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TOKYO
September 09, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
September 09, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
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Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi on Monday became the first to enter the race to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
JAPAN / Politics
Race to become next LDP president kicks off again
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
One presidential hopeful has announced his bid following Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba¡¯s decision to step down just a year after taking over as chief of the ruling party.

More coverage

Search is on for loopholes in Japan¡¯s $550 billion investment pledge
Ishiba to quit as prime minister amid LDP discontent
Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi on Monday became the first to enter the race to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick argues that U.S. President Donald Trump has sole authority to invest Japan's promised $550 billion.
BUSINESS / Economy
Search is on for loopholes in Japan¡¯s $550 billion investment pledge
By Francis Tang
The pledge was described over the weekend by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as essentially a blank checkbook for U.S. President Donald Trump.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (left) and South Korean defense chief Ahn Gyu-back inspect an honor guard before their meeting in Seoul on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan and South Korea defense chiefs agree to regular visits and tech cooperation
By Jesse Johnson
The agreement emerged during a visit by Defense Minister Gen Nakatani to South Korea, the first by a Japanese defense chief in a decade.
The city of Obihiro, Hokkaido, under the scorching sun on July 23
JAPAN
Heatstroke patient numbers jumped in cooler Hokkaido and Tohoku this summer
By Yukana Inoue
In Hokkaido, the number of heatstroke patients rose 1.7-fold from the previous year, while Aomori Prefecture saw a 1.53-fold rise and Akita Prefecture saw a 1.42-fold rise.
Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she ¡°naively believed.¡± This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
SPORTS / Longform
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight
By Mai Yoshikawa
Two Japanese athletes reveal how their pursuit of excellence in sports led to eating disorders, and how recovery is reshaping their lives.
Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she ¡°naively believed.¡± This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.

JAPAN

Haruto Kotani (second from right), the 20.25 millionth visitor to the Osaka Expo, and others during a ceremony in Osaka on Saturday
Osaka Expo hits record 200,000 daily visitors
The cumulative number of visitors, including those related to the Expo project, has reached 20.25 million.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike (right) and Takayuki Morimura, head of Tomin First no Kai, during the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election campaign in Tokyo in June
Tokyo Gov. Koike seen keeping three-party alliance involving LDP
Attention is also turning to whether the Tokyo governor will seek cooperation with the Democratic Party for the People, which won its first seats in the metropolitan assembly.
Kyoto University develops protein to help remove cancer cells
Prince Hisahito visits Ise Shrine after coming-of-age ceremony
Yodobashi Camera warned for cutting payments to subcontractors
Ed Sheeran teams up with Tokyo¡¯s Oedo Line
By Alyssa I. Smith

BUSINESS

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House. Trade deals between Japan and the United States are expected to be respected by Japan's next prime minister.
Japan-U.S. trade deal expected to hold up post-Ishiba
By Francis Tang
Inertia and fear of Trump's fury work in the agreement¡¯s favor.
A Homeland Security Investigations police officer watches over workers during a federal search warrant at a company in Ellabell, Georgia, on Thursday.
U.S. migrant raid jolts South Korea and stirs investor anxiety
By Youkyung Lee and Denny Thomas
The raid came shortly after a White House summit between the presidents of both countries where Korean companies pledged to up U.S. investments.
Japan set for record number of takeover offers from foreign firms
By Tsuyoshi Inajima
Japan confirms GDP growth as spending holds up amid U.S. tariffs
By Yoshiaki Nohara
Akazawa says U.S. trade deal not settled as Japan awaits pharma and chip orders
Trump signs order offering some tariff exemptions to countries with U.S. trade deals

WORLD

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has responded cautiously to a possible warming in relations with the U.S. following weeks of tensions over tariffs.
India proceeds with caution after Trump softens his rhetoric
By Sudhi Ranjan Sen
U.S. President Donald Trump called his Indian counterpart a "great prime minister¡± and said he would always be friends with him amid tensions over tariffs.
Palestinians react after an explosion from an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on Sunday.
Israel warns recognizing Palestinian state could trigger 'unilateral' action
Several countries, including France and Britain, have pledged to recognize a Palestinian state during the U.N. General Assembly later this month.
Stargazers marvel as the 'blood moon' rises
Former Myanmar leader Suu Kyi's health worsening in military custody, son says
Israel's Ramon Airport near Eilat reopens after being hit by drone from Yemen
By Steven Scheer
France faces more turmoil with government on brink ahead of confidence vote
By Tassilo Hummel

Sports

Tigers manager Kyuji Fujikawa is tossed in the air as the team celebrates winning the Central League pennant at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Sunday.
Roaring Tigers had no equal in CL on way to winning pennant in record time
By Jason Coskrey
The club took a step toward becoming the best team in Japan by clinching the Central League pennant in record time with a 2-0 victory over the Hiroshima Carp on Sunday.
Shohei Ohtani homers twice as Dodgers avoid another letdown against Orioles
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella addresses controversy over team orders
Controversy continues to follow U.S. sprint star Sha'Carri Richardson
Bills rally to stun Ravens to cap wild opening weekend in NFL

Opinion

NASA says its satellite imagery shows the Earth is becoming drier ¡ª at least the parts where most people live.
The Earth is drying out and we need to act urgently
Mark Gongloff
Measurements from NASA¡¯s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites suggest the continents have been losing fresh water at an alarming rate since 2002.
Huge crowds at the Vatican as teen becomes first millennial saint
Can Europe and China forge a climate connection?
By Emmanuel Guerin and Bernice Lee
¡®Confugenics¡¯ and East Asia's demographic crisis
By Waka Ikeda
Putin sees only U.S. weakness in Ukraine
By Max Hastings

ENVIRONMENT

As of August 2024, the number of confirmed chagusaba farmers had fallen to 302, just over half the 582 reported in 2015, according to the Shizuoka Chagusaba Farming Method Promotion Council.
Shizuoka farmers fight to preserve sustainable tea method that¡¯s steeped in tradition
By Kai Wilson
The chagusaba method is sustainable, makes tea taste better and helps with biodiversity. But it¡¯s also labor-intensive and the number of practitioners is dwindling.
Polluted and poor: Blighted U.S. cities tackle 'toxic soup'
By Carey L. Biron
How Europe lost an area the size of Cyprus to wildfires this year
By Laura Millan and Joe Wertz
Scientists assail ¡®cherry-picking¡¯ of Trump administration climate report
By Eric Roston
New wave: Sea power turned into energy at Los Angeles port
By Romain FONSEGRIVES

CULTURE

¡°The Summer Hikaru Died¡± is a slow-burn horror and a coming-of-age narrative, but its thematic layers and queer undertones open conversations about friendship and belonging.
Dark folklore meets teenage angst in ¡®The Summer Hikaru Died¡¯
By Mike Fu
Slow-burn horror in the countryside coupled with queer undertones makes for a memorable anime adaptation.
Traditional Japanese erotic art exhibition puts female pleasure in focus
By Tomohiro Osaki
¡®Swallows' untangles the murky ethics of selling motherhood
By Kris Kosaka
¡®How Dare You¡¯ turns environmental activism into a youthful adventure
By Mark Schilling
¡®A Pale View of Hills¡¯: A chilling, borderless adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro¡¯s first novel
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

At Syn, chef Naoto Ohno's playfulness is evident in the "Apple," a replica fruit filled with applejack-flavored foie gras and served on a plate decorated with a familiar logo.
With a global approach, Syn gives French cuisine plenty of latitude
By Phoebe Amoroso
Up-and-coming chef Naoto Ohno draws from his rich travel experiences to redefine cooking traditions at his restaurant in Fukuoka.
Overnight mulberry matcha oats are the perfect answer to a busy morning
By Simon Daly
Racehorses, anime girls and gambling: Umamusume¡¯s recipe for success
By Owen Ziegler
Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani dead at 91
By Ella IDE
Vogue appoints Chloe Malle to replace fashion doyenne Anna Wintour

COMMUNITY

A native of Saskatchewan, Canada, Jon Heese naturalized as a Japanese citizen in 2007 and embarked upon a career in local politics the following year.
Canadian-born politician tackles Ibaraki¡¯s issues big and small
By Gendel Gento
After being elected to four terms in the Tsukuba Municipal Assembly, Jon Heese now serves as a prefectural assemblyman ¡ª and one of Ibaraki Prefecture¡¯s biggest cheerleaders.
Smiley, spirited Hampen will run into your arms
Jesse Kirkwood: ¡®Languages are entire cultural universes with all sorts of baggage¡¯
By Kris Kosaka
More Than Music makes space for creative communion
By Shyam Bhardwa
Seri Yanai: ¡®We mix modern and analog to create something new¡¯
By Ayako Nakano

Editors' Picks

LIFE
In rural Hokkaido, the stops and starts of tourism revival on full display
By Justin Randall
Redevelopment plans for Kawayu Onsen have hit some snags ¡ª an example of how bringing tourists back to declining rural communities is far from easy work.
SUMO
London¡¯s calling and sumo¡¯s top division ¡ª along with Hello Kitty ¡ª are ready to answer
By John Gunning
Yokozuna Hoshoryu and Hello Kitty, an ambassador for sumo's upcoming tour to London, at Tokyo's Kokugikan on Tuesday
BUSINESS
Resonac creates 27-member consortium to pursue advanced chip developments
By Kazuaki Nagata
Representatives from member companies of JOINT3, a consortium working together on semiconductor-related developments announced by Resonac, pose for a photo in Tokyo on Wednesday.
CULTURE
Haru Nemuri¡¯s radical new album refuses easy listening
By Patrick St. Michel
Musician Haruna Kimishima, better known as Haru Nemuri, confronts Japan¡¯s politics, nationalism and censorship on her recent output.
COMMUNITY
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
By Justin Randall
The Betsukai Pilot Spirits welcomed new players (left to right) Yuta Yamanaka, Roman Guthrie, Scott Bellina and Leo Jiminian this year, pictured here with Yassir Lachkar of the Ishikari Red Phoenix.

Podcast

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

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she ¡°naively believed.¡± This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight
By Mai Yoshikawa

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition ¡°Yukigesho Castella¡± Featuring Sake Lees at ¡°Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025¡±
Tsunan Sake Brewery Launches Limited-Edition ¡°Yukigesho Castella¡± Featuring Sake Lees at ¡°Tsunan Sake Brewery Sunflower Festival 2025¡±
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT¡¯S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan to experience blood moon lunar eclipse on Monday
By Elizabeth Beattie
A blood moon is seen during a partial eclipse in the sky over Lake George near Canberra on March 14.
JAPAN
Ishiba to quit as prime minister amid LDP discontent
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces his decision to step down, at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN
Japan eyes two types of 'hometown resident' registration
People buy groceries from a mobile supermarket in a rural area of Nagomi, Kumamoto Prefecture. The government is considering a new "hometown resident" registration system to help strengthen regional revitalization measures.
JAPAN
Race to become next LDP president kicks off again
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi on Monday became the first to enter the race to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
COMMENTARY
¡®Confugenics¡¯ and East Asia's demographic crisis
By Waka Ikeda
East Asia¡¯s fertility plunge is driven not just by financial costs but by perfectionist cultural expectations that burden parents with intense educational and social demands.