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TOKYO
September 08, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
September 08, 2025
Shigeru Ishiba
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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces his decision to step down, at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Ishiba to quit as prime minister amid LDP discontent
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
The move comes amid growing calls from within the LDP for the prime minister to step aside after a poor showing in July¡¯s Upper House election.

More coverage

Farm minister Koizumi is believed to have urged Ishiba to quit
Ruling LDP moving toward calling presidential election, polls show
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces his decision to step down, at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Sunday.
U.S. Homeland Security Investigations police officers execute a federal search warrant at a Hyundai Motor factory in Ellabell, Georgia, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Seoul says over 300 South Koreans detained in U.S. to be released
The announcement follows the arrest of more than 300 South Korean workers at a Hyundai-LG battery plant being built in the southern state of Georgia on Thursday.
U.S. President Donald Trump visits the USS Wasp aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in May 2019 during his first term as president. Trump is expected to demand that Japan boost its host-nation support spending for U.S. military when the current plan expires in March 2027.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Japan braces for Trump push on U.S. troop funding
The financial support covers the salaries of workers at U.S. military bases, utilities costs and facility maintenance expenses.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (center) at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday prior to a Cabinet meeting
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Japan to start a new support system for crime victims next year
The government has increasingly been urged to enhance public assistance for people afflicted by serious crimes.
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.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
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.
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.

JAPAN

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 eyes two types of 'hometown resident' registration
The system is included in the government's basic vision for regional revitalization, adopted in June.
Indian Ambassador to Japan Sibi George is interviewed in Tokyo in August.
Departing Indian envoy calls Japan 'steadfast partner'
He underscored the significance of the two nations revising a joint declaration on security cooperation for the first time in 17 years.
U.N. nuclear war panel launched with hibakusha as deputy chair
Japan defense chief to make first visit to South Korea in 10 years
Victims of 2018 Hokkaido quake mourned on seventh anniversary of disaster
Japan prince comes of age as succession crisis looms
By Hiroshi Hiyama

BUSINESS

Japanese Economic Revitalization Minster Ryosei Akazawa speaks to members of the media at the Japanese Embassy in Washington on Thursday.
Akazawa says U.S. trade deal not settled as Japan awaits pharma and chip orders
Akazawa said Japan would begin a full analysis of the economic impact of the U.S. auto tariff changes.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner with members of his Cabinet and members of Congress, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Friday.
Trump signs order offering some tariff exemptions to countries with U.S. trade deals
The exemptions could come for trading partners who strike deals on exports of certain metals, as well as pharmaceutical compounds and chemicals.
U.S. tariffs still spell big pain for 91²Ö¿â small automakers
By Daniel Leussink and Maki Shiraki
U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent calls for big changes at Fed
Trump threatens trade actions after EU fines Google over ads
Tesla offers unprecedented $1 trillion pay package to Musk

WORLD

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul pays respects to an image of King Maha Vajiralongkorn during the royal endorsement ceremony on Sunday in Bangkok.
Cannabis-championing tycoon takes office as Thailand's prime minister
Anutin previously served as deputy prime minister, but is perhaps most famous for being the architect of Thailand's 2022 cannabis decriminalization.
German soldiers unload the U.S.-made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system in Jasionka, Poland, in January 2023.
Europe¡¯s military limits show why it¡¯s desperate for U.S. help
By Ellen Milligan
The U.S. provides most of NATO¡¯s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, including satellites.
Russia hits Ukraine with biggest air attack of war
China criticizes Canadian and Australian warships transiting Taiwan Strait
Immigration raid on Hyundai-LG plant in Georgia rattles South Korea
By Choe Sang-Hun
Trump backs Kennedy on vaccines despite health and political risks
By Jeff Mason

Sports

Aryna Sabalenka celebrates with the trophy after winning the U.S. Open on Saturday in New York.
Sabalenka crowned queen of Queens with back-to-back U.S. Open titles
By Amy Tennery
The Belarusian became the first woman to win back-to-back U.S. Opens since Serena Williams claimed three straight from 2012 to 2014.
Three-time World Series champion Davey Johnson dies at 82
Japan and Mexico play to goalless draw as World Cup preparations ramp up
Machine-like Sinner meets magician Alcaraz for U.S. Open crown
By Shrivathsa Sridhar
Verstappen grabs Monza pole from Norris with record time
By Alan Baldwin

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

A pedestrian bridge that crosses the Mississippi River in Minneapolis
Polluted and poor: Blighted U.S. cities tackle 'toxic soup'
By Carey L. Biron
The worst effect could be seen in poor, minority areas, where heavy industry, manufacturing and transport tend to concentrate.
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
Ancient tombs unearthed in Iraq due to drought

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.
¡®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
English textbook targets a skills gap in Japan¡¯s growing anime industry
By Matt Schley

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

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.
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
By Justin Randall
The residents of Betsukai, Hokkaido ¡ª where cows outnumber people 7-to-1 ¡ª have extended a warm welcome to five players from overseas who joined the Pilot Spirits.
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

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor¡¯s account of Tokyo¡¯s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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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.
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.
JAPAN
Japan prince comes of age as succession crisis looms
By Hiroshi Hiyama
Prince Hisahito concludes his elaborate "kakan no gi" coming-of-age ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Saturday.
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.
COMMENTARY
Bangladesh is a South Asian time bomb
By Brahma Chellaney
Many Bangladeshis hoped that the overthrow of long-time leader Sheikh Hasina last year would revitalize the country¡¯s democracy after an authoritarian lurch under the ¡°iron lady.¡± Instead it has led to proliferating human-rights abuses, intensifying repression and widespread Islamist violence.