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August 20, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 20, 2026
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters near a helipad construction site on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Trump says he¡¯ll meet Kim this year, reveals North Korea has 57 nuclear weapons
By Jesse Johnson
North Korean leader¡¯s powerful sister downplays cut to joint military exercises with South, but leaves door open to dialogue with U.S.

More coverage

Trump¡¯s South Korea move creates more headaches for Takaichi
U.S. and South Korea to nearly halve joint military drills after Trump criticism
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters near a helipad construction site on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
Merck, along with Moderna, said on Wednesday their vaccine helped prevent the return and spread of disease in a large trial involving more than 1,000 melanoma patients.
BUSINESS / Companies
Moderna, Merck breakthrough could usher in wave of cancer vaccines
By Julie Steenhuysen
The treatment involves pairing Merck¡¯s immunotherapy drug with a customized mRNA vaccine that instructs the immune system to attack specific cancer cells.
Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court, delivers a speech during a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo in June 2024.
WORLD / Politics
U.S. sanctions Japanese ICC chief, testing Tokyo¡¯s support for global court
By Kenji Yoshida
The move by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump presents a dilemma for Tokyo, a strong backer of multilateral groupings and a key American ally.
Former Meta employee Arturo B¨¦jar, who has emerged as a go-to whistleblower witness for states and personal injury attorneys suing Meta and other social media platforms.
BUSINESS / Tech
Ex-Meta staffer says daughter, 14, was prey on Instagram
Meta has denied wrongdoing, saying it has continuously improved tools to protect kids and calling the states¡¯ proposed penalties ¡°outlandish.¡±
Hikaru Samejima defeats Yasuhiro Mori to become amateur yokozuna at the All-Japan Sumo Championships at Ryogoku Kokugikan in November 2025.
SUMO
Stable of young stars fueling resurgence of storied Nihon University sumo program
By John Gunning
For roughly 50 years, Nihon University not only had the most dominant program in collegiate sumo, but also exercised an outsized influence on the professional version of the sport.
Hikaru Samejima defeats Yasuhiro Mori to become amateur yokozuna at the All-Japan Sumo Championships at Ryogoku Kokugikan in November 2025.

JAPAN

Japan is considering setting out a nonbinding code for generative artificial intelligence businesses to encourage them to disclose their AI training data and methods for collecting such data to the public.
Japan to require AI firms to disclose training data
A draft code has been drawn up amid growing concerns that texts and images may be used to train AI models without consent, potentially infringing on copyrights.
The No.1, No.2, No.3 and No.4 reactor buildings at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture
Tepco begins removal of radioactive spent fuel from Fukushima No. 2 reactor
Removed fuel assemblies are transferred to a safer common storage pool at the nuclear plant, which was heavily damaged in the March 2011 powerful earthquake and tsunami.
Japanese-learning portal for foreign children to be upgraded
Teams of teachers rally to support reopening of earthquake-hit Kumamoto schools
Cats likely identify one another using fatty acids in urine, research shows
Japanese cross-party lawmaker group to visit China next week

BUSINESS

Tomoaki Usuki, who chairs the Akita local council on the minimum wage, says the prefecture wants to narrow the wage gap with Tokyo and other cities as much as possible.
Minimum wage rises in at least 17 prefectures to exceed central recommendations
Easing competition among prefectures is attributed to the central government effectively postponing its goal of raising the average minimum wage to ?1,500 this decade.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury Building in Washington on July 11. Days after a $25-billion auction of 30-year Treasury bonds went off at the highest yield since 2021, yields on so-called long bonds on Tuesday hit their highest levels in nearly two decades.
U.S. debt exceeds $40 trillion for first time amid warnings of fiscal crisis
The U.S. Treasury¡¯s latest statement showed total public debt outstanding at $40.047 trillion on Tuesday, with it having more than doubled in less than a decade.
Udon billionaire bets that thick noodles will win over Americans
By Eru Ishikawa and Yui Hasebe
TikTok is exploring feature to send money over direct messages
LG Energy may supply batteries for U.S. drones in pivot to defense
As Europe rearms, Italy¡¯s fragmented space sector faces a scale test

WORLD

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has in recent years been the Iran¡¯s biggest trading partner.
Iran risks losing key economic lifeline with UAE halting trade
By Golnar Motevalli
The UAE said ¡°escalations that undermine regional and international peace and security¡± had prompted its decision.
Reykjavik's Rainbow Street. Icelanders will vote on Aug. 29 on whether to reopen membership talks with the European Union.
Fish, ships and sovereignty: Iceland weighs its European future
For many Icelanders, the vote boils down to a trade-off: if lower interest rates and a seat at Europe¡¯s table are worth ceding some control over fisheries and self-determination.
China finishes first phase of construction at South China Sea reef, images show
¡®American Doctor¡¯ shows brutality of conflict in Gaza
By Paula Ramon
Sabbath clashes over Jerusalem cafe expose Israel¡¯s social fault lines
By Shaun TANDON
As campaigns begin in Nigeria, Tinubu¡¯s reelection bid puts his party on trial
By Camillus Eboh

Sports

Hikaru Samejima defeats Yasuhiro Mori to become amateur yokozuna at the All-Japan Sumo Championships at Ryogoku Kokugikan in November 2025.
Stable of young stars fueling resurgence of storied Nihon University sumo program
By John Gunning
For roughly 50 years, Nihon University not only had the most dominant program in collegiate sumo, but also exercised an outsized influence on the professional version of the sport.
Nick Kyrgios suspended after testing positive for cocaine
Outspoken Fever guard Sophie Cunningham says WNBA needs bold commissioner
LIV CEO says circuit facing ¡®very compressed timeline¡¯ to secure funding deal
Marathon runners are training for a hotter world
By Nadia Neophytou

Opinion

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a meeting on the south side of the Military Demarcation Line that divides North and South Korea, on June 30, 2019. North Korea continues to develop its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile capabilities, while tensions between Japan and China ¡ª and between China and the United States ¡ª remain high.
Trump¡¯s North Korea pivot is a warning for Japan
Simon Hutagalung
The White House¡¯s outreach to Kim Jong Un marks a test for the U.S.-led security order.
Hong Kong¡¯s low-tax lure is getting a reality check
By Shuli Ren
Chinese AI video is coming for more than Hollywood
By Catherine Thorbecke
Americans love giant trucks ¡ª but they¡¯re killing us
By Justin Fox
Â鶹´«Ã½ migrant children: The hidden challenges of belonging
By Kay Ann A. Ramos

ENVIRONMENT

People gather at the beach at Joss Bay as temperatures climb over the bank holiday weekend due to a heat dome spreading across the region, in Broadstairs, Britain, on May 24.
Ocean heat waves threaten to supercharge storm season in Europe
By Laura Millan
Parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the European Atlantic coast have recorded surface temperatures that were more than 6 degrees Celsius?hotter than normal for the month of June.
Japan coral protectors race to save reefs from heat ¡®bomb¡¯
By Tomohiro Osaki
Italian scientists bet on octopus to fight crab invasion
By Umberto Bacchi
Ocean heat waves threaten to supercharge storm season in Europe
By Laura Millan
Record-early champagne harvest highlights climate change impact on French vineyards
By Elissa Darwish

CULTURE

Scenes from the two-hour film ¡°Chat Boy,¡± available to watch on Starto talent agency¡¯s S Drama YouTube channel, had to be constructed in a way that best suited a vertical format.
Pop stars Yoshinori Masakado and Noel Kawashima go vertical in ¡®Chat Boy¡¯
By Patrick St. Michel
Members of Ae! Group and Travis Japan star in a nearly two-hour drama designed for the vertical screen.
Comiket draws 260,000 fans, participants from record 76 countries
By Alyssa I. Smith
Japanese actor Keiko Kishi dies at 93
Madonna tops Taylor Swift in nominations for MTV¡¯s Video Music Awards
By Lisa Richwine
Â鶹´«Ã½ macabre literati go global
By Mike Fu

LIFE

Nilufar, founded by Milan curator Nina Yashar, was among the exhibitors at Salone Raritas. Yashar calls collectible design ¡°a free, authorial language¡± that goes beyond function.
The new world of collectible design
By Danielle Demetriou
As mass-produced objects fill our homes, a growing appetite for individuality is changing how we shop for design.
During Â鶹´«Ã½ cruel summer, chilled noodles are a survival strategy
By Elizabeth Andoh
Slowly but surely, Tokyo is becoming a hot spot for chicken rice
By Weiwen Lin
At Â鶹´«Ã½ all-women powerlifting contest, strength is beautiful
By Farrah Hasnain
A day in the life of an Asakusa rickshaw driver
By Aden Max Juarez

COMMUNITY

The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
By Yumi Wijers-Hasegawa
The question can be a difficult one for many, particularly those with religious beliefs that might not conform with how death is traditionally handled in Japan.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
By Jessica Speed
This children¡¯s cafeteria in Shikoku serves up free meals and global perspectives
By Jacob Meyer
How foreign workers became an essential part of Â鶹´«Ã½ ubiquitous konbini
By Yumi Wijers-Hasegawa
The 180-day locals: Life on Â鶹´«Ã½ digital nomad visa
By Mai Yoshikawa

Editors' Picks

LIFE
The new world of collectible design
By Danielle Demetriou
Nilufar, founded by Milan curator Nina Yashar, was among the exhibitors at Salone Raritas. Yashar calls collectible design ¡°a free, authorial language¡± that goes beyond function.
ENVIRONMENT
Â鶹´«Ã½ Summer Koshien baseball tradition comes face-to-face with new climate reality
By Joel Tansey
Ariake High School players greet their cheering section after winning their first game on Aug. 7.
JAPAN
Takaichi¡¯s punishing workload draws renewed scrutiny after 6?-hour checkup at hospital
By Kenji Yoshida
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on Thursday
JAPAN
Young Japanese anxious as Australia slows working holiday visa processing time
By Elizabeth Beattie
Commuters disembark a tram in Melbourne in March.
COMMUNITY
Unrelenting Russian anti-war protesters in Japan fight through inescapable doubt
By Aleksandra Priimak
Anti-war Russians protest Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in February.

Podcast

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

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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COMFACTS

Regenesome Marks Second Anniversary with ¡°Regenesome Tech Forum 2026,¡± Reporting Two Years of Research and Its Priorities for Year Three
Regenesome Marks Second Anniversary with ¡°Regenesome Tech Forum 2026,¡± Reporting Two Years of Research and Its Priorities for Year Three
SPACE SEED HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

WHAT¡¯S TRENDING

JAPAN
Takaichi¡¯s punishing workload draws renewed scrutiny after 6?-hour checkup at hospital
By Kenji Yoshida
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on Thursday
WORLD
U.S. sanctions Japanese ICC chief, testing Tokyo¡¯s support for global court
By Kenji Yoshida
Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court, delivers a speech during a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo in June 2024.
JAPAN
60% in Japan give up activities due to sweat, survey finds
The summer heat hits Tokyo's Ginza District on July 23.
WORLD
Congo Ebola outbreak ¡®far from being under control¡¯: WHO chief
Members of the Civil Protection team, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfect after handling the body of a man who died of Ebola, in Bunia, Ituri province, Congo, on July 10.
JAPAN
Trump¡¯s South Korea move creates more headaches for Takaichi
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
The U.S. president¡¯s order to shorten allied military exercises with South Korea will prompt challenges for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s administration and the U.S.-Japan alliance.