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TOKYO
December 28, 2024
The Independent Voice in Asia
December 28, 2024
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2024 in review
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Osamu Suzuki, a former president of Suzuki Motor, in October 2016
BUSINESS / Companies
Osamu Suzuki, who ran Suzuki Motor for five decades, dies at 94
By Yuki Hagiwara
Suzuki is known for spearheading the carmaker¡¯s entrance in the Indian market, starting manufacturing there in 1983.
Osamu Suzuki, a former president of Suzuki Motor, in October 2016
South Korea's ruling People Power Party lawmakers (bottom) argue to National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik (second right top) during the plenary session for the impeachment vote of acting president Han Duck-soo at the National Assembly in Seoul on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
South Korea's parliament impeaches acting president Han Duck-soo
The move plunged the country deeper into political chaos, as the Constitutional Court also said it would swiftly trial suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Authorities are calling for utmost vigilance as Japan heads into the New Year holiday season, when many people plan getaways.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Flu cases surge above ¡®warning¡¯ levels in much of Japan
By Tomoko Otake
An estimated 1.67 million people became sick and sought medical care from doctors in the week through last Sunday.
Cabinet ministers at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Japan's Cabinet approves ?115.5 trillion budget
By Himari Semans
The proposal exceeded ?110 trillion for the third consecutive year in order to increase spending on defense and social welfare costs.
Dodgers announcers Stephen Nelson and Jessica Mendoza pose with Ichiro Suzuki before a game against the Mariners in Seattle in 2023.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dodgers voice Stephen Nelson paves way for Japanese Americans in media
By Jason Coskrey
Nelson strongly believes representation matters in media and is aware that he might be helping inspire the next generation of Asian Americans in sports media.
Dodgers announcers Stephen Nelson and Jessica Mendoza pose with Ichiro Suzuki before a game against the Mariners in Seattle in 2023.

JAPAN

A transport ministry panel experiments with a dummy to determine how quickly a person lying on the road during the night would be spotted when drivers use low and high beam lights.
Japan drivers warned to steer clear of drunk pedestrians sleeping on road
By Karin Kaneko
Collisions involving pedestrians asleep on the road typically spike in December, when more people get imbibed at New Year's gatherings.
A bear trap in Hokkaido Prefecture. Bears have recently been found inside homes and shops.
Increasing number of Japanese bears find human dwellings ¡®just right¡¯
By Yukana Inoue
Cases of bears making their way into homes and shops are on the rise across the country as the animal's natural food sources become scarce.
Japan and U.S. draw up guidelines for extended deterrence
Ishiba hints at snap poll if budget fails to pass
Japan uncovers 100 new cases of mishandled security secrets at SDF
Prosecutors drop cases against LDP lawmakers over slush fund scandal
By Eric Johnston

BUSINESS

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump filed a brief on Friday urging the Supreme Court to pause a law that would ban TikTok the day before his Jan. 20 inauguration if it is not sold by its Chinese owner ByteDance.
Trump asks Supreme Court to pause law threatening TikTok ban
Trump said the court should give him time after his Jan. 20 inauguration to "seek a negotiated resolution¡± of the dispute over the social media platform.
A Nissan dealership and a Honda dealership in Tokyo. As the two firms negotiation a potential merger, Nomura Holdings is advising Honda, while Nissan has retained Mizuho Financial Group and Bank of America.
Honda-Nissan deal sets up next fight for bankers in Japan M&A boom
By Manuel Baigorri
At roughly $200 billion, the volume of transactions including mergers and acquisitions in the country is up 48% this year.
Japan's Nidec takes aim at Makino Milling with $1.6 billion unsolicited bid
By Kantaro Komiya and Rocky Swift
Kawasaki Heavy found to have pooled ?1.7 billion in slush funds
Some BOJ policymakers called for rate hike soon, December summary shows
By Leika Kihara
Big Oil backtracks on renewables push as climate agenda falters
By Ron Bousso

WORLD

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington earlier this month.
North Koreans see mass casualties on Ukraine front lines, U.S. says
About a thousand North Korean troops were killed or wounded in the last week alone in Russia's Kursk region, U.S. officials say.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump sits with Elon Musk at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 16.
Cracks emerge in Trump's MAGA coalition
Squabbling over immigration between Elon Musk and his Silicon Valley "tech bros" and Trump's hardcore Republican backers is roiling the movement.
Ukraine risks losing all Russian land it seized within months, U.S. says
New bird flu mutation discovered in U.S. as cat infections cause alarm
World news images of 2024: A year of power plays and shifting tides
Manmohan Singh, India's reluctant prime minister, dies age 92
By Devjyot Ghoshal and Matthias Williams

Sports

New Nadeshiko Japan coach Nils Nielsen (center) poses for photos with JFA President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (left) and Norio Sasaki, the JFA¡¯s women¡¯s soccer chair, during a news conference on Dec. 18.
JFA hopes Nils Nielsen's international focus leads Nadeshiko Japan back to glory
By Alex Bishop
Nils Nielsen was officially unveiled as the new Nadeshiko boss at a packed news conference in Tokyo on Dec. 18.?
Liverpool powers to seven-point lead in Premier League
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers deflects questions about future with Jets
World No. 1?Aryna Sabalenka hungry for more success in 2025
Chiefs secure AFC top seed with win over Steelers

Opinion

The next 12 months will be more challenging, with some countries pursuing quick interest-rate cuts while others will proceed cautiously.
A view to 2025: Enough with the central bank hawks and doves
Daniel Moss
Interest-rate cuts will be a feature, including at institutions that resisted easing in 2024. But mind the nuances.
To serve humankind, AI must be shaped by U.N. values
By Tshilidzi Marwala
When Russia fights the wrong enemy
By S.C.M. Paine
Why cultural heritage must be protected in wartime
By Karel Komarek
Rejecting the Nippon Steel bid is a slap in the face to Japan

ENVIRONMENT

Steam rises from a geothermal plan in Yuzawa, Akita Prefecture. Despite its long history and potential, geothermal provided just 0.3% of Japan's overall energy mix in the fiscal year from April 2023
Is Japan finally ready to tap its abundant geothermal energy potential?
By Eric Johnston
Japan boasts the world¡¯s third-largest potential supply of geothermal energy, but this renewable energy resource has mostly been untapped.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
By Anton L. Delgado
Japan's draft climate strategy spurs calls for bolder cuts in carbon emissions
By Makiko Yamazaki and Ritsuko Shimizu
Japanese study links heavy Hokkaido snowfall in 2021 to climate change
By Tomoko Otake
Companies challenged by fewer weeks of winter
By Ethan M Steinberg

CULTURE

Hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts' uptempo ¡°Bling-Bang-Bang-Born¡± quickly became a TikTok favorite after its release days into 2024, which helped turn the song into a Billboard Japan Hot 100 topper for 19 weeks before rising up viral streaming charts around the world.
Bling-Bang, baby: The J-pop soundtrack of 2024
By Patrick St. Michel
Japanese music made waves globally, fueled by Coachella debuts, TikTok virality and unexpected hits like Creepy Nuts' "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born."
The cultural luminaries we lost in 2024
By Alyssa I. Smith
¡®The War of the Rohirrim¡¯: Striking visuals, insipid storytelling
By Matt Schley
¡®Moving¡¯: A profound, poetic coming-of-age masterpiece restored in 4K
By Mark Schilling
Demand for Japanese content booms after 'Shogun' success
By Mathias Cena

LIFE

The central Hokkaido city of Asahikawa made headlines this year when one of its suburbs was named as the best place to live in Japan ¡ª a ranking earned in part due to the community's many outstanding restaurants and cafes.
How Hokkaido quietly became a culinary treasure trove in 2024
By Simon Daly
Food trucks, morsels with cutesy cues from nature and more helped ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ northernmost island have a stellar year.
True blue tradition: How Japan's coveted jeans are made
By Natsuko Fukue
Small letter, big impact: A little 'tsu' makes all the difference
By Peter Backhaus
'Don't mess with our mince pies,' some Brits plead
By Helen ROWE
The secret to living to 110? Bad record-keeping, says Ig Nobel Prize winner.
By Daniel Lawler

COMMUNITY

For the 20 Questions column this year, writers asked their interview subjects about everything from their lives in Japan to their thoughts on news topics.
There were plenty of hot topics to opine on in 2024
By Gendel Gento, Kimberly Hughes, Ora Margolis, David McElhinney, Zoria Petkoska, Justin Randall, Himari Semans, Patrick St. Michel and Ansel Swindells
We take a look back at some of the best answers that our interviewees gave for 20 Questions from throughout the year.
A holiday season built on creativity and care
By Baye McNeil
From the stage to the streets, make a difference this holiday season
By Kimberly Hughes
Yurie Collins: ¡®Everyone seems sedated, fed-up ¡­ that¡¯s why they turn to comedy¡¯
By Zoria Petkoska
Seven strangers and an algorithm: Can this new dinner app help you make friends?
By Phoebe Amoroso

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Human error caused JAL jet collision at Haneda Airport: safety board
By Kathleen Benoza
The wreckage of a Japan Airlines plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Jan. 5, three days after the crash.
JAPAN
Japan and China to continue delicate diplomatic dance in 2025
By Jesse Johnson
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Nov. 15 during their meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima.
JAPAN
Increasing number of Japanese bears find human dwellings ¡®just right¡¯
By Yukana Inoue
A bear trap in Hokkaido Prefecture. Bears have recently been found inside homes and shops.
JAPAN
High levels of PFAS found in water from 44 private suppliers across Japan
By Tomoko Otake
The Self-Defense Forces facilities are believed to have become sources of PFAS contamination because they used firefighting foam containing the toxic chemicals in the past.
LIFE
Start the new year not with one temple visit, but seven
By Zoria Petkoska
At each shrine and temple, priests create festive, decorative go-shuin stamps, and you can collect the marks of all seven of the lucky gods on one piece of paper (called a shikishi) to serve as a good-luck talisman.

Podcast

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

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?
By Kathryn Wortley

JT Directory Service

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JAPAN
Ex-PM Miyazawa aired doubts about China's democratization to Clinton in '93
Then-Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa (left) and then-U.S. President Bill Clinton meet for talks at the White House on April 16, 1993.
JAPAN
Human error caused JAL jet collision at Haneda Airport: safety board
By Kathleen Benoza
The wreckage of a Japan Airlines plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Jan. 5, three days after the crash.
BUSINESS
Osamu Suzuki, who ran Suzuki Motor for five decades, dies at 94
By Yuki Hagiwara
Osamu Suzuki, a former president of Suzuki Motor, in October 2016
JAPAN
Uranium detected in extracted Fukushima nuclear fuel debris
Nuclear fuel debris recovered from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant No. 2 reactor
JAPAN
Chisako Kakehi, sentenced to death for cyanide murders, dies in custody
By Kathleen Benoza
Death row inmate Chisako Kakehi, who was convicted of murdering three elderly men between 2012 and 2013 with the intent of inheriting their assets, has died, local media reported Thursday.