Home page

 
Menu
Search
 
Menu
Search
Tokyo Weather 14℃
TOKYO
November 24, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 24, 2024
Yen
Japan tax cuts
Russia-Ukraine war
Latest News
Deep Dive
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a rally in Tokyo on Saturday, held by a group of families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago to demand the immediate return of all abductees.
JAPAN / Politics
Ishiba shelves proposal for liaison offices with North Korea amid rising tensions
The Prime Minister has expressed his commitment to resolving the abduction issue, as well as his willingness to hold talks with Kim Jong Un.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a rally in Tokyo on Saturday, held by a group of families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago to demand the immediate return of all abductees.
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.
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gives a speech on Friday at a meeting of a newly formed group within the Liberal Democratic party to promote investments.
JAPAN / Politics
Former Prime Minister Kishida launches new group in ruling LDP
Kishida is keen to exert his influence, saying that he has a lot of unfinished projects, sources said.
The Grand Ring, a symbol of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka
JAPAN
Preparations for Osaka Expo well underway amid lack of excitement
Enthusiasm for the event has been muted, particularly after criticisms were raised over the venue's construction costs.
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.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Tokyo’s newest three-star chef wants ‘harmony across every detail’
By Haru Beaufort
Daniel Calvert has managed to reach the pinnacle of the culinary world just three years after opening fine French dining restaurant Sezanne.
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

Former Amagasaki Mayor Kazumi Inamura speaks to her supporters after she lost her bid to become Hyogo governor, on Nov. 17 in Kobe.
Failed Hyogo governor candidate's team questions X account suspension
According to the group supporting former Amagasaki Mayor Kazumi Inamura, it set up an X account on Nov. 5, but it was suspended the following day.
An employee at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Lost and Found Center in the Iidabashi area of central Tokyo bags, tags and organizes thousands of items.
Tokyo police care for lost umbrellas, keys and flying squirrels
By Natsuko Fukue
In Japan, lost items are rarely disconnected from their owners for long, even in a megacity like Tokyo — population 14 million.
Government aims to ease care worker shortages through wage hikes
Woman dies after train collides with car in Tochigi
Japan to aid introduction of multilingual ride-hailing apps
MUFG fires worker over ¥2 billion theft from clients’ safe deposit boxes
By Russell Ward

BUSINESS

A 7-Eleven convenience store in Tokyo
Seven & I founding family sounded out KKR and others about buyout: report
In addition to KKR, the founding Ito family also approached Bain Capital and Apollo Global Management.
Workers install a battery for a new electric vehicle model at Mitsubishi Motor's factory in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture.
Trump tariffs may target Japanese cars, economist says
The Moody's Analytics economist warned that this poses a huge risk to the Japanese economy.
JETRO draws up guidelines for wagyu labeling in U.S.
Nissan persuades U.S. court to decertify brake defect class actions
By Jonathan Stempel
Northvolt crisis may be make or break for Europe's EV battery ambitions
By Marie Mannes, Alessandro Parodi and Stine Jacobsen
Japan chipmaker Kioxia IPO set for next month

WORLD

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.
World leaders pose for a family photo during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima on Nov. 16.
Trump casts long shadow over summits as world holds its breath
By Rebecca Choong Wilkins
Officials raised worries about Trump’s specific threat to impose 60% tariffs on China, a measure that would force Beijing to reroute exports to other parts of the world.
Mounting economic costs of India's killer smog
By Arunabh SAIKIA
Powerful Israeli airstrike in central Beirut kills 11, Lebanese health ministry says
Swiss university applies stricter measures to Chinese students
By Paula Doenecke and Laura Alviz
Cambodia's flagship canal in hot water as China funding dries up
By Francesco Guarascio

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.
Max Verstappen takes his fourth consecutive F1 title in Las Vegas
Pride shut out Spirit to capture first NWSL championship
Neuville wins world title after Tanak crashes at Rally Japan
Mikaela Shiffrin takes 99th World Cup win, putting her on course for 100 on home snow

Opinion

Sony's potential acquisition of Kadokawa, the publisher behind Elden Ring, represents an opportunity to expand its intellectual property across gaming, anime and other media provided it learns from past failures.
Like in Elden Ring, Sony must learn from its mistakes
Gearoid Reidy
The Japanese firm’s proposed deal for Kadokawa has great potential — if it can avoid getting stuck in the same mazes as before.
Paranoia and Beijing trump democracy in Hong Kong
Has the age of populism finally reached Japan?
By Kuni Miyake
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul's fight should have been illegal
By Adam Minter
Biden’s track record in boosting U.S. space security
By Kota Umeda

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.
Developing nations blast $300 billion COP29 climate deal as insufficient
Wealthy countries' $300 billion offer seeks to end COP29 stalemate
At a climate conference in oil country, progress remains elusive
By Akshat Rathi
Can a COP29 deal clean up scandal-ridden carbon offsets?
By Kate Abnett and Virginia Furness

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
‘Angry Squad’: A caper comedy with a lot of heart
By James Hadfield
‘Performing Kaoru's Funeral’: Ambitious drama reflects on love that doesn’t die
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

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.
After Shohei Ohtani bump, Iwate ironware maker sees brighter future
By Jessica Kozuka
Thanks to the Dodgers superstar, the waitlist for Oitomi’s Miyabi Tetsubin kettle now stretches to more than a year.
Tokyo’s newest three-star chef wants ‘harmony across every detail’
By Haru Beaufort
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

COMMUNITY

Omar Nok arrived in Japan 250 days after leaving Egypt. He didn't use a plane for any part of his journey.
Omar Nok: 'There are good people everywhere'
By Ansel Swindells
Omar Nok says the hospitality he has received from locals at every stop on his journey from Egypt to Japan has been nothing short of inspirational.
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
How Fugetsu-Do survived the evolution of Little Tokyo in LA
By Meghan McCarron

Editors' Picks

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.
CULTURE
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
By James Hadfield
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
JAPAN
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
By Yukana Inoue
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.

Podcast

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

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

JT Directory Service

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Ex.Portal By Synergy Media Specialists

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono
The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
U.S. aircraft carrier returns to Japan carrying navy’s ‘most capable fighter’
By Gabriel Dominguez
U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Fred Kacher speaks to reporters shortly after the arrival of aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture on Friday.
JAPAN
Tokyo police care for lost umbrellas, keys and flying squirrels
By Natsuko Fukue
An employee at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Lost and Found Center in the Iidabashi area of central Tokyo bags, tags and organizes thousands of items.
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.
BUSINESS
Japan approves ¥21.9 trillion stimulus plan
By Kazuaki Nagata
The policy chiefs of the Democratic Party for the People, Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito — Makoto Hamaguchi (left), Itsunori Onodera (center) and Mitsunari Okamoto — shake hands after reaching an agreement on an economic stimulus package on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Woman dies after train collides with car in Tochigi
A Moka Railway train car