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TOKYO
October 14, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
October 14, 2024
Shigeru Ishiba
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Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Amid skepticism, CDP faces once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Oct. 27 polls
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
The party can capitalize on dissatisfaction against the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over a recent scandal, but it must battle voters' deep-seated doubts against it.
Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
The Chinese military began large-scale war games around Taiwan on Monday. Code-named Joint Sword-2024B, the drills are intended “to test the joint operations capabilities of the theater command's troops,” China’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
ASIA PACIFIC
China kicks off fresh round of large-scale war games around Taiwan
By Jesse Johnson
The exercises, code-named Joint Sword-2024B, are intended “to test the joint operations capabilities of the theater command's troops."
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a debate with other political party leaders at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan to ‘seriously consider’ U.N. nuke ban treaty observer status, Ishiba says
By Jesse Johnson
Japan, the sole country to be attacked with nuclear weapons, has faced criticism for not participating in some form in the treaty.
Hideko Hakamata (center) holds a portrait and a banner reading "innocent man, not guilty verdict" to support her brother Iwao Hakamata, as she arrives to the Shizuoka District Court on Sept. 26.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Many acquitted murder suspects initially found guilty for confessions
At least 20 people in 18 cases were found innocent in a retrial after receiving a guilty verdict in the post-World War II period.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba chairs an Asia Zero Emission Community meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on Friday.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Where does Shigeru Ishiba stand on the climate issue?
By Eric Johnston
Ishiba appears to be charting a new course on renewable energy, especially with a nascent effort to tap Japan's bountiful geothermal potential.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba chairs an Asia Zero Emission Community meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on Friday.

JAPAN

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves concurrently as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, attends a debate with other political party leaders at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Saturday.
Ishiba to consider visiting U.S. to meet president-elect, report says
By Jesse Johnson
The prime minister has articulated the importance of building a relationship with the president-elect before the U.S. inauguration in January.
The Osaka Expo site under construction. The expo is scheduled to take place on Yumeshima, an artificial island, from April 13 through Oct. 13 of next year.
Challenges remain six months to go before Osaka Expo
About 7.14 million advance tickets had been sold since they went on sale last year — only 51% of the organizers' target of 14 million.
Japan's Empress Emerita leaves hospital
In Hiroshima peace park, visitors hope Nobel win will boost peace efforts
By Daniel Leussink and Irene Wang
Kyoto partners with e-gift service company to let tourists Donate & Go
By Yukana Inoue
JCP unlikely to withdraw candidates for opposition cooperation

BUSINESS

Capsule hotels were created as a way to deal with the amount of overwork employees tend to do in Japan. Can't commute home? Then spend the night in an tiny, affordable sleeping space.
Japan wakes up to the market for a proper sleep
By Alex K.T. Martin
After years of sleep deficits and drowsy mornings, a growing number of products and services are being developed to help us rest easier.
FamilyMart's net profit nearly doubled to ¥65.4 billion in the first six months of its fiscal year, though its operating revenue fell 1.4% to ¥257.5 billion.
Lawson and FamilyMart post higher first-half profits
FamilyMart's net profit nearly doubled to ¥65.4 billion in the first six months of its fiscal year, though its operating revenue fell 1.4% to ¥257.5 billion.
200 listed firms in Japan to postpone earnings disclosure
China's stimulus message leaves investors wanting though hanging onto hope
By Samuel Shen, Ankur Banerjee and Tom Westbrook
Nippon Steel will exit Alabama plant if U.S. Steel bid succeeds
Japan's top business lobby proposes maximum use of nuclear energy

WORLD

Israeli soldiers carry the body of a victim of the earlier Hamas attack at on a kibbutz in southern Israel, during clean-up operations on Oct. 10, 2023.
Secret documents show Hamas tried to persuade Iran to join its Oct. 7 attack
By Ronen Bergman, Adam Rasgon and Patrick Kingsley
Minutes of Hamas’ secret meetings obtained by The New York Times show Sinwar’s determination to persuade Hamas’ allies, Iran and Hezbollah, to join the assault.
Visitors hold their mobile phones in front of exhibits showing the Chinese Navy's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, during an exhibition on China's achievements marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China at the Beijing Exhibition Center, in September 2019.
Taiwan spots Chinese carrier as video says military 'prepared for battle'
The move comes amid concerns in Taipei about the possibility of a new round of Chinese war games following a national day speech by Taiwan's president.
Australia commits $64 million to protect against looming bird flu threat
Israeli foreign minister reiterates U.N. chief Guterres is persona non grata over Iran stance
North Korean leader's powerful sister warns of 'horrible' response to drones
Hurricane Milton’s floodwaters are hiding a dirty secret

Sports

Former Japan player Tadanari Lee believes Samurai Blue's victory over Australia in the 2011 Asian Cup final represented a major shift in the rivalry between the two nations.
Japan and Australia set to write latest chapter of fast-growing rivalry
By Sean Carroll
This will be the fifth consecutive time the teams have been grouped together in the decisive round of qualifiers for the quadrennial showpiece.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says league could return to China for games
Mauricio Pochettino instills new belief in U.S. team during win over Panama
New Zealand crushes Ineos Britannia in America's Cup opener
Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto finds redemption with series-clinching performance
By Andy McCullough

Opinion

The U.S. Federal Reserve's cutting of the federal funds rate from 5.3% to a range of 4.75-5%, its first monetary-easing cycle in over four years, has provided China with greater flexibility to stimulate its struggling economy.
What U.S. interest-rate cuts mean for China
Andrew Sheng and Xiao Geng
The Fed's easing cycle means lower debt burdens and higher liquidity, allowing countries to cut rates without fearing excessive capital outflows.
Israeli envoy criticizes Japanese atomic survivor's Gaza comparison
Earthquakes, hurricanes and other disasters will shape our future cities
By Matthew Brooker
A dangerous dance for Israel and Iran
By Abbas Milani
A battle over the kebab’s nationality
By Howard Chua-Eoan

ENVIRONMENT

Serhiy Tsapok (left) and a firefighter extinguish the remains of a fire in a forest near Yarova, Sviati Hory National Park, Donetsk region, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, July 29.
Ukraine's vast forests devastated in hellscape of war
By Max Hunder
Both Russian and Ukrainian armies blast thousands of shells at each other every day, shredding the earth in grinding combat that echoes World War I.
Amazon prefers renewables in Asia as nuclear still elusive
By Sing Yee Ong and Ishika Mookerjee
How climate change is contributing to the intensity of hurricanes
By Todd Woody
Top of the COPs: The key U.N. climate summits
By Laurence COUSTAL
Europe’s urban dilemma: Saving the past from a warming future
By Sonja Wind

CULTURE

South Korean author Han Kang, the winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, attends a press conference, in Seoul in November.
Han Kang’s Nobel win underscores essential role of translators as literary tastemakers
By Mike Fu
The trailblazing South Korean author was virtually unknown in the West just 10 years ago — then came Deborah Smith’s translation of "The Vegetarian."
Kazuhiro Soda embraces the wisdom of street cats
By James Hadfield
Long-time 'Doraemon' voice actor Nobuyo Oyama dies at 90
By Yukana Inoue
South Korean author Han Kang wins Nobel Prize in literature
By Thu-Huong Ha
In Tokyo, the Taro Nasu gallery focuses on conceptual art
By Vivian Morelli

LIFE

The Specialty Coffee Association of Japan's World Specialty Coffee Conference and Exhibition runs through Oct. 12 at Tokyo's Big Sight convention center, where Ogawa Coffee Laboratory is one of many companies showing off advances in coffee roasting and brewing.
On the ground at Japan's biggest coffee conference
By Zoria Petkoska
The biggest impact the java-centric event will have on most people might be how their local brewers make their lattes and pour-overs in the near future.
As Japan shuns stiff drinks, cider aims for a bigger share of the market
By Louise George Kittaka
Can't stop tossing and turning at night? Perhaps a bedtime story would help.
By Tomoko Otake
Can't choose a Kansai hotel? Perhaps a wellness screening will help you decide.
By Melinda Joe
Studying Japanese is like exercise: The more you do it, the better you'll feel.
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

Performers at Stand Up Indonesia Tokyo shows crack plenty of jokes, but the main purpose behind the group, organizers say, is to provide a space where Indonesian expats can express themselves about any struggles they may have about living abroad.
Tokyo’s Indonesians get through life abroad with a couple laughs
By Yohana Belinda
Stand Up Indonesia Tokyo is a community of comedians, comedy fans and others with connections to Indonesia seeking a reminder of home.
Named for an opera, Lauretta is more adorable than dramatic
Jonathan Dunnett: ‘The ocean is far bigger than we are, and it will humble us.’
By Justin Randall
The forgotten Japanese naturalist who created a U.S. national park
By Drew Damron
What’s a mother to do when your non-Japanese child is bullied in school?
By Harriet Ocharo

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Nihon Hidankyo members hope surprise Nobel win cements nuclear taboo
By Yukana Inoue
Toshiko Hamanaka (left), the assistant secretary-general of Nihon Hidankyo, and the organization's co-chair, Terumi Tanaka, during a news conference in Tokyo on Saturday, the day after the group was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
BUSINESS
Bank of Japan vows better messaging to avoid more market turmoil
By Kazuaki Nagata
The Bank of Japan's surprise rate increase on July 31 led to Japanese stocks plummeting into bear-market territory, with the benchmark 225-issue Nikkei average falling 12.4% on Aug. 5 alone.
CULTURE
Peter Barakan’s Live Magic! takes its final bow
By Matt Schley
Annual festival Peter Barakan’s Live Magic! was born a decade ago when Barakan (left) decided to create a platform to share his love of roots music, which he attributes to growing up in 1960s England.
SUMO
Spate of sumo tour dropouts highlights need to rethink wrestlers' health
By John Gunning
Shonannoumi hits the dirt at the hands of Kotozakura during a bout in Tokyo in May. Shonannoumi is among the many top wrestlers who have dropped out of this month's regional tour due to injury.
ENVIRONMENT
Japan pushes fossil fuel tech in Asia carbon neutrality initiative
By Tomoko Otake
Coal-fired power plants in Bataan, the Philippines, in June 2023. A third of the 158 agreements signed under the Japan-led Asia Zero Emission Community are linked to fossil fuel technologies, a recent study by a climate research group has found.

Podcast

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

Longform

Capsule hotels were created as a way to deal with the amount of overwork employees tend to do in Japan. Can't commute home? Then spend the night in an tiny, affordable sleeping space.
Japan wakes up to the market for a proper sleep
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
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
By Karin Kaneko
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
JAPAN
Nobel Prize is a warning to a world on the nuclear brink
By Mark Trevelyan
The remains of the Prefectural Industry Promotion Building after the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima in September 1945.
BASEBALL
Dodgers drop Padres in historic Japanese pitchers' duel to advance in MLB playoffs
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto pumps his fist during the fourth inning of Friday's series-clinching win over the Padres at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
JAPAN
Amid skepticism, CDP faces once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Oct. 27 polls
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Danish-style 'schools for life' gaining popularity in Japan
People engage in discussions during a program of School for Life Compath in Biei, Hokkaido, in August 2021.