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February 21, 2025
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February 21, 2025
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Prime Minister Shiger Ishiba waits for the Lower House Budget Committee session to begin in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dispute over funds scandal questioning delays budget talks as CDP seeks leverage
By Himari Semans and Gabriele Ninivaggi
Veering off schedule, even for a day, is detrimental to securing passage of the fiscal 2025 budget in the Lower House by March 2 — a priority for the government.
Prime Minister Shiger Ishiba waits for the Lower House Budget Committee session to begin in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Shiori Ito, who won a civil suit over a rape case against a TV reporter, in 2018. Her former lawyers claim her documentary includes footage used without the consent of sources.
CULTURE / Film
Japan release of Shiori Ito's documentary in limbo
By Yukana Inoue
Lawyers including an attorney who fought alongside the journalist in a civil suit against her attacker have raised legal and ethical concerns over the film.
Supporters watch archive footage of speeches by South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol on a screen near the Central District Court in Seoul on Thursday, as the ousted South Korean leader became the country's first sitting head of state to stand trial in a criminal case.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Ousted South Korean president sought to stop 'dictatorship,' lawyer says
Yoon Suk Yeol has has been behind bars since he was arrested last month on charges of insurrection.
Some 61.9% of over 11,000 surveyed companies intend to pledge pay increases as part of annual wage negotiations culminating in March, according to a survey by Teikoku Databank.
BUSINESS / Companies
Record percentage of Japanese firms plan wage hikes, survey shows
By Erica Yokoyama
Some 61.9% of over 11,000 surveyed companies intend to pledge pay increases as part of annual wage negotiations culminating in March.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 16, 2018
WORLD
Xi risks becoming top U.S. threat if Trump cuts deal with Putin
U.S. and Russian officials have started talks in Saudi Arabia to negotiate an end to the three-year war, prompting deep concern in Europe and Ukraine itself.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 16, 2018

JAPAN

Tokyo police have arrested the president of a computer retailer in the capital for allegedly having Chinese students studying in Japan buy MacBooks using a student discount at Apple Stores for the purpose of reselling them overseas.
Police arrest computer retailer head over MacBook student discount scheme
Zhao Zhicheng, 35, allegedly had students from China studying in Japan buy the Apple computers at a discount for the purpose of reselling abroad.
Flower bouquets outside the Shenzhen Japanese School following the death of a 10-year-old child who was stabbed by an assailant on the way to the school, in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, on Sept.19, 2024
Death sentence over murder of Japanese boy in China to be finalized
The sentence is expected to be finalized after it is examined by a high court in Guangdong and approved by China's Supreme Court.
Marking 80th year since Battle of Iwo Jima, Trump touts U.S.-Japan alliance
Boy referred to family court over murder of his parents near Tokyo
Private funds tapped for revitalization of Japan's port green areas
Bill calling for campaign poster decency submitted in Japan

BUSINESS

Cabbage prices have risen to 2.6 times their five-year average in Japan.
Japan’s food inflation is becoming harder for BOJ to overlook
By Toru Fujioka
The level of fresh food prices has risen 71.9% since 2010, about five times more than that of inflation excluding it.
With mergers and acquisitions reaching a record of more than $230 billion last year in Japan, and activists exerting greater influence on corporate Japan, investors from Sparx Asset Management to UBP Investments and Sigmoid Capital are becoming warier of nonearnings factors that may boost shares.
Activist boom in Japan is upending long-short stock strategies
By Momoka Yokoyama
Japan’s percentage of short-selling to total trades is at the lowest since July last year, in terms of the 60-day moving average.
Yen advances past ¥150 per dollar as BOJ rate-hike bets ramp up
By Mia Glass and Vassilis Karamanis
KKR wins control of $4.4 billion Fuji Soft after Bain clash
By Hideki Suzuki, Takako Taniguchi and Lisa Du
Suzuki targets operating profit of ¥800 billion in FY 2030
Federal Reserve noted Trump policies could stir inflation, minutes show
By Howard Schneider and Ann Saphir

WORLD

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gives a news conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.
Trump turns on Zelenskyy, leaving Ukraine few options amid war
By Natalia Drozdiak
Any remaining hopes seemed to fade when Trump, embracing the Kremlin’s narrative, denounced Zelenskyy as a "dictator."
Victims of scam centers, who were trafficked into working in Myanmar, wait for their embassies to pick them up in Tak province, Thailand, on Wednesday.
Myanmar scam center survivors recall torture and coercion
"I got a lot of punishments," said one man, who had cuts along his leg. "I received electric shocks every day."
In Russia, dozens of dissenters are held as psychiatric patients
By Mark Trevelyan and Lucy Papachristou
Australian spy chief warns of rising role of minors in terror
By Ben Westcott
Trump's approval rating slips as Americans worry about the economy
By Jason Lange
Russian forces advance on Ukraine's critical minerals as Trump talks of a deal
By Andrew Osborn

Sports

Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga warms up before a workout in Mesa, Arizona, on Feb. 9.
Shota Imanaga honored to be named Cubs' opening day starter for Tokyo Series
Imanaga is expected to oppose countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers in the first of a two-game series at Tokyo Dome.
WTA stars express concern after Emma Raducanu's incident with 'fixated' fan
Real Madrid and PSG power into Champions League last 16
Kylian Mbappe wants to make history with Madrid after Champions League hat trick
Eddie Jones hails Japan 'tour of a lifetime' with Ireland and Wales games

Opinion

Donald Trump, the then-Republican presidential nominee and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet at Trump Tower in New York City in September. REUTERS
What is Trump’s foreign policy strategy, if there is one?
Kuni Miyake
The rapid succession of policy changes and the speed at which implementation has taken place in the second Donald Trump administration has left many pundits in Tokyo dumbfounded.
The new face of global protests
By Slavoj Zizek
Does humanity have a future in the virtual and AI age?
By Ross Douthat
Trump’s phone call with Putin is causing a stir in Taiwan
By KARISHMA VASWANI
Starmer offers Ukraine a defense check it can't cash
By Rosa Prince

ENVIRONMENT

The Chip Mong Insee cement factory in Kampot province, Cambodia, on Jan. 9. An investigation has shown that the plastic credits sector relies heavily on the polluting cement industry to burn collected waste, despite concerns about health risks and carbon emissions.
'What would you have us do?': The plastic credits problem
By Sara Hussein
Credits place no obligations on buyers to stop producing or using unrecyclable plastic that ends up in the environment.
Shipyards of Bangladesh brace as heavy emitting ships near end of life
By Md. Tahmid Zami
Sky not the only limit for JAL and ANA’s climate goals
By Chris Russell
NOAA told to make list of climate-related grants, setting off fears
By Christopher Flavelle, Austyn Gaffney and Raymond Zhong
It’s ‘virtually certain’ the world has already breached 1.5 C
By Kendra Pierre-Louis

CULTURE

Yamanote Jijosha has a long history of staging Shakespeare plays, and in celebration of its 40th anniversary, the company will present “Othello” and “Macbeth.” Previously, it toured productions like “Titus Andronicus,” which premiered in Tokyo in 1999, saw multiple revivals and had a homecoming in 2015.
Directing is never a monologue at the experimental Yamanote Jijosha theater company
By Kris Kosaka
To mark its four decades of existence, the company stages two Shakespearean tragedies for a triumph.
‘Hypnosismic — Division Rap Battle — Movie' lets viewers remix the narrative
By Matt Schley
South Korean blockbuster 'Joint Security Area' strikes a chord 25 years on
By Claire Lee
‘Offline Love’ ditches digital dating and puts old-school romance to the test
By Patrick St. Michel
'Mornings Without Mii': A cozy cat memoir that gets down in the muck
By Thu-Huong Ha

LIFE

The poet and essayist Kamo no Chomei wrote “Hojoki” in 1212 after bearing witness to a series of natural and man-made disasters. His experiences caused him to withdraw into a hermetic lifestyle.
Attempting the classics: Deciphering impermanence in ‘Hojoki’
By Eric Margolis
With modern-day aids, this 13th-century piece of text isn't as challenging as you may think.
Fresh off awards, Japanese cheese seeks a taste ‘unique to this land’
By Phoebe Amoroso
Chewing on race, culture and 'okonomiyaki' quesadillas
By Simon Daly
Cut and dried daikon: A time-tested frugal treat
By Makiko Itoh
Alpha Takahashi: ‘The world of video games was tied to my upbringing’
By Samantha Low

COMMUNITY

Mike Sunda at a concert in Haikou, China
Mike Sunda: ‘Creative production comes with a bigger responsibility than ever before’
By Mike Fu
Creative strategist Mike Sunda talks about his influences and the filming of Megan Thee Stallion’s “Mamushi” music video.
Make room for Mushroom the dog
Black History Month in 2025: The boundaries between 'us' and 'them'
By Baye McNeil
John Davis: ‘At its core, indie is about creative freedom’
By Gendel Gento
Home away from home: My first time at a Tet festival in Japan
By Nguyen Bao Anh

Editors' Picks

MORE SPORTS
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown ready to sprint past Paris disappointment
By Mai Yoshikawa
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (center) runs during a 100-meter heat at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 3, 2024.
SUMO
What is the ceiling for sumo’s newest yokozuna?
By John Gunning
Newly promoted grand champion Hoshoryu (center) performs a dedication ceremony at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on Jan. 31.
CULTURE
‘Yasuko, Songs of Days Past’ puts overlooked star in the spotlight
By Mark Schilling
“Yasuko, Songs of Days Past” centers on a real-life love triangle between poet Chuya Nakahara (Taisei Kido, left), actor Yasuko Hasegawa (Suzu Hirose, center) and literary critic Hideo Kobayashi (Masaki Okada).
COMMENTARY
Japan’s English-language education doesn’t pass the test
By Yuko Tamura
One-third of elementary school students in Japan do not like learning English, according to a 2021 poll, an 8% rise since 2013. The pressure of taking proficiency tests is eroding children's engagement with studying English and its benefits.
JAPAN
Can Ishiba's 'joyful Japan' policy revitalize the nation's rural regions?
By Eric Johnston
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba receives fruit from tangerine farmers of Shizuoka Prefecture in Tokyo on Jan. 22. The government's new regional revitalization plan focuses on convincing younger workers to choose a career and life somewhere other than a major urban center such as Tokyo.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tokyo Koon stands at the forefront of tackling the so-called 2025 issue, also known as the “Magnetic Tape Alert.”
The race to save 20th-century history
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
IPhone parts maker Murata eyes supply chain shift toward India
By Takashi Mochizuki and Yuki Furukawa
Murata Manufacturing President Norio Nakajima
JAPAN
Monthly number of visitors to Japan hit record high in January
A visitor feeds the deer at Nara Park in Nara on Jan. 27. The monthly number of foreign visitors to Japan hit a record high in January.
SUMO
What is the ceiling for sumo’s newest yokozuna?
By John Gunning
Newly promoted grand champion Hoshoryu (center) performs a dedication ceremony at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on Jan. 31.
SOCCER
Arsenal defender Tomiyasu undergoes knee surgery
By Shifa Jahan
Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu celebrates scoring against Everton on May 19, 2024.
BASEBALL
Mets owner says he overspent to get 'best team I can'
Mets owner Steve Cohen (left) speaks next to general manager David Stearns during a press conference to introduce right fielder Juan Soto at Citi Field on Dec. 12, 2024.