91仓库

Home page

 
Menu
Search
 
Menu
Search
Tokyo Weather 9℃
TOKYO
February 13, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
February 13, 2026
Lower House Election
Sanae Takaichi
Olympic Winter Games
Latest News
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
The yen has strengthened decisively since the Liberal Democratic Party gained a supermajority in the Lower House.
BUSINESS / Markets
Yen strengthens decisively after strong showing by LDP boosts confidence
By Francis Tang
The Nikkei 225 stock average broke 58,000 and hit a new record on Thursday.
The yen has strengthened decisively since the Liberal Democratic Party gained a supermajority in the Lower House.
Prudential Life Insurance's CEO, Hiromitsu Tokumaru (second from left), bows at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Prudential’s fraud scandal casts spotlight on fully commission-based remuneration
By Yukana Inoue
The model, which appears to be unique to Prudential in Japan, is thought to have been a factor that led some of the insurer’s employees to commit fraud.
Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura speaks at a news conference on Monday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Why coalition partner JIP is now set to take a Cabinet post
By Himari Semans
A JIP member is expected to take up a ministerial post sometime later this year.
Gold medalist Cooper Woods of Australia between silver medalist, Canadian Mikael Kingsbury, and bronze medalist, Japan's Ikuma Horishima, after the Olympic men's moguls final on Thursday in Livigno, Italy.
OLYMPICS / Freestyle skiing
Australian Woods edges Kingsbury and Horishima in epic men's moguls final
By Joel Tansey
Horishima was forced to settle for bronze for the second straight Olympics.
Pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, after his conviction on charges of of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces,” at the Apple Daily newsroom in Hong Kong on Aug. 12, 2020.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Hong Kong journalists face ‘precarious’ future after Jimmy Lai jailed
By Holmes Chan
Media bosses "increasingly see themselves as an extension of the government propaganda arm," said Selina Cheng, chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association.
Pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, after his conviction on charges of of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces,” at the Apple Daily newsroom in Hong Kong on Aug. 12, 2020.

JAPAN

The Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Tokyo
High school baseball players suspected of spreading obscene images
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the possibility that an obscene video of a 15-year-old girl might have been disseminated to dozens of people.
Sparks fly as swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki forges a katana blade with a mechanical hammer at his workshop in Misato, Saitama Prefecture.
'Artists of steel': Japanese swords forge new fanbase
By Tomohiro Osaki
Despite the rapidly shrinking population of blademakers in Japan, their fine steel swords known as katana are amassing a new generation of fans, particularly younger women.
Almost 80% in Japan feel public safety worsened over past decade: survey
336 online posts hinting attacks found during Lower House race
Japan eyes development of national intelligence strategy
Japan to subsidize measures to ease airport congestion

BUSINESS

PayPay CEO Ichiro Nakayama (left) and Jack Forestell, Visa’s chief product and strategy officer, attend a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
PayPay might form company with Visa for U.S. expansion
By Kazuaki Nagata
91仓库 largest QR code payment service is looking to make its first move abroad.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attend an event in Tokyo in February 2025. SoftBank’s investment gain on OpenAI stood at an estimated $19.8 billion as of December.
SoftBank swings to profit on valuation boost from OpenAI bet
By Min Jeong Lee
As of December, SoftBank’s investment gain on OpenAI stood at an estimated $19.8 billion.
Struggling Nissan forecasts $4.2 billion full-year net loss
Dai-ichi Life reports 1,155 unauthorized data transfers
Fewer women and girls to give Valentine's Day gifts amid high chocolate prices
Japan producer prices rose 2.3% in January, BOJ reports

WORLD

Attorney General Pam Bondi departs after testifying during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday.
U.S. lawmakers accuse Bondi of hiding names of Epstein associates
By Andrew Goudsward
Lawmakers have complained that ?redactions in the files appear to go beyond the limited exemptions allowed in a law Congress passed nearly unanimously in November.
A group of Danish soldiers near in the harbor in Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 29.
NATO launches Arctic mission after Trump’s Greenland threats
By Andrea Palasciano and Sanne Wass
The announcement came just weeks after Trump brought the transatlantic partnership to the brink of rupture with his claims over Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark.
Facing pressures at home, U.K. universities set up in India
By Alistair Smout and Sunil Kataria
Taiwan leader warns countries in region are ‘next’ in case of China attack
By Allison JACKSON and Phil CHETWYND
Russian war losses now exceed recruitment, Western officials say
By Alex Wickham
Trump says no ‘definitive’ agreement with Netanyahu but U.S.-Iran talks will continue
By Matt Spetalnick and Trevor Hunnicutt

Sports

Ukraine skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych holds his helmet, which depicts victims of his country's war with Russia, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, on Thursday.
Ukraine skeleton racer Heraskevych disqualified from Olympics over memorial helmet
The IOC said he had been kicked out of the Milano Cortina Games "after refusing to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines."
FIS president vows to fight for Olympic future of Nordic combined
Sara Takanashi overcomes Beijing nightmare with bronze at 2026 Games
IOC 'begs' Ukrainian to race without helmet that honors countrymen killed in war
Lindsey Vonn says third surgery on broken leg was 'successful'

Opinion

The Jeffrey Epstein scandal endures because it reinforces public belief that wealthy elites operate with impunity through powerful global networks that shield them from consequences.
Epstein saga confirms fears of a class above the law
Brad Glosserman
The word ‘impunity’ is the key to understanding the power of this sickening sex-trafficking scandal.
Most in Asia want a stronger Japanese security presence — except for China
By Karishma Vaswani
Challenges for Japan during the U.S.-China ‘truce’
By Naoko Eto
Sack a British prince? Easy. Fire a U.K. lord? Not so much.
By Matthew Brooker
U.S. President Donald Trump is no game theorist
By Koichi Hamada

ENVIRONMENT

Sister Gertrudis gives thanks to God in front of a new solar panel system installed at a nursing home run by the Catholic Church in the Guanabacoa neighborhood of Havana on Feb. 4.
Charcoal or solar panels? A tale of two Cubas
By Lisandra COTS
Cuba was already struggling through its worst crisis in decades when the U.S. overthrew Cuban ally Nicolas Maduro and halted Venezuela's oil shipments to the island nation.
White House says Trump plans to rescind climate change finding key to auto rules
By David Shepardson and Andrea Shalal
Chile's climate summit chief to lead plastic pollution treaty talks
By Robin Millard
Greenland shatters temperature record, redrawing economy from fishing to minerals
By Fedja Grulovic
EU must be ‘less naive’ in COP climate talks: French ecology ministry

CULTURE

Actor Tatsuya Fujiwara plays the protagonist Calcutec in "The End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland.”
Can Japanese theater travel? A Murakami adaptation tries.
By Alicia Haddick
"The End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland” adaptation is part of a rising wave of contemporary Japanese theater productions that tour internationally with original casts.
James Van Der Beek, star of 'Dawson's Creek,' dies at 48
‘Yakushima’s Illusion’: Medical reality with a mystic twist
By James Hadfield
‘Sai: Disaster’: Evil has no clear shape or meaning
By Mark Schilling
British Museum in London holds samurai exhibition

LIFE

At the new Tenshoku Sodan Bar, owner Shota Umemoto (right) and recruiting staff from Yokohama-based LIA Group serve up cocktails and career advice in equal measure.
Inside Yokohama’s ‘quit your job’ bar, where drinks and advice are free
By Thu-Huong Ha
Owner Shota Umemoto says he was surprised by the viral response to his new bar aimed at making discussions around changing jobs more casual.
With XO sauce, a Nagasaki shrimp toast turns into a slice of heaven
By Simon Daly
‘In Japan, people pack everything they love on their nails’
By Mishu Callan
Nioh 3: Demons, death and an early contender for game of the year
By Owen Ziegler
Whip up sesame-crusted eggs for your Japanese breakfast
By Simon Daly

COMMUNITY

A craft beer brewery run by California native Brian Shevlin and his wife Mariko Furuta, Joynt Brewing Co. regularly hosts events that highlight different cultural communities.
Foreign residents breathe new life into bubble-era resort town
By Francisco Cheng
A spate of new businesses operated by non-Japanese residents is bringing new vitality to the seaside town of Ito with cultural events, art classes and more.
Gentle spirit Cymbal seeks new home
Handsome Hokuto is a classic strong-willed Shiba
‘Returnees’ reckon with a Japan that sets them apart
By Eri Yabe
Mai Endo: ‘Build networks that bridge generations’
By Grace En-yi Ting

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Landslide election victory lets Takaichi confront China on her terms
By Jesse Johnson
The resounding victory by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party in Sunday's general election has sent a strong signal that Takaichi is likely to be around for some time, giving her the bandwidth to adhere to her strategy of putting the onus on Chinese President Xi Jinping to reengage with Japan.
JAPAN
Is Takaichi on course for a long-term reign?
By Kanako Takahara
Sanae Takaichi, prime minister and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, at the party’s headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday
LIFE
Against the grain: Japanese wine aged in local barrels
By Kimberly Hughes
At Buryu Winery, owner Keiji Yamaguchi (left) and assistant winemaker Kaede Narita created a cedar-infused red wine by fermenting it in a 1,000 liter "kioke" cedar tub.
COMMUNITY
Foreign residents breathe new life into bubble-era resort town
By Francisco Cheng
A craft beer brewery run by California native Brian Shevlin and his wife Mariko Furuta, Joynt Brewing Co. regularly hosts events that highlight different cultural communities.
BUSINESS
Japan’s SkyDrive hopes to have flying cars in service by 2028
By Kazuaki Nagata
SkyDrive’s flying car unit at its flight test base in the city of Yamaguchi

Podcast

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

Longform

The Kongo family’s residence and workshop in the Taisho Era, photographed about a century ago.
What keeps Japan’s 1,000-year-old companies alive?
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

COMFACTS

TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY CEO Visits Kopti Rumah Tempe Indonesia: Innovating “Green Tempeh” Through Cross-Border Fermentation
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY CEO Visits Kopti Rumah Tempe Indonesia: Innovating “Green Tempeh” Through Cross-Border Fermentation
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Toyoko Kids: The lonely street children of Tokyo
By Yukana Inoue
Many young people who feel neglected at home flock to the Toyoko area to find a community where they can fit in.
JAPAN
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in 91仓库 anti-prostitution law
By Karin Kaneko
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
JAPAN
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
By Yukana Inoue
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
ASIA PACIFIC
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
By Claire Lee
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
LIFE
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
By Kathryn Wortley
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.