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May 23, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
May 23, 2025
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U.S. soldiers at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on May 9.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
South Korea says no talks held over potential U.S. troop withdrawal
By Jesse Johnson
The remarks came after The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House is considering pulling out roughly 4,500 troops and relocating them.
U.S. soldiers at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on May 9.
Paraguay President Santiago Pena speaks during an interview with The Japan Times at a hotel in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
As Taiwan looks to boost ‘unofficial ties,’ Paraguay’s leader offers facilitator role
By Gabriel Dominguez
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena stressed his government is “more than willing to support and be a strong ally” to Taiwan.
Self-Defense Force personnel transport debris believed to be part of the wreckage of the Air Self-Defense Force's T-4 training aircraft that crashed near a lake in Aichi Prefecture on May 15.
JAPAN
Two ASDF crew members confirmed dead in training plane crash in Aichi
The Air Self-Defense Force's T-4 training aircraft crashed near a lake in Aichi Prefecture immediately after taking off from the Komaki Air Base last week.
Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Itsunori Onodera (fourth from left) visits a driver's license center in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, on Wednesday to see how foreign driver's licenses are converted into Japanese ones.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Japan considers toughening rules on driver's license conversions
By Karin Kaneko and Kanako Takahara
The National Police Agency revealed the plan amid concerns that the system for converting a foreign license is too easy.
“Marion” provides a glimpse into the lives of bull dodgers, who perform a nonlethal version of bullfighting.
CULTURE / Film
Six short films that capture our world in mere minutes
By Mark Schilling
The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia proves that less time doesn't have to mean a lack of substance.
“Marion” provides a glimpse into the lives of bull dodgers, who perform a nonlethal version of bullfighting.

JAPAN

Imperial family members attend a spring garden party at the Akasaka Palace imperial garden in Tokyo on April 22.
Support for female imperial family members keeping status at 64.9%: poll
While many respondents backed the idea, 10.7% opposed it and a total of 24.3% had no opinion or were not sure.
A man talks of his experience of being hit by a spread of fake information about him online after appearing in a reality show.
Online defamation still pesters reality show performers
Television broadcasters and online streaming services have taken steps to support and protect cast members, but defamation has not stopped.
Japan pledges immediate rice price cuts to stop shift to foreign brands
By Chang-Ran Kim
Seven 'JP Dragon' crime ring members detained in Philippines
Hiroshima opens up stone chamber containing register of A-bomb victims
‘Rice minister’ Koizumi faces urgent task to bring prices down quickly
By Yukana Inoue

BUSINESS

Yoshinobu Tsutsui (left), who is expected to become the new Keidanren chairman, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on March 25, as the current chairman, Masakazu Tokura, looks on.
Keidanren to install first leader from financial sector
The post of Keidanren chairman has traditionally been held by leaders from the manufacturing sector.
A cargo ship bound for China during a ceremony at a port in the northern Taiwan city of Keelung. Skittish foreign investors have pulled nearly $11 billion out of Taiwan stocks this year.
No place to hide from any China-Taiwan conflict, investors say
By Ankur Banerjee
For investors, the options are to stay out of Taiwan completely or stay invested and hope for the best.
Tokyo's Yamanote Line resumes suspended train operations
BOJ and Ishiba pressured as prices rise the fastest in two years
By Erica Yokoyama
U.S. panel submits view on Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal to Trump
By Alexandra Alper
ISS reverses stance and backs Toyota chief's reappointment
By Nicholas Takahashi

WORLD

A satellite image shows the North Korean warship in water at a shipyard after the launch accident, in Chongjin, North Korea, on Thursday.
North Korea launches probe into accident during warship's launch
By Hyunsu Yim
Pyongyang has said the incident on Wednesday was caused by a loss of balance while the vessel was being launched, and sections of the bottom of the warship were crushed.
The Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Trump administration blocks Harvard's international enrollments, threatens broader crackdown
By Nate Raymond and Ted Hesson
The move came after Harvard refused to give Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem information about some foreign student visa holders at the school.
Some flour reaches Gaza as blockade eases, with aid groups calling for more
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Trump's image of dead 'white farmers' did not come from footage of South Africa
Israeli embassy staffers killed in U.S. aspired to Middle East bridge-building
By Emily Rose
U.S. Supreme Court shields Fed but lets Trump fire agency leaders
By Greg Stohr

Sports

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after defeating Jannik Sinner in the Italian Open final in Rome on Sunday.
Carlos Alcaraz to open French Open title defense against Kei Nishikori
Naomi Osaka will face No. 10 seed Paula Badosa in the first round.
Lewis Hamilton has more movies in mind after working with Brad Pitt
Thunder cruise past Timberwolves to grab 2-0 lead in series
Anti-doping bodies speak out against drug-fueled Enhanced Games
Team Penske ready to move past scandal and focus on Indy 500

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes part in deliberations on pension system reform in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Ishiba’s comparison of Japan’s finances to Greece’s during a tax debate drew backlash for spooking markets and misrepresenting the country’s debt situation.
Ishiba's Greece debt comparison risks deeper crisis
Gearoid Reidy
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s comparison of Japan’s finances to Greece’s during a tax debate drew backlash for spooking markets and misrepresenting the country’s debt situation.
How efficiency can transform sustainable development
By Tshilidzi Marwala
To fix the U.S. debt problem, Americans must retire later
By Allison Schrager
Why Ishiba pulled a 180 on the gaffe-stricken farm minister
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
Trump’s wake-up call for India’s foreign policy
By Brahma Chellaney

ENVIRONMENT

A partially submerged car is seen in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, in Nagano Prefecture in October 2019. The Weather Attribution Center Japan, which was founded Tuesday, aims to publicize the results of its climate attribution assessment within days of a typhoon, torrential rain or extreme heat.
When extreme weather hits, Japan scientists will have faster answers on climate links
By Tomoko Otake
The Weather Attribution Center will aim to publish concrete links between global warming and extreme weather events within days, rather than months.
'Serious problem': Afghan capital losing race against water shortages
By Susannah Walden
Fires drive tropical forest loss to 'red alert' record high
By Julien MIVIELLE
The U.K.’s clean power future relies on a 100-year-old technology
By Eamon Farhat
Polar bear biopsies shed light on Arctic pollutants
By Olivier MORIN and Etienne FONTAINE

CULTURE

“Marion” provides a glimpse into the lives of bull dodgers, who perform a nonlethal version of bullfighting.
Six short films that capture our world in mere minutes
By Mark Schilling
The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia proves that less time doesn't have to mean a lack of substance.
LGBTQ Thai ghost story wins prize in Cannes
By Alice Hackman
‘I Still Want To Do It With My Wife’: Hapless husband’s self-pity wears thin
By James Hadfield
‘Crosspoint’ can’t quite find its target
By Mark Schilling
Adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel premieres at Cannes
By Hanna Rantala and Miranda Murray

LIFE

With the weather warming up, there's no better time to make a bowl of chilled "surinagashi-jiru" (pureed soup).
Flaunt your seasonal greens with Japan’s traditional pureed soup
By Elizabeth Andoh
Get the best flavor out of your peas and pods by simmering them in a dashi-based broth.
Manga translators walk a fine line between meaning and mayhem
By Eric Margolis
A Japanese dining icon gets a (minor) facelift
By Weiwen Lin
In Nintendo’s backyard, foreign indie game devs are thriving
By Gendel Gento
Fighting Osaka Expo fatigue? Walk the 21-km Loop Line for a cure.
By Edward J. Taylor

COMMUNITY

Born and raised in Japan, Joshua Thomson has been making videos on YouTube and Instagram to poke fun at stereotypes and challenge assumptions about — or from — Japanese society.
Joshua Thomson: ‘Comedy is a pill that’s easier to swallow’
By Laura Pollacco
The bilingual YouTuber talks about his hybrid cultural heritage and his aspirations in the entertainment industry.
Tuxedo cat Cupcake is a special treat
Detroit-Nagoya network empowers women-owned businesses around the world
By Jessica Kozuka
Ayano Kikuchi: ‘People need to take care of themselves holistically’
By Olivia Boissel
Kotomi Li: 'I refuse to choose death'
By Kat Joplin

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Ishiba doubles down on weapons cooperation, says no country can go it alone
By Jesse Johnson
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba walks past members of the Philippine Coast Guard at the coast guard's headquarters in Manila on April 30.
JAPAN
Nippon Ishin grapples with poor governance ahead of Upper House election
By Eric Johnston
Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Seiji Maehara speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Beware of dubious websites offering cheap rice, consumer watchdog warns
By Yukana Inoue
Questionable websites appear to be taking advantage of consumers looking for cheaper rice online amid the high prices of the staple grain in the nation.
SUMO
Onosato’s march to yokozuna could usher in golden age for sumo
By John Gunning
Onosato (left) battles Gonoyama on Day 6 of the Summer Basho. With Onosato on the cusp of promotion to yokozuna, there could soon be two titans at the top of the sport fighting for titles.
CULTURE
A window into the mind of Esperantist and political activist Teru Hasegawa
By Martin Laflamme
Teru Hasegawa, Esperanto name Verda Majo, wrote leftist political essays during WWII.

Podcast

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

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb
By Alex K.T. Martin

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WHAT’S TRENDING

COMMENTARY
Trump’s wake-up call for India’s foreign policy
By Brahma Chellaney
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Feb. 13. Trump’s coercive use of trade threats against India during the Pakistan military crisis has undermined trust in the U.S.-India partnership and exposed Washington as an unreliable security ally.
BUSINESS
Toyota considers making tiny trucks for U.S. market as demand booms
By Chester Dawson
Toyota executives say the automaker is listening to U.S. dealer requests for a truck smaller than the brand’s best-selling Tacoma midsize and Tundra full-size pickups.
SUMO
Onosato’s march to yokozuna could usher in golden age for sumo
By John Gunning
Onosato (left) battles Gonoyama on Day 6 of the Summer Basho. With Onosato on the cusp of promotion to yokozuna, there could soon be two titans at the top of the sport fighting for titles.
JAPAN
Shinjiro Koizumi takes farm ministry reins after predecessor's rice gaffe
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Agriculture minister Taku Eto (left), who resigned on Wednesday, and former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi
JAPAN
Railguns, missiles and lasers: Japan uses massive defense event to highlight shift
By Gabriel Dominguez
A mock-up of Japan's state-of-the-art railgun, which is currently undergoing testing, is displayed at the three-day DSEI Japan defense exhibition in the city of Chiba on Wednesday.