansel Swindells
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
By Mike Fu
A bridge between kyogen and the world, Don Kenny dies at 88
By Rintaro Dainichi
Gary Perlman: ‘Kabuki is pure entertainment … the characters and themes are universal’
By Ansel Swindells

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
An iconic 32-foot doughnut might give Randy’s an edge in Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie
Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, California. Replicas of the giant doughnut sculpture will be installed, where possible, at shops in Japan.
LIFE
Tokyo’s newest three-star chef wants ‘harmony across every detail’
By Haru Beaufort
British-born Daniel Calvert earned his third Michelin star last month — a stunning achievement considering his restaurant, Sezanne, has only been open for just over three years.
JAPAN
133-year-old Kyushu railway station remains to be partially preserved
By Francis Tang
The remains of the original Moji Station in Kitakyushu
LIFE
After Shohei Ohtani bump, Iwate ironware maker sees brighter future
By Jessica Kozuka
Kaito Kikuchi's decision to send superstar Shohei Ohtani one of his company's traditional ironware tea kettles has paid off with a surge of interest from general consumers.
BASEBALL
Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award
By Jason Coskrey
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.

Podcast

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

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat
By Greg Dvorak

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’
Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

WHAT’S TRENDING

BASEBALL
Taiwan stuns Samurai Japan to capture Premier12 title
By Jason Coskrey
Japan starter Shosei Togo reacts after allowing a three-run home run against Taiwan in the fifth inning of the Premier12 final on Sunday.
JAPAN
Woman dies after train collides with car in Tochigi
A Moka Railway train car
BASEBALL
Japan beats Taiwan ahead of rematch in Premier12 final
By Jason Coskrey
Keita Sano celebrates with his teammates after scoring on Kotaro Kiyomiya's two-run triple against Taiwan during their Premier12 game at Tokyo Dome on Saturday.
LIFE
Tokyo’s newest three-star chef wants ‘harmony across every detail’
By Haru Beaufort
British-born Daniel Calvert earned his third Michelin star last month — a stunning achievement considering his restaurant, Sezanne, has only been open for just over three years.
CULTURE
'Kohaku' still matters for J-pop bragging rights
By Patrick St. Michel
Emerging Gen Z J-pop group ME:I will perform on this year's "Kohaku Uta Gassen," national broadcaster NHK’s New Year's Eve spectacle.