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January 15, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
January 15, 2025
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Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, South Korea, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
South Korean investigators arrest impeached President Yoon
His arrest, the first ever for an incumbent president, is the latest head-spinning development for one of Asia's most vibrant democracies.
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, South Korea, on Wednesday.
Cleveland-Cliffs is reportedly in talks with North Carolina-based steelmaker Nucor to acquire U.S. Steel.
BUSINESS / Companies
Japan avoids commenting on Cleveland-Cliffs CEO's provocative comment
By Francis Tang and Gabriele Ninivaggi
Lourenco Goncalves’ remarks over Nippon Steel’s takeover bid for U.S. Steel and description of Japan as being "evil" stunned many in Tokyo.
A mirror reflects a collapsed house in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Dec. 10, nearly one year after a major earthquake struck nearby on New Year's Day in 2024.
JAPAN / Explainer
Miyazaki quake falls short of triggering Nankai Trough megaquake advisory
By Yukana Inoue
Though Monday's temblor struck a similar area to one in August that sparked the first advisory, no such alert was issued.
Epidurals during childbirth have long been uncommon in Japan, though they have been growing more popular in recent years.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Tokyo plans to subsidize epidurals, but are hospitals ready?
By Tomoko Otake
If all goes to plan, Tokyo will be the first to offer prefecture-level financial support for epidurals.
Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel face significant legal challenges in their case against the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nippon Steel’s case against Biden probably unwinnable, attorneys argue
By Elizabeth Beattie
A U.S. president's rejection of a deal following review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has only been successfully challenged once.
Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel face significant legal challenges in their case against the United States.

JAPAN

Japan's first COVID-19 case was confirmed on Jan. 15, 2020, and there have been reports of cases of prolonged COVID-19 aftereffects having impact on social life.
Caution still needed five years after Japan's first COVID-19 case
Waves of infections have continued even after Japan lowered the classification of COVID-19 under the infectious disease law in May 2023.
A street in Pattaya, Thailand
Thai police arrest Japanese man over ¥1.36 billion retiree scam
The scam involved fraudsters impersonating Japanese government staff to sell bogus health insurance packages, according to the police statement.
Tamaki vows support for government budget if 3-party pact is implemented
Thai police arrest Japanese man over ¥1.36 billion retiree scam
Ishiba may visit U.S. early next month for his first summit with Trump
Realtors offer healthy options for office workers of tenant firms

BUSINESS

The number of corporate bankruptcies with liabilities of ¥10 million or more in Japan last year marked the third consecutive year of increases as rising prices due to the yen's weakening and labor shortages caused business failures in a wide range of industries.
Japan business failures top 10,000 in 2024, worst in 11 years
The annual figure marked the third consecutive year of increases as rising prices due to the yen's weakening and labor shortages caused business failures.
Mitsubishi Corp. will stop buying and selling refined metals and mineral resources in the Chinese spot market after a suspected fraud by one of its copper traders caused a huge loss.
Mitsubishi Corp. quits China metal trading after copper fraud
By Alfred Cang and Koh Yoshida
Mitsubishi announced a ¥13.8 billion loss "in its Chinese trading business” in its quarterly earnings in November.
Japan's tourism boom prices out local business travelers
By Natsuko Fukue
SEC accuses Elon Musk of bilking Twitter investors out of millions
By Chris Dolmetsch and Nicola M. White
BOJ deputy chief signals chance of rate hike next week
By Toru Fujioka
SoftBank's chip designer Arm considers acquiring Ampere Computing
By Liana Baker, Ryan Gould and Ian King

WORLD

The flight data recorder retrieved from Jeju Air flight 2216, which crashed killing 179 people in December. Black boxes holding the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for the flight stopped recording four minutes before the disaster, South Korea's transport ministry said Saturday.
Crashed Jeju jet’s black box failure shows decadeslong gap in power rules
By Allyson Versprille, Heejin Kim and Siddharth Philip
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board first recommended that cockpit voice recorders be fitted with an independent power source in the late 1990s.
Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday
Trump nominee Pete Hegseth weathers Democrat grilling largely unscathed
Hegseth, a former Fox News host and decorated veteran, is one of the most controversial figures ever nominated to be secretary of defense.
Why does Trump want Greenland and could he get it?
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Louise Rasmussen and Stine Jacobsen
LA schools rush to reopen as memories of COVID-19 disruption linger
By Maxwell Adler and Erin Hudson
EU’s top diplomat aims to use economic muscle against Russia
By Andrea Palasciano
Fire-hit LA faces new peril as dangerous winds ramp up
By Huw Griffith

Sports

Naomi Osaka hits a return during her second round win over Karolina Muchova on Wednesday at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Osaka gets 'revenge' on Muchova in Australian Open fightback
The Japanese star, who won in Melbourne in 2019 and 2021, dropped the first set against 20th seed Karolina Muchova before winning 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
'Queen Wen' deposed in huge shock at Australian Open
Tiger Woods pledges support amid 'unimaginable loss' in Los Angeles
Klopp excited about Red Bull role as he dismisses return to management
Law enforcement prepared for Super Bowl in New Orleans after attack, official says

Opinion

A man stops at a site near a sports center in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China, where a deadly car attack in November killed 35 people.  
China's rising violence that could lead to foreign aggression
Irene Chou
While China does have social welfare programs, the current economic system provides insufficient resources for the working class and unemployed individuals.
Japan’s energy plans endanger real climate solutions
By Kimiko Hirata
Trump’s trash talk revives the worst of world politics
By Andreas Kluth
Equitable marriages could save lives (and love)
By Sarah Green Carmichael
Trump 2.0 presents new challenges for Japanese companies
By Jean-Marc F. Blanchard and C. Lawrence Greenwood

ENVIRONMENT

Rescue workers search a flooded area during the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, which caused severe floods at the Chikuma River, in the city of Nagano in October 2019.
Disaster-hardened Japan faces enormous costs from climate change
By Anton L. Delgado
The total cost in climate damages for the country through 2050 could amount to ¥952 trillion if more ambitious action isn't taken.
Europe threatens to trigger a global scramble for natural gas
By Anna Shiryaevskaya, Priscila Azevedo Rocha, Stephen Stapczynski and Ruth Liao
In Brazil, an Amazon reforestation project seeks to redeem carbon markets
By Anna PELEGRI
The 'climate archive': How scientists study the ancient past
By Benjamin Legendre
Study documents extinction threats to world's freshwater species
By Will Dunham

CULTURE

In season two of "Squid Game," protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returns to put an end to the deadly competition.
The unnervingly timed return of ‘Squid Game’
By Erik Augustin Palm
The show’s themes of wealth disparity and exploitation of power resonate far beyond South Korea, tapping into a universal vein of unease about the unstable systems we live under.
Isekai anime offers a key to understanding globalization
By Stevie Suan
An explosive B’z set on ‘Kohaku’ hints at a strategy to win over viewers
By Patrick St. Michel
‘Unbound’ breaks NHK period drama tradition with a hero of the common folk
By Mark Schilling
‘The Solitary Gourmet’: Palatable movie adaptation may leave you wanting more
By James Hadfield

LIFE

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?
By Tomoko Otake
Amid a push to digitalize, some experts believe citizens should have the right to stay offline.
‘Dorayaki’ creators say flavors trump the dessert’s murky origins
By Cassandra Lord
The case for Japan-ifying everything you cook
By Simon Daly
Can an international makeover help Tokyo salons meet foreign demand?
By Laura Pollacco
American stationery nerds are fueling a Japanese notebook boom
By Thu-Huong Ha

COMMUNITY

Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
By Justin Randall
With adventure tourism on the rise in Hokkaido, a new generation of foreign-born guides is eager to greet travelers.
Kaz Shiomi: ‘I want to show people … how to color outside the lines’
By Laura Pollacco
There were plenty of hot topics to opine on in 2024
By Gendel Gento, Kimberly Hughes, Ora Margolis, David McElhinney, Zoria Petkoska, Justin Randall, Himari Semans, Patrick St. Michel and Ansel Swindells
A holiday season built on creativity and care
By Baye McNeil
From the stage to the streets, make a difference this holiday season
By Kimberly Hughes

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Japanese companies rush to up English-language disclosures in 2025
By Kazuaki Nagata
The Tokyo Stock Exchange will soon require some companies to publish their financials in English in addition to Japanese.
JAPAN
From wrath to radiance: Why the 'Manyoshu' feels like paradise lost
By Michael Hoffman
The entrance gate to Arakura Sengen Shrine in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, with Mount Fuji in the distance.
COMMUNITY
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
By Justin Randall
Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
MORE SPORTS
30 minutes with Yuzuru Hanyu
By Mai Yoshikawa
Yuzuru Hanyu smiles during an interview in his hometown of Sendai in between performances of his latest tour, Ice Story.
ENVIRONMENT
Disaster-hardened Japan faces enormous costs from climate change
By Anton L. Delgado
Rescue workers search a flooded area during the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, which caused severe floods at the Chikuma River, in the city of Nagano in October 2019.

Podcast

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

Longform

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?
By Tomoko Otake

JT Directory Service

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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Strong quake strikes southwestern Japan
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck southwestern Japan at 9:19 p.m. on Monday evening
BUSINESS
Japanese companies rush to up English-language disclosures in 2025
By Kazuaki Nagata
The Tokyo Stock Exchange will soon require some companies to publish their financials in English in addition to Japanese.
JAPAN
Osaka Expo kicks off pavilion reservation lottery amid sales concerns
The mascot character of the Osaka Expo promotes the event at Tokyo's Haneda Airport last week.
JAPAN
Japan top diplomat visits South Korea amid political turmoil in Seoul
By Jesse Johnson
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, shake hands during their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Monday.
JAPAN
Japan farm ministry aims to dispatch corporate workers to rural areas
To counter the impact of aging rural demographics, the agriculture ministry is introducing a new initiative to dispatch corporate personnel to rural areas to increase the number of people engaged with farming communities.