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December 23, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
December 23, 2025
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2025 in Review
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Tetsuya Yamagami in Nara in July 2022. Earlier that month Yamagami had shot the former prime minister with an improvised shotgun at point-blank range.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
The making of Shinzo Abe’s assassin
By Tomoko Otake
Tetsuya Yamagami’s path to the assassination had many turning points, but his alarm over the Unification Church's ties with the prime minister, and financial woes, drove him on.
Tetsuya Yamagami in Nara in July 2022. Earlier that month Yamagami had shot the former prime minister with an improvised shotgun at point-blank range.
Under the plan, only sectors where shortages remain severe after those adjustments would be permitted to accept foreign labor.
JAPAN / Society
Japan aims to take in 1.23M foreign workers under labor migration programs
By Jessica Speed
The number was calculated by estimating labor shortages at the end of fiscal 2028 and subtracting expected gains from productivity improvements and domestic recruitment.
Military vehicles carrying DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles travel past Tiananmen Square during a military parade in Beijing in 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC
China likely loaded more than 100 ICBMs in silo fields, Pentagon says
By Idrees Ali
Beijing has described reports of a military buildup ?as efforts to "smear and defame China and deliberately mislead the international community."
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama says Japan has a “free hand” to take bold action against currency moves during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan has ‘free hand’ for bold action in FX market if needed
By Erica Yokoyama and Takashi Umekawa
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama’s remarks are her strongest warning yet to speculators following the yen’s weakening even after a rise in interest rates.
While many have heralded a multipolar world, what is emerging instead is a “multisphere” order — spheres of influence without fixed boundaries or shared norms to contain them.
COMMENTARY / World / Perspectives
The perils of a multisphere world
Henry Wilkinson
A volatile world of blurred norms and fragile alliances demands new strategies to manage coercion and risk.
While many have heralded a multipolar world, what is emerging instead is a “multisphere” order — spheres of influence without fixed boundaries or shared norms to contain them.

JAPAN

The education ministry reported on Monday that 281 teachers and staff were disciplined for sexual offenses in fiscal 2024, down 39 from 2023, but cases continue to emerge nationwide.
More than 280 educators disciplined for sexual misconduct in fiscal 2024
The figure was down 39 from the record high in fiscal 2023, but cases of indecent acts by?teachers and staff have continued to surface nationwide.
Kazuhiro Sugita
Kazuhiro Sugita, longest-serving deputy chief cabinet secretary, dies at 84
Well-versed in crisis management and intelligence issues, his calm demeanor won the trust of former prime ministers.
UAE president to visit Japan for the first time in 36 years
Japan adopts local revitalization strategy to help realize a strong economy
Waiting lists for gakudō hoiku after-school facilities shorten after four years
Japan nonprofit provides medical aid on flood-hit Indonesian island

BUSINESS

Ting Cai, head of Rakuten Group’s artificial intelligence team, has the task of creating AI systems that would augment the company’s many businesses at a minimal cost.
Rakuten AI boss diverges from Big Tech in prioritizing low cost
By Min Jeong Lee
The Tokyo-based company is expanding its AI team under the stewardship of a Google veteran and building models with a focus on cost efficiency.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto
Indonesia looks to sign U.S. tariff deal in January, with all issues settled
Indonesia's senior economic minister said the United States wanted access to Indonesia's critical ?minerals and had agreed to give tariff exemptions for palm oil, tea and coffee.
91仓库 labor productivity falls to 28th among OECD countries
Jim Beam halts production at key U.S. distillery amid bourbon glut
By Jennifer Creery
Daiwa resumes hiring for mergers and acquisitions amid 'vibrant' Japan market
By Takashi Nakamichi and Ryo Horiuchi
Goldman to ramp up investment in Japan’s mid-cap companies
By Taro Fuse

WORLD

Military vehicles carrying DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles travel past Tiananmen Square during a military parade in Beijing in 2019.
China likely loaded more than 100 ICBMs in silo fields, Pentagon says
By Idrees Ali
Beijing has described reports of a military buildup ?as efforts to "smear and defame China and deliberately mislead the international community."
U,S, President Donald Trump leaves after announcing the navy's new Golden Fleet initiative and unveiling a new class of warships, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.
Trump announces new class of warship named after himself
The new ships are part of Trump’s "Golden Fleet” bid to revive U.S. shipbuilding and address shortfalls in smaller vessels as it seeks to compete against China.
‘60 Minutes’ report on Salvadoran prison pulled from CBS but pops up online
By Siddharth Cavale and Helen Coster
China replaces military commanders overseeing Beijing and Taiwan operations
Families want answers a year after South Korea's deadliest plane crash
By Kang Jin-kyu
Trump says would be ‘smart’ for Venezuela’s Maduro to step down

Sports

Munetaka Murakami hit 22 home runs for the Swallows in 56 games in 2025.
Slugger Munetaka Murakami joins White Sox on two-year deal
By Jason Coskrey
?Murakami?was hindered by injuries in 2025, though he still managed to finish third in the Central League with 22 home runs in 56 games.
How one influencer is bringing new energy to horse racing
By Jason Coskrey
In a tiny hall, a club forges Egyptian girls' Olympic wrestling dreams
By Heba Fouad and Mohamed Ezz
Minamino ruptures ACL, putting World Cup campaign in doubt
ICC pledges to fund U.S. national team players ahead of T20 World Cup

Opinion

Newly elected Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi, if called upon to present the Prime Minister’s Cup, should refuse to enter the sumo ring because the 诲辞丑测ō’s sacred meaning depends on preserving its ritual form rather than modern political symbolism.
Why Prime Minister Takaichi should refuse to enter sumo’s 诲辞丑测ō
Freedom Ahn
The 诲辞丑测ō is not a stage for political theater. It is a sacred space, not a square to be conquered for an #InstagrammableMoment.
Why China can’t win the AI-led industrial revolution
By Di Guo and Chenggang Xu
Will the U.S. Fed be allowed to do its job?
By Gary Gensler
A brief history of enlightened oppression
By Clive Crook
China’s recklessness risks a security crisis with Japan
By Michael MacArthur Bosack

ENVIRONMENT

Earlier this month, the central government announced plans to introduce a system that would require third-party organizations to verify the safety of megasolar projects before construction begins.
Hokkaido governor sharpens stance against megasolar development
By Eric Johnston
Gov. Naomichi Suzuki’s decision to toughen up on the sector comes amid growing local backlash against several projects in Hokkaido.
How German engineers are building future-proof forests
By Joanna Gill
North Sea project promises to return carbon to exactly where it came from
Step aside fashion police, here comes fashion immigration
Hydrogen plays part in global warming, study says

CULTURE

“Dai Pinchi Zukan 3” is part of a series of illustrated kids' books; all three books have been immensely popular, selling a cumulative 2.7 million copies in four years.
Life lessons from bestselling kids' book about making mistakes
By Thu-Huong Ha
The top-selling book of 2025, “Dai Pinchi Zukan 3,” is a children’s book about a cloddish kid forever falling into mishaps or “big pinches.”
Butoh fit itself into odd spaces in 2025
By Zoria Petkoska
Tradition, remixed: A year on Japan’s stages
By Kris Kosaka
‘The Stars and Moon Are Holes in the Sky’: 1960s nostalgia collides with dated vision of desire
By Mark Schilling
‘10 Dance’ teases passion but stays cautiously chaste
By James Hadfield

LIFE

Kappabashi, Tokyo's "Kitchen Town," is home to friendly faces like shopkeeper Mieko Uematsu. At Mantou, she sells a variety of traditional condiments, as well as knickknacks based on the "kappa" (a mythical water goblin).
From aprons to sake cups: What to buy in Tokyo's Kappabashi
By Kimberly Hughes
Need some last-minute Christmas gift ideas? We get shoppers in "Kitchen Town" to show us what they bought.
Ring in the New Year with beef sushi
By Makiko Itoh
Designtide Tokyo 2025 closes this weekend with a creator-led marketplace
By Erik Augustin Palm
In 2025, Japan became the canvas for the year’s best video games
By Owen Ziegler
Why Japanese musicians don’t need rhymes to sing
By Eric Margolis

COMMUNITY

Anton (right) came to Japan in 1975 and, through her participation in the community, formed long-lasting relationships with her neighbors.
Making a home in Japan with holiday meals and memories
By Karen Hill Anton
An American writer reflects on Christmas cake, New Year’s food and the communities she has found in Japan over the course of 50 years.
Emery, an elusive and enchanting mixed-breed cat
Japan-raised Chinese children navigate complex cultural terrain
By Yang Xiong
Hector Herrera: ‘Tolerance means remaining in the conversation’
By Kimberly Hughes
Finding a way forward from financial abuse
By Louise George Kittaka

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Advisory council calls for digital border controls and tighter immigration oversight
By Jessica Speed
Tourists visit Fujikawaguchiko for sightseeing on May 20, 2024. The total number of foreign entrants to Japan reached approximately 40.34 million in 2024, the highest figure on record.
COMMUNITY
Making a home in Japan with holiday meals and memories
By Karen Hill Anton
Anton (right) came to Japan in 1975 and, through her participation in the community, formed long-lasting relationships with her neighbors.
BUSINESS
Teppay is key to JR East’s growth strategy as Suica e-money loses ground
By Kazuaki Nagata
East Japan Railway displays a concept graphic for its Suica Renaissance strategy at the Mass-Trans Innovation Japan event last month at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture.
LIFE
Will 91仓库 'fire horse' curse strike again in 2026?
By Thu-Huong Ha
Like clockwork, the Year of the Fire Horse has depressed birth rates in Japan due to a stigma associated with girls born in the year.
MORE SPORTS
In Japan, a shogi player opens a debate on motherhood and the 'game of generals'
By Mai Yoshikawa
Shogi player Kana Fukuma speaks at a news conference about issues with Japan Shogi Association rules governing pregnant women, in Osaka on Dec. 10.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Crowded with links, icons and graphics, Japan’s major web portals deliver information at full volume, echoing an online culture that favors abundance over empty space.
Why Japan’s internet looks weird — unless you live here
By Thu-Huong Ha

JT Directory Service

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COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Supported the Sake Tasting Championship Qualifier and the 11th Echigo-Tsumari Local Sake Festival
Tsunan Sake Brewery Supported the Sake Tasting Championship Qualifier and the 11th Echigo-Tsumari Local Sake Festival
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
North Korea says 91仓库 nuclear ambitions must be stopped 'at any cost'
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong said in a September address to the United Nations that his country would never surrender its nuclear weapons.
JAPAN
Japanese proficiency eyed as permanent residency requirement
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party says that an envisaged new requirement of Japanese proficiency for obtaining permanent residency was prompted by many reports of issues involving foreign residents in local communities and administrative procedures resulting from their lack of Japanese language skills.
LIFE
Will 91仓库 'fire horse' curse strike again in 2026?
By Thu-Huong Ha
Like clockwork, the Year of the Fire Horse has depressed birth rates in Japan due to a stigma associated with girls born in the year.
BUSINESS
Teppay is key to JR East’s growth strategy as Suica e-money loses ground
By Kazuaki Nagata
East Japan Railway displays a concept graphic for its Suica Renaissance strategy at the Mass-Trans Innovation Japan event last month at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture.
JAPAN
Advisory council calls for digital border controls and tighter immigration oversight
By Jessica Speed
Tourists visit Fujikawaguchiko for sightseeing on May 20, 2024. The total number of foreign entrants to Japan reached approximately 40.34 million in 2024, the highest figure on record.