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November 03, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
November 03, 2026
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GMO Internet Group CEO Masatoshi Kumagai bows as he enters a venue for a media briefing in Tokyo on Monday about the impact of a cyberattack.
JAPAN
GMO execs apologize for inadequate response to cyberattacks
By Ariana King and Spencer Landers
CEO Masatoshi Kumagai formally acknowledged failings at the firm’s first public briefing since it became embroiled in a massive data breach scandal.

More coverage

North Korea’s hackers supercharge crypto heists with AI skills
North Korea calls U.S. claims it was behind Binance hack ‘a grave political provocation’
GMO Internet Group CEO Masatoshi Kumagai bows as he enters a venue for a media briefing in Tokyo on Monday about the impact of a cyberattack.
A total of 344,930 contracts were held by nine companies selling cyber insurance in fiscal 2025, which ended in March 2026, up from 74,852 contracts in fiscal 2020.
BUSINESS / Companies
More companies seeking cyber insurance following high-profile data breaches
By Maddie Baker
Such policies typically cover the cost of tracing the source of data breaches and compensation, but not ransom paid to cyberattackers.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi inspects the honor guard at the Self-Defense Forces Senior Commanders' Conference in Tokyo in September.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan weighs $500 billion defense spending plan, sources say
If adopted, defense buildup spending for the five years from April 2027 would be nearly twice that in the current five-year plan.
An artist's rendering of Mitsui Fudosan's British Library project, which will be completed in 2032
BUSINESS / Companies
Mitsui Fudosan hopes to book gains and make mark with British Library project
By Kazuaki Nagata
The largest property development in Europe by a Japanese company is just a stone’s throw from the Harry Potter train station.
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.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
‘Lazy’ running becomes fresh way for Tokyo runners to build community
By Elizabeth Beattie
An increasing number of coffee-centric, sociable running clubs are starting up across Tokyo, drawing more casual runners in search of community.
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.

JAPAN

Huge cranes lift one of the wrecked carriages of a train crash between a Renfe AVE train and an Iryo train, two days after the deadly accident in Urda in the province of Toledo, Spain, on Friday.
Japanese national confirmed dead in Spanish train crash
By Jessica Speed
Another Japanese citizen is believed to be one of the remaining unidentified victims in the collision that killed 69 people.
A watch shop on the Nakano Broadway complex's third floor in Tokyo was stolen on Thursday before being returned on Sunday morning.
Stolen luxury watch returned to Tokyo store via courier with apology note
The package containing the stolen watch had been sent from Aichi Prefecture and included a handwritten apology.
Japan’s new disaster agency calls on public to prepare for disasters
Ishiba underscores importance of National Disaster Management Agency
Lack of snow a headache for ski resorts in the Chugoku region
Digital Agency offers AI app to help draft parliamentary answers

BUSINESS

A Spirit AI's Moz1 humanoid robot serves candied hawthorn on sticks, simulating a cafe as a demonstration, at the 2026 Zhongguancun forum, in Beijing on March 25.
China’s robot makers have mastered the moves. Now comes the race for brains.
By Laurie Chen and Eduardo Baptista
Embodied AI, which focuses on software that allows robots to understand surroundings and adapt, is opening a new front in U.S.-China tech rivalry.
The construction site of the Yongin semiconductor cluster in the background in Yongin, South Korea, on July 21
South Korea to double spending on AI and chips in 2027
By Hieun SHIN
President Lee Jae Myung pledged to use the technology to turn the military into a “smart, elite force.”
Binance outflows hit $4.7 billion after record North Korea hack
By Ryan Weeks
Oji makes inroads on licorice cultivation in Japan
BOJ signals low hopes for consumer spending as population falls
By Toru Fujioka
Japan extends transition bond push despite fossil-fuel reliance
By Ishika Mookerjee

WORLD

An Iranian woman holds Iran's national flag on a street in Tehran on Nov. 1.
Khamenei empowers talks as Trump says Iran deal could happen
Iran’s president didn’t clarify the extent of the authority bestowed by Khamenei or if it signals a broader shift in the Islamic Republic’s red lines.
Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief and incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main challenger, during a campaign event in Haifa, Israel, on Sept. 23
Israel opposition meets to back Eisenkot, but Netanyahu says voters chose him
Eisenkot’s bloc won 48 seats while Netanyahu’s camp secured 53, of which 27 are from his Likud party.
Supermarkets across Europe report new suspected freezer hack
Israel opposition meets to back Eisenkot, but Netanyahu says voters chose him
Trump’s Iran threat renews Gulf fears of a war it didn’t choose
As Europe’s right advances, Germany’s AfD rethinks its anti-euro roots
By Miranda Murray

Sports

Mao Shimada performs during her free program at Skate Canada in Kelowna, British Columbia, on Sunday.
Mao Shimada lives up to expectations with win at Skate Canada in Grand Prix debut
She is already being spoken about as a favorite for the 2030 Winter Olympics.
Erik ten Hag floats relegation as possibility for struggling Manchester United
‘Distraught’ George Russell makes quick exit after Kimi Antonelli wins F1 title
By Alan Baldwin
Bryson DeChambeau seemingly onboard with LIV 2.0
Arsenal reaffirms status with win over Liverpool to move into first place

Opinion

Visitors to the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai check out the Moonshot booth promoting its Kimi K3 AI model in July.
Will Chinese AI build a global advantage?
Kenichi Doi
Developing countries, however, are not necessarily choosing sides. They seek competitive prices, technology transfer, jobs and data sovereignty.
Is science possible without scientists?
By Sami Mahroum
Machado’s biggest challenge in Venezuela is patience
By Juan Pablo Spinetto
A Cold War blueprint for today’s nuclear dangers
By Andreas Kluth
How to improve global mineral governance
By Hasrul Hanif

ENVIRONMENT

A view of Dumbarton Golf Club submerged by flood water following recent storms in Dumbarton, Scotland, on Oct. 27.
U.K. tries to map out impact of extreme weather on public services
By Olivia Rudgard
This is the first year U.K. government departments have been required to publish the full details of the risks they face due to global warming.
Winds of change: Laos looks up for renewables push
‘Air-con nation’ Singapore eyes alternatives to cool down
AI is part of solution for climate change, COP31 pledge says
By John Ainger
Climate-threatened Fijian utopia rejects calls to relocate
By Ben Strang

CULTURE

Around 80 participants joined the event, drinking coffee, reading, some of them taking part in a book-cover decorating workshop and some discussing the novel.
Is the viral book rave real? We go to the second event to investigate.
By Sarah Yang
The Jucy Book Rave, which went viral for the unusual choice of reading place in a Shimokitazawa livehouse, came back with a second event.
‘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
‘Arrested Memory’ filmmaker Sabu likes to stay on his toes
By Blake Simons

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.
A quadrennial Tokyo festival returns to a changed Japan
By Nico Phillips
Putting the almond back into Japan’s ‘almond tofu’
By Simon Daly
Satisfy your kneads at the Setagaya Bread Festival
By Weiwen Lin
‘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
People-pleaser Kumaji is a true ‘bundle of joy’
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

Editors' Picks

ENVIRONMENT
What a Japanese scientist says can be done about the climate’s nitrogen problem
By Tomoko Otake
A French cereal farmer spreads nitrogen fertilizer white pellets on a wheat field in Larchant, France, in May. While nitrogen gas is harmless and makes up 78% of the air we breathe, human activities have dramatically increased the production and release into the environment of various forms of reactive nitrogen.
LIFE
A haunting in Honjo: Tracing old Edo’s most famous ghost stories
By Alex K.T. Martin
Today a modern commuter hub, the Kinshicho neighborhood was once the epicenter of some of old Tokyo’s most chilling ghost stories.
CULTURE
Is the viral book rave real? We go to the second event to investigate.
By Sarah Yang
Around 80 participants joined the event, drinking coffee, reading, some of them taking part in a book-cover decorating workshop and some discussing the novel.
CULTURE
Japan has mastered the red carpet. Almost.
By Patrick St. Michel
"Ghost — End of Night" director Shingo Natsume is joined by voice actors Issey Takahashi and Mayu Hotta (and a few ghosts) on the red carpet at the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival.
LIFE
A Japanese guide to things that go bump in the night
By Yaeko Kabe
An illustration depicts four samurai wearing masks to do battle with otherworldly demons. They wear the masks of a "kappa," "yuki-onna," "kitsune" and "oni."

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

A Mountain Temple Founded by Kobo Daishi, and 2,500 Hydrangeas Along the Stone Path to Wisdom
A Mountain Temple Founded by Kobo Daishi, and 2,500 Hydrangeas Along the Stone Path to Wisdom
YAMAGATA CITY

WHAT’S TRENDING

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.
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
GMO execs apologize for inadequate response to cyberattacks
By Ariana King and Spencer Landers
GMO Internet Group CEO Masatoshi Kumagai bows as he enters a venue for a media briefing in Tokyo on Monday about the impact of a cyberattack.
JAPAN
Japan weighs $500 billion defense spending plan, sources say
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi inspects the honor guard at the Self-Defense Forces Senior Commanders' Conference in Tokyo in September.