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February 25, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
February 25, 2026
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IHI's headquarters in Tokyo on Tuesday. Several affiliated companies of the Japanese conglomerate are among firms put on a Chinese blacklist the same day.
BUSINESS / Economy
China issues dual-use blacklist of 20 Japanese entities
By Francis Tang
Special permission will be needed to export dual-use items to these companies, institutions and agencies.
IHI's headquarters in Tokyo on Tuesday. Several affiliated companies of the Japanese conglomerate are among firms put on a Chinese blacklist the same day.
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa spoke with the United States’ commerce secretary about new tariffs imposed by the U.S. president.
BUSINESS / Economy
Akazawa says Japan shouldn’t be worse off under new tariffs
By Francis Tang
The U.S. Supreme Court declared tariffs central to the Japan-U.S. trade agreement illegal.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi looks toward Centrist Reform Alliance leader Junya Ogawa during a parliamentary session in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Despite Lower House dominance, Takaichi puts emphasis on cooperation
By Eric Johnston
The prime minister urged opposition parties to work with her coalition to get the fiscal 2026 budget passed before the end of March, when the current fiscal year concludes.
A baby Japanese macaque named Punch drags a stuffed orangutan at Ichikawa City Zoo, in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Punch-drunk love: Lonely baby monkey in Japan goes viral
By Jessica Speed
A tiny Japanese macaque at a local zoo in Chiba Prefecture has become an online sensation, with people around the world rooting for him after he was abandoned by his mother.
With Mirumi, a fluffy-furred robot bag charm, robotics firm Yukai Engineering hopes to replicate the Labubu craze in Western countries.
BUSINESS / Companies
A fluffy pink robot may be Japan’s answer to Labubu
By Elizabeth Beattie
Mirumi, whose goal is to “steal your heart,” arrives as the “kidult” market is projected to climb.
With Mirumi, a fluffy-furred robot bag charm, robotics firm Yukai Engineering hopes to replicate the Labubu craze in Western countries.

JAPAN

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a regular news conference Tuesday at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo.
Japan to deploy missiles to Yonaguni Island by fiscal 2030, defense chief says
By Jesse Johnson
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the timing for the deployment of the weapons could change depending on the progress of future facility improvements.
The Sakaiminato Ferry Terminal in Tottori Prefecture featuring works by the late manga artist Shigeru Mizuki. A traditional Japanese short poetry contest held in the city to commemorate Mizuki came to an end this year due to possible AI use by participants.
Possible AI use leads to end of senryu competition after 20 years
By Yukana Inoue
The organizers decided to end the contest as it has become difficult for the works to be judged fairly given the emergence of artificial intelligence.
JOC identifies 1,919 online posts defaming Milan-Cortina Olympians
Japan looks to strike up partnerships with Europe's defense sector
Japan pushes back decision on joining Trump's Board of Peace
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney set for Japan visit

BUSINESS

The tax-inclusive price of McDonald's Big Mac in Japan will be raised from ?480 to ?500.
McDonald's to raise menu prices in Japan starting Wednesday
The fast food chain said the price hikes reflect higher material, energy and labor costs.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with the press before departing from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Feb. 13.
Trump’s 10% levy takes effect as U.S. rebuilds tariff wall
The White House is working on a formal order that will increase the global tariff rate to 15%, according to an administration official.
In Russia, many restaurants and cafes close amid major slowdown
By Ekaterina Maksimova
BBVA plans to operate brokerage in Japan, in first for Spanish bank
By Takashi Nakamichi and Jorge Zuloaga
From 'buy America' to 'bye America': More U.S. investors are spending elsewhere
By Lucy Raitano and Amanda Cooper
Amundi goes long on Japanese debt for the first time in decades
By Naomi Tajitsu

WORLD

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy makes a video address from his bunker in Kyiv, as Ukraine marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy marks war anniversary vowing to fight on, with Ukraine's allies divided
Divisions among its European partners overshadowed commemorations of the start of the conflict.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, attends a reception at the Great Hall of People in Beijing, following a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, last September.
North Korea ruling party promotes Kim Jong Un's younger sister
Kim Yo Jong — long considered one of her brother's closest lieutenants — was promoted to department director within the ruling party's apex central committee.
Most Americans say Trump is growing erratic with age, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
By Jason Lange
Four years into Putin’s war, the Ukraine peace push is stalling
By Andrea Palasciano, Alberto Nardelli and Alex Wickham
Where do Ukraine and Russia stand after four years of war?
From AI to Starlink: How drone tech is reshaping war in Ukraine
By Barbara WOJAZER

Sports

Japanese athletes participate in the closing ceremony of the Milano Cortina Olympics in Verona, Italy, on Sunday.
Japan proved its winter sports prowess at the Milano Cortina Games
By Joel Tansey
The 24-medal haul ranked Japan fifth in the world, while the number of gold matched the country's all-time high at a Winter Olympics, set at the 1998 Nagano Games.
'Ugly' England aims to spin its way to the T20 World Cup semifinals
Vonn says Olympic injury could have led to amputation
Mayweather to fight Pacquiao in Las Vegas in September
By Andrew Marszal
Proud Italy signs off with closing ceremony in ancient Verona Arena
By Elvira Pollina and Keith Weir

Opinion

U.S. President Donald Trump, along with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden on April 2. The U.S. Supreme Court’s latest tariff decision challenges Trump’s executive authority.
U.S. top justices’ ruling on tariffs marks a turning point
Noah Feldman
The tariffs case presented an especially good opportunity for the court to take on Trump because it could be confident that its decision would actually be implemented.
In a fragmented world, the OECD matters more than ever
By Kumiharu Shigehara
Congress must stop war by mission creep
By Andreas Kluth
The theater of the absurd that is India vs. Pakistan cricket
By Tunku Varadarajan
Silver’s surge suggests a brighter future for solar
By David Fickling

ENVIRONMENT

A Yamaha sports motorbike at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo in New Delhi, in January 2025. Yamaha aims to have electric motorcycles account for about 30% of its new motorcycles by 2027.
Motorcycle makers in Japan race to go carbon-neutral
Though motorcycle manufacturer executives believe motorcycles will eventually go electric, challenges — such as a steep price and lack of charging facilities — remain.
India celebrates cheetah births to boost reintroduction bid
By Peter Martelli
Junk to high-tech: India bets on e-waste for critical minerals
By Arunabh SAIKIA and Uzmi ATHAR
Indonesia coal plant closure U-turn sows energy transition doubts
By Marchio Gorbiano
91仓库 'godless' lake warns of creeping climate change
By Harumi Ozawa

CULTURE

Director Yoshitoshi Shinomiya (left) and cast members Riku Hagiwara and Miyu Irino attend a press conference to promote the movie "A New Dawn" at the 76th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin on Feb. 18.
Yoshitoshi Shinomiya emerges as anime’s new auteur with ‘A New Dawn’ in Berlin
By David Opie
A handcrafted debut blends tradition, reinvention and ecological urgency on the international stage.
‘The Traveling Tree’: Essays from Alaska offer lessons from the edge of the wild
By Alex Michael Dwyer
Bad Bunny to star in movie about Puerto Rico
Fujii Kaze, Massive Attack among Fuji Rock Festival 2026 performers announced
By Patrick St. Michel
‘Mag Mag’: A wild, messy riff on Japan’s vengeful ghost tradition
By James Hadfield

LIFE

Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania's Alucard and the weak yet lovable Slime from Dragon Quest are just some of Japan's iconic gaming franchises celebrating midlife anniversaries in 2026.
Japan’s gaming icons are getting midlife makeovers as they hit their 40s
By Owen Ziegler
Zelda, Pokemon, Dragon Quest and more mark major anniversaries in 2026 — a milestone year for the industry they built.
At Choma, drinks come with a shot of folklore
By Melinda Joe
5,200% price hike on fonts has Japan’s indie game devs scrambling
By Gendel Gento
91仓库 other fried favorite is no small fry
By Makiko Itoh
Rare Pokemon card sets record with $16.49 million sale
By Owen Ziegler

COMMUNITY

Visitors worship at a Hare Krishna temple in Nishikasai, Edogawa Ward, which became a hub for the Indian expat community in the 2000s.
After closures and breaks, Tokyo's 'Little India' regains its footing
By Shyam Bhardwa
The Indian cultural hub of Nishikasai in Edogawa Ward is bouncing back post-pandemic with new businesses and reprising the lively celebrations of years past.
Tokyo LGBTQ fundraiser to raise money for Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa
By Kat Joplin
Games and gab at a French pub in western Tokyo
By Aviraj Gokool
Gentle spirit Cymbal seeks new home
Foreign residents breathe new life into bubble-era resort town
By Francisco Cheng

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
Yoshitoshi Shinomiya emerges as anime’s new auteur with ‘A New Dawn’ in Berlin
By David Opie
Director Yoshitoshi Shinomiya (left) and cast members Riku Hagiwara and Miyu Irino attend a press conference to promote the movie "A New Dawn" at the 76th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin on Feb. 18.
LIFE
Bean by bean, coffee cultivation in Okinawa defies the odds
By Kimberly Hughes
At Nakayama Coffee Farm, Tatsumi Kishimoto (far right) and his team run a cafe and conduct tours of the grounds for visitors. Kishimoto says Okinawan coffee farmers cannot rely on coffee-farming alone as their sole source of income.
CULTURE
After ‘Kokuho’: Nakamura Takanosuke to take kabuki’s ‘onnagata’ tradition to Europe
By Kris Kosaka
Nakamura Takanosuke performs as an "onnagata," the term for male kabuki actors who portray women, in "The Wisteria Maiden."
CULTURE
The critic who ruffled pop culture’s feathers
By Eric Margolis
W. David Marx’s new book, "Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty-First Century," argues radical cultural innovation has become increasingly scarce.
JAPAN
With fresh mandate, Japan’s Takaichi sets sights on divisive security goals
By Jesse Johnson and Gabriel Dominguez
Ghost Robotics Vision 60 takes part in an annual New Year's military drill by the Ground Self-Defense Force's 1st Airborne Brigade at Narashino exercise field in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, on Jan. 11.

Podcast

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

Longform

Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania's Alucard and the weak yet lovable Slime from Dragon Quest are just some of Japan's iconic gaming franchises celebrating midlife anniversaries in 2026.
Japan’s gaming icons are getting midlife makeovers as they hit their 40s
By Owen Ziegler

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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Tokyo Skytree shuts down after 20 people trapped in elevator for six hours
Tokyo Skytree in November 2025. One of its elevators came to a standstill on Sunday around 8:15 p.m. All of its passengers were rescued about six hours later, close to 2:00 a.m. on Monday.
JAPAN
Producer of girl group XG arrested in cocaine bust
Police in Tokyo arrested four men for drug possession on Monday, including the producer of the idol group XG.
COMMUNITY
After closures and breaks, Tokyo's 'Little India' regains its footing
By Shyam Bhardwa
Visitors worship at a Hare Krishna temple in Nishikasai, Edogawa Ward, which became a hub for the Indian expat community in the 2000s.
OLYMPICS
Japan proved its winter sports prowess at the Milano Cortina Games
By Joel Tansey
Japanese athletes participate in the closing ceremony of the Milano Cortina Olympics in Verona, Italy, on Sunday.
BUSINESS
China issues dual-use blacklist of 20 Japanese entities
By Francis Tang
IHI's headquarters in Tokyo on Tuesday. Several affiliated companies of the Japanese conglomerate are among firms put on a Chinese blacklist the same day.