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Tokyo Weather 29¡æ
TOKYO
August 11, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 11, 2026
Kumamoto earthquake
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Takaichi
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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to members of the media at the White House in Washington on July 30.
BUSINESS
U.S. Treasury chief¡¯s ¡®whatever-it-takes¡¯ vow to help the yen masks limited firepower
By Daniel Flatley and Anya Andrianova
Â鶹´«Ã½ currency slid as much as 1% Monday to past ?159 per dollar, wiping out half the rally triggered by the July 31 U.S.-Japan intervention.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to members of the media at the White House in Washington on July 30.
The H3 Rocket No. 9 lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Japan successfully launches H3 rocket with Michibiki satellite
The No. 9 rocket was the first H3 unit carrying a practical-use satellite since a launch failure last December.
Several recent cases have renewed scrutiny of allegations that some lawmakers in the Diet received government money to be used for secretarial staff ¡ª despite little or no evidence that anyone performed their duties.
JAPAN / Politics
Concerns persist over salaries of lawmaker secretaries in Japan
Recent cases have highlighted allegations that some lawmakers improperly received government funds for secretaries despite little evidence that they actually did their jobs.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a news conference in the city of Nagasaki on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Takaichi to forgo foreign trips this summer following Kumamoto quake
Takaichi will stay at home to prioritize the response to a powerful earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture last month.
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.
COMMUNITY / Issues
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.
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.

JAPAN

Residents fill jugs with water in the city of Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 31.
Over 6,000 still living in evacuation centers two weeks after Kumamoto quake
The Kumamoto government is making preparations for evacuees to move to hotels.
The official website for a Shiga Prefecture fireworks festival has updated to announce its cancellation.
Fireworks event in Shiga abruptly canceled
According to local fire authorities, the event organizers did not file the appropriate paperwork to use explosives in time.
Fireworks event in Shiga abruptly canceled
Japan shares data on foreign nationals facing deportation with local governments
Japan to apply reconstruction aid law to all of Kumamoto Prefecture
Children with disabilities offered places to feel at ease in quake-hit Kumamoto

BUSINESS

Intel Corp. signage during the Braveheart Bio Inc. initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York on Aug. 6
Intel is said to near share sale upsize to raise $20 billion
The chipmaker is poised to price the offering at around $95 per share or above ¡ª a third more than it was targeting when it announced the deal Monday morning.
A room at the Koko Hotel Residence Tokyo Oshiage, which opened last month in Tokyo¡¯s Sumida Ward
Apartment hotels find favor with investors bullish on tourism and wary of inflation
By Kazuaki Nagata
The properties are built for long-stay travelers who want more than a hotel but not an apartment.
Kioxia says investment vehicle for SK Hynix is top shareholder
By Mayumi Negishi
Gautam Adani wins dismissal of U.S. securities fraud charges
Yen erases half of intervention gains as traders test Japan and U.S. authorities
By Anya Andrianova and John Cheng
How the hard reality of climate change hit Europe¡¯s economy this summer
By Balazs Koranyi

WORLD

Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi addresses a press conference at the Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi on Oct. 12, 2025. Taliban authorities have been busy with a foreign policy drive throughout their five years in power, steadily building international ties from Afghanistan despite multiple constraints.
Five years after return, Afghan Taliban government builds diplomacy
By Rosie SCAMMELL
Only Russia officially recognizes the Taliban government, with many Western countries demanding domestic reforms on human rights before considering doing the same.
U.S. President Donald Trump during an American mining industry roundtable at the State Department in Washington on Aug. 7.
Trump makes sweeping new demands on Iran as deal hopes dim
By Josh Wingrove and Patrick Sykes
The new demands from Trump, come after Tehran asked for compensation for the U.S. and Israeli war launched on Feb. 28.
Indonesia races to contain fires as haze spreads
Farage vs. Count Binface: What to know about U.K. snap poll
Ukrainian prisoners recount torture, sexual abuse while in Russian detention
By David Brunnstrom and Andrea Shalal
Pleasing no one: Netanyahu puts election first with Gaza decision
By Shaun TANDON

Sports

Tarik Skubal is scheduled to make his first start at home with the Dodgers during the team's series opener against the Royals on Sunday.
Slumping Dodgers refuse to press panic button
Los Angeles ended its skid Saturday in a ?tight 2-1 victory before falling 4-2 to the Diamondbacks to close out a 1-5 trip Sunday. The ?Dodgers are ?11-17 since July 5.
No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdraws from Cincinnati Open with knee injury
Liverpool coach says team currently unable to maintain high level throughout matches
Diamondbacks beat Dodgers to win season series
Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina win to set up clash in Canadian Open quarterfinals

Opinion

Potential health care workers hoping to find work in Japan take Japanese language instruction in Jakarta. Not all applicants for permanent residency should be expected to reach this level of proficiency.
What Â鶹´«Ã½ language rules for permanent residency should look like
Midori Inagaki
The main question is how Japanese language ability will be assessed. Japan must avoid turning the Japanese Language Proficiency Test into a de facto national filter.
Saudi Arabia can break the Houthis¡¯ grip on the Red Sea
By James Stavridis
At Jensen Huang¡¯s favorite Japan pub, it¡¯s not last call yet
By Gearoid Reidy
How disinformation on X imperils Â鶹´«Ã½ democracy
By Stephen R. Nagy
Nationalists abroad and patriots at home
By Brahma Chellaney

ENVIRONMENT

People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
By Tomoko Otake
Increasing tree coverage in Japanese cities could have myriad benefits as the planet warms. But canopy coverage in Tokyo and beyond is headed in the wrong direction.
Italy¡¯s record-low Po River forces farmers to weigh crop switch
By Alberto Brambilla
Scientists turn to sharks to improve hurricane predictions
By Marta Serafinko
British Columbia declares state of emergency as more than 20,000 flee wildfires
As the Danube hits record lows, every centimeter of river counts

CULTURE

Summer Sonic stalwarts Babymetal curated an eclectic lineup to celebrate the summer music festival's 25th anniversary.
Too much music, not enough weekend: A guide to Summer Sonic 2026
By Patrick St. Michel
From metal to 1990s dance nostalgia, this year¡¯s event packs an absurd amount of music into one long weekend.
A Yukio Mishima stage adaptation pulls genre-bending strings
By Kris Kosaka
¡®Till We Meet Again on the Starry Hill¡¯: Time-travel kamikaze romance gets a pointless sequel
By James Hadfield
¡®Ghost of Ueno¡¯: A human drama about the invisible among us
By Mark Schilling
¡®The Man Who Carries the Voice of August¡¯ explores the fragile legacy of the hibakusha
By Sebastien Raineri

LIFE

At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
By Gabrielle Doman
It might sound like pseudoscience, but there could be more to the idea of brewing with music than meets the ear.
?6,000 for shaved ice: Is luxury ¡®kakig¨­ri¡¯ worth it?
By Weiwen Lin
Locked up in luxury at the new Hoshinoya Nara Prison hotel
By Owen Ziegler
How Â鶹´«Ã½ racehorses find second careers away from the track
By Rachel Teo
How one Japanese couple made the 1920s and ¡¯30s into a way of life
By Alex K.T. Martin

COMMUNITY

Volunteer Vicky Parthasarathy (right) believes that people from various cultures can understand each other better through food.
This children¡¯s cafeteria in Shikoku serves up free meals and global perspectives
By Jacob Meyer
As immigration becomes an increasingly contentious issue in Japan, a children¡¯s cafeteria in Shikoku is bridging cultural gaps, one hot meal at a time.
This pup has a new take on life
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
A friendly ¡®peaches-and-cream¡¯ fellow

Editors' Picks

COMMUNITY
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
By Jessica Speed
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
LIFE
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
By Gabrielle Doman
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
JAPAN
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
By Jessica Speed
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
SOCCER
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
By Sean Carroll
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
LIFE
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
By Yuko Tamura
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.

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

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WHAT¡¯S TRENDING

WORLD
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
By JAKE BLEIBERG
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
JAPAN
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
JAPAN
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
By Kenji Yoshida
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
JAPAN
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
By Jessica Speed
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
COMMUNITY
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
By Jessica Speed
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.