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January 31, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
January 31, 2026
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Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a campaign event at Maiko Park, in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Tokyo hopes voters will hand PM Takaichi new clout to counter China
By John Geddie, Tamiyuki Kihara, Tim Kelly and Antoni Slodkowski
A big win on Feb. 8 will help send a message to Beijing that its attacks have not damaged her domestically, a senior Japanese government official said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a campaign event at Maiko Park, in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, on Thursday
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks alongside Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during their visit to the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in Yokosuka, in October last year.
JAPAN
U.S. may treat Takaichi as state guest during spring visit
The reception could be an effort to highlight the close ties between Japan and the U.S. ahead of Trump's planned visit to China in April.
Monthly figures released Friday by the Finance Ministry confirmed that Japan didn¡¯t spend any money on direct intervention to bolster the yen in the four weeks up to Jan. 28.
BUSINESS / Markets
Japan gets breathing room for yen by leaning on U.S. fear factor
By Erica Yokoyama and Toru Fujioka
Monthly figures released Friday by the Finance Ministry confirmed that Japan didn¡¯t spend any money on direct intervention to bolster the yen.
Toyota Motor's all-new RAV4 SUVs are displayed during its world premiere event in Tokyo in May 2025
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
How activist investors turned a Toyota buyout into a battleground
By Maki Shiraki, Daniel Leussink, David Dolan and Anton Bridge
The transaction has become a test case for dealmaking in Japan, which prizes stakeholder harmony over shareholder returns.
Chef Masashi Motooka opened Restaurant Kam in Saitama Prefecture, taking over a property formerly used by his wife's late grandfather. The garden is an extension of his kitchen ¡ª his daily menu is determined by whatever is ready to be picked.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
In Saitama, Kam finds its garden-to-table concept ripe with potential
By Robbie Swinnerton
Chef Masashi Motooka is making a name for himself with his deft execution of French cuisine paired with greens picked from his own backyard.
Chef Masashi Motooka opened Restaurant Kam in Saitama Prefecture, taking over a property formerly used by his wife's late grandfather. The garden is an extension of his kitchen ¡ª his daily menu is determined by whatever is ready to be picked.

JAPAN

An election notice board displaying posters of candidates in Tokyo on Tuesday. Official campaigning for the Feb. 8 election started Tuesday as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi seeks to solidify her majority in the Lower House of parliament.
Social media abuzz with politics as Lower House election looms
Ahead of the Feb. 8 Lower House election, users are airing their thoughts on topics ranging from money scandals, immigration and security.
A Japanese police officer stands guard at the entrance of the Chinese embassy in Tokyo
Chinese advised not to visit Japan after robbery
The embassy issued the advisory on social media and said that it has asked Japanese police to resolve the robbery case as soon as possible.
Japanese actress Ryoko Yonekura not indicted over drug case
Japan struggling to reduce rare earth dependence on China
Foreign workers in Japan reach a record 2.57 million in 2025
By Kanako Takahara and Jessica Speed
China coast guard patrolled Japan-held islands almost daily last year
By Colleen Howe

BUSINESS

Kevin Warsh has pledged to shrink the Fed¡¯s balance sheet and argued that a productivity boom driven by artificial intelligence will keep inflation low.
Warsh set to face early reality check as Trump¡¯s man at the Fed
By Enda Curran and Amara Omeokwe
Kevin Warsh has pledged to shrink the Fed¡¯s balance sheet and argued that a productivity boom driven by artificial intelligence will keep inflation low.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center) with Antonio Costa, president of the European Council (left), and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Tuesday.
EU trade deal gives Modi¡¯s ¡®Make in India¡¯ ambitions a boost
By Swati Gupta and Shruti Srivastava
Dubbed the "mother of all deals¡± by both sides, the free trade pact will open the EU market more widely to Indian exporters.
Trump picks a reinvented Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve
By Catarina Saraiva
Japan business leader calls on government to act more on yen rate
By Erica Yokoyama and Takashi Umekawa
Nomura profit falls on Europe loss and acquisition costs
By Takashi Nakamichi and Ryo Horiuchi
Full wage talks start in Japan with labor management forum

WORLD

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits the Forbidden City in Beijing on Thursday
Visit by Britain's Starmer shows drawbacks of 'China pivot' in countering Trump
By Farah Master, Colleen Howe and Liz Lee
The deals the British leader brings back to London show the limits of the balancing act that middle powers may try to play.
Residents at the site of an apartment building damaged during overnight Russian drone and missile strikes, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Wednesday.
Russia and Ukraine halt energy strikes, but differences emerge on moratorium
Moscow said the pause would end Sunday while Kyiv indicated the halt would be in effect for a week.
India's wealthy embrace a new luxury symbol: water
By Aditya Kalra and Rishika Sadam
Thousands marched for democracy in Myanmar. Some died in prison.
Thousands demonstrate in Minnesota and across U.S. to protest ICE
For Greenland's Inuit, no one owns the Arctic land
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen

Sports

Serbia's Novak Djokovic during his semifinal match against Italy's Jannik Sinner on Friday in Melbourne.
Djokovic thanks doubters for motivation after reaching Melbourne final
The 38-year-old rolled back the years with a vintage display to down the double defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Crans-Montana downhill canceled after U.S. great Lindsey Vonn crashes
'Believing' Alcaraz outlasts Zverev in epic to reach maiden Melbourne final
By Martin PARRY
Serena Williams fuels comeback speculation during TV interview
Nasa Hataoka grabs early lead in LPGA Tournament of Champions

Opinion

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi holds talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Nara on Jan. 13. Once a central diplomatic actor, Japan is increasingly absent as global power rivalries intensify.
The cost of silence: Japan¡¯s diminishing relevance
Stephen R. Nagy
This diplomatic fade is more than a temporary slump. Japan is experiencing a crisis of international relevance at precisely the moment when the rules-based order is fracturing.
The TikTok U.S. saga isn¡¯t over ¡ª it¡¯s just beginning
By Dave Lee
Is Streeting, a slick Eastender, Britain¡¯s next prime minister?
By Rosa Prince
We must hold America to a much higher standard
Despite failed peace talks, Ukrainians find ¡®Way Home¡¯
By Cristina Suvorina

ENVIRONMENT

The sun rises by the Eiffel Tower and the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris on July 1.
World not ready for rise in extreme heat, scientists say
By Nick Perry
Nearly 3.8 billion people could face extreme heat by 2050, and while tropical countries will bear the brunt, cooler regions will also need to adapt, scientists said Monday.
Flood losses set to soar tenfold in Southeast Asia, study finds
By Ishika Mookerjee
'So little we know': In submersibles revealing the deep sea
By Sara Hussein
India's solar-panel boom: Full throttle today, uncertain tomorrow
By Philippe Alfroy
What one year of Trump's climate censorship reveals
By David Sherfinski

CULTURE

¡°Heated Rivalry¡± centers on two male hockey players (Hudson Williams, left, and Connor Storrie) on rival teams who fall in love over the course of a decade.?
How 'Heated Rivalry' fits into the history of Japanese 'boys' love'
By Jessica Speed
The Canadian hockey romance series is television¡¯s latest global hit, but its fandom language goes back to 1970s Japan.
¡®The Keeper of the Camphor Tree¡¯: Healing takes root one wish at a time
By Matt Schley
Renewal, novelty shape this year¡¯s art and culture calendar
By Victoria Bennett
Japan box-office revenues mark record high in 2025
¡®Euthanasia Special Zone¡¯: Near-future drama confronts human cost of assisted dying
By Mark Schilling

LIFE

Chef Masashi Motooka opened Restaurant Kam in Saitama Prefecture, taking over a property formerly used by his wife's late grandfather. The garden is an extension of his kitchen ¡ª his daily menu is determined by whatever is ready to be picked.
In Saitama, Kam finds its garden-to-table concept ripe with potential
By Robbie Swinnerton
Chef Masashi Motooka is making a name for himself with his deft execution of French cuisine paired with greens picked from his own backyard.
How to enjoy the Sapporo Snow Festival like a local
By Justin Randall
Naha¡¯s newest hotel is made from Okinawan culture ¡ª literally
By Zoria Petkoska
No pictures, just text: A Japanese cookbook for the nerds
By Simon Daly
Data-driven travel rankings crown Japan as world¡¯s top destination
By Owen Ziegler

COMMUNITY

Mai Endo is an artist and researcher who explores queer and feminist issues through her zine platform Multiple Spirits (also known as MaruSupi).
Mai Endo: ¡®Build networks that bridge generations¡¯
By Grace En-yi Ting
Publishing bilingual zines as Multiple Spirits (MaruSupi), Mai Endo explores queer feminism and intersectional histories in East Asia and beyond.
¡®Zero Gravity¡¯ comes to an end, but Roger Dahl will keep drawing
By Gendel Gento
Jose Imai: ¡®Poker and business are about numbers, intuition and emotions¡¯
By Kris Kosaka
Shinkansen vs. Amtrak and the lost art of small talk
By Daniel Traylor
Honey bunny Jaina is a sweet companion

Editors' Picks

COMMENTARY
The cost of silence: Japan¡¯s diminishing relevance
By Stephen R. Nagy
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi holds talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Nara on Jan. 13. Once a central diplomatic actor, Japan is increasingly absent as global power rivalries intensify.
COMMENTARY
Time for a revamped Japan-U.K. strategic architecture
By Thomas O. Falk
British and Japanese flags are displayed ahead of a welcome ceremony as the HMS Prince of Wales, flagship of the U.K. Carrier Strike Group, arrives at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal in August.
JAPAN
Are foreign nationals actually dodging their medical bills in Japan?
By Jessica Speed
Travelers at Narita Airport. A new policy package from Japan's government put a spotlight on foreign patients not paying medical fees as a major topic to address, but it may not only be a matter of them dodging the bill.
JAPAN
JIP struggles with perception and unity ahead of Lower House election
By Eric Johnston
Leader of the Japan Innovation Party Hirofumi Yoshimura delivers his first campaign speech for the House of Representatives election in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Japan is considering nuclear subs. But are they worth the costs?
By Gabriel Dominguez
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's diesel-electric-powered Uzushio submarine sails during an international fleet review to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the MSDF's founding, in Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in November 2022.

Podcast

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

Longform

The reflection of one of Ueno Zoo¡¯s twin pandas is seen at their enclosure. The animals¡¯ popularity has prompted concern among local businesses that their departure could hurt foot traffic in surrounding neighborhoods.
What happens when the pandas leave Ueno?
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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COMFACTS

From Niigata to the World: Tsunan Sake Brewery Pioneers Regional Revitalization through International Cultural Exchange and ¡°Terroir¡± with Greece
From Niigata to the World: Tsunan Sake Brewery Pioneers Regional Revitalization through International Cultural Exchange and ¡°Terroir¡± with Greece
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT¡¯S TRENDING

JAPAN
University of Tokyo Hospital head resigns over recent scandals involving staff
By Yukana Inoue
University of Tokyo Auditorium
COMMENTARY
Japan is getting creative with its response to the weak yen
By Gearoid Reidy and Daniel Moss
A monitor at the foreign exchange trading company Gaitame.com in Tokyo displays the yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar at the company's dealing room on Monday.
JAPAN
LDP on track to win standalone majority in general election
By Himari Semans
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reacts to the audience during a stump speech in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Hiroshima Carp infielder arrested over 'zombie cigarette'
Hiroshima Prefectural Police have arrested Ryutaro Hatsuki, a 25-year-old infielder for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, for allegedly using etomidate, a designated drug also known as the "zombie cigarette."
JAPAN
Suitcase cash robbery in Tokyo's Ueno linked to second attack at Haneda Airport
By Yukana Inoue
Police officers investigate the scene in Tokyo's Taito Ward where a robbery occurred on Thursday.