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February 15, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
February 15, 2025
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U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Trump says new tariffs on autos coming around April 2
The auto threat offers to put some of the biggest brands in Japan, Germany and South Korea in Trump’s crosshairs.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House in Washington on Feb. 7.
BUSINESS / Companies
U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel were blindsided by Trump investment talk
The proposed investment following Donald Trump's meeting with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba wasn’t communicated to either of the steelmakers beforehand.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a session of parliament on Thursday afternoon.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Budget talks intensify between ruling coalition and opposition parties
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
The minority government is looking to pass its budget by March 2 to give Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba some breathing room.
The government's stockpiled rice in Tokyo in 1999. Since 1995, the government has been stockpiling around 200,000 tons of rice from the annual harvest to ensure that there is enough to go around during emergencies.
JAPAN
Government taps rice stockpile to reverse price increases
By Yukana Inoue
This will be the first time the stockpile has been used to reduce prices instead of due to emergencies.
While AI has added increased uncertainty over what is and isn't true, misinformation has been around for a while.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
How to tell if what you're hearing is true (or just sounds like it is)
By Yuko Tamura
Some Japanese grammatical terms signal uncertainty, and that is when you need phrases to help you get to the truth of the matter.
While AI has added increased uncertainty over what is and isn't true, misinformation has been around for a while.

JAPAN

Leaders of patients' groups submit signatures opposing the move by the government to raise the medical copayment ceiling on Wednesday.
Japan to rethink medical copayment hike amid patient outcry
By Tomoko Otake
Many patients, especially those undergoing costly but effective cancer therapy, say a hike might force them to abandon their treatments.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) and Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi at the U.S. State Department in Washington on Jan. 21
Top Japan diplomat to hold first trilateral talks with U.S. and South Korea under Trump
By Jesse Johnson
The talks aim to highlight how they will continue to "unite and work together for regional peace and prosperity,” Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said.
‘The most precious thing in life is its uncertainty’
By Michael Hoffman
Japanese sentiment on China and South Korea improves, survey shows
Sewage pipe abnormalities found at locations in Saitama Prefecture
Tokyo volunteer group's former rep held over indecent acts against teen

BUSINESS

Talks on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. taking a controlling stake in Intel's factories at the request of Trump administration officials are in very early stages, and the exact structure of a potential partnership hasn’t been established. But the intended result would have the world’s largest made-to-order chipmaker fully operating Intel’s U.S. semiconductor factories.
TSMC considers running Intel’s U.S. factories after Trump team request
By Mackenzie Hawkins and Ian King
Trump officials raised the idea of a deal between the two companies in recent meetings with the Taiwanese chipmaker, and TSMC was receptive.
U.S. President Donald Trump is joined by SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son (center) and Open AI Chief Executive Sam Altman at an event touting a $100 billion venture in artificial intelligence infrastructure, at the White House in Washington on Jan. 21.
DeepSeek sparks investor pessimism on SoftBank's $500 billion Stargate push
By Aya Wagatsuma and Charlotte Yang
DeepSeek’s low-cost AI model is begging the question of whether such massive spending is even necessary.
Assets of Japan’s wealthiest jump to a record $3 trillion
By Yuko Takeo
Xi to chair symposium attended by Jack Ma and other Chinese business leaders, sources say
Nippon Steel wants 100% of U.S. Steel, not a minority stake, report says
By Kazuaki Nagata
Japan begins talks with U.S. to sound out Trump tariff specifics
By Yoshiaki Nohara

WORLD

Elon Musk speaks next to U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
Elon Musk's tactics frustrate some White House senior officials
By Alexandra Ulmer, Nandita Bose and Gram Slattery
Trump officials want more coordination from Musk's team as he slashes the U.S. government.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Munich Security Conference in the German city on Friday.
Vance attack on Europe overshadows Ukraine talks at security conference
The U.S. vice president said what worried him most about Europe was an alleged censoring of free speech and "out-of-control" immigration.
China will have to hit back at U.S. ‘bullying,’ Beijing's top diplomat says
Russian drone attack 'damaged Chernobyl plant's confinement structure'
China accuses Australia of deliberate provocation in South China Sea
Russian drone 'struck' Chernobyl cover, but no radiation increase detected: Zelenskyy

Sports

Vissel's Daiju Sasaki (right) and Sanfrecce's Sho Sasaki jump for a ball during their Super Cup match on Feb. 8.
Vissel hoping for J. League three-peat as rivals aim to spoil party
By Sean Carroll
Sanfrecce Hiroshima has come back stronger and is one of the clubs that can spoil Vissel's bid for a three-peat.
LGBT surfer Tyler Wright to compete in UAE after assurances of safety
Jesse Lingard aiming high in second year since surprise move to South Korea
Federica Brignone scorches to giant slalom gold as Mikaela Shiffrin sits out
Lando Norris ready to go head-to-head with Max Verstappen for F1 title

Opinion

While Valentine’s Day in the West is traditionally associated with men giving flowers to women, in Japan the day has typically involved women giving gifts of chocolate to men.
A sweet Japanese Valentine's Day tradition is nearly dead
Gearoid Reidy
The custom of giri-choco, loosely meaning "obligatory chocolate,” was once commonplace in offices around the country.
Why ASEAN is crucial to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific
By Takahiro Kamisuna
Are China-Japan relations truly 'warming,' or is this just fool’s gold again?
By Edo Naito
Trump’s resource grab in Ukraine is a price worth paying
By Marc Champion
The Nippon Steel deal’s lessons for the world

ENVIRONMENT

President Donald Trump shows a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast track of Hurricane Dorian that was altered with a black marker in Washington on Sept. 4, 2019.
NOAA told to make list of climate-related grants, setting off fears
By Christopher Flavelle, Austyn Gaffney and Raymond Zhong
Staff members were given a list and told to identify which could be "potentially impacted” by one of U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
It’s ‘virtually certain’ the world has already breached 1.5 C
By Kendra Pierre-Louis
Trump’s freeze on climate money sows fear and confusion
By Zahra Hirji and Danielle Bochove
Top climate scientist declares 2 degrees Celsius climate goal 'dead'
These roads aren’t built for wilder weather driven by climate change
By Kendra Pierre-Louis

CULTURE

Toyohara Kunichika experimented with established norms of composition and began spreading a single figure over three full sheets, as seen in this “Kabuki Play 'Kagamiyama Gonichi no Iwafuji'” triptych.
Kunichika's vibrant ukiyo-e gets a chance to shine at anniversary exhibit
By Martin Laflamme
An underappreciated ukiyo-e master is the focus of the largest-ever retrospective of his work in Japan, marking the 190th anniversary of his birth.
'Laugh, Everyone!’: A wonky but endearing double act
By James Hadfield
‘Kanasando’: Heartwarming homecoming inspires a change of heart
By Mark Schilling
Miniatures bring hidden worlds to life at Tokyo cultural site
By Sakurako Nakagawa
‘The Hot Spot’: Close encounters of the mundane kind
By Patrick St. Michel

LIFE

In the most recent expansion to the long-running Warframe, Alpha Takahashi voices cyborg mechanic Aoi Morohoshi.
Alpha Takahashi: ‘The world of video games was tied to my upbringing’
By Samantha Low
The Tokyo-born actor has voiced Psylocke in Marvel Rivals, Hanako Arasaka in Cyberpunk 2077 and many more since breaking into the industry in 2013.
New street patrol helps Nara's deer clean up their act
By Tomohiro Osaki
Got a digital crush this Valentine's? Beware of scams, says Meta.
By Glen Chapman
DEI, woke and 'forest bathing': When a direct translation just won't cut it
By Yuko Tamura
Brothers’ local focus lifts Shintaku to Niigata’s highest rank
By Robbie Swinnerton

COMMUNITY

After starting out as a games journalist, John Davis found opportunities in marketing and consulting that led him to work in the Japanese gaming industry.
John Davis: ‘At its core, indie is about creative freedom’
By Gendel Gento
The co-founder of BitSummit, Japan’s biggest indie gaming showcase, shares how he pivoted from journalism to gaming after moving here.
Tangelo the cat is oh so sweet
Home away from home: My first time at a Tet festival in Japan
By Nguyen Bao Anh
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

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Japanese research team develops world’s largest 'biohybrid' robot hand
By Jessica Speed
A "biohybrid" robot hand developed by a research team from the University of Tokyo and Waseda University
CULTURE
The different faces of ‘Asura’ through the generations
By James Hadfield
Netflix series “Asura,” directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, is a remake of a classic TV drama (known as “Like Asura” in English), created by Kuniko Mukoda and broadcast by NHK between 1979 and 1980.
CULTURE
Nariaki Obukuro found his groove — just not on the dance floor
By Patrick St. Michel
While Nariaki Obukuro’s previous releases often included lyrics with specific references pulled from his own experiences, on “Zatto,” he’s stepping back to explore the joy and pain of the wider world.
MORE SPORTS
Mao Asada sets out to safeguard the future of Japanese skating
By Erika Yamazaki
"I hope skaters who train here will go on to shine on the world stage," Olympic silver medalist Mao Asada told the Japan Times at Mao Rink Tachikawa Tachihi, a skating rink in Tachikawa, Tokyo, whose establishment she was involved in, on Jan. 28.
JAPAN
Japan exploring drone production capabilities for military aid program
By Gabriel Dominguez
An unmanned Hamadori drone developed by Japanese company Space Entertainment Laboratory and equipped with various sensor options for surveys is displayed at the Japan Drone 2020 exhibition at Makuhari Messe in the city of Chiba in September 2020.

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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SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Honda and Nissan cancel megamerger after weeks of negotiations
By Kazuaki Nagata
Following weeks of talks after Nissan Motor President Makoto Uchida and Honda President and CEO Toshihiro Mibe's December announcement of a possible merger, the two automakers confirmed on Thursday that the deal is officially off.
JAPAN
Japan's 10-year cancer survival rate stands at 54% in latest survey
By cancer type, the 10-year survival rate was 57.9% for stomach cancer, the most common cancer among the patients surveyed.
ASIA PACIFIC
Taiwan’s Lai vows to lift military funding after Trump complaint
By Miaojung Lin
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te holds a news conference in Taipei on Friday.
BUSINESS
Xi to chair symposium attended by Jack Ma and other Chinese business leaders, sources say
Chinese President Xi Jinping
BUSINESS
Hedge fund startup that replaced analysts with AI beats the market
By Harry Brumpton and Georgina McKay
Sydney-based Minotaur Capital outperformed the global stock market in its first six months while slashing research costs by using AI.