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Tokyo Weather 12¡æ
TOKYO
March 30, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
March 30, 2026
Iran war
Cherry blossoms
Sanae Takaichi
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Tokyo stocks have been weak since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.
BUSINESS / Markets
Stocks fall 5% after yen breaks ?160 to the dollar over the weekend
By Francis Tang
Brent crude is up and trading above $115 per barrel on supply concerns.
Tokyo stocks have been weak since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.
A plume of smoke rises from the site of a strike in Tehran on Sunday.
WORLD
Tehran briefly loses power after strikes as peace push ramps up
By Patrick Sykes and Sherif Tarek
The arrival of a U.S. amphibious assault group and the Iran-backed Houthis to the conflict has raised fears of a possible escalation of the war.
Rocket trails are seen in the sky amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya on Friday.
WORLD / FOCUS
The war with Iran may be ushering in a new nuclear age
By Peter Martin, Jonathan Tirone and Gerry Doyle
From the North Atlantic to the West Pacific, governments are debating more publicly than before whether they, too, must get the bomb.
U.S. Army soldiers and U.S. Marines fire Javelin missiles simultaneously during a counterlanding live-fire exercise as part of last year's Balikatan military drills in Aparri, the Philippines, in May last year.
JAPAN / Politics
In first, Japan to send ¡®combat¡¯ troops to major military drills in Philippines
By Gabriel Dominguez
The Self-Defense Forces personnel will take part in the annual Balikatan military exercises, setting a new milestone in regional security cooperation.
Author Haruki Murakami (right) joins Roland Kelts on stage for the Murakami Mixtape event. Murakami is the contemporary Japanese novelist most emblematic of the country¡¯s love of jazz.
CULTURE / Music / CULTURE SMASH
How the Japanese made jazz their own
By Roland Kelts
Through Haruki Murakami and a Tokyo-tošCNew York performance, hints of how Japan reinterpreted jazz.
Author Haruki Murakami (right) joins Roland Kelts on stage for the Murakami Mixtape event. Murakami is the contemporary Japanese novelist most emblematic of the country¡¯s love of jazz.

JAPAN

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is urging other countries to join a multination joint statement on the safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Japan boosts efforts for multination coalition to ensure safety in Strait of Hormuz
By increasing international pressure on Iran, Japan is looking to demonstrate its commitment to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has urged Japan and others to make "contributions."
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Izumo helicopter carrier (back) leaves Yokosuka port in Kanagawa Prefecture for an escort mission with the United States in May 2017.
Japan marks a decade since landmark security legislation took effect
The legislation ¡ª and what it allows Japan to do ¡ª has come under the spotlight amid the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Middle East.
For some retirees, life is a little bit like a holiday
Japan to begin RSV vaccinations during pregnancy to protect infants
CDP stops short of specifying when to merge into CRA
Cherry blossoms are now in full bloom in Tokyo

BUSINESS

Bilal Bin Saqib at the Quaid-e-Azam Library in Lahore. Saqib is seen as a key player in transforming the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan over the past year.
Pakistan's crypto diplomacy paved way for key role as U.S.-Iran intermediary
By Faseeh Mangi
Red carpet treatment in Islamabad for the American president's family business underscores the growing depth of an increasingly important geopolitical relationship.
Hisashi Matsumoto, Japan's digital transformation minister
Sakura Internet formally selected as government cloud provider
The decision makes Sakura Internet the first domestic service provider for the government cloud.
BOJ summary displays hawkish tilt with debate on size of hike
By Toru Fujioka
WTO talks end in deadlock after Brazil blocks deal over e-commerce duties
By Olivia Le Poidevin
Uniqlo taps into Ohtani magic at Dodgers Stadium to fuel U.S. push
By Kanoko Matsuyama and Yui Hasebe
New $1 billion airport near Delhi to test India¡¯s buildout boom
By Mihir Mishra

WORLD

U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters while Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio look on, as they attend a meeting with oil industry executives at the White House in Washington in January.
JD or Marco? Iran war raises 2028 stakes as Trump weighs Vance vs. Rubio.
By Steve Holland and Nandita Bose
Vice President JD Vance has taken a cautious approach, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has aligned himself closely with the president's hawkish stance.
Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Turkey meet to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, on Sunday.
Pakistan prepares to host peace talks as Iran accuses U.S. of ground assault plans
By Asif Shahzad, Alexander Cornwell and Sabrina Valle
Complicating Pakistan's bid are the maximalist positions set out by the United States, Israel and Iran on what it would take ?to end the conflict.
Germany's WWII munitions a toxic legacy on Baltic Sea floor
By Celine Le Prioux
AI deepfakes blur reality in 2026 U.S. midterm campaigns
By Joseph Ax and Helen Coster
U.S. plans to allow Russian oil tanker into Cuba, easing crisis
By Eric Martin
Why is NASA spending $100 billion to return to the moon? Depends on who you ask.
By Loren Grush

Sports

Kaori Sakamoto celebrates after winning the women's singles title at the figure skating world championships in Prague on Friday.
Kaori Sakamoto ends career with fourth world championship
Mone Chiba took silver behind Sakamoto, while Belgium's Nina Pinzarrone earned bronze.
Mercedes' Antonelli wins Japanese Grand Prix to take lead
Sabalenka sinks Gauff to win second straight Miami Open title
Malinin bounces back from Olympic collapse with third straight worlds gold
By Diane Falconer
Easy win for Belgium over US rings alarm bells for World Cup co-host

Opinion

Russia¡¯s slow, costly gains in Ukraine highlight the limits of its military power, especially when contrasted with the speed and effectiveness of recent U.S. and Israeli operations in Iran.
Putin¡¯s misguided war on Ukraine reveals epic impotence
Sergey Maidukov
In 2025 alone, Russia lost more than 400,000 soldiers, killed or wounded, while capturing less than 1% of Ukrainian territory.
Nepal after the fires: Can a landslide deliver democratic stability?
By Brahma Chellaney
Paul Ehrlich's 'Population Bomb' never went off but did great harm
By Daniel Moss
What Tokyo can learn from Kyiv¡¯s war experience
By Mariia Hirniak
Will 91²Ö¿â new National Intelligence Council function properly?
By Kuni Miyake

ENVIRONMENT

Air pollution shrouds electricity towers in New Delhi, India.
A decade of global climate caution is sealed by India¡¯s wary goals
By Akshat Rathi
India's new plans extend the nation's focus on lowering emissions intensity rather than prescribe absolute cuts in greenhouse gases.
Arctic sea ice at lowest level ever this winter
U.S.-Israeli war on Iran pushes consumers to reconsider fossil fuel alternatives
By Todd Woody
Planet trapped record heat in 2025: U.N.
By Alexandre GROSBOIS
The human-made roots of 91²Ö¿â hay fever crisis
By Alex K.T. Martin

CULTURE

Author Haruki Murakami (right) joins Roland Kelts on stage for the Murakami Mixtape event. Murakami is the contemporary Japanese novelist most emblematic of the country¡¯s love of jazz.
How the Japanese made jazz their own
By Roland Kelts
Through Haruki Murakami and a Tokyo-tošCNew York performance, hints of how Japan reinterpreted jazz.
¡®90 Meters¡¯ tempers the strain of caregiving with reassuring glow
By Mark Schilling
Music Awards Japan sets June return in Tokyo
By Alyssa I. Smith
¡®Chimney Town: Frozen in Time¡¯: A visually rich sequel with a thematic wobble
By Matt Schley
The WBC was a hit in Japan. Watching it wasn¡¯t.
By Gabriella Geisinger

LIFE

The Sui Collection, a Cabinet Office-backed showcase of traditional Japanese artisanship, is visually stunning, but what is lost in translation when the state is a partner in cultural communication?
What happens when Japan curates its aesthetic for the world?
By Erik Augustin Palm
The Sui Collection of traditional artistry demonstrates how Japan wants to be seen ¡ª both domestically and abroad.
It¡¯s not too late ¡ª at least not when it comes to investing in Japanese stocks
By Yuko Tamura
Tokyo earns seven spots on Asia¡¯s 50 Best Restaurants list
By Weiwen Lin
¡®For Japanese wine, you must forget everything you know about wine¡¯
By Weiwen Lin
For Suda51, punk in games isn¡¯t dead. It¡¯s reloading.
By Gendel Gento

COMMUNITY

The executive committee of Women in Law Japan poses for a photo at the organization¡¯s 10th anniversary gala.
Women in Law Japan marks 10 years amid persistent gender gap in the profession
By Louise George Kittaka
Through events, workshops and mentorship programs, the platform offers opportunities to connect for women in the legal profession in Japan.
Sundae, a spry and special dog, wants a walking companion
In Onomichi, urbanists redesign public life via vacant homes
By Sneha Nagesh
Kyoto bids farewell to a storied poets¡¯ cafe
By Felicity Tillack
Recentering Okinawa, one story at a time
By Kris Kosaka

Editors' Picks

LIFE
What happens when Japan curates its aesthetic for the world?
By Erik Augustin Palm
The Sui Collection, a Cabinet Office-backed showcase of traditional Japanese artisanship, is visually stunning, but what is lost in translation when the state is a partner in cultural communication?
LIFE
With the end of 3G, 91²Ö¿â beloved flip phones go dark
By Thu-Huong Ha
Japan was the first country in the world to adopt 3G, but this month, it cuts off access to the obsolete wireless network for good.
CULTURE
What¡¯s new (and what¡¯s not) at the reopened Edo-Tokyo Museum
By Thu-Huong Ha
Outside, at the western entrance of Edo-Tokyo Museum, one of the spaces redesigned under architect Shohei Shigematsu, is an installation of torii gate-inspired structures.
JAPAN
Japan to tighten requirements for naturalization starting April 1
By Himari Semans
Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
LIFE
A Saitama sake brewery embraces a little-known rice variety
By Jessica Kozuka
Kiyoshi Gonda (left), sixth-generation sakemaker of Gonda Shuzo in Saitama Prefecture, wants to make his sake from as many local ingredients as possible.

Podcast

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

Longform

Nearly half of Japan¡¯s population suffers from hay fever, fueled by pollen from vast cedar and cypress plantations.
The human-made roots of 91²Ö¿â hay fever crisis
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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WHAT¡¯S TRENDING

JAPAN
MSDF destroyer becomes Japan¡¯s first ship capable of firing Tomahawk missiles
By Jesse Johnson
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Chokai guided-missile destroyer sails during the Rim of the Pacific joint exercises in the Pacific Ocean in July 2016.
JAPAN
91²Ö¿â foreign resident population hits record 4.12 million
Visitors in the Dotonbori area in Osaka. The number of foreign residents in Japan has exceeded 4 million for the first time.
JAPAN
Japan adopts new target for regions to address overtourism
Visitors in the Dotonbori area in Osaka
BUSINESS
Bikes keep Honda afloat, yet even that business is under pressure
By Nicholas Takahashi
Almost one out of every three motorcycles sold globally is a Honda, generating the majority of the manufacturer¡¯s operating profit despite accounting for less than a fifth of sales.
JAPAN
Pokemon shop employee killed by stalker in Tokyo¡¯s Ikebukuro district
By Yukana Inoue
An ambulance parked in front of Sunshine City, a commercial complex in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district, on Thursday night following a stabbing