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Tokyo Weather 29¡æ
TOKYO
August 14, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 14, 2026
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Takaichi
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Residents are seen walking beside rubble in the city of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, in this undated photo taken soon after the end of World War II.
JAPAN / History
How U.S. bombing survey in Japan shed light on civilian sentiments of WWII
By Tomoko Otake
The survey, which a historian in Tochigi Prefecture¡¯s Utsunimoya spent years translating, helped the city come to terms with the war¡¯s consequences.
Residents are seen walking beside rubble in the city of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, in this undated photo taken soon after the end of World War II.
A local resident walks past a 7-Eleven convenience store in a flooded area after heavy rain in the city of Oamishirasato, Chiba Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN
Authorities urge continued caution after heavy rain in Chiba leaves eight dead
By Jessica Speed and Kanako Takahara
Emergency warnings have been downgraded but unstable atmospheric conditions are forecast to persist across Kanto, Nagano and Yamanashi through early Saturday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) interacts with residents on Etorofu island on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Putin¡¯s visit to the Northern Territories: Why now?
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
The timing of the visit is unusual, as it comes weeks in advance of when Putin was widely expected to travel to Russia¡¯s Far East.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a Liberal Democratic Party meeting alongside LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki (left) and LDP Vice President Taro Aso in Tokyo earlier this month
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Takaichi needs Aso on her side to solidify position in LDP
By Eric Johnston
If the relationship between the LDP president and the vice president does not stabilize, her position within the party won¡¯t either.
Potential health care workers hoping to find work in Japan take Japanese language instruction in Jakarta. Not all applicants for permanent residency should be expected to reach this level of proficiency.
COMMENTARY / World
What Japan¡¯s language rules for permanent residency should look like
Midori Inagaki
The main question is how Japanese language ability will be assessed. Japan must avoid turning the Japanese Language Proficiency Test into a de facto national filter.
Potential health care workers hoping to find work in Japan take Japanese language instruction in Jakarta. Not all applicants for permanent residency should be expected to reach this level of proficiency.

JAPAN

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi holds a news conference in Tokyo last month.
Takaichi touts price-relief steps on X as support sags
By Erica Yokoyama
The social media posts come as support for her government begins to ebb after a six-month post-election honeymoon.
The Grand-Place in Brussels is seen covered with dahlias arranged in the design of Katsushika Hokusai's "The Great Wave" on Thursday.
Brussels flower carpet pays homage to Hokusai¡¯s ¡®Great Wave¡¯
Some 750,000 dahlias are arranged in the design of the iconic work at an event to mark 160 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and Belgium.
Overnight stays by foreign guests exceed prepandemic levels in 39 prefectures
University head calls for shutdown of Futenma 22 years after U.S. chopper crash
Japan considering subsidies for renovating vacant stores
83-year-old VTuber posts wartime stories of Manchuria

BUSINESS

Chieko Sugai at her home in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture
Japan¡¯s inflation paradox is creating winners and losers
By Yoshiaki Nohara and Sakura Murakami
The rising cost of living is challenging Takaichi¡¯s triumphant rhetoric about Japan¡¯s economy, as inflation causes pain for many, while also ushering in an era of renewed dynamism.
Japanese investors bought the most foreign assets in more than two years last week, taking advantage of the yen¡¯s brief rally after interventions late last month.
Carry traders exploit intervention to rebuild yen shorts
By Ruth Carson and John Cheng
Every intervention to prop up the yen also creates a fresh opportunity to sell it.
Japan companies step up efforts to prevent heatstroke
Japan¡¯s power futures get boost as utilities hedge price risk
By Yusuke Maekawa
Apple trains its own AI model for China market with Alibaba¡¯s support, sources say
Google opens first directly run store outside U.S. in Tokyo

WORLD

Congolese medical workers carry children tested and cleared off from Ebola from Saint Nicholas orphanage, at the Centre Medical Evangelique in the town of Bunia, Ituri province, Congo, on June 9.
Ebola is driving up maternal deaths as pregnant women in Congo avoid hospitals
By Jason Gale
Medical staff and supplies are also being diverted to fight the virus.
The White House said that the top 100% rate of a new tariff will apply to drones of a certain size or those that possess national-security capabilities, while other imports face lower duties.
Trump imposes 100% tariffs on some drones, countering China
By Laura Curtis and Alicia Diaz
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick notes that the U.S. is ¡°too reliant¡± on foreign unmanned aircraft systems and their parts.
Thai schools step up security after deadly shooting
By Montira Rungjirajittranon
Russian regions report new fuel crunch as Kyiv hits refineries
North Korea warns of new ¡®deterrent¡¯ ahead of U.S.-South drills
Hundreds still missing in Colombia as desperation grips earthquake rescue effort
By Nelson Bocanegra and Julia Symmes Cobb

Sports

The future Fujinokawa (third from left) and Ikarigata (right) compete against each other at ages 5 and 3, respectively.
Ikarigata closer to emulating older brother Fujinokawa than many think
By John Gunning
While many expect Ikarigata to reach juryo in the near future, there¡¯s less confidence in his ability to match his older brother¡¯s achievements, which could be a mistake.
Ben Shelton wins All-American final to claim second straight Canadian Open crown
Iga Swiatek cruises past Elena Rybakina to capture Canadian Open title
Bears will not change name if team relocates to new state
Japan coach Eddie Jones feels team on verge of ending drought against Australia
By Martin PARRY

Opinion

A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet prepares to launch from the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury¡¯s attack on Iran from an undisclosed location on March 14.
Are we on the verge of World War III?
Brad Glosserman
Still, historians are quick to see parallels to the situation before 1914.
South Korea bets on industrial policy again
By Lee Jong-wha
Zhu Rongji, China¡¯s misunderstood reformer, dies
The U.S. ammo crunch is a global disaster
By Andreas Kluth
What a Sino-American ¡®G2¡¯ would mean for Asian security
By Brahma Chellaney

ENVIRONMENT

A woman covers from the sun with an umbrella during a heat wave in London on Aug. 13.
It¡¯s likely that 2026 will be the hottest year on record, experts say
By Eric Roston
Additionally, 2027 is expected to set a new high, according to an analysis.
¡®Imposing ignorance¡¯: U.S. climate science under siege
By Issam AHMED
Inventories and farming method gains bolster food system against ¡®super¡¯ El Nino
Italy¡¯s record-low Po River forces farmers to weigh crop switch
By Alberto Brambilla
Scientists turn to sharks to improve hurricane predictions
By Marta Serafinko

CULTURE

Aespa, a K-pop girl group composed of (left to right) Karina, Ningning, Giselle and Winter, released ¡°Kiss n Tell,¡± its Japanese-language minialbum, in July.
Aespa channels summer cheer in Japanese minialbum
By Adam Davidson
Released July 24, ¡°Kiss n Tell¡± is a departure from the K-pop girl group¡¯s signature heavy bass and electronic dance music sound.
The disturbing dream world of ¡®Cattle Muti-Leiko¡¯
By Mark Schilling
An unsolved murder leads to despair and salvation in ¡®The Brightest Sun¡¯
By James Hadfield
Katseye seeks to show raw side in new ¡®Wild Hearts¡¯ film
By Danielle Broadway
The man behind 25 years of Summer Sonic
By Patrick St. Michel

LIFE

A woman takes advantage of a public mist machine to deal with a heat wave in Tokyo last month.
Cruel summer: Searching for an escape from Japan¡¯s extreme heat
By Eric Margolis
From extreme heat and tropical nights to mountain escapes, a look at the Japanese vocabulary of summer.
Spotify asks creators to label songs when they¡¯re AI-generated
By Ashley Carman
Japan¡¯s brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
By Gabrielle Doman
?6,000 for shaved ice: Is luxury ¡®kakigš­ri¡¯ worth it?
By Weiwen Lin
Locked up in luxury at the new Hoshinoya Nara Prison hotel
By Owen Ziegler

COMMUNITY

Volunteer Vicky Parthasarathy (right) believes that people from various cultures can understand each other better through food.
This children¡¯s cafeteria in Shikoku serves up free meals and global perspectives
By Jacob Meyer
As immigration becomes an increasingly contentious issue in Japan, a children¡¯s cafeteria in Shikoku is bridging cultural gaps, one hot meal at a time.
This pup has a new take on life
How foreign workers became an essential part of Japan¡¯s ubiquitous konbini
By Yumi Wijers-Hasegawa
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
By Mai Yoshikawa
A friendly ¡®peaches-and-cream¡¯ fellow

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
By Mai Yoshikawa
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
SUMO
Ikarigata closer to emulating older brother Fujinokawa than many think
By John Gunning
The future Fujinokawa (third from left) and Ikarigata (right) compete against each other at ages 5 and 3, respectively.
COMMUNITY
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
By Yumi Wijers-Hasegawa
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
COMMUNITY
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Japan¡¯s changing permanent residency rules
By Jessica Speed
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
ENVIRONMENT
As Japan¡¯s concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
By Tomoko Otake
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Japan¡¯s earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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COMFACTS

Regenesome Marks Second Anniversary with ¡°Regenesome Tech Forum 2026,¡± Reporting Two Years of Research and Its Priorities for Year Three
Regenesome Marks Second Anniversary with ¡°Regenesome Tech Forum 2026,¡± Reporting Two Years of Research and Its Priorities for Year Three
SPACE SEED HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

WHAT¡¯S TRENDING

JAPAN
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
By Mai Yoshikawa
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
BUSINESS
New ¡®Katsu Curry Index¡¯ aims to show how weak the yen really is
A CoCo Ichibanya curry house in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Mexican man arrested over attempt to smuggle some 200 lizards into Japan
Mexican alligator lizards seized by Tokyo Customs from a Mexican man who attempted to smuggle them into Japan on Saturday through Haneda Airport
JAPAN
Gut bacteria may be behind many of Japan¡¯s colorectal cancer cases
A Japanese research team found that a toxin produced by certain E. coli strains, colibactin, caused genetic mutations in nearly half of colorectal cancer cases studied
BUSINESS
She is Russia¡¯s richest woman. Her business empire is going up in flames.
By Paul Sonne, Alina Lobzina and Oleg Matsnev
Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of Wildberries, speaks about Ukrainian drone attacks on the company's warehouses in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unidentified location, in this still image from a handout video released on July 31.