Home page

 
Menu
Search
 
Menu
Search
Tokyo Weather 14℃
TOKYO
April 13, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
April 13, 2025
Trump tariffs
Shigeru Ishiba
Osaka Expo
Latest News
Deep Dive
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
People visit the Osaka Expo on the first day it opened to the public, in the city of Osaka on Sunday.
JAPAN
Osaka Expo throws open its doors as mega-event kicks off
By Joel Tansey
A steady rain failed to dampen the spirits of organizers and expo early-birds as 160 countries, regions and organizations showed off their best tech and culture.

More coverage

Ishiba warns of divided world at futuristic Osaka Expo opening ceremony
Osaka Expo-bound? Take your pick of the city’s new luxury hotels.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.
People visit the Osaka Expo on the first day it opened to the public, in the city of Osaka on Sunday.
Japanese Ambassador to NATO Osamu Izawa (left) meets with the alliance's secretary-general, Mark Rutte, at NATO headquarters in Brussels recently.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan’s NATO envoy targets industrial tie-ups to boost defense supply chains
By Gabriel Dominguez
Tokyo's first dedicated ambassador to the alliance says this will also boost interoperability with partners amid the tense regional security environment.
George Glass, then-nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Japan, speaks during a confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 13.
JAPAN / Politics
New U.S. ambassador to Japan 'optimistic' about tariff negotiations
By Jesse Johnson
Tariffs on vehicles and auto parts are expected to be a key focus of the talks this week, Japanese officials have said.
Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Itsunori Onodera addresses a party meeting to discuss measures to cope with U.S. tariffs, held at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
LDP and CDP officials voice caution over tax cut
The CDP's Kazuhiko Shigetoku said that his party has only begun discussions on the consumption tax.
After focusing on cabernet sauvignon in Napa Valley, winemaker Eiji Daniel Akaboshi moved to make pinot noir at the renowned Freeman Vineyard & Winery in Sonoma County.
LIFE / Food & Drink
In California, a Nikkei vintner finds his heritage and purpose
By Weiwen Lin
The discovery of a distant relative's wine legacy in California led winemaker Eiji Daniel Akaboshi to look at his vocation in a new light.
After focusing on cabernet sauvignon in Napa Valley, winemaker Eiji Daniel Akaboshi moved to make pinot noir at the renowned Freeman Vineyard & Winery in Sonoma County.

JAPAN

The Tokyo Detention Center in the capital's Katsushika Ward
Death penalty under renewed scrutiny in Japan
By Tomohiro Osaki
The punishment has broad public support in Japan, despite international criticism over how it is carried out.
Temporary housing for Noto Peninsula earthquake evacuees in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Thursday
Over 70% of Noto evacuees concerned about housing
One woman in her 60s in the city of Nanao complained about soaring construction costs as her house is being rebuilt.
LDP's Moriyama says to coordinate for extra budget
Man arrested over fatal stabbing of woman at a supermarket in Tokyo
Some 58,000 elderly people died alone at home in 2024: police
Ruling coalition divided over consumption tax cut

BUSINESS

Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Itsunori Onodera speaks at LDP headquarters in Tokyo last October.
Japan doesn’t plan to use U.S. Treasurys as tariff talk leverage
Causing market disruption "is certainly not a good idea,” Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Itsunori Onodera said.
People walk through an Apple Store in Hong Kong on Friday.
Apple was on brink of crisis before tariff concession from Trump
By Mark Gurman and Shawn Donnan
Donald Trump’s 125% tariffs on goods produced in China threatened to upend its supply chain as seriously as the COVID-19 snarls did five years ago.
U.S. exempts tech imports in tariff backpedal
Punch drunk traders across Asia ready for another week of drama
Survey forecasts 12% rise in inflation in Japan over coming year
What Samsung and Vietnam stand to lose in Trump's tariff war

WORLD

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (left) meets with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi in Muscat, Oman, on Saturday.
U.S. and Iran hold 'positive' talks in Oman, with more to come this week
The talks were indirect, though Iran's foreign minister said his delegation had a brief encounter with its U.S. counterpart after they exited the talks.
The member states of the World Health Organization reached "an agreement in principle" on Saturday on a text designed to better protect the world from future pandemics, after more than three years of discussions, the co-chair of the negotiating body said.
Accord reached 'in principle' over tackling future pandemics
Delegates will meet on Tuesday to put the finishing touches to a landmark text on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
'Naive' to trust Chinese firm with British Steel, U.K. minister says
Bernie Sanders fights apathy on American left
By Romain FONSEGRIVES
South Korean ex-President Yoon to face insurrection trial
On Ukraine talks, Trump says there is a time 'to put up or shut up'

Sports

Ronnie Quintarelli speaks to Nissan fans at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture last year after announcing his retirement from racing.
How Italian driver Ronnie Quintarelli endeared himself to Japan's rabid racing fans
By Jamie Klein
Much of the driver's appeal has to do with the unique circumstances by which he came to Japan.
Japan's Uchijima and Shibahara end Romania's run in Billie Jean King Cup
Tony Blanco remembered in Japan and Dominican Republic after nightclub tragedy
By Jason Coskrey
Athletes frustrated as France mulls Muslim headscarf ban in sport
NBA keen to tap into deep European talent pool
By Amy Tennery, Vincent Daheron and Lori Ewing

Opinion

Russian leader Vladimir Putin meets with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, in St. Petersburg on Friday.
The U.S. and Russia are negotiating in bad faith
Nina L. Khrushcheva
For now, Trump says he is “pissed off” at Putin for not being more amenable to his administration’s ceasefire proposals and he is threatening to impose yet more sanctions.
NASA nominee should resist Musk’s pull toward Mars
By Thomas Black
Is China overproducing highly qualified talent?
By Kenichi Doi
Japan and NATO strengthen links amid rising security fears
Japan’s second city is hosting a $66 billion coming-out party
By Gearoid Reidy

ENVIRONMENT

The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, in October. Microsoft is set to use energy from new reactors at the plant.
AI surge to double data center electricity demand by 2030, report says
By Nathalie ALONSO
AI can also unlock opportunities to produce and consume electricity more efficiently, the International Energy Agency said in its first report on the technology's implications.
Clean streets versus business woes: Pollution charge divides Londoners
By Akshata Kapoor
Once-dying Mexican river delta slowly nursed back to life by conservationists
By Daniel Rook
As Chile revs up lithium plans, Indigenous people demand more control
By Daina Beth Solomon
Global temperatures at near-historic highs in March, says EU monitor

CULTURE

"Giselle” is a ballet telling the story of a peasant girl that dies from a broken heart and the supernatural revenge and haunting that follow.
National Ballet of Japan takes its 'Giselle' to Royal Opera House in London
By Kris Kosaka
First staged in 2022 to celebrate the NBJ’s 25th anniversary season, Miyako Yoshida's production is revived for the first time with several Tokyo shows in April.
The band that turned a pandemic lockdown into a Tokyo dream
By Patrick St. Michel
‘The Brothers Kitaura’: A sordid tale of filial impropriety
By James Hadfield
‘Ghost Killer’: Spirited action and sharp humor make for deadly fun combo
By Mark Schilling
Online art scene eager to go offline, at least for the moment
By Zoria Petkoska

LIFE

While Unzen Onsen's "hells" can be visually striking, locals describe them and their effects as "a source of emotional healing."
Heaven from hells: The sulfuric pleasure of Unzen Onsen
By Erik Augustin Palm
Located deep within Kyushu’s Shimabara Peninsula, this hot spring town offers dramatic scenery worth the effort it takes to get there.
As rice prices rise, a bit of tea adds needed luxury
By Simon Daly
I’ve only just come back from Osaka, but I’m ready to hit the Expo
By Yuko Tamura
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it
By Alex K.T. Martin
‘Japanese pastry has matured into its own distinct identity’
By Haru Beaufort

COMMUNITY

Customers line up patiently for some early-afternoon baked goods outside Truffle, which is located close to Hiroo Station on the Hibiya Line.
How to spend the perfect day in Hiroo, Tokyo’s expat enclave
By Eric Margolis
A stroll through Hiroo reveals both the comforts of expat luxury and the quiet intrusions of a changing Tokyo.
Noriko Shakti: ‘Music reflects my journey and learnings’
By Miikka J. Lehtonen
Tokyo Humanities Cafe feeds hungry minds
By Jessica Kozuka
Montessori head educates Tokyo’s children for life
By Louise George Kittaka
How to navigate Japan’s e-commerce platforms and online flea markets
By Jessica Speed

Editors' Picks

LIFE
Heaven from hells: The sulfuric pleasure of Unzen Onsen
By Erik Augustin Palm
While Unzen Onsen's "hells" can be visually striking, locals describe them and their effects as "a source of emotional healing."
COMMUNITY
How to spend the perfect day in Hiroo, Tokyo’s expat enclave
By Eric Margolis
Customers line up patiently for some early-afternoon baked goods outside Truffle, which is located close to Hiroo Station on the Hibiya Line.
BUSINESS
A trip to remember: Japan answers the demand for curated luxury travel
By Elizabeth Beattie
Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture in 2017. Travel agencies catering to luxury tourists often include areas outside well-known cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto in their itineraries offered.
JAPAN
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.
By Tomoko Otake
Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
JAPAN
Can anyone deal with Trump better than Ishiba?
By Eric Johnston
Having had two meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is slowly building a personal relationship with him, which matters greatly to the U.S. president and in resolving bilateral issues.

Podcast

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

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.
By Tomoko Otake

JT Directory Service

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Ex.Portal By Synergy Media Specialists

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

BOARDING & INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL DAY 2025 (Sunday, April 20)
BOARDING & INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL DAY 2025 (Sunday, April 20)

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan and U.S. to hold joint patrol after Okinawa sexual assaults
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki may participate in a joint patrol in the prefecture by Japanese and U.S. officials, an official in the area said.
JAPAN
Can anyone deal with Trump better than Ishiba?
By Eric Johnston
Having had two meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is slowly building a personal relationship with him, which matters greatly to the U.S. president and in resolving bilateral issues.
JAPAN
Ishiba warns of divided world at futuristic Osaka Expo opening ceremony
The opening ceremony for the Osaka Expo on Saturday.
BUSINESS
Why Trump’s dream of made-in-the-USA iPhones isn’t going to happen
By Mark Gurman
U.S. President Donald Trump wants Apple to begin building iPhones in the United States. But Apple is unlikely to move production to the country in the foreseeable future for a variety of reasons.
BUSINESS
A trip to remember: Japan answers the demand for curated luxury travel
By Elizabeth Beattie
Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture in 2017. Travel agencies catering to luxury tourists often include areas outside well-known cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto in their itineraries offered.