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November 06, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 06, 2026
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An American flag billows as U.S. President Donald Trump holds a topping off event in the White House ballroom under construction in Washington on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Tokyo braces for fallout from the U.S. midterms
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
While relations are well-insulated from executive action due to bipartisan support, Tokyo will watch for changes in post-election decision-making.

More coverage

Beaten at home, Trump faces stark choice on Iran: deal or escalation
Texas turns blue in stunning rebuke of Donald Trump, Elon Musk and GOP
An American flag billows as U.S. President Donald Trump holds a topping off event in the White House ballroom under construction in Washington on Wednesday.
Google noted that the backdoor established by Videostrong appears to have been “intentionally developed, deployed, and operated for financial gain.”
BUSINESS / Tech
Google and NPA disable Chinese company’s backdoor into internet-connected devices
By Ariana King
Over 1.3 million devices were affected by the backdoor and botnet.
The number of births increased in 24 prefectures — many of them in urban areas including Tokyo, Aichi and Fukuoka prefectures — while 23 prefectures saw decreases.
JAPAN / Society
Births in Japan edge up 0.4% in January-June, thanks to Tokyo
By Spencer Landers
This is the first increase in the first half in 11 years, with the capital’s 4.7% jump in births being the highest among all prefectures.
The Bank of Japan battled deflation for years with ultralow rates.
BUSINESS / Economy
Bank of Japan’s 2% inflation-target victory fails to impress
By Kazuaki Nagata
After more than a decade of waiting, the market takes the data point as just another number to crunch.
A woman walks past a screen showing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaking at a Lower House session in Tokyo on Oct. 14.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
What keeps Takaichi defying political gravity?
By Kenji Yoshida
Living costs are high, relations with China are strained and the consumption tax cut is yet to start, but public support has stayed relatively strong.
A woman walks past a screen showing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaking at a Lower House session in Tokyo on Oct. 14.

JAPAN

Chiikawa products at the Kiddy Land Harajuku store in Tokyo
Chiikawa, brainrot and naphtha make 2026 buzzword shortlist
By Jessica Speed
This year’s buzzword nominees offer a glimpse into a year defined by technology, economic uncertainty and internet memes.
A screenshot of the autumn foliage forecast on Japan Meteorological Corp.'s website
Fall foliage expected later than usual this year, weather forecaster says
By Spencer Landers
Above-average temperatures are behind the slightly later season, as the bright yellows and crimsons of autumn are brought by colder weather.
Takaichi to skip U.N. climate summit in Turkey
Japan denies seeking Myanmar’s removal from blacklist
Japan to discuss expanding requirements for child safety seats
Police in Japan to share data on scam accounts with financial firms

BUSINESS

SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son has listed a plan to buy ABB's robotics unit as a key part of his ambition to play a larger role in the artificial intelligence buildout.
China blocks SoftBank’s $5.4 billion ABB robot unit takeover
By Mark Anderson and Mayumi Negishi
The takeover was widely expected to bolster SoftBank’s revenue and profit while it awaits a boost from OpenAI’s public debut.
In the U.K., artificial intelligence skills are no longer optional for the hundreds of thousands seeking their first job.
AI skills are make or break in U.K.’s brutal youth jobs market
By Irina Anghel
Employers are adding AI skill requirements to established roles such as sales representatives, software engineers or assistants.
NTT Docomo faces network glitches
Nintendo’s net profit drops in Q2 as Switch 2 unit sales slow
Toyota hikes profit forecasts on strong demand, weak yen
Sony lifts outlook after Spider-Man and games fuel growth
By Takashi Mochizuki

WORLD

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong in 2019
Hong Kong jails Joshua Wong for a decade in collusion case
By Nectar Gan
The sentencing marks the activist’s second national security conviction, extending his incarceration just two months before he was due to be freed.
Satellite operator ICEYE's headquarters in Espoo, Finland. One of its satellites, which provides radar imagery to Western governments and militaries, was approached by a Russian military satellite last month.
Russia may have rehearsed attack on Western satellite, specialist says
A Russian satellite had been “intentionally maneuvering dangerously close to a commercial satellite” in mid-October.
Thailand bans textbook on national security grounds
By Napat Kongsawad
Nigeria’s ‘godfathers’ pull the strings ahead of elections
By Nicholas ROLL
New Zealand leaders make final appeals as election remains tight
Top U.N. court to rule on Myanmar’s Rohingya genocide case
By Richard CARTER

Sports

Wrestlers at Tamanoi Stable work with outside trainers after their normal morning practice in Oct. 2018.
Japan’s seemingly unchanging ancient sport of sumo may already be at peak optimization
By John Gunning
You can walk into a sumo stable in Tokyo in 2026 and see roughly the same training patterns and methods as you would have in 1826.
Albert Pujols set to interview for Astros’ managerial opening
Fenerbahce ends Liverpool’s perfect start in Champions League
WTA players facing abuse and threats on social media
By Peter Stebbings
Rory McIlroy criticizes LIV for turning pro golf into ‘arms race’

Opinion

The 2026 midterms weakened U.S. President Donald Trump's authority, boosting Democratic congressional leverage and altering how foreign governments, allies and corporations will have to navigate his administration.
The Democratic ‘blue wave’ just reset American power
Cory Alpert
Trump no longer commands the political support he once claimed. U.S. voters have roundly rebuked the U.S. president in a referendum on his leadership.
America’s midterms: History rhymes half a century later
By Kuni Miyake
Patrick Stewart embodied the value of aging actors
By Miles Surrey
America is making a ‘freaking fortune’ in an energy crisis
By Javier Blas
Uncool! Hacking refrigerators is a hint of threats to come
By Brad Glosserman

ENVIRONMENT

Solar panels on display at the Kaptan Bazar in Dhaka on Oct. 27
Bustling market in Dhaka shows shift to solar triggered by Middle East war
From the Philippines to Pakistan and Nigeria, people are turning to solar and batteries to cut utility bills or just keep lights and machinery on.
What the Democratic U.S. midterm sweep means for climate and clean energy
By Zahra Hirji
Ahead of COP31, Brazil offers a global fossil fuel exit plan
Winds of change: Laos looks up for renewables push
What a Japanese scientist says can be done about the climate’s nitrogen problem
By Tomoko Otake

CULTURE

Atsuko Ninagawa, co-founder of Art Week Tokyo, wants to “create opportunities for others and strengthen broader discussions about art.”
Art Week Tokyo’s Atsuko Ninagawa wants to connect the city’s scattered art scene
By Erik Augustin Palm
The fifth edition brings together 56 venues and international participants for five days of exhibitions, conversations and creative exchange.
‘Two Cigarettes, Three Nights’: An artist takes solace in an undefinable intimacy
By Mark Schilling
‘In Their Traces’: An unflinching documentary about the survivors of sexual violence
By James Hadfield
‘Moonlit Golden-Gai’: A director’s love letter to Shinjuku’s bar district
By Mark Schilling
Ryu Murakami was a provocateur to the very end
By Alyssa I. Smith

LIFE

"Ise-ebi" (spiny lobster) from Aichi Prefecture is just one of the superb dishes at Saki.  
Fine ‘omakase’ dining, with a twist, at Saki
By Owen Ziegler
Curated by a Japanese and a European chef, the courses at Saki include surprises to rankle purists while delighting the rest of us.
Putting the almond back into Japan’s ‘almond tofu’
By Simon Daly
Satisfy your kneads at the Setagaya Bread Festival
By Weiwen Lin
A haunting in Honjo: Tracing old Edo’s most famous ghost stories
By Alex K.T. Martin
‘Stupid Never Dies’: A zombie B-movie resurrected in game form
By Owen Ziegler

COMMUNITY

Tourists enjoy themselves while crossing the famous Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo on Oct. 12.
How this long-term resident avoids the annoying tourist label in Japan
By Daniel Traylor
Don’t like being lumped in with the growing crowds of foreign tourists? We have you covered.
A feline brother and sister pair who are simply out of this world
In tourist-weary Kyoto, U.S. college targets deeper ties between students and residents
By Joel Tansey
The do’s and don’ts when applying for permanent residency in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa
People-loving Autumn is ready for a new home

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
‘Sister Brother Manhole Cover’ wins top prize at Tokyo International Film Festival
By Erik Augustin Palm
Lead actors Sara Klimoska (fourth from left) and Filip Trajkovikj (fourth from right) and producer Jane Kortoshev (third from right) accepted the Tokyo Grand Prix for "Sister Brother Manhole Cover."
JAPAN
Japan’s newest female astronaut wants to speak Japanese on the moon
By Mai Yoshikawa
Japanese astronaut Ayu Yoneda is currently training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for future space missions.
JAPAN
Japan gets serious about defense spending hike as year-end deadline looms
By Jesse Johnson
A Ground Self-Defense Force Type 16 maneuver combat vehicle fires during an annual training session near Mount Fuji at the Higashifuji training field in Gotemba,Shizuoka Prefecture, in June.
COMMUNITY
‘Lazy’ running becomes fresh way for Tokyo runners to build community
By Elizabeth Beattie
Members of the Meguro River Lazy Runners group gather for a chat and some stretching prior to their run on a recent weekday morning, in Tokyo's Nakameguro district.
LIFE
A quadrennial Tokyo festival returns to a changed Japan
By Nico Phillips
Parishioners guide one of three Edo Period (1603-1867) "mikoshi" (portable shrines) during this year’s "shinkōsai" procession at Tokyo’s Nezu Shrine. Mikoshi are said to hold the spirit of shrine deities, in this case Susanoo-no-Mikoto, a god of of the sea, storms and fields.

Podcast

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

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Hibiki whisky in Chinese tea pairs well with shark fin
Hibiki whisky in Chinese tea pairs well with shark fin

COMFACTS

TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY Introduces Its Metaverse Lunar Brewery and GO GRANDCLASS at “metatell night”
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY Introduces Its Metaverse Lunar Brewery and GO GRANDCLASS at “metatell night”
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Stolen luxury watch returned to Tokyo store via courier with apology note
A watch shop on the Nakano Broadway complex's third floor in Tokyo was stolen on Thursday before being returned on Sunday morning.
JAPAN
Japan’s newest female astronaut wants to speak Japanese on the moon
By Mai Yoshikawa
Japanese astronaut Ayu Yoneda is currently training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for future space missions.
JAPAN
Talk of Germany joining GCAP fighter program grows, but Japanese concerns persist
By Jesse Johnson and Maddie Baker
An attendee sits in the cockpit of a full scale mock-up of a Global Combat Air Program fighter jet at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England, in July.
JAPAN
Japan recognizes 3,861 people, including 99 foreign nationals, in autumn honors
Actress Keiko Matsuzaka is among 3,861 people and 400 women recognized in this year's autumn honors.