Â鶹´«Ã½

Home page

 
Â鶹´«Ã½
Search
 
Â鶹´«Ã½
Search
Tokyo Weather 29¡æ
TOKYO
August 16, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
August 16, 2026
Yen
Foreign residents
Takaichi
Latest News
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks onstage during a memorial service ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, at Budokan Hall in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Takaichi drops ¡®remorse¡¯ in her first war memorial address
By Kenji Yoshida
The omission of the term stood in stark contrast to her immediate predecessor Shigeru Ishiba, while the inclusion of the term ¡°Indo-Pacific¡± highlighted her foreign policy agenda.

More coverage

South Korean president calls for deeper ties with Japan in Liberation Day address
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks onstage during a memorial service ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, at Budokan Hall in Tokyo on Saturday.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki (center), and others, answer reporters' questions after paying their respects at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Defense minister visits war-linked Yasukuni Shrine as Takaichi stays away
Those paying respects included Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi ¡ª a regular visitor ¡ª and economic security minister Kimi Onoda.
Russian President Vladimir Putin watches naval drills from onboard a guided missile cruiser off far eastern Sakhalin Island on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Japan ¡®discussing how to respond¡¯ to Putin¡¯s disputed island visit
Options include further strengthening economic sanctions on Russia and temporarily recalling Â鶹´«Ã½ ambassador to the nation.
Pedestrians hold parasols to cope with the heat wave in Tokyo last month.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
AC vests and UV parasols: East Asia deploys heat-fighting gadgets
By Max Kim
East Asia¡¯s summers are becoming hotter and longer, and such ¡°personal cooling¡± has become a ubiquitous part of daily life.
A mechanical wolf robot used to ward off bears and wild boars at a cabbage farm in the village of Shimo Higashiyama, in Yamagata Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society
Can robots save an aging Japan?
By Hannah Beech and Kiuko Notoya
Monster Wolf and Pochi are among the robots deployed to scare away bears and transport cherry blossoms in a northern region of Japan where many farmers are in their 70s or older.
A mechanical wolf robot used to ward off bears and wild boars at a cabbage farm in the village of Shimo Higashiyama, in Yamagata Prefecture.

JAPAN

Incumbent Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, who has vehemently opposed the planned Futenma base relocation, is shifting his campaign focus to medical care and social welfare policies.
With one month until Okinawa poll, both key contenders lack trump card
The election will effectively be a one-on-one battle between incumbent Gov. Denny Tamaki, 66, who is gunning for a third term, and Genta Koja, 42, former deputy mayor of Naha.
Photographs and architectural models displayed at an exhibition looking back on the history of the Oimawashi Jutaku.
History of housing for Japanese postwar returnees kept alive
Efforts have been made to preserve the history of public housing for Japanese returnees from former Manchuria and elsewhere after the end of World War II.
Takaichi touts price-relief steps on X as support sags
By Erica Yokoyama
Overnight stays by foreign guests exceed prepandemic levels in 39 prefectures
Authorities urge continued caution after heavy rain in Chiba leaves eight dead
By Jessica Speed and Kanako Takahara
Brussels flower carpet pays homage to Hokusai¡¯s ¡®Great Wave¡¯

BUSINESS

Scott Bessent, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, attends an event at the White House in Washington last month.
Bessent asked to justify yen intervention in letter from top Democrat
The request extends the senior Democrat¡¯s pattern of scrutinizing the Trump administration¡¯s foreign-exchange policies.
People march as they protest against Pax Silica, a U.S.-led initiative, in Manila on Thursday.
U.S. to tell partners they must pick sides in AI race with China?
By Michael Martina
Washington is warning other nations they will be excluded from a U.S.-led coalition if ?they also sign up for Beijing¡¯s competing framework.
Japan companies step up efforts to prevent heatstroke
Â鶹´«Ã½ power futures get boost as utilities hedge price risk
By Yusuke Maekawa
Apple trains its own AI model for China market with Alibaba¡¯s support, sources say
Carry traders exploit intervention to rebuild yen shorts
By Ruth Carson and John Cheng

WORLD

U.S. President Donald Trump dances as he departs after delivering remarks at the Nassau County Police Academy Center for Training and Intelligence in Garden City, New York, on Friday.
Iran defiant on strait as Trump tells Americans to accept high gas prices
Progress toward peace talks and oil tanker traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway remain halted.
A Spanish soldier takes part in the Exercise Dynamic Mariner 25 drill, which involves naval forces from several NATO members, at Retin beach in Barbate, Spain, in March last year.
U.S. presses NATO allies on ideological loyalty ahead of troop cuts
By Andrea Palasciano
In a document recently sent to members, the U.S. asks a series of questions that gauge support for U.S. President Donald Trump¡¯s approach.
Powerful quake off Indonesia kills 20, sparks mass evacuations
Major U.S. defense firms race to make cheaper missiles
Thai schools step up security after deadly shooting
By Montira Rungjirajittranon
Russian regions report new fuel crunch as Kyiv hits refineries

Sports

The future Fujinokawa (third from left) and Ikarigata (right) compete against each other at ages 5 and 3, respectively.
Ikarigata closer to emulating older brother Fujinokawa than many think
By John Gunning
While many expect Ikarigata to reach juryo in the near future, there¡¯s less confidence in his ability to match his older brother¡¯s achievements, which could be a mistake.
Ben Shelton wins All-American final to claim second straight Canadian Open crown
Iga Swiatek cruises past Elena Rybakina to capture Canadian Open title
Bears will not change name if team relocates to new state
Japan coach Eddie Jones feels team on verge of ending drought against Australia
By Martin PARRY

Opinion

A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet prepares to launch from the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury¡¯s attack on Iran from an undisclosed location on March 14.
Are we on the verge of World War III?
Brad Glosserman
Still, historians are quick to see parallels to the situation before 1914.
South Korea bets on industrial policy again
By Lee Jong-wha
Zhu Rongji, China¡¯s misunderstood reformer, dies
The U.S. ammo crunch is a global disaster
By Andreas Kluth
What a Sino-American ¡®G2¡¯ would mean for Asian security
By Brahma Chellaney

ENVIRONMENT

Pedestrians hold parasols to cope with the heat wave in Tokyo last month.
AC vests and UV parasols: East Asia deploys heat-fighting gadgets
By Max Kim
East Asia¡¯s summers are becoming hotter and longer, and such ¡°personal cooling¡± has become a ubiquitous part of daily life.
It¡¯s likely that 2026 will be the hottest year on record, experts say
By Eric Roston
¡®Imposing ignorance¡¯: U.S. climate science under siege
By Issam AHMED
Inventories and farming method gains bolster food system against ¡®super¡¯ El Nino
Italy¡¯s record-low Po River forces farmers to weigh crop switch
By Alberto Brambilla

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

Thin is commonly considered beautiful in Japan, but the members of the Strongirls powerlifting group have different ideas on the ideal body type.
At Â鶹´«Ã½ all-women powerlifting contest, strength is beautiful
By Farrah Hasnain
Despite a thin-is-beautiful aesthetic dominating popular beauty trends in Japan, the Strongirls Japan powerlifting group takes a more muscular approach to femininity.
A day in the life of an Asakusa rickshaw driver
By Aden Max Juarez
Cruel summer: Searching for an escape from Â鶹´«Ã½ extreme heat
By Eric Margolis
Spotify asks creators to label songs when they¡¯re AI-generated
By Ashley Carman
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
By Gabrielle Doman

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

JAPAN
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
By Mai Yoshikawa
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
JAPAN
Takaichi needs Aso on her side to solidify position in LDP
By Eric Johnston
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a Liberal Democratic Party meeting alongside LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki (left) and LDP Vice President Taro Aso in Tokyo earlier this month
SUMO
Ikarigata closer to emulating older brother Fujinokawa than many think
By John Gunning
The future Fujinokawa (third from left) and Ikarigata (right) compete against each other at ages 5 and 3, respectively.
COMMUNITY
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
By Yumi Wijers-Hasegawa
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
¡®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.

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

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
By Mai Yoshikawa
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
JAPAN
Authorities urge continued caution after heavy rain in Chiba leaves eight dead
By Jessica Speed and Kanako Takahara
A local resident walks past a 7-Eleven convenience store in a flooded area after heavy rain in the city of Oamishirasato, Chiba Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN
Takaichi drops ¡®remorse¡¯ in her first war memorial address
By Kenji Yoshida
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks onstage during a memorial service ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, at Budokan Hall in Tokyo on Saturday.
BUSINESS
U.S. to tell partners they must pick sides in AI race with China?
By Michael Martina
People march as they protest against Pax Silica, a U.S.-led initiative, in Manila on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Â鶹´«Ã½ inflation paradox is creating winners and losers
By Yoshiaki Nohara and Sakura Murakami
Chieko Sugai at her home in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture