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TOKYO
August 19, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 19, 2026
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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.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Trump¡¯s South Korea move creates more headaches for Takaichi
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
The U.S. president¡¯s order to shorten allied exercises with South Korea to avoid sending ¡°inappropriate and hostile¡± signals to Pyongyang jolted Seoul with immediate implications.

More coverage

U.S. and South Korea to nearly halve joint military drills after Trump criticism
U.S. allies call South Korea cooperation ¡®critical¡¯ after Trump orders exercise cut
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.
The Nikkei 225 stock average fell on Wednesday, as stocks and bonds remained weak.
BUSINESS / Markets
Â鶹´«Ã½ bad market week continues, with the yen, bonds and stocks struggling
By Kazuaki Nagata
Fiscal concerns are denting investor confidence, while a global tech rout is a contributing factor.
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.
Hayato Suzuki, state minister at the Cabinet Office (center), speaks during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Japan starts planning language program for foreign residents
The program would also assist in helping residents understand local systems and rules, and is hoped to be trialed in fiscal 2028.
Muslim children watch other children play at a park in Sakaimachi near Ota, Gunma Prefecture. Immigrant children often navigate their lives differently than adults as they adjust to a new country.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Â鶹´«Ã½ migrant children: The hidden challenges of belonging
Kay Ann A. Ramos
As Japan continues to debate migration, belonging is often framed as something migrants must eventually earn through adaptation and contribution.
Muslim children watch other children play at a park in Sakaimachi near Ota, Gunma Prefecture. Immigrant children often navigate their lives differently than adults as they adjust to a new country.

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.
Hokkaido Electric Power's Tomari nuclear power plant in Tomari, Hokkaido
Japanese nuclear power plant death threatens to delay restart
By Kai Wilson
A worker was killed after falling into a silo containing gravel needed to help build a seawall at Unit 3 of the Tomari plant late on Tuesday.
Foreign visitors to Japan increased 0.1% in July
Former Takenaka manager arrested for breach of trust over Osaka Expo project
Japan mulls expert teams for cyberattack-hit local governments
Kumamoto earthquake insurance claims and inquiries top 40,000

BUSINESS

Kenya Koshimizu, co-head of global markets at Mizuho Financial Group, said the likelihood of a rate increase by the Bank of Japan in September is quite high, and that it may shorten the interval of policy action to once every three months from roughly six months currently.
Mizuho markets head expects BOJ to raise rates soon, more often
By Taiga Uranaka and Hideki Suzuki
Many Japanese financial institutions remain reluctant to wade back into the nation¡¯s bond market as rates rise and inflation persists.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify in a tech addiction trial in Los Angeles on Feb. 18. Meta is again defending itself in court over claims it caused young people to become addicted to social media, this time in the first bellwether federal trial, brought by states seeking roughly $200 billion in damages.
Meta hooked children and misled public: prosecutors
A coalition of states is asking Meta be hit with $200 billion in penalties for making products addictive to children, in what many have called social media¡¯s ¡°big tobacco moment.¡±
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
Trump says U.S. and Canada strike deal, temporarily pauses tariffs

WORLD

A person stands on the back of an ambulance at a site destroyed during the Israeli offensive, in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.
¡®American Doctor¡¯ shows brutality of conflict in Gaza
By Paula Ramon
Director Poh Si Teng makes no attempt to explain the rights or wrongs of the conflict, focusing instead on the work in Gaza of three American doctors from different backgrounds.
A satellite view of Antelope Reef in the South China Sea on July 19. China has yet to acknowledge construction of a new military base on the reef, while state media have said Antelope will serve civilian needs such as weather forecasting and scientific research.
China finishes first phase of construction at South China Sea reef, images show
The project, on Antelope Reef in the Paracels archipelago, involves building a man-made island analysts say will form part of China¡¯s largest military base.
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
Lights out, crowds gone: Havana waits for what comes next
By Andrew Beatty
How U.S. military funding propelled China¡¯s robot dogs
By Michael Martina

Sports

A woman runs in the morning during a heat wave in New York City, on Aug. 7.
Marathon runners are training for a hotter world
By Nadia Neophytou
They are adjusting their pace, making changes to their running schedules and locations, and donning gear that helps them keep cool.
Ravens¡¯ Calais Campbell appreciative of support after family tragedy
U.S. Paralympian sees LA Games as chance to challenge China and change perceptions
Asian soccer rift deepens as AFC president responds to criticism from Qatar
Rodri eager to ¡®feel that excitement again¡¯ after move to Barcelona

Opinion

The British frigate HMS Argyll (front), Japanese destroyer Inazuma (center) and Japanese helicopter carrier Kaga take part in a joint naval drill in the Indian Ocean in September 2018. The Iran crisis has exposed new vulnerabilities in the global maritime order.
Why the Strait of Hormuz is a warning for Japan
Yuki Goto
The maritime order has two aspects: a vertical order based on hegemony and command of the sea and a horizontal order based on norms and rules agreed upon among nations.
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
Trump¡¯s North Korea pivot is a warning for Japan
By Simon Hutagalung
Central banks need to speak, even when they are wrong
By Jonathan Levin

ENVIRONMENT

Motoaki Iijima, 36, owner of the Nikko Engei flower farm, harvests gerbera flowers inside an illuminated greenhouse at night in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture.
Deadly heat pushes Â鶹´«Ã½ farmers to go nocturnal
By Mariko Katsumura, Tom Bateman and Issei Kato
Once-busy midday hours are now avoided by farmers as a mortal threat, replaced by after-dark work to protect crops, livestock and themselves.
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
Elderly far more at risk from rising heat than thought: study

CULTURE

From Edogawa Ranpo to Uketsu, Japanese writers have long put their own twists on the conventions of crime, horror and mystery, creating a literary tradition that can be as unsettling as it is inventive.
Â鶹´«Ã½ macabre literati go global
By Mike Fu
Japanese crime, mystery and horror have hit their stride with English readers, offering a complement and counterpoint to ¡°healing fiction.¡±
Japanese actor Keiko Kishi dies at 93
Madonna tops Taylor Swift in nominations for MTV¡¯s Video Music Awards
By Lisa Richwine
Aespa delivers summer rhythms on ¡®Kiss n Tell¡¯
By Adam Davidson
The disturbing dream world of ¡®Cattle Muti-Leiko¡¯
By Mark Schilling

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

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
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.
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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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
60% in Japan give up activities due to sweat, survey finds
The summer heat hits Tokyo's Ginza District on July 23.
BUSINESS
JAL and ANA to coordinate flight schedules for first time
An All Nippon Airways airplane flies past an oil refinery as it approaches to land at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
JAPAN
Young Japanese anxious as Australia slows working holiday visa processing time
By Elizabeth Beattie
Commuters disembark a tram in Melbourne in March.
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
BUSINESS
China¡¯s Unitree unveils ¡®Superman¡¯ robot as fervor builds ahead of Shanghai debut
A Unitree Robotics R1 humanoid robot on display at the company's booth during the Embodied Intelligent Robot Industry Exhibition in Shanghai on Aug. 12