Home page

 
Menu
Search
 
Menu
Search
Tokyo Weather 8℃
TOKYO
December 01, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
December 01, 2024
Yen
Japan tax reform
Russia-Ukraine war
Latest News
Deep Dive
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a news conference after a policy meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 31.
BUSINESS / Economy
BOJ's Ueda says rate hike timing 'approaching,' Nikkei reports
By Leika Kihara and Roushni Nair
The remarks reinforce growing market expectations that the BOJ will raise its short-term policy rate from the current 0.25% as soon as its next meeting on Dec. 18-19.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a news conference after a policy meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 31.
Wealthy people in Japan failed to declare a total of ¥65.5 billion in taxable income in the year through June, down 33.2% from the year before, a National Tax Agency report showed Friday.
JAPAN
Japan's wealthy fail to declare ¥65.5 billion in income
The tax agency attributed the rise partly to the full-fledged use of artificial intelligence to make investigations more efficient.
The largest corporate donors to the ruling LDP were Toyota Motor and Sumitomo Chemical, with ¥50 million each.
JAPAN / Politics
LDP received ¥2.4 billion in corporate donations in 2023
The figure is down 1.9% from the previous year, the first decline in three years, according to political funds records released Friday.
Shanghai Pudong International Airport during the Lunar New Year travel rush in February 2024
JAPAN
China resumes short-term visa waiver for Japanese visitors
The maximum period of visa-free stays was also extended to 30 days from the previous 15 days.
Shiho Hanadate is part of a small yet growing number of young tappers pivotal in securing the future of domestic sap collection used in Japanese lacquerware.
LIFE / Lifestyle
The young sap collectors underpinning Japanese lacquerware
By Jessica Kozuka
“You can’t cut into the core, so you have to judge the thickness of the bark,” says tapper Shiho Hanadate. “You have to develop a sense for it.”
Shiho Hanadate is part of a small yet growing number of young tappers pivotal in securing the future of domestic sap collection used in Japanese lacquerware.

JAPAN

Lower House member Hiroaki Tabata holds a news conference on Friday in Toyama.
LDP member reportedly tried to hide membership scandal
Hiroaki Tabata admitted during a news conference Friday night that his office had signed people up for LDP membership without their consent.
A Chinese J-16 fighter jet is seen during a joint patrol with Russian forces on Friday.
China and Russia conduct joint military air patrol near Japan
This was the eighth large-scale joint flight by military aircraft from the two countries near Japan and the first since December last year.
China resumes short-term visa waiver for Japanese visitors
Defeated Japan election candidate held over promising to pay campaign staff
Ishiba considering visit to South Korea in early January
Crown Prince Akishino turns 59

BUSINESS

The 225-issue Nikkei stock average jumped on Nov. 6 after it appeared as though Donald Trump had won the U.S. presidential election.
Rush to ‘value up’ may be Asia stocks best defense against Trump
By Chiranjivi Chakraborty and Eduard Gismatullin
Governments are rushing to implement their own versions of Japan’s structural reforms that helped drive its benchmark index to a record high this year.
The Nikkei stock average outside a brokerage in Tokyo in late October.
Japan companies boosting benefits for long-term shareholders
Behind the move are growing calls for listed companies to reward shareholders more through measures including dividend hikes.
Nissan CFO set to step down as carmaker faces raft of challenges
Japan companies boosting benefits for long-term shareholders
Four Nippon TV affiliates to integrate management in April
Shiseido profit outlook squeezed by China downturn, president says

WORLD

Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of defense, speaks to reporters at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington on Nov. 21.
Pete Hegseth’s mother accused her son of mistreating women for years
By Sharon LaFraniere and Julie Tate
She said on Friday that she regretted the 2018 email and had apologized to him.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping speaks during a news conference in Brasilia on Nov. 20.
China’s lone-wolf attacks pose challenge for Xi’s security state
A new wave of deadly attacks is putting pressure on officials to expand the country's sprawling security system.
Taiwan's Lai departs on Pacific island tour
U.S. approves $385 million arms sale to Taiwan
Canada’s Justin Trudeau holds crucial meeting with Trump in Florida
North Korea's Kim and Russian defense chief agree to boost military ties

Sports

RB's Yuki Tsunoda drives during a practice session for the Qatar Grand Prix on Friday in Lusail.
Tsunoda ready for a bigger and faster team, says RB boss
By Alan Baldwin
Tsunoda has scored 30 of RB's 46 points this season, providing the backbone of the team.
Shared experiences make Murray the 'perfect coach,' Djokovic says
Saudi Arabia 2034 World Cup bid presents 'medium risk' for human rights: FIFA
Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup bid gets higher score than U.S., Canada and Mexico
By Rohith Nair
Fans flocking to PWHL as women's league returns for second season
By Amy Tennery

Opinion

While the economic benefits of Nippon Steel's acquisition of U.S. Steel are clear, concerns remain about sustaining U.S. domestic steel production, preserving national security interests and addressing union concerns.
Nippon Steel endgame: Resistance or renaissance for the U.S. steel industry
James L. Schoff
The endgame for Nippon Steel’s bid for U.S. Steel appears near and the results could have a significant impact on U.S.-Japan relations, depending on the outcome.
Japan should prepare for tariff-loving Trump
We’re finally starting to understand the pregnant brain
By Lisa Jarvis
Japan doesn't need a social media ban, but it must protect children
By Yuko Tamura
Trump's return heralds a new era of trade tensions for Japan
By Sam Baron

ENVIRONMENT

Environmental activists demonstrate in front of the convention center in Busan, South Korea, where delegates from around the world are seeking to reach a binding treaty against plastic waste.
Showdown looms on plastic treaty days before deadline
By Katie Forster
With just two days of talks left, countries seeking an ambitious treaty urged delegations that "have not moved a centimeter" to make compromises or "get out of the way."
Researchers analyze DNA from dung to save Laos elephants
By Stuart Graham
Atlantic hurricane season ends, leaving scientists to ponder the future
By Lauren Rosenthal
Turning tempura oil into fuel: 30 years of environmental efforts by Tokyo entrepreneur
By Aiko Imaizumi
How AI and cloud computing may delay the transition to clean energy
By Valerie Volcovici and Laila Kearney

CULTURE

Drag queen Becca D’Bus plays Dido, the forlorn queen of Carthage, in a drag version of “Dido and Aeneas."
Divas and diversity: Opera meets drag in ‘Dido and Aeneas’
By Zoria Petkoska
Becca D’Bus, one of Singapore’s most popular drag queens, and Tokyo’s voguers and queens team up for a grand show at the Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting.
Anime-loving cartoonist from Sweden shares joys of Tokyo life
By Ran Kawai
‘Faceless’: Fugitive thriller turns a blind eye to hard truths
By James Hadfield
The mind-bending melancholy of ‘Lust in the Rain’
By Mark Schilling
‘What Divides Us’ producer honors grandfather’s Hiroshima reportage
By Himari Semans

LIFE

Designed by Kei Atsumi and Motoya Iizawa, "The Warp" was a 3D-printed tea pavilion with organic, twisting curves placed in downtown Dubai.
Far East meets Middle East at Dubai Design Week 2024
By Erik Augustin Palm
This year's Dubai Design Week functioned much like a portal between continents, philosophies and futures.
For holidays in warm weather, a light, rolled meringue fits best
By Simon Daly
Putting mountainous Nagano on a plate
By Kyoko Nakayama
Ms. Rachel’s improbable journey from toddler whisperer to holiday toy sensation
By Sapna Maheshwari
Master this double negative to better express your Black Friday urges
By Yuko Tamura

COMMUNITY

Kumiko Shichijo provides tips on Japanese etiquette and manners on Instagram and says videos on gift-giving and hand towels have done particularly well.
Kumiko Shichijo: ‘Living abroad helped me appreciate Japanese etiquette’
By Ansel Swindells
Worried about committing a social faux pas while in Japan? This manners expert hopes to help you be your most polite while out and about.
How a solo yoga teacher built a wellness community in the Japanese Alps
By Samantha Mythen
Omar Nok: 'There are good people everywhere'
By Ansel Swindells
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

Editors' Picks

LIFE
The Geisha bean is the leading lady of Tokyo's coffee scene
By Melinda Joe
Discovered in the 1930s, the Geisha coffee plant came to worldwide fame in the early 2000s and now represents some of the best coffee on the planet — Tokyo's top cafes included.
JAPAN
Ishiba sticks to the basics in second policy speech
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
CULTURE
Hiroshi Kurosaki looks beyond Japan for heart-wrenching drama
By Mark Schilling
Hiroshi Kurosaki’s Netflix series “Beyond Goodbye” centers on a woman (Kasumi Arimura, left) who discovers her dead lover’s heart saved the life of a quiet pianist (Kentaro Sakaguchi).
JAPAN
Japan researchers develop a simple way to spot signs of Alzheimer's disease
By Kathleen Benoza
In 2022, the number of elderly people with dementia in Japan reached 4.43 million, according to data from the health ministry.
BUSINESS
Bluesky is booming in Japan — mainly for reasons other than U.S. politics
By Elizabeth Beattie
According to Similarweb, average monthly user numbers for Bluesky on Android in Japan quintupled in the 12 months to October.

Podcast

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

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat
By Greg Dvorak

JT Directory Service

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Ex.Portal By Synergy Media Specialists

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’
SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan to overhaul tax exemption system for foreign visitors
The Ginza shopping district in Tokyo in August
JAPAN
Japan researchers develop a simple way to spot signs of Alzheimer's disease
By Kathleen Benoza
In 2022, the number of elderly people with dementia in Japan reached 4.43 million, according to data from the health ministry.
JAPAN
Tokyo police arrest six Chinese nationals over yami baito scheme
By Jessica Speed
Tokyo police have arrested six Chinese nationals on suspicion of unlawful confinement and attempted extortion involving a 23-year-old exchange student who had become involved in a financial dispute over a yami baito, or a “dark” part-time job.
JAPAN
Japan's wealthy fail to declare ¥65.5 billion in income
Wealthy people in Japan failed to declare a total of ¥65.5 billion in taxable income in the year through June, down 33.2% from the year before, a National Tax Agency report showed Friday.
COMMUNITY
Kumiko Shichijo: ‘Living abroad helped me appreciate Japanese etiquette’
By Ansel Swindells
Kumiko Shichijo provides tips on Japanese etiquette and manners on Instagram and says videos on gift-giving and hand towels have done particularly well.