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TOKYO
September 11, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
September 11, 2024
Shohei Ohtani
LDP RACE
Special series: Boiling Point
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Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato announces his entry into the LDP leadership race in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Kato announces bid for LDP presidency, adding uncertainty to race
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
While the former chief Cabinet secretary's chances of winning are considered minimal, his candidacy adds an extra layer of unpredictability.
Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato announces his entry into the LDP leadership race in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi announces his decision not to seek reelection in his party's Sept. 28 presidential election, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi announces decision to step down
By Eric Johnston
The decision not to seek reelection marks the end of an era for the party and raises questions on how it might impact the LDP's presidential race.
This handout photo from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings taken in July shows a set of pipes used for removing radioactive debris from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in the town of Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Tepco starts extracting radioactive fuel debris at Fukushima No. 1 plant
By Kathleen Benoza
The move is a key step in the decommissioning of nuclear reactors crippled by a triple meltdown in the wake of the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Rapidus' semiconductor foundry construction site in Chitose, Hokkaido
BUSINESS / Companies
Japan’s Rapidus seeks another ¥100 billion in chipmaking push
By Taro Fuse
The proceeds will help finance the construction of Rapidus’ foundry in Hokkaido, sources said.
Apple CEO Tim Cook unveils the iPhone 16 at the Steve Jobs Theater on the company's campus in Cupertino, California, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
iPhone 16 to land in Japan without Apple Intelligence 
By Sam Byford
The new feature, which uses generative artificial intelligence to analyze text and photos, will only be activated in 2025 in several markets, including Japan.
Apple CEO Tim Cook unveils the iPhone 16 at the Steve Jobs Theater on the company's campus in Cupertino, California, on Monday.

JAPAN

About 30 students from Biwako Seikei Sport College who had gone kayaking in Lake Biwa on Monday failed to return to shore on time. It wasn’t until hours after sundown that all the missing students returned to shore on their own.
Students reported missing while kayaking in Lake Biwa all accounted for
By Himari Semans
Having failed to return to shore before sundown, the group of university students finally made it back hours later after three of their kayaks capsized.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike poses with Liberal Democratic Party members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on July 8, following her win for a third term in the gubernatorial election the previous day.
After Tokyo governor poll, eyes turn to 2025 assembly election
Both the Liberal Democratic Party and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan are under pressure to regroup ahead of the quadrennial metropolitan assembly election.
Exhibition on Japanese Olympians at Paris Starts in Tokyo
Chinese ships enter Sea of Japan ahead of military drills with Russia
Nagasaki court recognizes some plaintiffs as A-bomb victims
Soccer player Ito appeals against nonindictment of two women

BUSINESS

Masato Kanda, Japan's former top currency diplomat, led massive bouts of yen-buying intervention in the currency markets in 2022 and 2024.
Japan nominates ex-currency diplomat Kanda to head ADB
By Makiko Yamazaki
Since its 1966 founding, the ADB's top post has always gone to a Japanese national, making Kanda a strong candidate.
Global investors are expecting the yen may rise further since the Bank of Japan raised interest rates in July.
Yen rally prompts an unwind of hedges in Japanese stocks but investors wary of earnings hit
By Winnie Hsu and Hideyuki Sano
Expectations that the yen may strengthen further have prompted strategists to recommend unwinding currency hedges on Japanese shares that have outperformed peers.
Mitsubishi Electric develops multilingual translation system for meetings
Panasonic ends 37-year contract as top Olympics sponsor
German opposition obscures Draghi’s vision for EU renewal through joint debt
By Jana Randow, Kamil Kowalcze and Mark Schroers
Japan business failures log first drop in 29 months in August

WORLD

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Kim used a speech Monday marking the 76th anniversary of his country's founding to reiterate a pledge to exponentially increase the number of nuclear weapons Pyongyang possesses.
North Korea's Kim says 'no limit' on number of nukes country builds
By Jesse Johnson
The policy is a response to the “grave threat” posed by an expanding U.S.-led “nuclear-based military bloc” surrounding his country, he said.
A screen displays a message urging supporters of Republican candidate Donald Trump to make a plan to vote early or in-person during a campaign rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 30.
Trump hunts for elusive 2024 election prize — infrequent voters
By Alexandra Ulmer, Nathan Layne and Gram Slattery
Trump, more than in previous cycles, sees infrequent voters as critical.
FBI’s most-wanted pastor’s arrest puts Philippine's Duterte on defense
By Andreo Calonzo
Typhoon Yagi death toll climbs as severe floods inundate northern Vietnam
By Khanh Vu and Phuong Nguyen
Australia plans age limit to ban children from social media
By David WILLIAMS
What to watch for during the Harris-Trump presidential debate
By James Oliphant

Sports

U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles mimics a "Kamehameha,” an energy-blast attack from the anime "Dragon Ball Z,” after winning the men's 100-meter final at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 4.
Athletes go Super Saiyan for anime
By Emmanuel Morgan
Although outsiders often consider anime a niche interest, it is a touchstone for younger generations, including athletes.
Djokovic shut out as young guns usher in new Grand Slam era
By Shrivathsa Sridhar
France back to winning ways with 2-0 success against Belgium
Paralympic flame still burns brightly for military veterans
World Boxing chief urges national federations to save Olympic dream
By Amlan Chakraborty

Opinion

Ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader and prime minister, Fumio Kishida, attends a campaign event with then-LDP candidate Junko Mihara and lawmaker Shinjiro Koizumi (left) in Kawasaki in July 2022. Koizumi is viewed as a potential front-runner in the party's upcoming leadership contest.
Japan’s public wants change. Can the ruling party deliver?
Gearoid Reidy
The LDP's upcoming leadership contest features a diverse field of candidates, including Shinjiro Koizumi, who is viewed as a potential front-runner.
A new ‘Cold War’ with China might be the best hope for the future
By Brad Glosserman
How to make the most of the Kursk gambit
By Samuel Charap and Charles A. Kupchan
How to read Putin’s next nuclear threat
By Marc Champion
Could India become an alternative to China in the ‘chip war’?
By Eri Ikeda

ENVIRONMENT

A construction worker in Tokyo's Akasaka district on Aug. 21. With 886 cases, 54 of them fatal, during the period from 2019 to 2023, the construction industry leads Japan’s tally for occupational heatstroke.
Clocking off: Japan’s hotter summers put limit on outdoor work
By Annelise Giseburt
Climate change is forcing businesses to sacrifice productivity in the name of safety in industries ranging from construction to transportation.
Australian airports face the worst climate-change risks
By Angus Whitley
As the Amazon’s biggest champion approaches 100, he’s still fighting
By Olivia Rudgard
Taiwan workshop turns trash into sunglasses
By Angie Teo and Ann Wang
Kimchi no more? Climate change puts South Korea's beloved cabbage dish at risk
By Sebin Choi and Hyun Young Yi

CULTURE

James Earl Jones in the Broadway revival of "Gore Vidal’s The Best Man” at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater in New York in March 2012. Jones, once a stuttering farm child who became a voice of rolling thunder as one of America’s most versatile actors in a stage, film and television career that plumbed race relations, Shakespeare’s rhapsodic tragedies and the faceless menace of Darth Vader, died on Monday at his home in Dutchess County, New York. He was 93.
James Earl Jones, actor whose voice could menace or melt, dies at 93
By Robert D. McFadden
He gave life to characters like Darth Vader in “Star Wars” and Mufasa in “The Lion King,” and went on to collect Tonys, Golden Globes, Emmys and an honorary Oscar.
'Shogun' clinches record-breaking 14 Creative Arts Emmys
Magical Mirai 2024 shows that the future is bright for Hatsune Miku
By Patrick St. Michel
Almodovar wins top Venice prize for end-of-life film
By Alexandria SAGE
'The Third Love' is a time-bending meditation on romantic love
By Kris Kosaka

LIFE

Inside a gallery influenced by famed architect Kengo Kuma, Nakamura Ningyo's Hakata dolls represent a little-seen side of Japanese crafts.
From Godzilla to martyrs, Hakata doll-making knows no bounds
By Erik Augustin Palm
Since its establishment in Fukuoka in 1917, Nakamura Ningyo has been a cornerstone of the Hakata doll tradition.
Ditch labor-intensive ice cream for this whisked-together parfait
By Simon Daly
Traveling to Germany is ‘worth the cost’ for Japan’s indie studios
By Samantha Low
Those looking for jobs in Japan get another shot at it in September
By Yaeko Kabe
Japan’s autumn eggplant: Too delicious for your daughter-in-law
By Elizabeth Andoh

COMMUNITY

Jonah Ndeuludila (right) is studying at Tochigi Prefecture's Asian Rural Institute in order to bring skills back to his job at Namibia's Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust.
Over half a century, seeds of change grow at a Tochigi farm
By Madeleine Cuckson
Founded by Toshihiro Takami in 1973, ARI promotes organic, subsistence farming methods and the practice of servant leadership.
Philippine envoy highlights climate and smart farms
By Louise George Kittaka
Verdi is looking for a home as affectionate as him
Adrian Bianco: ‘Leaving your comfort zone keeps you alive’
By Ora Margolis
The American journalist ahead of the game on an ascendant Japan
By Bill Holstein

Editors' Picks

COMMENTARY
Unpacking Japan’s messy leadership election
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
The Liberal Democratic Party's presidential race is expected to have a record number of candidates.
JAPAN
Small Hokkaido town ranked most comfortable place to live in Japan
By Jessica Speed
Asahidake in Daisetsuzan is located in the town of Higashikawa, Hokkaido, which ranked as the most comfortable municipality in 2024.
JAPAN
Updated Meiji Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan to keep more trees
By Yukana Inoue
Redevelopment of the Meiji Jingu Gaien district has trees in the area marked according to their status — trees marked in red were to be cut down in the original plan while those in blue were to be transplanted. In the updated plan, trees marked in red will no longer be felled, and those in blue will remain where they are.
JAPAN
U.K. envoy to Japan pushes back on Indo-Pacific disengagement concerns
By Gabriel Dominguez
U.K. Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom says the Indo-Pacific region offers a unique opportunity to not only tackle shared security concerns but also to generate new sources of economic growth.
LIFE
‘When I die, I would like to come back as a rice ball’
By Florentyna Leow
Few in Japan may be more passionate about the 'onigiri' (rice ball) than Yumiko Ukon, owner of an onigiri specialty shop in Tokyo's Otsuka neighborhood.

Podcast

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

Longform

A store clerk tries to cool things down in front of their shop by spraying a hose.
Is extreme weather changing the way Japan shops?
By Alex K.T. Martin

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Sasakawa works for a sustainable blue economy
Sasakawa works for a sustainable blue economy

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Small Hokkaido town ranked most comfortable place to live in Japan
By Jessica Speed
Asahidake in Daisetsuzan is located in the town of Higashikawa, Hokkaido, which ranked as the most comfortable municipality in 2024.
JAPAN
Nippon Ishin calls on Hyogo governor to resign over bullying claims
By Francis Tang and Himari Semans
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito, accused of workplace bullying, testifies to an investigative panel in Kobe on Friday.
JAPAN
Updated Meiji Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan to keep more trees
By Yukana Inoue
Redevelopment of the Meiji Jingu Gaien district has trees in the area marked according to their status — trees marked in red were to be cut down in the original plan while those in blue were to be transplanted. In the updated plan, trees marked in red will no longer be felled, and those in blue will remain where they are.
BUSINESS
Spa Resort Hawaiians to be acquired by U.S. fund
Hula dancers perform at Spa Resort Hawaiians in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, in November 2018.
JAPAN
Sanae Takaichi unveils LDP president bid with call for party's rebirth
By Eric Johnston
Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.