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September 12, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
September 12, 2025
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Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi speaks in Tokyo on Thursday. He is attempting to become Liberal Democratic Party president for the second time.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Will a more conservative leader emerge from the LDP presidential election?
By Himari Semans
Conservative members of the party are looking to elect such a leader, but there is a possibility that their votes might be split between two presidential hopefuls.
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi speaks in Tokyo on Thursday. He is attempting to become Liberal Democratic Party president for the second time.
A handout image of a person of interest in the investigation of the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
WORLD
FBI releases video clip of suspect in Charlie Kirk killing
By Myles Miller and Georgia Hall
The FBI released surveillance video of an individual in sunglasses and a cap, and it asked for the public¡¯s help in identifying the person.
Forbes and Unforgettable Travel Company have ranked Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture as Asia's most beautiful village.
JAPAN
¡®Fairytale¡¯ Shirakawago ranked one of the world¡¯s most beautiful villages
By Elizabeth Beattie
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Shirakawago is famed for its verdant landscape and gasshš­-zukuri farmhouses, which are hundreds of years old.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stands at his home while under house arrest in Brasšªlia, Brazil, on Aug. 14. Brazil's Supreme Court has convicted Bolsonaro of plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Brazil's Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years after landmark coup plot conviction
By Ricardo Brito, Luciana Magalhaes and Manuela Andreoni
The conviction made the 70-year-old Bolsonaro the first former president in the country's history to be convicted for attacking democracy.
Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life and 7-Eleven, a chain that began in the U.S. in 1927, opened its first store in Japan in 1974 ¡ª and then became wholly Japanese-owned in 2005 through parent company Seven & I Holdings.
BUSINESS / Companies
Is America ready for Japanese-style 7-Elevens?
By River Akira Davis
Facing a stagnant and highly competitive retail market in Japan, Seven & I¡¯s growth is expected to come from overseas.
Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life and 7-Eleven, a chain that began in the U.S. in 1927, opened its first store in Japan in 1974 ¡ª and then became wholly Japanese-owned in 2005 through parent company Seven & I Holdings.

JAPAN

Police issued third arrest warrants on Thursday for two elementary school teachers involved in an online chat group that shared secretly taken images and videos of girls.
Teachers arrested for allegedly sharing images of girls face more charges
The total number of children victimized by the group has risen to at least 25, according to the police.
A U.S. Air Force serviceman in Okinawa Prefecture has appealed to the Supreme Court against a high court ruling that upheld a five-year sentence for abducting and sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 16 in the prefecture, it was revealed on Friday.
U.S. airman appeals to top court in Okinawa assault case
Brennon Washington filed the appeal Wednesday after receiving the ruling by the Fukuoka High Court's branch in Naha that day.
Novel smartphone scam targeting elderly emerges in Osaka
SDF spots China¡¯s biggest aircraft carrier for first time
By Sakura Murakami
Staffing difficulties leave Japan Coast Guard stretched
Asian black bear sightings hit record high in Japan

BUSINESS

Jose Munoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor
Hyundai battery plant faces startup delay after U.S. raid, CEO says
By Nora Eckert
The plant, part of a $7.6 billion factory complex to make battery-powered models, was slated to come online later this year.
A booth from the town of Betsukai in Hokkaido at an Amazon Japan furusato n§à?zei promotion event, on Sept. 5 in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
People rush to make furusato nozei donations ahead of tighter rules
Website operators are holding events and campaigns to lure customers before the government bans them from giving reward points to donors, effective next month.
U.S. and Japan pledge not to manipulate forex for competitive advantage
By Erica Yokoyama and Takashi Umekawa
Top Japan leaser Orix plans to boost property fund size by 33%
By Ryo Horiuchi
Government reviews Mitsubishi-led group's exit from offshore power projects
Activist AVI poised to boost holdings of Japan small-cap shares
By Kentaro Tsutsumi

WORLD

Palestinians transport their belongings as they evacuate Gaza City toward southern areas of the Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
Palestinians displaced in Gaza return to a city under Israeli assault
By Ramadan Abed and Mahmoud Issa
Many are arriving to find no space for shelter, even in an area designated by Israel as a humanitarian zone.
A handout image of a person of interest in the investigation of the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
FBI releases video clip of suspect in Charlie Kirk killing
By Myles Miller and Georgia Hall
The FBI released surveillance video of an individual in sunglasses and a cap, and it asked for the public¡¯s help in identifying the person.
France to deploy three jets to 'help protect Polish airspace,' Macron says
U.N. Security Council condemns strikes on Qatar, without naming Israel
Qatar bombing tests the limits of the Trump-Netanyahu alliance
By Gram Slattery, Steve Holland and Matt Spetalnick
FBI director faces scrutiny for inaccurately saying Kirk killer had been caught
By Jana Winter and Sarah N. Lynch

Sports

Actor and World Athletics special ambassador for the local organizing committee Yuji Oda (front, fifth from right) poses with athletes at Tokyo's National Stadium during an open practice on Sept. 4.
Broadcaster TBS taps Hello Kitty and Yuji Oda in bid to sell World Athletics
By Mai Yoshikawa
TBS has provided televised coverage of the World Athletics Championships since the 1997 event in Athens.
Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred looking to add world title to Olympic gold in 100
England's Football Association charges Chelsea with 74 breaches of rules
National Stadium to finally fulfill destiny years after hosting Olympics without fans
By Sam Byford
Canada's Evan Dunfee hopes to create race walk to remember at world championships
By Jason Coskrey

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a news conference at the White House in Washington on Feb. 7. Ishiba's short-lived prime ministership underscores the challenges facing the Japan and U.S. alliance.
What Japan¡¯s political drift means for U.S.-Japan relations
Joshua W. Walker
Decisive political leadership is missing. Ambitious reforms and bold initiatives require political capital.
Gen-Z protesters across Asia are challenging the old guard
By Karishma Vaswani
What happens next to globalization?
By Zia Qureshi
Lessons for NATO after Putin sends drones over Poland
By Marc Champion
The global nuclear picture grows darker and darker
By Brad Glosserman

ENVIRONMENT

An Exxon Mobil refinery at the Port of Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands
Scientists link major carbon emitters to worsening heat waves
By Coco Liu and Eric Roston
The more emissions a company releases, the bigger role it plays in worsening heat waves.
Drought hit over half of Europe in mid-August, EU data shows
China¡¯s green push may cut global fossil use by 2030, says think tank
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

CULTURE

Polish pianist Hania Rani took the audience on a synth odyssey at the first Japan edition of Unsound Osaka over the weekend.
Unsound turns Osaka into a laboratory of avant-garde music
By James Hadfield
Long-running Polish music festival Unsound channels Expo ¡¯70 at its first Japan edition.
Mei Ehara¡¯s third album finds clarity in the noise
By Patrick St. Michel
¡®100 Meters¡¯ brings kinetic energy to rivalry drama
By Matt Schley
Tokyo International Comedy Festival doubles down on diversity and scale
By Moe Shimizu
'Faking Beethoven¡¯: Comedic musical biopic forgets to have fun
By James Hadfield

LIFE

Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce kisses partner ¡ª?now finacee ¡ª?Taylor Swift as they celebrate after his team won Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce¡¯s announcement hits all the right notes in Japan
By Yuko Tamura
Japanese culture is in the depths of a nostalgia wave, and the engagement announcement for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce fits in with it nicely.
'He's a regular man, not unlike us': Marking 40 years of Mario games
By Kilian Fichou and Mathias Cena
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
With a global approach, Syn gives French cuisine plenty of latitude
By Phoebe Amoroso

COMMUNITY

Melos Han-Tani is a game designer of eclectic interests whose upcoming releases, Angeline Era and Danchi Days, are set in alternate-history Ireland and a public housing complex in Japan, respectively.
Melos Han-Tani: ¡®Figuring out what you value is valuable for any artist¡¯
By Gendel Gento
A designer, programmer and composer, Han-Tani draws inspiration from a wide range of sources and channels his creativity through games, music and writing.
Gentle care is the key to Cymbal¡¯s heart
Canadian-born politician tackles Ibaraki¡¯s issues big and small
By Gendel Gento
Smiley, spirited Hampen will run into your arms
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
By Justin Randall

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Niinami¡¯s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
By Kazuaki Nagata
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.
JAPAN
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.
ENVIRONMENT
Shizuoka farmers fight to preserve sustainable tea method that¡¯s steeped in tradition
By Kai Wilson
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.
BUSINESS
Search is on for loopholes in Japan¡¯s $550 billion investment pledge
By Francis Tang
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick argues that U.S. President Donald Trump has sole authority to invest Japan's promised $550 billion.
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.

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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COMFACTS

The 7th RD20 Conference to be held in Tsukuba, Japan ¡ª Registration for Press Briefing and the Conference Now Open
The 7th RD20 Conference to be held in Tsukuba, Japan ¡ª Registration for Press Briefing and the Conference Now Open
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

WHAT¡¯S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Workers say corporate South Korea was warned about questionable U.S. visas before Hyundai raid
By Hyunjoo Jin, Heekyong Yang and Heejin Kim
Activists holding signs that reads "No one is illegal!" protest against a huge immigration raid last week in the U.S. state of Georgia, in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday.
JAPAN
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.
JAPAN
Thousands without power in Tokyo as heavy rain batters Kanto region
By Jessica Speed
Heavy rain hit Tokyo and surrounding areas Thursday afternoon, causing thousands to lose power, prompting flood warnings, grounding flights and causing transportation issues.
JAPAN
Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture
JAPAN
91²Ö¿â cutting-edge railgun successfully strikes target vessel
By Gabriel Dominguez
The Defense Ministry¡¯s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) conducted a ship-board railgun shooting test from June to early July this year with the support of the Maritime Self-Defense Force.