Home page

 
Menu
Search
 
Menu
Search
Tokyo Weather 18℃
TOKYO
April 24, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
April 24, 2025
Trump tariffs
Shigeru Ishiba
Osaka Expo
Latest News
Deep Dive
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, poses with a "Make America Great Again" cap at the White House in Washington on April 16.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Japan wants to 'separate' tariff and security issues. That may be tough.
By Jesse Johnson
Disentangling the two will prove a challenge as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to voice long-held complaints about the alliance’s fairness.

More coverage

Tokyo insists defense issues and tariff talks must remain separate
Trump calls the U.S.-Japan alliance ‘one-sided.’ Tokyo says otherwise.
Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, poses with a "Make America Great Again" cap at the White House in Washington on April 16.
Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa last week at Haneda Airport. The chief tariff negotiator believes the gap between the United States and Japan on trade issues remains wide.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mood shifts to measured optimism in U.S.-Japan trade dispute
By Francis Tang
Japan has so far engaged in a charm offensive aimed at staying onside while politely poking holes in the president's arguments and expectations.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on April 17
JAPAN / Politics
Opposition slams Ishiba's gas price cut while calling to scrap provisional tax
By Himari Semans
Ishiba's decision would lower gas prices by ¥10 per liter starting May 22, but nixing the provisional gas tax would lower prices by ¥25.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Panmunjom, South Korea, in June 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
IAEA chief calls for presidential-level reengagement with North Korea
By Gabriel Dominguez
Pyongyang’s atomic program has grown “exponentially” since 2009, warns Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog.
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan weighs using U.S. rice imports as tariff negotiation tool with Trump
By Yukana Inoue
The government hopes an import quota will give them more cards to play in tariff negotiations with the U.S.
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo

JAPAN

A ceremony to open the Japan Institute for Health Security is held in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on April 4.
Japan's new health institute gives first acute respiratory infection cases tally
This was the first tally of such cases since ARI was designated as a Category V disease under the infectious diseases control law.
Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito (right) and Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee, in Beijing on Tuesday
Komeito leader Saito makes first visit to China
Carrying a letter from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Saito will meet with senior Chinese officials before returning home on Thursday.
Japan team treats chronic kidney disease with iPS cells in mice
Second debris removal trial at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant is completed
Sendai to host U.N. disaster reduction conference in 2027
Osaka District Court dismisses lawsuit against Morinaga Milk in arsenic case

BUSINESS

Japan has walked a delicate path — taking steps to hedge its dependence on China while distancing itself from the politics of Washington.
Trump’s trade war with China puts Japan in a tight spot
By River Akira Davis
Japan had long maintained deep economic ties with both China and the United States. Recent trade tensions may challenge that approach.
MUFG Bank, a unit of the nation’s biggest banking group, is among firms that recently scrapped a clerical job category that consisted almost exclusively of women, a sign that the financial sector is finally getting more serious about reducing gender inequalities.
Top Japanese firms scrap employment system that held women back
By Nao Sano
Abandoning the clerical job category may increase opportunities for women to advance to more senior positions.
Nintendo says demand for Switch 2 console in Japan is overwhelming
By Takashi Mochizuki
Nissan commits another $1.4 billion to China with EVs in focus
By Nicholas Takahashi
Nomura bets big on U.S. market rebound with $1.8 billion deal
By Taiga Uranaka, Ryo Horiuchi and Joyce Koh
AI floods Amazon with strange political books before Canadian election
By Thomas Seal

WORLD

Indian paramilitary personnel stand guard near Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir, on Tuesday following a deadly attack.
Gunmen kill dozens of civilians in Kashmir tourist hot spot
At least 26 people were killed in the Indian-administered region in the deadliest attack on civilians there since 2000.
Rohingya children eat from jars with the USAID logo on them at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, in February.
China unlikely to fill void left by U.S. aid pullback, data shows
By Karoline Kan
Observers say Beijing often ties access to assistance to backing China’s preferred policy positions.
Vietnam village starts over with climate defenses after landslide
By Tran Thi Minh Ha and Lam Nguyen
Veteran Chinese astronaut to lead fresh crew to space station
By Matthew WALSH
Ukraine presses for ceasefire as Russia reported to offer concession
Zelenskyy says Chinese citizens working at drone production site in Russia

Sports

Wrestlers at a Yokozuna Deliberation Council practice in 2016. Although banzuke ranking positions aren’t at stake, the fact that the practice is so close to a real tournament ensures that most rikishi give it their all.
More than just training: Sumo's open practices are intense — and entertaining
By John Gunning
The Yokozuna Deliberation Council practice is a rare — and, when open to the public, free — chance to see sumo's top wrestlers battle it out in the final days before a basho.
Lakers level NBA playoff series as Pacers and Thunder win again
Cubs rally late, upending Dodgers in 10th for 11-10 win
NFL's smallest city ready to make big impact as Green Bay hosts the draft
By Amy Tennery
Australia's Gout Gout on track for World Championships debut at 17

Opinion

Canada’s April 28 election presents a stark choice between globalist technocrat Mark Carney (right) and populist veteran Pierre Poilievre, with the outcome likely to shape not only domestic renewal but the country’s relevance in the world.
Will Canada find its path again after the election?
Stephen R. Nagy
This election has effectively become a binary choice between Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre and the unelected Prime Minister Mark Carney of the Liberal Party.
China’s catch-22: Rapid growth with tight social control
By Naoko Eto
Don't let governments break encryption
By Jessica Dickinson Goodman and Passeron Kitroser
The next pope will help decide the planet’s fate
By Mark Gongloff
All hail the rise of the humanoid robots
By Brad Glosserman

ENVIRONMENT

A photo taken from a Norwegian surveillance aircraft shows Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in international waters off the coast of Norway in October 2016.
Global warming is a security threat and armies must adapt, experts say
Defense departments have already underscored that a warming planet poses major national security challenges, and militaries need to adapt to respond to these evolving threats.
Indonesia food plan risks 'world's largest' deforestation
By Marchio Gorbiano and Sara Hussein
Tentative tree planting 'decades overdue' in sweltering Athens
By John HADOULIS
Big bets on speculative carbon capture tech ignore today’s solutions
By Michelle Ma and Dave Merrill
Clean streets versus business woes: Pollution charge divides Londoners
By Akshata Kapoor

CULTURE

A 21-month-old artist who goes by the name "Thumbelina" uses a brush to paint alongside her mother at the family's home in Tokyo.
Thumbelina's bedtime is before 8. Her exhibition runs till 5 a.m.
By Tomohiro Osaki
A toddler’s solo art show lights up Tokyo’s nightlife, even though she’s asleep before her first guests arrive.
Japan wanted a cultural do-over. Ado gave it one.
By Patrick St. Michel
Kyotographie 2025 opts for laughter and levity in the face of global strife
By Thu-Huong Ha
Actor Hiroyuki Sanada among Time's 100 most influential people
‘Ya Boy Kongming! The Movie’: J-pop spectacle goes heavy on performances
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

Crow meat, shaped into a ball and attached to a foot of the bird, is one of the peculiar offerings of game at Mauvaise Herbe.
Crow meat, goat tartare: Mauvaise Herbe raises its game
By Andrew Lee
Taking an unconventional approach to sourcing, chef Keiji Ojima is out to showcase the little-known wild flavors of Okinawa in his French-inspired Okinawan fare.
Thumbprint cookies with a tangy Japanese filling
By Simon Daly
Japan’s first Waldorf Astoria brings art deco luxury to Osaka
By Tan Pin Yen
Voicing intentions and a peek into a traditional Japanese engagement ceremony
By Yaeko Kabe
Dior shows fall fashion collection in gardens of ancient Kyoto temple
By Irene Wang

COMMUNITY

Customers line up patiently for some early-afternoon baked goods outside Truffle, which is located close to Hiroo Station on the Hibiya Line.
How to spend the perfect day in Hiroo, Tokyo’s expat enclave
By Eric Margolis
A stroll through Hiroo reveals both the comforts of expat luxury and the quiet intrusions of a changing Tokyo.
Noriko Shakti: ‘Music reflects my journey and learnings’
By Miikka J. Lehtonen
Tokyo Humanities Cafe feeds hungry minds
By Jessica Kozuka
Montessori head educates Tokyo’s children for life
By Louise George Kittaka
How to navigate Japan’s e-commerce platforms and online flea markets
By Jessica Speed

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Is Japan’s parliament ready to welcome more youth to its ranks?
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Lower House lawmaker Kai Odake in his Tokyo office on Wednesday
CULTURE
The floor is art: Takuro Tamayama transforms mundanity
By Kim Kahan
Takuro Tamayama’s sculpture “Models (Pair, 6 sets, 12 rings)” comes with a mathematical formation that scales it for different spaces.
JAPAN
Cases of epidural use in labor rise in Japan alongside concerns
By Yukana Inoue
Of the 721,000 childbirths reported in 2024 in Japan, 13.8% involved the use of an epidural, according to the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
BASEBALL
Nothing sells like Shohei Ohtani, MLB’s marketing megastar
By Mai Yoshikawa
People walk past an advertisement featuring Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani outside Tokyo Dome on March 18.
LIFE
Calling all Potterheads: ‘The Goblet of Fire’ comes to Tokyo
By Gendel Gento
The Tokyo version of the globe-trotting exhibition features a Ministry of Magic set, which includes an imposing replica of the Magic Is Might monument representing magical fascism.

Podcast

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

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.
By Tomoko Otake

JT Directory Service

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Ex.Portal By Synergy Media Specialists

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Yen on the march as Plaza Accord 2.0 debate grows
By Kazuaki Nagata
The yen strengthened dramatically this month — hitting ¥139.9 to the dollar on Tuesday — and could become a topic of conversation in trade talks between the United States and Japan.
JAPAN
Social media helps fuel growing 'sex tourism' in Japan
By Caroline Gardin
People walk down a street in the red-light entertainment area of Kabukicho in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on March 31.
JAPAN
Jetstar Japan fined for failing to provide adequate cabin crew breaks
By Karin Kaneko
The logo of Jetstar Airways on an aircraft parked outside a maintenance hangar in Melbourne, Australia, on Feb. 27.
JAPAN
Japan wants to 'separate' tariff and security issues. That may be tough.
By Jesse Johnson
Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, poses with a "Make America Great Again" cap at the White House in Washington on April 16.
JAPAN
Cases of epidural use in labor rise in Japan alongside concerns
By Yukana Inoue
Of the 721,000 childbirths reported in 2024 in Japan, 13.8% involved the use of an epidural, according to the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.