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December 14, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
December 14, 2024
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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers an address to the nation at his official residence in Seoul on Saturday after the National Assembly voted to impeach him earlier in the day.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
South Korean president impeached over martial law decree
By Jesse Johnson
The 204-85 vote means Yoon Suk Yeol's ultimate fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which can either decide to formally oust him or return him to office.

More coverage

Protesters in South Korea rejoice as lawmakers impeach Yoon
Yoon Suk Yeol: from rising star to impeachment
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers an address to the nation at his official residence in Seoul on Saturday after the National Assembly voted to impeach him earlier in the day.
A Nippon Steel blast furnace building in Kashima, Ibaraki prefecture, on Dec. 6
BUSINESS / Companies
Nippon Steel’s plan B now in focus as $14 billion U.S. deal falters
By Shoko Oda and Stephen Stapczynski
The bid for the once-fabled American company ran into a maelstrom of political opposition in the U.S. in the run-up to the presidential election.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes part in an online meeting of Group of Seven leaders at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo early Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Ishiba urges deeper G7 security cooperation as North Korea gets closer to Russia
By Kathleen Benoza
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said recent developments have a "direct impact" on security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Police seek information from the public on a high-profile murder case, in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Tokyo police seek public's help on Setagaya family murder 24 years ago
In the high-profile homicide case, a couple and their two children were killed at their home in the ward's Kamisoshigaya district in December 2000.
"Agent" technology goes further than chatbots, not just performing parlor tricks and spitting out plausible responses to queries but actually doing the kinds of repetitive tasks that today are handled by millions of humans.
BUSINESS / Tech
Big Tech's new AI obsession: 'Agents' that do your work for you
By Jo Constantz
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman calls agents "the next giant breakthrough," while Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says the shift "is really the rise of digital labor.”
"Agent" technology goes further than chatbots, not just performing parlor tricks and spitting out plausible responses to queries but actually doing the kinds of repetitive tasks that today are handled by millions of humans.

JAPAN

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visits the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on Saturday.
Ishiba makes first visit as PM to crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant
The trip was apparently intended to demonstrate his administration's focus on revitalizing the disaster-hit Tohoku region.
The failed launch of a small rocket by Tokyo-based startup Space One is seen at the Spaceport Kii site in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, in this screenshot taken from an online broadcast on March 13.
Japanese firm delays bid to be first to put a satellite into orbit
By Kathleen Benoza
This delay comes after the failure of its first rocket, which erupted into flames just seconds after liftoff earlier this spring.
U.S. Marines begin to relocate from Okinawa to Guam
Ruling bloc proposes ¥1.23 million minimum threshold for taxable income
Japan updates disaster shelter guidelines
Opening ethics panel hearings to media could allay public suspicions, Ishiba says

BUSINESS

Tour guides wait to collect tour groups from Hong Kong outside the Shenzhen Bay border crossing in Shenzhen, China
Educated young Chinese turn to tour guiding as job market wavers
Tour guiding is becoming an increasingly popular fallback option in a China rife with employment instability as the economy slows.
Gifting secondhand used to have a bad rap, but it doesn’t carry the taboo it once did.
How to buy a secondhand gift someone might actually want
By Olivia Rudgard and Zahra Hirji
Gifting secondhand used to have a bad rap, but thanks to more environmentally conscious consumers, it doesn’t carry the taboo it once did.
China eyes negotiations as Trump threatens new tariffs
By Joe Cash
BOJ's rate hike plans clouded by small firms' wage woes
By Makiko Yamazaki, Leika Kihara and Kentaro Sugiyama
Cheap valuations are out as investors like new metric for Japan stocks
By Hideyuki Sano
Mitsubishi Electric explores forming power chip alliances in Japan
By Yuki Furukawa

WORLD

Girls hold banners urging passersby to stop and pay their respects during a minute of silence honoring the victims of Russia's invasion at 9 a.m. in front of Golden Gates metro station in central Kyiv.
Observing a minute of silence for Ukraine's fallen soldiers
By Barbara WOJAZER
As fewer people stop to pay their respects during a 9:00 am ritual for victims of the war, a small activist group is pushing for a change.
A satellite image shows an An-124 heavy transport aircraft with its nose cone lifted, at Russia's Khmeimim airbase, near Latakia, Syria, on Friday.
Russian military appears to be packing up equipment in Syria, satellite imagery shows
By Devon Lum, Arijeta Lajka and Eve Sampson
The moves could be a prelude to Moscow’s military withdrawal from the country in the wake of President Bashar Assad’s fall.
Who is Han Duck-soo, South Korea's acting president after Yoon impeachment?
By Joyce Lee
Macron hands new French PM the tough job of managing Le Pen
By Ania Nussbaum
Turkey races ahead of U.S. in push for Syria influence
By Beril Akman, Iain Marlow and Selcan Hacaoglu
Macron names veteran centrist ally Francois Bayrou as France's prime minister

Sports

Naoya Inoue practices at the Ohashi Gym in Yokohama on Dec. 4
Inoue world title fight off after Goodman suffers cut in training
Sam Goodman, the mandatory challenger for Inoue's WBO and IBF titles, needed four stitches and was told he could not fight for four weeks.
Gukesh Dommaraju's championship win fuels chess dreams in India
Verstappen collects his F1 trophy at ceremony in Rwanda
Cubs acquire star OF Kyle Tucker from Astros
Yankees’ post-Juan Soto plan has a powerful echo
By Tyler Kepner

Opinion

Yutaka Mataebara (second from left) dines with his managerial colleagues at an event celebrating the 100th anniversary of The Japan Times.
Here's to Yutaka Mataebara, the 'iron man' of The Japan Times
Brad Glosserman
Mataebara was a pillar of the JT: During his 44 years at the paper until he retired in 2006, he worked in a variety of departments, including as the editor in chief.
Trump's election sets stage for new climate leaders to emerge
By Robert Mizo
The Syrians have a chance to be free. They need our help.
Syria’s kleptocratic rule and a house of cards
By Barak Barfi
The global spy alliance should let Japan join
By KARISHMA VASWANI

ENVIRONMENT

Passersby hold umbrellas as they walk under strong sunlight as the Japanese government issued heat stroke alerts in 39 of the country's 47 prefectures in Tokyo on July 22.
Climate change forged a new reality in 2024: 'This is life now'
By Clar Ni Chonghaile and Diana Baptista
As the year draws to a close, the environmental conclusion is both blatant and bleak: 2024 was the hottest year since records began.
Earthquakes and blowouts undermine case for carbon storage in Texas
By Valerie Volcovici and Leah Douglas
As Japan nears new climate goal, criticism of policy process ramps up
By Tomoko Otake and Chris Russell
Free green power in Sweden is crippling its wind industry
By Lars Paulsson
Tokyo Gas eyes wind power projects in Southeast Asia

CULTURE

“Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron" provides an in-depth look into the octogenarian auteur’s creative process and personal reflections.
‘Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron’ documentary meditates on auteur's creativity and legacy
By Erik Augustin Palm
Filmed with unparalleled access to Studio Ghibli, director Kaku Arakawa captures the vulnerability and genius behind master animator Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature.
Big franchises and bold voices dominated anime in 2024
By Matt Schley
‘Cells at Work!’: Cellular shenanigans make for a fantastic voyage
By James Hadfield
‘Ainu Puri’: A vital portrait of indigenous culture in contemporary Japan
By Mark Schilling
'Emilia Perez,' 'The Brutalist' lead Golden Globe film nominations
By Lisa Richwine and Danielle Broadway

LIFE

On Dec. 11, Universal Studios Japan officially unveiled its new Donkey Kong Country area, putting the iconic character in the spotlight for the first time in a while.
USJ’s new Donkey Kong Country is a barrel of fun
By Joel Tansey
Mine Cart Madness is the area’s only ride, but there are shops and snacking options as well as chances to meet costumed characters from the iconic series.
The year that Shohei Ohtani achieved 'yokozuna' status … in the market
By Mark Schreiber
How often do Japan's buzzwords make it into the vernacular?
By Yuko Tamura
After 12 years, Designtide Tokyo returns with a lineup of sensory dialogue
By Erik Augustin Palm
Welcome to Yama, Japan’s first Michelin-starred dessert restaurant
By Haru Beaufort

COMMUNITY

Yurie Collins is a bilingual comedian based in Tokyo. In addition to being a prize-winning roast comic, her dating-themed "Tokyo Hoe Tales" shows have proven to be a hit with women of all nationalities.
Yurie Collins: ‘Everyone seems sedated, fed-up … that’s why they turn to comedy’
By Zoria Petkoska
Yurie Collins is a bicultural stand-up comedian who has opened for comedian Atsuko Okatsuka and the upcoming Iliza Shlesinger show in Tokyo.
Seven strangers and an algorithm: Can this new dinner app help you make friends?
By Phoebe Amoroso
Kumiko Shichijo: ‘Living abroad helped me appreciate Japanese etiquette’
By Ansel Swindells
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

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
'Kin' selected as the kanji of 2024 after strong year for Japanese athletes
By Kathleen Benoza
The head priest of Kiyomizu Temple writes the kanji "kin," which was chosen by the public as the character that best represents 2024, on Thursday in Kyoto.
SUMO
London calling: Sumo's U.K. trip brings back memories of 1991
By John Gunning
Japan’s national sport made its second foray into Western Europe, and first to the U.K., with a five-day tournament at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall in October 1991.
JAPAN
Trilateral fighter project takes big step with joint venture deal
By Gabriel Dominguez
Attendees view a concept model of the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) fighter plane at the BAE Systems pavilion at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, England, in July.
CULTURE
‘Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron’ documentary meditates on auteur's creativity and legacy
By Erik Augustin Palm
“Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron" provides an in-depth look into the octogenarian auteur’s creative process and personal reflections.
COMMUNITY
Yurie Collins: ‘Everyone seems sedated, fed-up … that’s why they turn to comedy’
By Zoria Petkoska
Yurie Collins is a bilingual comedian based in Tokyo. In addition to being a prize-winning roast comic, her dating-themed "Tokyo Hoe Tales" shows have proven to be a hit with women of all nationalities.

Podcast

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

Longform

People in cities across Japan will pop into their local convenience store for any number of products they believe will help them with a night of drinking.
Hangover cures are everywhere in Japan — but do they work?
By Thu-Huong Ha

JT Directory Service

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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
U.S. serviceman sentenced over sexual assault of underage girl in Okinawa
By Jessica Speed
The Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture. Brennon Washington was stationed at the base when he abducted a minor on Dec. 24, 2023.
BUSINESS
New Japanese condos now cost 10 times average salary, study shows
By Kazuaki Nagata
Tokyo has the highest price-to-income ratio for high-rise condominiums in the country, at 17.78 times.
JAPAN
28-year-old widow of ‘Don Juan of Kishu’ acquitted of his murder
By Kanako Takahara
A handout photo shows Kosuke Nozaki (right), who was found dead of a drug overdose, and Saki Sudo, who was his wife.
BUSINESS
JR East announces 10-year plan to drastically overhaul Suica
By Yukana Inoue
The East Japan Railway Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. Within the next 10 years, JR East will develop automated walk-through gate technology so that passengers can enter the train platform without having to tap their Suica card or phone on the ticket gates.
BUSINESS
Danger for yen emerges with speculation BOJ may stand pat longer
By Saburo Funabiki and Mia Glass
The yen slumped to its weakest in level in more than two weeks on Wednesday as traders reacted to a report that BOJ officials saw little cost to waiting before raising rates.