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September 28, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
September 28, 2024
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Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes a seat in the Liberal Democratic Party president's office in Tokyo after being elected to the post on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Ishiba wins: An unusual result for an unusual election
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
The very lawmakers who long shunned former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba made him president in an unexpected twist to the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race.

More coverage

Fifth time's a charm: Shigeru Ishiba set to be Japan PM after LDP poll win
Yen rallies as Ishiba beats Takaichi in LDP race
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes a seat in the Liberal Democratic Party president's office in Tokyo after being elected to the post on Friday.
Justice Minister Ryuji Koizumi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday. Koizumi stressed that the granting of the special residency permits to children subjected to deportation orders was a one-time measure.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan fine-tunes issuance of humanitarian visas
By Francis Tang and Himari Semans
The move comes amid a near-tripling of technical intern trainees from Myanmar going missing from their programs in 2023.
Out of a total of 509,373 foreign technical trainees, 1.9% went missing in 2023, according to Immigration Services Agency data.
JAPAN / Society
Record number of technical trainees go missing in Japan in 2023
By Himari Semans and Francis Tang
Of the total, 1,765 were Myanmar nationals who had fled conflict in their home country.
A series of satellite images from Planet Labs appears to show cranes at the Wuchang shipyard in Wuhan, China, on June 15.
ASIA PACIFIC
China's newest nuclear-powered submarine sank this year, U.S. says
By Jesse Johnson
It was not clear if the sub was carrying nuclear fuel, but the accident has dealt a major blow to Beijing as it seeks to showcase its growing military prowess.
“A Whisper in the Eye of the Storm,” by Canadian artists Caitlind R. C. Brown and Wayne Garrett is an outdoor installation of around 14,000 recycled lenses of varied prescriptions.
CULTURE / Art
Weather makes for an unpredictable artist at Nagano art festival
By Thu-Huong Ha
Fram Kitagawa’s Northern Alps Art Festival embraces its inconvenient location and the natural elements.
“A Whisper in the Eye of the Storm,” by Canadian artists Caitlind R. C. Brown and Wayne Garrett is an outdoor installation of around 14,000 recycled lenses of varied prescriptions.

JAPAN

Damaged buildings following an overnight Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Shebaa on Friday.
Japan to dispatch military planes for possible Lebanon evacuations
Israeli bombing has killed hundreds of people this week in Lebanon, particularly in Hezbollah strongholds.
Shigeru Ishiba, newly-elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a news conference after winning the party's leadership election in Tokyo on Friday.
China, Taiwan and South Korea weigh in on Ishiba victory
All three of Tokyo's neighbors said they hoped for improved relations under the former defense chief, who is set to be named prime minister in the coming days.
Schools in Ishikawa Prefecture reopen after heavy rain
Farmers struggle to rebuild after devastating rains in Wajima
Victims of Mount Ontake eruption remembered 10 years on
Takaichi and Ishiba head to runoff in LDP leadership election
By Eric Johnston

BUSINESS

The Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo. Japanese companies with directors that sit on multiple boards are facing the equity market’s displeasure as the bourse steps up pressure to improve corporate governance.
‘Moonlighting’ directors are problem for company boards in Japan
By Hideyuki Sano
The Tokyo bourse has demanded that firms in its blue-chip Prime section get at least a third of their board members externally.
The Sharp air purifier's furniture-like design was overseen by architect Kengo Kuma.
Sharp collaborates on wooden air purifier with architect Kengo Kuma
The purifier is aimed at corporate clients and will sell for ¥550,000 yen.
Toyota to recall over 42,000 U.S. vehicles over loss of power brake assist
Game developer Virtuos seeks acquisitions and growth in Japan
By Takashi Mochizuki and Eddy Duan
Toyota ends sponsorship with 'political' Olympics
Toyota production falls on vehicle safety scandals and U.S. recalls
By Nicholas Takahashi

WORLD

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Waesche and crew transit the San Francisco Bay en route to Base Alameda, California, on Aug. 11 following a 120-day Indo-Pacific patrol.
U.S. Coast Guard advising Manila as it seeks bigger Indo-Pacific footprint
By Gabriel Dominguez
It has also been assisting Manila in its missions to resupply the Philippine garrison at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, the agency's Pacific area chief says.
Eric Adams, mayor of New York, exits a weekly news conference at City Hall in New York in 2023.
NYC mayor was corrupt for years, U.S. claims in scathing case
By Bob Van Voris, Laura Nahmias and Patricia Hurtado
The indictment calls into question the political future of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is in charge of running the biggest U.S. city.
Chinese Americans face racism, mental health risks amid tensions
By Karoline Kan
Sri Lanka’s leftist leader faces tough test to alter IMF deal
By Dan Strumpf, Anusha Ondaatjie and Eric Martin
Putin draws a nuclear red line for the West
By Mark Trevelyan and Andrew Osborn
India cuts target for fast-track sex crime courts as states fall short
By Krishna N. Das, Saurabh Sharma, Subrata Nag Choudhary and Arpan Chaturvedi

Sports

Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and his teammates celebrate after the club clinched the National League West with a 7-2 victory over the Padres at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.
Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers top Padres to seal NL West title
Will Smith had a game-tying two-run homer and Mookie Betts added a two-run single in the seventh for the Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani 50-50 ball heads to auction despite ownership dispute
U.S. sweeps International team 5-0 on Day 1 of Presidents Cup
Lawson to replace Ricciardo at RB for rest of F1 season
By Alan Baldwin
Athletics pay emotional farewell to Oakland in last home game before move

Opinion

Myanmar's then-state counselor, Aung San Suu Kyi, meets with Fumio Kishida, Japan's then-foreign minister, for talks in Tokyo in November 2016.
Kishida’s failure to support democracy in Myanmar
John S. Thang
Kishida's lack of engagement with Myanmar's pro-democracy movement shows he prioritized economic relations over democratic values.
The world needs bigger and better financial firefighters
By Marina Zucker-Marques and Kevin P. Gallagher
Tepco's Fukushima decommissioning effort is challenging — but making progress
By Junichi Matsumoto
How independent journalism can save society from the effects of Big Tech
By Marcelo Rech
China tests Japan. Are its new leaders ready?

ENVIRONMENT

Funafuti, Tuvalu’s most populous island, on Sept. 6
Tuvalu fights to retain its maritime rights amid climate change inundation
By Kirsty Needham
Tuvalu's economic zone is rich in tuna, but few foreign jurisdictions that fish in the Pacific have supported efforts to safeguard its maritime boundaries.
Climate change made Europe’s floods worse and more likely, study shows
By Olivia Rudgard and Eamon Akil Farhat
Offshore wind opponents in Australia and Europe look to U.S. for advice
By Nichola Groom and Lewis Jackson
Amazon forest loses area the size of Germany and France, fueling fires
Insurance czar has ‘harsh’ message about climate: You may just have to move
By Thomas Seal

CULTURE

“A Whisper in the Eye of the Storm,” by Canadian artists Caitlind R. C. Brown and Wayne Garrett is an outdoor installation of around 14,000 recycled lenses of varied prescriptions.
Weather makes for an unpredictable artist at Nagano art festival
By Thu-Huong Ha
Fram Kitagawa’s Northern Alps Art Festival embraces its inconvenient location and the natural elements.
NewJeans’ ultimatum casts K-pop’s displays of labor in a new light
By Jon Caramanica
NHK furthers global reach with Tiny Desk Concerts Japan
By Patrick St. Michel
'National treasure' U.K. actor Maggie Smith dies aged 89
By Helen ROWE
‘Previously Saved Version’: An intriguing premise gets lost in space
By James Hadfield

LIFE

The Nintendo Museum opens to the public on Oct. 2, but unlike the company's all-ages games, the new attraction may be geared more toward older rather than younger gamers.
A first look inside the new Nintendo Museum
By Joel Tansey
Set to open on Oct. 2, the gaming giant's newest foray into real-world experiences shows flashes of the same creativity that made the company what it is today.
In need of rice and some Japanese words that describe necessity
By Yuko Tamura
Some idioms and terms pertaining to Japan's favorite grain
By Yuko Tamura
Japan is next level for retro game collectors
By Mathias Cena
Brewers developing climate change-resistant beer ingredients

COMMUNITY

Having grown up in North Carolina, where people are chatty and friendly, Duane Levi says Kansai and Osaka in particular had a similar vibe.
Duane Levi: 'Once you are able to create something that has sustainability … you’re going to get help and support.'
By Patrick St. Michel
Unable to get a job in PA and recording, Duane Levi forged his own path in the Japanese music scene and has introduced many artists to the market here.
Saying good riddance to what bugs me about a Japanese summer
By Jordan Allen
‘The people I’d seen in kimono didn’t have as much melanin as I do’
By Baye McNeil
Andreas Fuchs: ‘I love that no two days are the same’
By Louise George Kittaka
Philippine envoy highlights climate and smart farms
By Louise George Kittaka

Editors' Picks

LIFE
Tokyo Game Show 2024 stacked with big returns and hyped announcements
By Samantha Low
Tokyo Game Show opens to the public on Sept. 28 full of cosplayers promoting a full slate of new and upcoming titles.
JAPAN
Deadline approaches for free HPV vaccine 'catch-up' campaign
By Jessica Speed
A 13-year-old junior high school student receives a vaccine for the human papillomavirus at a hospital in Tokyo in 2022.
LIFE
A first look inside the new Nintendo Museum
By Joel Tansey
The Nintendo Museum opens to the public on Oct. 2, but unlike the company's all-ages games, the new attraction may be geared more toward older rather than younger gamers.
JAPAN
Japan MSDF warship sails through Taiwan Strait for first time
By Gabriel Dominguez and Jesse Johnson
The Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Sazanami arrives in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean during a scheduled port visit in July. The Sazanami became the first Japanese warship to sail through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
People of all ages and sizes scale new heights amid climbing boom in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa
A climbing wall at a kindergarten in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture. The sport has been on the rise in Japan, mainly due to the popularity it gained from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and new climbing walls are popping all over the place.

Podcast

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

Longform

A woman passes an "akichi" (vacant lot) in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The capital is littered with such small lots in part because of Japan's aging and shrinking population.
Dealing with rising land vacancies as Japan shrinks
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
In rare retrial, Shizuoka court rules ex-boxer not guilty of 1966 murders
By Kanako Takahara and Himari Semans
Hideko Hakamata (center) and lawyers representing her younger brother, Iwao Hakamata, pose with a banner that reads "Iwao Hakamata verdict not guilty" as they leave the Shizuoka District Court on Thursday after the ruling was delivered.
JAPAN
Giant African snails mark 90 years of history in Okinawa
Giant African snails are unpopular among local residents and are referred to as an alien species that shouldn’t be touched, as they damage crops and sometimes hosts rat lungworms.
JAPAN
Takaichi and Ishiba head to runoff in LDP leadership election
By Eric Johnston
A poster showing portraits of candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election at the party headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday
WORLD
Putin issues nuclear warning to the West over Ukraine striking Russia
By Vladimir Soldatkin and Guy Faulconbridge
Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Security Council on the subject of nuclear deterrence in Moscow on Wednesday.
LIFE
Tokyo Game Show 2024 stacked with big returns and hyped announcements
By Samantha Low
Tokyo Game Show opens to the public on Sept. 28 full of cosplayers promoting a full slate of new and upcoming titles.