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TOKYO
August 18, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 18, 2026
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Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi reacts as he talks with Australian defense chief Richard Marles during a news conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan and Australia defense chiefs tout ¡®significant¡¯ progress on high-energy laser
By Jesse Johnson
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the advances were a breakthrough not only for bilateral ties but also for Â鶹´«Ã½ own defense industry.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi reacts as he talks with Australian defense chief Richard Marles during a news conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Takaichi¡¯s punishing workload draws renewed scrutiny after 6?-hour checkup at hospital
By Kenji Yoshida
The routine visit has nevertheless cast a fresh spotlight on the health of the prime minister, who makes no secret of getting very little sleep.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a news conference in Moscow on Monday.
JAPAN
Russia summons Japanese envoy after Takaichi protests Putin¡¯s visit to Etorofu
The island off the east coast of Hokkaido is one of four held by Russia that are known as the Northern Territories in Japan.
U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Trump says North Korea¡¯s Kim has responded to outreach
By Jesse Johnson
U.S. President Donald Trump called the development ¡°very positive,¡± but the North Korean side has yet to publicly acknowledge any contact.
Ariake High School players greet their cheering section after winning their first game on Aug. 7.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Â鶹´«Ã½ Summer Koshien baseball tradition comes face-to-face with new climate reality
By Joel Tansey
As human-caused climate change makes Â鶹´«Ã½ summers ever hotter, one of the country¡¯s most cherished summer traditions is under threat.
Ariake High School players greet their cheering section after winning their first game on Aug. 7.

JAPAN

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.
Extended stays in evacuation shelters can lead to death resulting from physical and mental stress caused by the prolonged displacement.
Authorities shift focus to evacuees¡¯ prolonged displacement after Kumamoto quake
Initial response during the month after a disaster is essential for mitigating deaths resulting from extended stays in evacuation shelters, experts say.
Aid package for earthquake-hit Kumamoto to be crafted by end of August
Aging of hibakusha puts Nihon Hidankyo at crossroads
Edo Period and Meiji Era diets richer in minerals than intake today, study finds
Rail travel demand strong during Japan summer holidays

BUSINESS

Demonstration models of Helsing¡¯s HX-2 AI strike drones
German drone maker Helsing enlists Rakuten to broker Japan military deal
By John Geddie
Â鶹´«Ã½ Ground Self-Defense Force is currently ?testing Helsing¡¯s HX-2 strike drone, as Tokyo looks to modernize its military and counter ?an increasingly ?assertive China.
Donald Trump Jr. (left) and Eric Trump gesture outside the Nasdaq building after ringing the opening bell to celebrate the closing of ALT5¡¯s $1.5 billion offering and adoption of its $WLFI Treasury Strategy at the Nasdaq Market, in New York on Aug. 13, 2025.
Trump crypto firm backs venture offering AI from restricted Chinese companies
By Lawrence Delevingne
Experts say the business collaboration runs counter to the Trump administration¡¯s stance toward Chinese tech companies.
China¡¯s Unitree unveils ¡®Superman¡¯ robot as fervor builds ahead of Shanghai debut
SoftBank invests $200 million in construction startup Gravis Robotics
By Mark Bergen
Meta stares down trillion-dollar threat as landmark social media trial begins
By Madlin Mekelburg
Microsoft retreats in China, but AI boom helps it keep a window open
By Eduardo Baptista and Casey Hall

WORLD

U.S. President Donald Trump
U.S.-Iran peace prospects dim as Trump rejects truce extension
By Courtney Subramanian and Catherine Lucey
The truce was meant to give Washington and Tehran a 60-day window to reach a more lasting peace.
The Nyamurongo cemetery, one of the burial sites receiving a large number of people who have died from Ebola virus disease since the beginning of the outbreak, in Bunia, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on June 13.
Ebola outbreak in Congo becomes deadliest in country¡¯s history
Government data shows that 2,325 people have died from the disease, surpassing the toll from the 2018-2020 outbreak.
Trump promised a sex-trafficking crackdown. His Justice Department hasn¡¯t delivered.
A Palestinian American¡¯s journey to his West Bank home under settler siege
By Pesha Magid
Between cartel threats and U.S. airstrikes, Ecuador fishers have nowhere to hide
The Ukrainian social media channels tracking Russian missiles
By Barbara WOJAZER

Sports

A man walks past an advertisement for the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Aichi prefecture.
All aboard as Asian Games preparations enter ¡®final stages¡¯
By Andrew MCKIRDY
About 15,000 competitors and officials are expected at the event, which takes place in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.
Racist abuse spurred Suzuki as Japan goalkeeper set for Premier League
By Andrew MCKIRDY
Rights group urges FIFA to block Infantino reelection bid over term limits
By Rohith Nair
Rodri arrives at Barcelona to complete ¡®dream¡¯ move
LIV officially cancels team championship event in Michigan amid funding debacle

Opinion

A Buddhist monk protests against nuclear weapons in front of the memorial dome at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima in May 2023.
Â鶹´«Ã½ nuclear doublethink is getting harder to defend
Gearoid Reidy
Â鶹´«Ã½ defense posture has relied on doublethink, being opposed to atomic weapons while sitting under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
The No Surprises Act could be a shock to the U.S. health care system
By Lisa Jarvis
Why the Strait of Hormuz is a warning for Japan
By Yuki Goto
Putin can¡¯t break down NATO¡¯s door. He¡¯s trying the window.
By James Stavridis
The turf wars between politicians and bureaucrats in Tokyo
By Kuni Miyake

ENVIRONMENT

A man walks past the Elizabeth Tower, more commonly known as Big Ben, during a heat wave in London on Aug. 13.
Elderly far more at risk from rising heat than thought: study
Earlier research did not take into account that older people sweat less and tend to have weaker hearts.
Record-early champagne harvest highlights climate change impact on French vineyards
By Elissa Darwish
Faced with historic drought, the Dutch rethink water management
AI-generated wildlife images are endangering animals and people, experts warn
¡®Horrific¡¯ conditions grip U.K. hospitals unprepared for heat
By Olivia Rudgard

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.¡±
Aespa channels summer cheer in Japanese minialbum
By Adam Davidson
The disturbing dream world of ¡®Cattle Muti-Leiko¡¯
By Mark Schilling
An unsolved murder leads to despair and salvation in ¡®The Brightest Sun¡¯
By James Hadfield
Katseye seeks to show raw side in new ¡®Wild Hearts¡¯ film
By Danielle Broadway

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.
Ajisai is ready to win your heart
¡®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

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.
JAPAN
Young Japanese anxious as Australia slows working holiday visa processing time
By Elizabeth Beattie
Commuters disembark a tram in Melbourne in March.
JAPAN
At Yasukuni, the politicians followed the script, but the shrine did not
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
People crowd in front of Yasukuni Shrine to pay tribute to the war dead on the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, in Tokyo on Saturday.
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.
CULTURE
Â鶹´«Ã½ macabre literati go global
By Mike Fu
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.

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

ASIA PACIFIC
South Korea fires warning shots after North Korean soldiers crossed DMZ
North Korea's propaganda village Gijungdong as seen from a South Korea's observation post inside the Joint Security Area on the Demilitarized Zone in March 2023
LIFE
Slowly but surely, Tokyo is becoming a hot spot for chicken rice
By Weiwen Lin
One of Singapore's most iconic dishes, the humble chicken rice is given an upscale treatment at a new Marunouchi cafe.
JAPAN
At Yasukuni, the politicians followed the script, but the shrine did not
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
People crowd in front of Yasukuni Shrine to pay tribute to the war dead on the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN
Young Japanese anxious as Australia slows working holiday visa processing time
By Elizabeth Beattie
Commuters disembark a tram in Melbourne in March.
JAPAN
Behind Takaichi¡¯s subtle signals at Â鶹´«Ã½ WWII events
By Kenji Yoshida
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi looks on among children during a ceremony commemorating the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, at the city's Nagasaki Peace Park on Aug. 9.