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February 05, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
February 05, 2025
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The Osaka Expo site on Yumeshima island in December. A survey of 3,000 people from across Japan conducted in October by the Mitsubishi Research Institute showed that just 24% of respondents expressed an interest in attending the Osaka Expo.
JAPAN / Society
Excitement for the Osaka Expo is low. Can organizers build hype?
By Joel Tansey
A little over two months before it opens, the Osaka Expo is just about ready to welcome guests from Japan and the rest of the world — that is, if they are ready to come.
The Osaka Expo site on Yumeshima island in December. A survey of 3,000 people from across Japan conducted in October by the Mitsubishi Research Institute showed that just 24% of respondents expressed an interest in attending the Osaka Expo.
Snow-covered streets in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on Tuesday
JAPAN
Record-breaking snowfall hits Hokkaido as cold front sweeps Japan
By Jessica Speed
The cold air mass is expected to fluctuate in intensity and persist until the weekend, with heavy snow forecast for Hokkaido, Tohoku and Hokuriku later this week.
The Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai on Jan. 20. China's Finance Ministry said it would impose levies of 15% for U.S. coal and LNG and 10% for crude oil, farm equipment and some autos.
BUSINESS / Economy
China hits back with tariffs on U.S. goods after Trump imposes new levies
Trump on Monday suspended his threat of 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada at the last minute, but there was no such reprieve for China.
Ryuji Kimura, 25, is accused of attempted murder along with other charges for throwing an explosive at then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida moments before he was to give a speech in Wakayama in April 2023.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Kishida's attacker denies having intention to kill ex-PM
The prosecution plans to produce evidence showing the lethal potential of the pipe bomb thrown at Kishida moments before he was to give a speech in Wakayama in April 2023.
While Fuji Media Holdings is known for its iconic sphere-and-lattice headquarters in the Odaiba district near Tokyo Bay, it also owns office buildings, condominiums, hotels, nursing homes, logistic facilities, resorts and even two aquariums.
BUSINESS / Companies
Fuji Media’s crisis entices investors betting on changes
By Bret Okeson, Hideyuki Sano and Lisa Du
It may come as a surprise that Fuji Media’s shares have surged 45% this year, making it the best-performing stock on the benchmark Topix index.
While Fuji Media Holdings is known for its iconic sphere-and-lattice headquarters in the Odaiba district near Tokyo Bay, it also owns office buildings, condominiums, hotels, nursing homes, logistic facilities, resorts and even two aquariums.

JAPAN

According to the National Police Agency, 99% of speech venues during last year’s House of Representatives election had baggage inspections carried out.
Election speech sites step up security after failed 2023 Kishida attack
The National Police Agency has applied greater pressure on speech organizers to enforce security measures following the 2023 failed attack on former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a committee meeting in parliament on Monday.
Ishiba seeks quick action in bid to fight inflation
The prime minister's plan comes as households face soaring rice and vegetable prices.
44% in Japan feel they might be affected by dual-surname debate
Tokyo police arrest brothel operator catering to foreign tourists
Tokyo court upholds suspended jail term for former Nissan exec
Sapporo Snow Festival kicks off with giant sculptures

BUSINESS

While it's unclear whether U.S. President Donald Trump will follow through with his promised 25% levies on Mexico and Canada after agreeing to a 30-day pause on Monday, the blowback would be profound for Nissan.
Trump tariffs will only add to the pain for hard-hit Nissan
By Daniel Leussink and Maki Shiraki
The blowback from potential tariffs on Mexico and Canada would be profound for Japan's No.3 carmaker, which is struggling to turn itself around.
Russian demand for Japanese grand pianos is always very high, a dealer has said.
Smuggled grand pianos show Trump’s challenge in pressuring Putin
By Alastair Gale, Eddy Duan and yihui xie
High-end Japanese pianos still make their way to Russia despite export ban, highlighting Tokyo's struggle to enforce sanctions.
Two ex-Japan Airlines pilots grounded after lying about drinking
Where things stand in China-U.S. trade tensions
Tesla supplier Panasonic to cut costs to support shift into AI
By Yuki Furukawa
Japan's Mitsui could study Alaska LNG project, but no decision yet
By Yuka Obayashi and Katya Golubkova

WORLD

Fentanyl precursors on display in Mexico City on Oct. 4, 2023. Chemical components are said to be shipped from China to Mexico, where they are then made into fentanyl and smuggled across the border.
How China allegedly contributes to the deadly fentanyl crisis
By Peter CATTERALL
Chemical components are said to be shipped from China to Mexico, where they are then made into fentanyl and smuggled across the border.
Demonstrators protest outside the U.S. Agency for International Development headquarters in Washington on Monday.
Elon Musk targets closure of U.S. humanitarian aid agency
By Jonathan Landay, Steve Holland and Daphne Psaledakis
The billionaire tasked with downsizing the federal government has been increasingly critical of USAID, calling it a left-wing agency unaccountable to the White House.
Ukraine's politics warms up as U.S. focuses on war's endgame
By Tom Balmforth and Yuliia Dysa
Millions of malnourished children face lifelong health woes
By Jennifer Rigby
'Life's ruined' in U.K. town broken by grooming gangs
By James PHEBY
China eases travel curbs on Uyghurs but maintains 'severe' controls

Sports

Roki Sasaki pitches in a game against the Czech Republic during the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo on March 11, 2023, the 12th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Roki Sasaki's road to glory was paved by ache of a tragedy
By Stephen J. Nesbitt
Long before he became a pitching phenom and signed a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Roki Sasaki's life was marked by tragedy.
Neymar homecoming is reminder of promise unfulfilled
By Andy Scott
Devin Booker becomes Suns' all-time leading scorer in loss to Blazers
Kvitova to make comeback this month after maternity break
By Shrivathsa Sridhar
Star receiver Cooper Kupp says Rams want to trade him

Opinion

Despite numerous past meetings between U.S. and Japanese leaders, Shigeru Ishiba's relationship with Donald Trump is expected to be awkward, lacking the rapport the U.S. president had with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Ishiba will finally meet Trump, but expectations need to be kept low
Edo Naito
His long-time rival Shinzo Abe's relationship with Trump is the ideal but an unfair comparison.
DeepSeek forces a rethink of China’s ability to innovate
By Brad Glosserman
What’s in a name? In the South China Sea, a whole lot.
By Dalbir Ahlawat
Confronting the pandemic’s toxic political legacy
By Jan-Werner Mueller
America versus China, the troubling prequel
By Howard Chua-Eoan

ENVIRONMENT

Though vegan restaurants have been on the upswing since 2017, Japanese vegans still lack a wide variety of options.
In meat- and fish-loving Japan, veganism is making a comeback
By Sachi Kitajima Mulkey and Joseph Winters
Tourism, climate goals and animal rights concerns are sparking a plant-based renaissance in a country famous for sushi and pork ramen.
These roads aren’t built for wilder weather driven by climate change
By Kendra Pierre-Louis
Mitsubishi reviews Japanese offshore wind after economic changes
By Shoko Oda
Brazil's carbon trade takes off, but agribusiness escapes scrutiny
By Andre Cabette Fabio
Vanishing mountains: Winter air pollution smothers Iran
By Sanam Mahoozi

CULTURE

After a long wait, Beyonce proudly holds the one prize that has alluded her for many years: the Album of the Year award. "Cowboy Carter" also garnered the Best Country Album award.
Beyonce finally wins top album, as Kendrick Lamar sweeps Grammys' rap category
By Maggy Donaldson
Beyonce made history at the Grammys as she became the annual event's most decorated artist while the night paid tribute to the community of fire-ravaged Los Angeles.
In pictures: The Grammys 2025 moments to remember
By Maggy Donaldson
Taiwan's 'Meteor Garden' star Barbie Hsu dies at 48
Louvre opens first fashion exhibition after shock memo about decay
By Sandra Biffot-Lacut and Adam PLOWRIGHT
Two decades of unparalleled access into the world of Hayao Miyazaki
By Erik Augustin Palm

LIFE

Dress-up games and dating sims were once forgotten genres, but now expanded player bases are helping to generate major profits.
Gaming’s feminine side is starting to make big bucks
By Samantha Low
Two recent releases — a sci-fi dating sim and a souped-up dress-up simulator — are starting to change the conversation around previously dismissed genres.
Novel seafood noodles become flavor of the moment in Tokyo
Sipping down the rabbit hole at Craft Sake Shoten
By Melinda Joe
Mind the gap — and the shoulder checking: Dealing with pushy people in Japan's crowded spaces
By Yuko Tamura
How Tokyo taught a French architect the power of colors
By Ran Kawai

COMMUNITY

Billed as a “cultural bridge that connects Japan and Vietnam,” Tet Viet Saitama drew tens of thousands of attendees from across the Kanto region.
Home away from home: My first time at a Tet festival in Japan
By Nguyen Bao Anh
A longtime resident of Japan attends Saitama’s first public celebration of Vietnam’s most important holiday.
Ken Rodgers, a fixture of the Kyoto literary scene, dies at 72
By Eric Johnston
Kenny Colvin: ‘Work hard, drink hard, eat hard … relax hard’
By Mike Fu
Namnam reborn: A queer, anarchist space resettles in Tokyo's Koenji
By Aku Owaka-Haigh
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
By Justin Randall

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Job-hopping Japanese workers push salaries higher
By Kazuaki Nagata
Japanese workers are increasingly job-hopping from one full-time position to another.
CULTURE
At the new Ginza Sony Park, listening is an art form
By Patrick St. Michel
In addition to the commercial benefits from Ginza Sony Park's music-centered exhibition — such as promoting Sony's artists and products — there is a real effort to put music in focus.
COMMUNITY
Home away from home: My first time at a Tet festival in Japan
By Nguyen Bao Anh
Billed as a “cultural bridge that connects Japan and Vietnam,” Tet Viet Saitama drew tens of thousands of attendees from across the Kanto region.
LIFE
First official survey set to change backcountry Hokkaido skiing
By Justin Randall
The first official government survey of Hokkaido backcountry skiing could spell changes for trails in the northern prefecture.
BUSINESS
Fuji TV’s go-big PR strategy wins grudging praise globally
By Elizabeth Beattie
Fuji TV executives take questions during a news conference on Monday in Tokyo in which some participants became unruly.

Podcast

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

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?
By Alex K.T. Martin

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WHAT’S TRENDING

WORLD
Crashed U.S. Army Black Hawk unit was responsible for doomsday readiness
A U.S. Coast Guard vessel attempts to retrieve the remains of a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Friday after it crashed into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport earlier in the week.
JAPAN
Why it's taking so long to reach the driver trapped in a Saitama sinkhole
By Jessica Speed
Construction workers near a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Monday
JAPAN
Record-breaking snowfall hits Hokkaido as cold front sweeps Japan
By Jessica Speed
Snow-covered streets in Obihiro, Hokkaido, on Tuesday
BUSINESS
Job-hopping Japanese workers push salaries higher
By Kazuaki Nagata
Japanese workers are increasingly job-hopping from one full-time position to another.
JAPAN
Tokyo police arrest brothel operator catering to foreign tourists
English-language signs and other materials seized from men’s aesthetic salon Sparaku by the Metropolitan Police Department on Tuesday in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward