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March 12, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
March 12, 2026
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Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Feb. 24. The prime minister announced on Wednesday that Japan will tap its oil reserves for the first time since 2022.
BUSINESS
Takaichi says oil reserves to be tapped as Iran conflict hits crude flows
By Francis Tang
Japan holds stockpiled oil equivalent to about 254 days of domestic demand. The release of some of that could begin as soon as Monday.

More coverage

Iran tells world to get ready for oil at $200 a barrel as it fires on merchant ships
China¡¯s energy security push pays off as war roils Asia refiners
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Feb. 24. The prime minister announced on Wednesday that Japan will tap its oil reserves for the first time since 2022.
Mitsui OSK Lines headquarters in Tokyo
JAPAN
Japanese-flagged container ship sustains damage in the Persian Gulf
By Francis Tang and Kanako Takahara
The news comes as reports emerged that Iran had begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for oil shipments.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands on the day of their bilateral summit in Beijing on Sept. 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
China is rebuilding its grip on North Korea. Is Kim Jong Un ready to oblige?
By Mei Mei Chu, Ju-min Park and Claire Fu
Beijing is deepening ties with North Korea as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to visit China and expresses interest in reviving talks with Kim.
Beverage companies have been forced to rethink the vending machine business.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Is Japan pulling the plug on vending machines?
By Kanako Takahara
Competition and cost-consciousness conspire against the ubiquitous, and legendary, beverage sales channel.
Shota Morishita (left), Kazuma Okamoto (center) and Munetaka Murakami celebrate after the match against the Czech Republic at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Japan sweeps Pool C at the WBC, but tougher tests await in Miami
By Jason Coskrey
Samurai Japan will next face either Venezuela, which has a strong roster, or a Dominican Republic team that could double as an MLB All-Star squad.
Shota Morishita (left), Kazuma Okamoto (center) and Munetaka Murakami celebrate after the match against the Czech Republic at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday.

JAPAN

A buried pipe protrudes 13 meters above ground on Wednesday in the city of Osaka.
Construction pipe suddenly rises 13 meters above ground in Osaka
The head of the city¡¯s sewer department apologized for disruptions the pipe's inexplicable action caused, saying road closures had caused major traffic congestion.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets with the Liberal Democratic Party¡¯s executives in Tokyo on Monday.
Are disbanded LDP factions staging a comeback?
By Eric Johnston
Former members of the disbanded factions have been meeting informally since the party¡¯s landslide victory in the Feb. 8 Lower House election.
Tepco to maintain goal of decommissioning Fukushima plant in 2051
Tohoku still faces tsunami evacuation challenges 15 years after disaster
Supermarkets key to evacuees' return to Fukushima communities
Japan helps South Koreans evacuate from Middle East

BUSINESS

Tokyo-based PayPay priced the initial public offering of American depositary receipts at $16 apiece for its U.S. stock exchange debut.
PayPay and SoftBank raise $879.8 million in payments firm¡¯s U.S. IPO
By Georgie McKay
It is the biggest listing for a Japanese company on a U.S. stock exchange in a decade.
Shipping containers are stacked at a terminal at the port of Los Angeles in Long Beach, California, on Tuesday.
U.S. opens new unfair-trade probes to rebuild Trump's tariff pressure
By Ismail Shakil and David Lawder
The investigation could lead to new tariffs imposed against China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea and Mexico by this summer.
Uniqlo's Yanai is the richest Japanese on Forbes' wealth ranking list
With Middle East in flames, Texan bunker maker sees business boom
By MoisšŠs ?VILA
U.S. self-driving startup Nuro begins testing in Tokyo
By Nicholas Takahashi
Is Japan pulling the plug on vending machines?
By Kanako Takahara

WORLD

Fire and smoke rise in the Fujairah oil industry zone, caused by debris after a drone was intercepted by air defenses, according to the Fujairah media office, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on March 4.
U.S. ignited Iran war but Gulf Arab states paying the price, Gulf sources say
By Samia Nakhoul
Behind the scenes, resentment is mounting in Gulf Arab capitals at being drawn into a war they neither initiated nor endorsed but are now paying for economically and militarily.
Graves are being prepared for the victims following a reported strike on a school in Minab, Iran, on March 2.
U.S. may have struck Iranian girls' school after using outdated targeting data, sources say
By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart
The strike, during the first day of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, killed 150 students, according to Iran's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva.
U.S. intelligence indicates Iranian government is not at risk of collapse, sources say
By Erin Banco and Jonathan Landay
Iranian sea mines: The West's waterborne nightmare
By Mathieu RABECHAULT
Foreign hacker in 2023 compromised Epstein files FBI held, source and documents show
By Raphael Satter
Chile¡¯s new president to signal swift alignment with Trump
By Patricia Garip and James Attwood

Sports

Shota Morishita (left), Kazuma Okamoto (center) and Munetaka Murakami celebrate after the match against the Czech Republic at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday.
Japan sweeps Pool C at the WBC, but tougher tests await in Miami
By Jason Coskrey
Samurai Japan will next face either Venezuela, which has a strong roster, or a Dominican Republic team that could double as an MLB All-Star squad.
Samurai Japan still faces lineup questions despite perfect WBC record
By Jim Armstrong
Vinnie Pasquantino's 3 homers make WBC history as Italy beats Mexico
Tisch family seeking to transfer Giants ownership to children
Vissel Kobe secures Asian Champions League quarterfinal berth
By Michael Church

Opinion

Rapid military modernization, expanding nuclear arsenals and shifting alliances in Asia are complicating deterrence strategy, underscoring the need for deeper cooperation among the U.S., Japan and their partners.
Amid a regional transformation, deterrence remains ¡®simple¡¯
Brad Glosserman
Despite all the changes, the most basic factor remains the same. Force modernization is ultimately intended to ensure that nations can defend themselves from external threats.
Development provides security as effectively as hard power
By Alexander De Croo
From toilets to fiber optics, Japan¡¯s unlikely AI players
By Gearoid Reidy
A Soviet-era water scheme returns as a Eurasian lifeline
By Djoomart Otorbaev
Tired of spending billions on dementia care? Try a brain workout.
By Lisa Jarvis

ENVIRONMENT

Scientists say the last 11 years have been the warmest ever recorded, with 2024 topping the podium and 2023 in second place.
'Significant' acceleration of global warming since 2015: study
Scientists say the last 11 years have been the warmest ever recorded, with 2024 topping the podium and 2023 in second place.
How fossil fuel disruptions lead to booms in solar and batteries
By Akshat Rathi
What Trump¡¯s new tariffs mean for climate tech
By Coco Liu
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

CULTURE

Koto Kawaguchi, a Deaflympics medalist who works in auto parts logistics in Aichi Prefecture, recently made his acting debut in the Hollywood film ¡°Marty Supreme.¡±
The unlikely Hollywood story of Deaflympics champion Koto Kawaguchi
By Mai Yoshikawa
The table tennis medalist discusses his unlikely turn in the Oscar-nominated 'Marty Supreme' and returning to life in Aichi Prefecture.
Oh, bother ¡ª?Winnie the Pooh is turning 100
Bad Bunny plays first-ever Japan show at exclusive Spotify event
By Patrick St. Michel
100 ways to belong: The radical inclusivity of Company Grande
By Kris Kosaka
For Evan Call, every melody is a conversation
By Patrick St. Michel

LIFE

In Japan, whistleblowing can clash with cultural expectations of loyalty to one¡¯s company or group.
Loyalty and the language of whistleblowing in Japan
By Yaeko Kabe
How Japanese grammar and vocabulary reveal the cultural tensions surrounding hierarchy and whistleblowing.
Need a quick, healthy meal? Steam a bowl of sushi
By Simon Daly
Working overtime: ¡®Silver Jinzai¡¯ centers keep Japan¡¯s seniors employed
By Bhavesh Gulrajani
Pitas, parfaits and more in Yoyogi-Uehara
By Robbie Swinnerton
From Italy to Japan: Vannelli Coffee opens in Tokyo
By Weiwen Lin

COMMUNITY

In the week before CC¡¯s closed, customers lined up in the rain to pay a final visit to the longstanding cafe.
Kyoto bids farewell to a storied poets¡¯ cafe
By Felicity Tillack
Opened by American poet Cid Corman in 1974, CC¡¯s in Nakagyo Ward had served as an important gathering ground for the literary community.
Don¡¯t keep patient Pine waiting any longer
Recentering Okinawa, one story at a time
By Kris Kosaka
In Sapporo, snow becomes a shared language
By Karl Pont
Pomelo peps up a Kobe couple¡¯s life

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
China is eyeing an all-nuclear submarine fleet. Will Japan follow suit?
By Jesse Johnson
The Chinese Navy's nuclear-powered Type 094A Jin-class ballistic missile submarine sails during a military display in the South China Sea in April 2018.
BASEBALL
How one of 91²Ö¿â deadliest disasters shaped Shohei Ohtani's life
By Mai Yoshikawa
Ohtani on the field at Hanamaki Higashi High School on Sept. 18, 2012, the day he signed his application to turn pro.
JAPAN
A Japanese city looks to pick up the pieces yet again
By Tomoko Otake
Yoshiko Sato, visiting Minato Park in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, with her two sons, says the park carries a special meaning for her.
ASIA PACIFIC
Spate of missile deployments points to ¡®division of labor¡¯ with Taiwan
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Typhon midrange weapons system arrives on Luzon island in the Philippines in April 2024.
LIFE
High above Gion, Kyoto¡¯s Imperial Hotel is a new frontier for geisha district
By Owen Ziegler
First built in 1936 as the Yasaka Kaikan theater, the building housing the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto is the only such structure within the Gion neighborhood above the legal limit of 12 meters.

Podcast

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

Longform

Koto Kawaguchi, a Deaflympics medalist who works in auto parts logistics in Aichi Prefecture, recently made his acting debut in the Hollywood film ¡°Marty Supreme.¡±
The unlikely Hollywood story of Deaflympics champion Koto Kawaguchi
By Mai Yoshikawa

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COMFACTS

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WHAT¡¯S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan visa fee cap to surge more than tenfold under new immigration bill
By Jessica Speed
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in the capital's Minato Ward. The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill that would see the first major revision to the statutory ceiling on immigration-related residence fees for foreign nationals since 1982.
JAPAN
Japanese-flagged container ship sustains damage in the Persian Gulf
By Francis Tang and Kanako Takahara
Mitsui OSK Lines headquarters in Tokyo
BASEBALL
How one of 91²Ö¿â deadliest disasters shaped Shohei Ohtani's life
By Mai Yoshikawa
Ohtani on the field at Hanamaki Higashi High School on Sept. 18, 2012, the day he signed his application to turn pro.
BUSINESS
¡®Stealth hit¡¯ Pokemon game sends Nintendo shares soaring
By Katie Forster
The rally of Nintendo shares comes as physical copies of Pokemon Pokopia have sold out at several major retailers in the U.S.
JAPAN
Over 80% in Japan believe a major disaster is coming in the near future
By Jessica Speed
In a survey from the Japanese Red Cross Society, 80.3% of respondents said the Great East Japan Earthquake should not be forgotten when considering disaster preparedness measures and awareness.