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January 23, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
January 23, 2025
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he attends the Commander in Chief Ball in honor of his inauguration in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Aiming to weaken U.S. foes, Trump faces an 'unholy alliance'
By David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina and Daphne Psaledakis
Russia, China, North Korea and Iran have drawn closer following Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he attends the Commander in Chief Ball in honor of his inauguration in Washington on Monday.
Fuji Media Holdings' headquarters in Tokyo's Minato Ward. The company will hold an extraordinary board meeting on Thursday over the firestorm sparked by TV host Masahiro Nakai's alleged sexual misconduct.
JAPAN / Media
Fuji TV scandal sparks probes on exploitation within TV industry
By Karin Kaneko
The sexual misconduct allegations against TV host and former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai have thrown a spotlight on the TV industry's culture and ethics.
The crime scene where three people were attacked near JR Nagano Station on Wednesday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Search for suspect under way after fatal stabbing at JR Nagano Station
By Jessica Speed
One person died in the attack, which happened around 8 p.m., while two others sustained injuries.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya at the State Department in Washington on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Top diplomats agree to take U.S.-Japan alliance to 'new heights'
By Jesse Johnson
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also agreed on the importance of trilateral cooperation with South Korea and others.
Instead of the Bank of Japan's actions strengthening the yen as once hoped, recent steps have only caused further weakening.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Ueda’s doctrine for the BOJ is finally emerging
Daniel Moss and Gearoid Reidy
Instead of the Bank of Japan's actions strengthening the yen as once hoped, recent steps have only caused further weakening.
Instead of the Bank of Japan's actions strengthening the yen as once hoped, recent steps have only caused further weakening.

JAPAN

A 17-year-old student from Kanagawa Prefecture has been arrested for allegedly creating a program that purported to verify the validity of credit cards and using it to illegally obtain their details.
Kanagawa high school student arrested for credit card data theft
The 17-year-old male student is accused of creating a program that purported to verify the validity of credit cards and using it to illegally obtain their details.
A reproduction experiment was conducted by placing two gas stoves side by side and heating large iron plates (top photo). The canister on the left stove overheated and ruptured (bottom photo).
Warnings issued for portable stoves as winter usage increases
By Jessica Speed
The most common issue was improper canister placement leading to overheating and rupture, resulting in fatalities, burns and property damage.
Ruling parties agree to discuss dual surname system
Top diplomats agree to take U.S.-Japan alliance to 'new heights'
By Jesse Johnson
Princess Aiko attends New Year poetry event for first time
Fall in Japanese bureaucrat aspirants shows signs of stabilizing

BUSINESS

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on Stargate, as Oracle Executive Chairman Larry Ellison, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman look on in the Roosevelt room at the White House.
SoftBank to help fund and lead Trump-backed Stargate AI project, a $500 billion venture
By Yukana Inoue
The president said it will be the largest AI infrastructure ever built and that it will help counter technology threats from China and other countries.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda is still signaling caution ahead of the central bank's January meeting.
BOJ likely to raise rates this week in absence of immediate Trump tariffs
By Kazuaki Nagata and Elizabeth Beattie
The possibility is "quite high" if markets remain calm following Trump's inauguration on Monday as the 47th president of the United States.
Japan's department stores look at unorthodox Valentine's Day treats
Japan sees data center-driven power boom in Hokkaido
By Shoko Oda
A beauty industry hooked on TikTok braces for an uncertain future
By Lily Meier
China's frugal young adults accelerate saving, raising economic risks
By Ethan Wang, Yukun Zhang and Ryan Woo

WORLD

Top "Quad" diplomats — Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi (left to right), Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong — walk to their meeting at the State Department in Washington on Tuesday.
'Quad' diplomats meet in signal of Trump commitment to grouping
By Jesse Johnson
Coming just a day after Trump’s inauguration, the meeting was seen as a veiled warning to Beijing, which has lambasted the Quad as a tool for containing China.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy says security guarantee would need 200,000 peacekeepers
By Alessandra Galloni
"From all the Europeans? 200,000, it's a minimum. It's a minimum, otherwise it's nothing," Zelenskyy said when asked about the idea of a peacekeeping contingent.
After the fire, should some parts of Los Angeles never rebuild?
By Akshat Rathi
China families appeal to free relatives held by scam gangs in Myanmar
By Larissa Liao, Kevin Krolicki and Poppy McPherson
Hamas' tight grip on Gaza complicates plan for lasting peace
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Trump sees 'great promise' in U.N., his pick for ambassador says
By Michelle Nichols

Sports

Yokozuna Terunofuji enters the ring at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo earlier this month during what would be his final tournament.
Terunofuji’s career was unique — and great
By John Gunning
Most yokozuna are evaluated based on wins and Emperor's Cup titles. But Terunofuji's great career wasn't quantifiable by numbers alone.
Sinner demolishes De Minaur to set up Melbourne semi with Shelton
Inoue believes unusual leadup to Kim fight could be 'big plus'
By Jason Coskrey
Swiatek sweeps into Australian Open semifinal with Keys
Was that a 900 or 1080 on the halfpipe? X Games can now ask AI.
By Victor Mather

Opinion

As Donald Trump begins his second term, the U.S. holds a strong position in the Indo-Pacific. However, missteps, economic policies and shifting alliances could undermine the Biden administration's progress in strengthening partnerships and countering China.
Will Trump sustain or squander Biden's Indo-Pacific gains?
Brad Glosserman
The legacy of the Joe Biden administration could prove fleeting, however, the result of missteps by Washington or developments in allied states.
Even this year is the best time ever to be alive
By Nicholas Kristof
Sustainable finance taxonomies light up Asia’s net-zero path
By Michelle Loi
There's a target on the back of Britain's NHS
By Matthew Brooker
How Trump's TikTok ban reprieve could work
By Stephen L. Carter

ENVIRONMENT

Wawira Njiru, the founder of Food4Education, serves food during the opening of a new kitchen in Mombasa County, Kenya, in 2022. The organization started in 2012 by feeding 25 children out of a single kitchen. Now it feeds nearly half a million every day.
Amid rising world hunger, a Japan-inspired group in Kenya is making a big impact
By Joel Tansey
Food4Education is helping feed half a million students through a program that drew inspiration from Japan's renowned school lunch programs.
Trump withdraws from Paris climate agreement — again
Europe threatens to trigger a global scramble for natural gas
By Anna Shiryaevskaya, Priscila Azevedo Rocha, Stephen Stapczynski and Ruth Liao
In Brazil, an Amazon reforestation project seeks to redeem carbon markets
By Anna PELEGRI
The 'climate archive': How scientists study the ancient past
By Benjamin Legendre

CULTURE

Eugene Kangawa's Atelier iii is a space where visitors are invited to engage directly with the artist’s evolving practice.
Eugene Kangawa’s art space embraces impermanence
By Erik Augustin Palm
The artist’s Atelier iii studio resists spectacle and asks visitors to slow down and commit to being present.
‘Sunset Sunrise’: Rom-com finds pathos in peak pandemic setting
By Mark Schilling
A slow dive into ‘a moment and an eternity’ with Ryuichi Sakamoto
By James Hadfield
David Lynch, maker of florid and unnerving films, dies at 78
By J. Hoberman
‘Muromachi Outsiders’: Yo Oizumi commands attention in rebellion tale
By James Hadfield

LIFE

"A Very Asian Guide to Japanese Food" is the first edition of the Asia-centric series to focus on rice balls, fermented soybeans and other Japanese staples.
For kids, Japanese food ‘is a doorway to exploration’
By Simon Daly
Begun as a response to Asian-directed violence during the pandemic, the “Very Asian” series of cookbooks-slash-cultural primers turns its gaze toward Japan.
Japan-made games part of a rising tide of indie greatness
By Samantha Low
Let’s make some predictions about what will happen in the year ahead
By Yuko Tamura
Nintendo announces Switch 2, its first new console in eight years
By Sam Byford
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?
By Tomoko Otake

COMMUNITY

Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
By Justin Randall
With adventure tourism on the rise in Hokkaido, a new generation of foreign-born guides is eager to greet travelers.
Namnam reborn: A queer, anarchist space resettles in Tokyo's Koenji
By Aku Owaka-Haigh
Kaz Shiomi: ‘I want to show people … how to color outside the lines’
By Laura Pollacco
There were plenty of hot topics to opine on in 2024
By Gendel Gento, Kimberly Hughes, Ora Margolis, David McElhinney, Zoria Petkoska, Justin Randall, Himari Semans, Patrick St. Michel and Ansel Swindells
A holiday season built on creativity and care
By Baye McNeil

Editors' Picks

WORLD
'America first' returns as Trump ditches focus on allies and rules-based order
By Jesse Johnson and Francis Tang
U.S. President Donald Trump reviews troops during his inauguration ceremony at the Capitol in Washington on Monday.
JAPAN
Japan looks to learn from the past with bid to build Australian warships
By Gabriel Dominguez
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami frigate, of the class of the same name, is anchored at the MSDF's naval base in the city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in September 2022.
ENVIRONMENT
Amid rising world hunger, a Japan-inspired group in Kenya is making a big impact
By Joel Tansey
Wawira Njiru, the founder of Food4Education, serves food during the opening of a new kitchen in Mombasa County, Kenya, in 2022. The organization started in 2012 by feeding 25 children out of a single kitchen. Now it feeds nearly half a million every day.
LIFE
From Tokyo to Manhattan, Takuma Watanabe stirs up a stiff drink
By Mike Fu
It's taken Takuma Watanabe little time to establish himself as one of New York's hottest bartenders.
LIFE
For tourists in search of seasonal sights, Yamagata makes its case
By Johan Brooks
For some time away from Tokyo's suffocating urban sameness, Yamagata Prefecture is home to a soothing array of natural abundance.

Podcast

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

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go
By Kazuaki Nagata and Richard Meyer

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.14 : Unicharm Corp.Unicharm recycles diapers back into diapers
mission sustainability vol.14 : Unicharm Corp.Unicharm recycles diapers back into diapers

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
U.S. Osprey accidentally drops cargo into sea in Okinawa
A V-22 Osprey
JAPAN
Large fire breaks out near Osaka's Tsutenkaku Tower
Smoke rises from a fire at a commercial building near Tsutenkaku Tower, in Osaka, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Nissan to end production of compact van as Honda rescue looms
By Nicholas Takahashi and Tsuyoshi Inajima
A trailer transports Nissan’s NV200 Venette minivans in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.
BUSINESS
BOJ likely to raise rates this week in absence of immediate Trump tariffs
By Kazuaki Nagata and Elizabeth Beattie
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda is still signaling caution ahead of the central bank's January meeting.
ASIA PACIFIC
'Quad' diplomats meet in signal of Trump commitment to grouping
By Jesse Johnson
Top "Quad" diplomats — Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi (left to right), Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong — walk to their meeting at the State Department in Washington on Tuesday.