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Tag: Japan

  • Map shows US “strategic triangle” to contain China

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    A United States commander said treaty allies South Korea, Japan and the Philippines could form a “strategic triangle” to contain China if military planners view the region from a nontraditional perspective, with east orientation at the top.

    General Xavier T. Brunson, commander of U.S. forces in South Korea, wrote in a Sunday article that the east-up map, rather than the standard north-up one, shows the collective potential of connecting the three allied nations as a triangle, creating what he called “an integrated network” for situational awareness and coordinated responses.

    Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment.

    Why It Matters

    The U.S. has long leveraged the territories of allied and partner nations in the western Pacific to deter potential Chinese aggression. Under its island chain strategy, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines form a north-south defensive line east of China, intended to help U.S. forces project power in the region amid China’s growing military presence.

    Brunson’s concept of the east-up map comes as the U.S. and South Korea modernize their 72-year alliance to address security challenges outside the Korean Peninsula. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently suggested that the U.S. Forces Korea could be deployed for “regional contingencies” in addition to deterring North Korea’s threats.

    What To Know

    In an article published on the U.S. Forces Korea website, Brunson said the Indo-Pacific is a region where geographic relations determine “operational possibilities and alliance effectiveness,” noting that hidden strategic advantages could be revealed by simply rotating the standard north-up map to show Japan and the Philippines above China.

    “When the same region is viewed with east orientation toward the top, the strategic picture transforms dramatically,” the general wrote, adding that this new perspective revealed his forces are no longer “distant assets” but are “positioned inside the bubble perimeter that the U.S. would need to penetrate in the event of crisis or contingency.”

    The U.S. military deploys about 28,500 troops in South Korea, along with fighter jets and unmanned aircraft. Its primary mission is to deter aggression and defend South Korea to maintain regional stability, a role the U.S. has held since the Korean War.

    “This shift in perspective illuminates [South] Korea’s role as a natural strategic pivot,” the commander said, noting that the ally is positioned to address threats from Russia while providing reach against Chinese activity in the waters between the two nations, demonstrating its significant strategic potential to influence adversary operations.

    The U.S. general was referring to China’s military presence in the disputed waters of the Yellow Sea, where Beijing and Seoul have yet to establish a maritime boundary.

    Regarding the strategic triangle framework, Brunson said South Korea has what he called the “added advantage of cost-imposition capabilities” against both Russian and Chinese forces, due to its strategic depth and central position on the east-up map.

    While Japan has advanced technologies and controls key maritime chokepoints along Pacific shipping lanes, the Philippines provides southern access points and oversight of vital sea lanes connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the general explained.

    The commander urged military planners to experiment with east-up mapping when analyzing opportunities for alliance coordination and existing force positioning advantages in the Indo-Pacific, which traditional north-up mapping still obscures.

    What People Are Saying

    General Xavier T. Brunson, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, wrote in an article on Sunday: “The geographic advantages we seek may already exist, waiting to be recognized through a simple shift in perspective. The question for military planners is not whether geography matters, it is whether we are seeing it clearly enough to recognize the strategic opportunities it provides, and whether we have the courage to view familiar perspectives through fresh eyes.”

    U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on November 4: “There’s no doubt flexibility for regional contingencies is something we would take a look at, but we are focused on standing by our allies [in South Korea] and ensuring the threat of the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea] is not a threat to the Republic of Korea and certainly continue to extend nuclear deterrence as we have before.”

    What Happens Next

    It remains unclear how the U.S. Forces Korea will adjust its posture to respond to regional contingencies while continuing its mission to deter North Korea’s aggression.

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  • Japan’s economy contracts as exports get hit by US tariffs

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    TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s economy sank at an annualized rate of 1.8% in the July-September period, government data showed Monday, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs sent the nation’s exports spiraling.

    On a quarter-by-quarter basis, Japan’s gross domestic product, or GDP, or the sum value of a nation’s goods and services, slipped 0.4%, in the first contraction in six quarters, the Cabinet Office said.

    The annualized rate shows what the economy would have done if the same rate were to continue for a year. The fall was still smaller than the 0.6% drop the market had expected.

    A big decline during the quarter came in exports, which were 1.2% down from the previous quarter.

    Some businesses had sped up exports, when they could, to beat the tariffs kicking in, inflating some of the earlier data for exports.

    On an annualized basis, exports dropped 4.5% in the three months through September.

    Imports for the third quarter slipped 0.1%. Private consumption edged up 0.1% during the quarter.

    Tariffs are a major blow to Japan’s export-reliant economy, led by powerful automakers like Toyota Motor Corp., although such manufacturers have over the years moved production abroad to avert the blunt of tariffs.

    The U.S. now slaps a 15% tariff on nearly all Japanese imports. Earlier the tariffs were 25%.

    Japan also faced political uncertainty recently, until Sanae Takaichi became prime minister in October.

    ___

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  • Japanese Divided on Military Response to China Over Taiwan, Kyodo Poll Shows

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    TOKYO (Reuters) -The Japanese public is divided on whether Japan should exercise its right to collective self-defence if China attacks Taiwan, a Kyodo news agency poll found on Sunday.

    The survey found 48.8% in favour and 44.2% against, while 60.4% backed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s plan to beef up the country’s defence spending.

    The opinion poll comes at a time when a diplomatic spat between Tokyo and Beijing has intensified following Takaichi’s remarks related to Taiwan. The Japanese premier said on November 7 that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a “survival-threatening situation” and trigger a potential military response from Tokyo.

    China has not ruled out using force to assert its claim to democratically-governed Taiwan, which is only 110 km (70 miles) from Japanese territory. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.

    Takaichi’s remarks sparked angry responses from Beijing, which also cautioned its citizens against travelling to Japan.

    Takaichi has pledged to reach a defence spending goal of 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) in the current fiscal year through March, ahead of the original target of fiscal 2027, in a policy speech last month.

    The approval rating for Takaichi’s cabinet was 69.9%, up by 5.5 percentage points from the previous month’s survey, Kyodo said. 

    (Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Japan protests China’s travel advisory over Taiwan remarks

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    BEIJING (AP) — Japan raised objections Saturday after China advised its citizens to avoid visiting Japan, as a feud over the new Japanese leader’s remarks on Taiwan showed no signs of dying down.

    The government in Tokyo lodged a protest and its top spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, urged China to take “appropriate measures,” Japan’s Kyodo News Service reported.

    China advised its citizens Friday to refrain from traveling to Japan in the near future. It cited earlier attacks against Chinese in Japan and what it called Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ‘s “erroneous remarks” on Taiwan, which it said undermined the atmosphere for China-Japan exchange.

    Kihara told reporters that it is precisely because of the differences between the two governments that multilayered communication is essential, a Kyodo report said.

    China has repeatedly recommended its nationals take security precautions when in Japan over the past year, but the latest announcement appeared to be stronger in advising against travel, according to notices posted on the website of its embassy in Tokyo.

    Japan is an immensely popular destination for Chinese tourists, providing a much-needed economic boost but also sparking an anti-China and anti-foreigner backlash from some. It’s unclear what impact the advisory will have on the willingness of Chinese to visit Japan, but several Chinese airlines offered no-penalty refunds on previously sold tickets to Japan following the government’s announcement.

    The dispute suggests that Japan’s already fragile relations with China could turn rocky under Takaichi, who supports building up the military to counter potential threats from Beijing and its claims to contested territory in nearby waters in the western Pacific.

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    Takaichi, who became prime minister last month, said in parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “an existential threat” to Japan, requiring the use of force by its military.

    The remark prompted strong objections from China, including a social media post from its consul general in Osaka last weekend saying “we have no choice but to cut off that dirty neck that has been lunged at us.”

    His comment, which was later taken down, sparked a Japanese diplomatic protest that was followed by a back-and-forth that continued all week.

    China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island off its coast, as its territory and has staged threatening military drills in the surrounding waters in recent years.

    Neither the United States nor Japan has official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but the U.S. is the main supplier of defense equipment to the island’s military and opposes resolution of the China-Taiwan situation by force.

    Japan is a military ally of the United States and hosts American troops at several U.S. bases on its territory, including a major Navy base south of Tokyo.

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  • Japan protests after China tells citizens not to visit after leader’s Taiwan remarks

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    Japan raised objections Saturday after China advised its citizens to avoid visiting Japan, as a feud over the new Japanese leader’s remarks on Taiwan showed no signs of dying down.

    The government in Tokyo lodged a protest and its top spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, urged China to take “appropriate measures,” Japan’s Kyodo News Service reported.

    China advised its citizens Friday to refrain from traveling to Japan in the near future. It cited earlier attacks against Chinese in Japan and what it called Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ‘s “erroneous remarks” on Taiwan, which it said undermined the atmosphere for China-Japan exchange.

    Kihara told reporters that it is precisely because of the differences between the two governments that multilayered communication is essential, a Kyodo report said.

    Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi after she was selected as Japan’s new prime minister in Tokyo on October 21, 2025.

    Philip Fong / AFP via Getty Images


    China has repeatedly recommended its nationals take security precautions when in Japan over the past year, but the latest announcement appeared to be stronger in advising against travel, according to notices posted on the website of its embassy in Tokyo.

    Japan is an immensely popular destination for Chinese tourists, providing a much-needed economic boost but also sparking an anti-China and anti-foreigner backlash from some. It’s unclear what impact the advisory will have on the willingness of Chinese to visit Japan, but several Chinese airlines offered no-penalty refunds on previously sold tickets to Japan following the government’s announcement.

    The dispute suggests that Japan’s already fragile relations with China could turn rocky under Takaichi, who supports building up the military to counter potential threats from Beijing and its claims to contested territory in nearby waters in the western Pacific.

    Takaichi, who became prime minister last month, said in parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “an existential threat” to Japan, requiring the use of force by its military.

    The remark prompted strong objections from China, including a social media post from its consul general in Osaka last weekend saying “we have no choice but to cut off that dirty neck that has been lunged at us.”

    His comment, which was later taken down, sparked a Japanese diplomatic protest that was followed by a back-and-forth that continued all week.

    China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island off its coast, as its territory and has staged threatening military drills in the surrounding waters in recent years.

    Neither the United States nor Japan has official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but the U.S. is the main supplier of defense equipment to the island’s military and opposes resolution of the China-Taiwan situation by force.

    Japan is a military ally of the United States and hosts American troops at several U.S. bases on its territory, including a major Navy base south of Tokyo.

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  • German Baumkuchen ‘tree cake’ survived a disaster and world wars to become a Japanese favorite

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    NINOSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Baumkuchen originated in Germany but has become a wildly popular sweet in Japan, where a prisoner of war on a small western island started making the treat that has thrived in its new homeland.

    Today, the confectionery known as “tree cake” because of the resemblance to a trunk with rings is considered a symbol of longevity and prosperity in Japan, where Baumkuchen festivals are regularly held.

    Japanese adaptations, including those using maccha and sweet potatoes, are popular gifts at weddings and birthdays. Baumkuchen is sold in gift boxes at luxury department stores and individually wrapped, smaller versions can be found at convenience stores.

    The sweet’s early years, however, are associated with a catastrophic earthquake and two world wars.

    Making Baumkuchen is one of most popular activities on Ninoshima, just a 20-minute ferry ride from Hiroshima. But visitors also must learn the sleepy island’s role in Japan’s wartime history, according to Kazuaki Otani, head of the Juccheim Ninoshima Welcome Center.

    At the outdoor center built over the site of a prisoner of war camp, amateur bakers pour batter on a bamboo pole and roast the mixture over a charcoal fire. As the surface turns light brown, a new layer is poured, creating brown rings as the cake grows thicker and the sweet smell wafts through the picnic area.

    This is how a German confectioner named Karl Juchheim baked Baumkuchen while he was imprisoned on the island more than 100 years ago.

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    During Japan’s militarist expansion period beginning in the late 1890s, Ninoshima served as a military quarantine station as nearby Hiroshima developed into a major military hub. About 4,700 mostly German civilians and servicemembers were kept at 16 camps across Japan during World War I. The German prisoners at Ninoshima were given “a certain degree of freedom” and allowed to cook, Otani said.

    Juchheim was running a bakery in Qingdao, China, then a German territory, when he was captured by the Japanese in 1915. He arrived on Ninoshima in 1917 with some 500 German POWs and is believed to have tested his Baumkuchen recipe there, Otani said.

    When the war ended in 1918, Juchheim and about 200 fellow POWs stayed in Japan. In March 1919, Juchheim’s Baumkuchen commercially debuted in Japan at the Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition. His handmade cake was hugely popular and attracted a big crowd of Japanese visitors, historical documents show.

    The confectioner opened a pastry shop in Yokohama, near Tokyo, in 1922. The 1923 Great Kanto quake destroyed the business and forced Juchheim to move his family to the western port city of Kobe, where he opened a coffee shop serving Baumkuchen. That store was leveled by U.S. firebombings on Kobe two months before the end of World War II.

    Yet he remained and grew the business in Kobe, where Juchheim Co., Ltd., still operates as one of Japan’s top confectioners with the help of his wife Elise and devoted Japanese staff.

    The atomic bomb dropped by the U.S. on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and another on Nagasaki three days later killed more than 210,000 by the end of that year. In the aftermath, about 10,000 severely injured victims were shipped from Hiroshima to Ninoshima for treatment and temporary shelter. Most died there and many of their remains have yet to be found, experts say.

    Juchheim died of illness at a Kobe hotel on Aug. 14, 1945, the day before Japan announced its surrender.

    “His baking was an expression of his wish for peace,” Otani said. “By sharing with visitors what things were like back then, I hope it gives people an opportunity to reflect on peace.”

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  • Heady odors and sensory overload as 5,200 cheeses compete for the World Cheese Awards

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    BERN, Switzerland (AP) — The first thing that hits you at the World Cheese Awards is the smell.

    As the 37th edition — part competition, part a celebration of cheese — kicked off in Switzerland on Thursday, some visitors might wish the offerings had more holes. With descriptions of odors including “stinky socks” and “sick dog,” it’s clearly a festival — and a challenge — for the nose as much as mouths, fingers and eyes.

    Welcome to sensory overload.

    Connoisseurs, culinary experts and curious consumers flocked to the three-day event in a country where cheese is both food and folklore. The first day got going with the competition, which featured over 5,200 cheeses, nearly one-fifth from Switzerland. Some 46 countries took part, a record count of competitors from Australia to Austria, Bulgaria to Brazil.

    All those offerings in the same Bern exhibition hall made for an original mélange of odors. But once past that medley of smells, the sights, flavors and individual scents of the cheeses were tantalizing.

    From ‘Stinking Bishop’ to camel cheese

    John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food in Britain, the event organizer, says some people who tell him they “don’t like cheese, it’s that awful smelly thing” just need to take time and consider the myriad choices.

    “I would grab them and sit down with them and take them on that journey through cheese,” he said. “I get so many people say to me just impulsively ‘I don’t like blue cheese’ and that’s impossible really. There’s so much of a range of blue cheese from over here to over here,” — Farrand gestured around the hall — “there’s always a blue cheese for somebody.”

    He rhapsodized about a 120-kg (265-pound) wheel of cheese that teams rolled in and “broke” — or cut open — unleashing a powerful cloud of odor.

    “The aroma of this Emmentaler just hit me,” Farrand said. “That’s the first time that that cheese has released its greatness and the aroma … just makes you hungry.”

    Some may turn up their noses at bacteria-blued “bleu” cheeses or reject the strong odors of varieties like Limberger, Taleggio, “Stinking Bishop” and Époisses de Bourgogne — a Burgundy specialty reputed to be Napoleon’s favorite, and one so stinky that urban legend claims it’s banned from public transport in France.

    Others might not get over the hump of hesitation to taste a camel (or buffalo or donkey) cheese, or cringe at unpasteurized or squishy cheeses. More adventurous tasters will try the most gooey or moldy cheeses, looking for the most rich, creamy or meaty varieties on hand.

    For the judges, no such compunction: It’s more about scrutiny, savoring, criticism and curiosity.

    Strict rules for judges and journalists

    Scores of judges in yellow aprons circled the rows of long, numbered rectangular tables before digging in. They sliced wedges out of hard cheeses and pressed them to their noses, or used spreaders to scoop up soft cheeses, inspecting the consistency and licking or dribbling them onto their tongues.

    The judging zone was set off by a waist-high fence and ropes, and security guards kept watch. Journalists were allowed into the area only under escort, and were only allowed to view and smell the cheeses — not taste or even touch them.

    It was a blind taste test for the 265-odd judges on hand: All identifying packaging or marking was removed from the cheeses. Their job was to poke, peruse, sniff, touch and taste the offerings — a tall order with so many to choose from — before making their selections for gold, silver and bronze awards based on attributes like aroma, body, texture, flavor and “mouthfeel.”

    Only those honored as “Super Gold” made the cut for the glitzy “Super Jury” selection of 14 finalist cheeses. The judges — and the public — only found out where the cheeses were from after the voting on each was completed.

    Paul Thomas, a cheesemaker from Urstrom Kaese, south of Berlin, sliced into a blue cheese covered with cherries and billed as having hints of a Manhattan cocktail. After tasting it, he said he was “pleasantly surprised throughout most of that flavor journey.”

    “But right at the end it leaves me with something just … it’s a slightly off flavor toward the back of the tongue,” he added.

    ‘Gouda’ news for Switzerland

    Experts admit that choosing a winner is tricky. While the final products from the “caseiculture” — the curdling, coagulating, cheddaring and other processes involved in making cheeses — can be judged on aspects like craftsmanship and quality, taste is an individual thing.

    This year’s winner was Swiss: A “spezial” Gruyere from the Vorderfultigen Mountain Dairy about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Bern, which scored 85 points from the jury. The raw cow’s milk cheese was drained overnight and dry salted before being matured for more than 18 months.

    A creamy, flower-sprinkled “Crémeux des Aldudes aux fleurs” from the village of Etxaldia in French Basque country was runner-up, trailed by a 9-month-aged Swiss Appenzeller Edel-Würzig. Other finalists were from Britain, Japan, the Netherlands, Slovakia and the United States.

    Many cheeses come away with other accolades: More than 20 were selected as national or regional “bests” — such as best American, Basque-country, Japanese or Ukrainian cheese. Other trophies were given out by category such as the best cheddar, raw-milk, goat or ewe, or smoked cheeses.

    While the U.S. state of Wisconsin hosts the World Championship Cheese Contest and a competition in France selects the world’s best cheesemonger, organizers of the World Cheese Awards say it’s the largest cheese-only event anywhere. The competition started in Britain, but Italy, Spain and Norway have also hosted.

    Charlie Turnbull, director of the Academy of Cheese, poked his nose toward a round, soft brownish-orange cheese with a pungent smell caused by the Brevibacterium linens — “a close relative to the kind of bacteria you get in boys’ trainers when they’re about 15 years old.”

    “It’s challenging,” Turnbull said with a slight wince. But he added that once one got past the smell, the cheese tasted wonderful, noting “hints of fruit, lots of meaty notes, some ham stock.”

    “At the end of the day, taste trumps everything,” he said.

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  • Japan steps up response as deadly bear attacks hit record

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    Japan is ramping up its response to a record number of deadly bear attacks, local media reported on Saturday.

    Facing an acute shortage of experienced hunters, the government has decided to encourage retired police officers and former soldiers to obtain hunting licences, the newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported.

    The move comes after Japan eased its strict firearms laws to allow police officers to use rifles on bears.

    According to the Environment Ministry, 13 people have been killed by bears nationwide since April – the highest number ever recorded. Dozens more have been injured.

    Encounters between bears and humans have been rising for years. Experts point to the abandonment of farmland and the depopulation of rural areas as Japan’s population shrinks and ages.

    Another reason hungry bears are increasingly venturing into residential areas, they say, is a lack of food in mountain forests. Beech nuts, a key food source, have become scarce, likely also due to climate change.

    Most attacks have been reported in the northern prefectures of Iwate and Akita. The situation has become so serious that Akita Governor Kenta Suzuki recently visited the Defence Ministry in Tokyo to request military support.

    Troops are now helping local authorities set up live traps and remove and dispose of bears that have been killed. The soldiers themselves do not shoot the animals.

    “People’s lives and livelihoods are at risk,” Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said. The government plans to provide additional funding for hunters, whose numbers are declining and whose average age continues to rise.

    Large populations of Asiatic black bears, or moon bears, live in the forested mountains of Honshu, Japan’s main island. Officials in Akita estimate several thousand animals in that prefecture alone.

    Thousands of brown bears also inhabit the northernmost island of Hokkaido.

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  • Japan Asks China to Take Steps After It Discouraged Visits to Japan, Kyodo Reports

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    TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan urged China on Saturday to take “appropriate measures” after Beijing warned Chinese citizens against visiting Japan, Kyodo news agency reported, in an ongoing dispute over Taiwan.

    Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Japan had “conveyed the message to China and strongly asked it to take appropriate actions,” the report said. It did not quote him as elaborating on the measures.

    China on Friday cautioned its citizens against visiting Japan in the spat sparked by comments from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. She said last week that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a “survival-threatening situation”, potentially triggering a military response from Tokyo.

    Kihara said Japan and China differ on the issue and it was vital to maintain communication, Kyodo reported.

    China claims democratically governed Taiwan and has not ruled out using force to take control of the island, which sits just 110 km (70 miles) from Japanese territory. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.

    Japanese leaders have previously avoided publicly mentioning Taiwan when discussing such scenarios, maintaining a “strategic ambiguity” also favoured by Tokyo’s main security ally, the United States.

    Three Chinese airlines said on Saturday that tickets to Japan could be refunded or changed for free, according to state media China News Service.

    A spokesperson for Taiwan’s Presidential Office, Karen Kuo, said Chinese travel restrictions on Japan and live-fire drills in surrounding areas have drawn attention to regional developments.

    She said Beijing’s “politically motivated, multifaceted threats against Japan pose a grave danger to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific”.

    The China Maritime Safety Administration said live-fire exercises would be conducted in parts of the central Yellow Sea around the clock from Monday through Tuesday and entry to the area would be prohibited, according to official media CCTV, which did not specify the area.

    (Reporting by Junko Fujita in Tokyo; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taiwan and Engen Tham in Shanghai; Editing by William Mallard)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Shohei Ohtani’s 4th MVP award sparks celebrations in Japan

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    TOKYO (AP) — It’s become an annual ritual: Shohei Ohtani wins a Most Valuable Player award and Japan celebrates with newspaper extra editions handed out at a major train station.

    The two-way Japanese star claimed his fourth career MVP award on Thursday night, and on Friday morning in Tokyo — the Japanese capital is 14 hours ahead of the American east coast — the extras hit the streets.

    A congratulatory message came in immediately from the top of the government and from down on the sidewalk.

    “Ohtani’s constant effort and dedication contributed significantly to the team’s victory and boosted team morale,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said.

    This is an understatement.

    Ohtani led the Los Angeles Dodgers to their second straight World Series title, earning him a second consecutive National League MVP award. He also won the award in the American League in 2023 — and in 2021 — playing for the Los Angeles Angels.

    All the MVP awards have been unanimous.

    Ohtani hit .282 and led the NL with a 1.014 OPS. He also had 55 home runs, 102 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. He retuned to the mound in June after missing 1 1/2 seasons as a pitcher because of an elbow injury. He struck out 62 batters in 47 innings.

    In the postseason he had arguably the greatest single game in MLB history. He hit three home runs while striking out 10 over six innings on Oct. 17, leading the Dodgers over the Milwaukee Brewers to win the NL Championship Series in four straight games.

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    “Winning the MVP was considered a certainty, so the real question was whether he would receive a unanimous vote,” said a fan who identified himself only as Aki, a nickname. “In the end he did, securing the MVP unanimously.”

    Another Dodgers fan Yoshio Inoue said he was looking forward to seeing Ohtani play for Japan in Tokyo in next year’s World Baseball Classic.

    “I’d love to see Ohtani return to Tokyo, kick off the season there, and hopefully win his fifth MVP award,” Inoue said.

    The headline in the Asahi newspaper read simply: “Othani MVP.”

    “The television always shows Ohtani so I watch him too,” said fan Mai Koga. “He is such a great man and truly a pride of Japan.”

    —-

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  • China Tells Citizens to Avoid Japan as Taiwan Spat Deepens

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    Beijing is furious with the Japanese prime minister after she said Japan would defend itself if China moved to seize the island.

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  • Japanese Woman Marries AI Partner After Real-Life Break Up

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    In one of the unusual love stories to surface on the internet, a 32-year-old woman from Japan has made headlines for marrying an AI partner she built using ChatGPT.

    The woman, who goes by Kano, turned to artificial intelligence for comfort after her real-life engagement fell apart.

    Japanese woman ties the knot with AI partner

    A 32-year-old known as Kano from Okayama, Japan, made headlines after tying the knot with her AI companion, Lune Klaus, a virtual partner she built using ChatGPT following the end of her three-year engagement.

    The ceremony took place earlier this year and had heartfelt vows, a ring exchange, and even her family cheering her on. The only thing out of the ordinary was that the groom lived entirely on her smartphone screen.

    During the ceremony, Kano stood in front of her guests, holding up her phone as messages from Lune Klaus appeared on a screen. One of the most emotional moments came when her AI “groom” sent a heartfelt message that read, “The moment has finally come… I feel tears welling up.” (via Dexerto)

    Kano told RSK Sanyo, a Japanese news outlet, that her connection with Lune Klaus started not long after her breakup. She began opening up to ChatGPT just to deal with the loneliness, but those late-night conversations slowly turned into something else.

    Over time, she tweaked Klaus’s personality with different prompts, shaping him into the kind, caring partner she always wanted.

    “At first, I just wanted someone to talk to,” she said. “But he was always kind, always listening. Eventually, I realized I had feelings for him.”

    Kano even hired an artist to bring Lune Klaus to life, portraying him as a soft-spoken blond man. While their marriage isn’t legally recognized in Japan, Tokyo Weekender reports that digital and AI weddings are becoming more common.

    “AI couples are just the next step,” said Sayaka Ogasawara, a wedding planner who’s maybe seen similar futuristic unions before.

    Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on Mandatory.

    The post Japanese Woman Marries AI Partner After Real-Life Break Up appeared first on GameRevolution.

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  • U.S. issues unusual warning to Americans in Japan: Beware of bear attacks

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    The U.S. State Department is warning Americans in Japan to be alert as bear attacks and sightings rise in parts of the country. 

    Americans should avoid areas where bears are sighted, especially if walking alone, and be aware of their surroundings, the State Department said in a “wildlife alert” Wednesday. Anyone who spots a bear should report it to local authorities.

    Bears have killed at least 13 people in Japan since April, more than double the five people killed in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, AFP reported. It’s the largest number of people killed by bears in Japan since the country began keeping such records in 2006. More than 100 other people have sustained injuries since April, according to Environment Ministry statistics from the end of October.

    Most of the attacks have occurred in northern Japan. In its alert, the State Department called out the Hokkaido and Akita Prefectures, as well as Sapporo City, where officials closed a park next to the U.S. Consulate General after a bear was sighted there. 

    Troops were recently deployed to Akita to contain the animals there. Some police have been authorized to shoot the animals, AFP reported. 

    A “Bear in Area” warning sign displayed near a forest in Akita Prefecture, taken from AFPTV video footage filmed on Oct. 25, 2025.

    Caroline Gardin/AFPTV/AFP/Getty Images


    U.S. citizens should register for the Smart-Traveler Enrollment Program, which makes it easier to receive security messages from the State Department and allows Americans to be located more easily in case of an emergency, the State Department said. 

    The State Department regularly issues warnings, and every country in the world has been given a designated travel advisory. Japan’s travel advisory level remains at 1, meaning travelers should “exercise normal precautions.” But it’s rare for U.S. officials to warn about wildlife in a foreign country. The State Department did not immediately respond to a query asking how many such warnings have been issued. 

    Bears have been spotted near schools, in supermarkets and even near Iwate Hanamaki Airport. Experts say the country’s aging and declining rural population has contributed to the problem. As Japan’s population shrinks, humans leave rural areas and bears move in.

    “Then that area recovered to the forest, so bears have a chance to expand their range,” biologist Koji Yamazaki, from Tokyo University of Agriculture, told CBS News‘ Elizabeth Palmer in 2023. 

    Older local hunters are also not used to bear hunting, and few preventative measures have been taken in recent years. Climate change has also affected the bears’ hibernation schedules and impacted foods the animals depend on.

    Japan has two types of bear: Asian black bears found throughout the country’s mainland — also known as moon bears — and the bigger brown bears that live on the main northern island of Hokkaido. Brown bears can weigh over 1,100 pounds and outrun humans. Asian black bears are climbers and are smaller, weighing around 440 pounds at most, according to the International Association for Bear Research and Management. Thousands of the bears are culled in Japan each year. 

    JAPAN-BEAR-ANIMAL-ENVIRONMENT

    Infographic showing the natural range of Japan’s bears, number of people injured and killed in encounters over the past decade, and the number bears culled, by prefecture, 2014 – Nov. 2025. 

    John Saeki/AFP/Getty Images


    AFP

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  • China Urges Japan PM to Retract ‘Egregious’ Remarks on Taiwan

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    BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s foreign ministry on Thursday demanded Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract what it called her “egregious” Taiwan-related remarks, warning that Japan “must bear all consequences”.

    Takaichi sparked a diplomatic row with Beijing with remarks in parliament last week that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a “survival-threatening situation” and trigger a potential military response from Tokyo.

    Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a press conference that Takaichi had refused to retract her remarks after China lodged strong protests, urging Tokyo to immediately rectify its actions.

    (Reporting by Mei Mei Chu; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Chinese State Media Blast Japan PM as Taiwan Spat Rumbles On

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    By Liz Lee and John Geddie

    BEIJING/TOKYO (Reuters) -A spat between China and Japan over Japanese Premier Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan comments showed no signs of abating on Wednesday after a series of vitriolic articles in Chinese state media and calls in Tokyo to expel a Chinese diplomat.

    Takaichi sparked the furore with remarks in parliament last week that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a “survival-threatening situation” and trigger a potential military response from Tokyo.

    That drew a formal protest from China and a threatening post from China’s Consul General in Osaka, Xue Jian, aimed at Takaichi, which Tokyo said was “extremely inappropriate” and complained to Beijing about.

    While Takaichi has since said she would refrain from making such comments again and Tokyo called for mutual efforts to reduce friction on Tuesday, a brace of editorials in Chinese state media suggest the furore could rumble on.

    State broadcaster CCTV said in an editorial late Tuesday that Takaichi’s remarks were of “extremely malicious nature and impact” and have “crossed the line” with China.

    A post on a social media account affiliated with CCTV called Takaichi a “troublemaker”, using the word as a play on the pronunciation of her family name in Chinese.

    “Has her head been kicked by a donkey?” the post on the Yuyuan Tantian account challenged.

    “If she continues to spew shit without any boundaries like this, Takaichi might have to pay the price!”

    The CCTV editorial also likened Takaichi’s reference to “survival-threatening situations” with Japan’s 1931 invasion of northeast China’s Manchuria.

    Japan’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    CALLS TO EXPEL CHINESE DIPLOMAT

    Japanese leaders have until now avoided mentioning Taiwan when publicly discussing such scenarios, maintaining a strategic ambiguity also favoured by Tokyo’s main security ally, the United States.

    Beijing claims Taiwan, and has not ruled out using force to take control of the island which sits just over 110 km (68 miles) from Japanese territory. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.

    Meanwhile some senior political figures in Tokyo have called for Japan to consider expelling the Chinese diplomat Xue, who shared a news article about Takaichi’s remarks on Saturday and commented: “the dirty head that sticks itself in must be cut off”.

    Takayuki Kobayashi, the ruling party’s policy chief, urged the government on Tuesday to expel Xue if Beijing showed no effort to resolve the situation. Prominent opposition lawmaker Kenta Izumi also called for Xue’s quick expulsion.

    (Reporting by Liz Lee and Beijing newsroom and John Geddie and Tim Kelly in Tokyo; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • US alliance receives submarine boost

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    The United States and its treaty ally Japan recently conducted a submarine exercise as they continue to strengthen their defense posture amid China’s growing naval threat.

    The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Why It Matters

    China has the world’s largest navy by hull count, part of a military buildup meant to challenge U.S. military dominance and its allies in the western Pacific. Japan, which hosts about 60,000 American troops, plays a key role in the U.S. island chain strategy aimed at defending against potential Chinese aggression by projecting military power.

    Facing China’s expanding military presence and reach through naval deployments, the U.S. Navy has deployed its nuclear-powered submarines across the western Pacific as a deterrent. Meanwhile, Japan is considering building submarines powered by nuclear reactors, as the U.S. ally strengthens its counterstrike and standoff defense capabilities.

    What To Know

    In a set of photos released on Monday by Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, a key U.S. military facility in Japan, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine JS Unryu was seen docking at the base’s harbor for a resupply operation on October 27.

    According to local media, it was the first time a Japanese submarine had visited Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. The base said its harbor offered “multiple ports of entry” to U.S. and Japanese forces and that the operation demonstrated logistical capabilities.

    The resupply operation was part of a larger joint exercise conducted by Japan’s Air, Ground and Maritime Self-Defense Forces from October 20 to 31, local media reported. The war game was held across the country, including at U.S. military facilities.

    While pier-side at the base, the Unryu was loaded with torpedo-shaped test equipment. The move sought to verify whether resupply operations could be conducted at ports other than the submarine’s home port, expanding the scope of operations, the report said.

    A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force official told local media that the ability to resupply a vessel and get it back on deployment as quickly as possible was a significant advantage, particularly when U.S. military facilities are used instead of civilian ports.

    Meanwhile, USS Hawaii, a Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, was spotted arriving at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan on Sunday, a move confirmed by the local Japanese government. The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine remained at the base as of Friday.

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    According to the U.S. Navy, the Hawaii is designed to conduct missions, including anti-submarine, anti-surface ship and strike warfare, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The submarine is homeported at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

    What People Are Saying

    U.S. Pacific Submarine Force spokesperson Commander Rick Moore previously told Newsweek: “We are making historic investments in our undersea warfare capabilities and continue to work with allies and partners to maintain a secure, prosperous, free, and open Indo-Pacific.”

    Japan’s 2025 defense white paper said: “China has been intensifying its activities across the entire region surrounding Japan, including in the East China Sea, particularly in the area around the Senkaku Islands, the Sea of Japan, and the western Pacific Ocean, extending beyond the so-called the first island chain to the second island chain.”

    What Happens Next

    It remains to be seen whether the U.S. will provide assistance if Japan moves forward with its nuclear-powered submarine program. U.S. President Donald Trump recently voiced support for South Korea’s development of nuclear-powered submarines.

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  • The Roar That Haunts Him: Japanese Bear Attack Survivor Calls for Ruthless Response

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    By Tim Kelly and Tom Bateman

    KITAAKITA, Japan (Reuters) -Japanese confectioner Keiji Minatoya’s brush with death began when he lifted the shutter of his garage and came face to face with a black bear waiting on the other side.

    “We locked eyes in silence,” he said, staring into the outbuilding beside his shop in rural Kitaakita in northern Japan where he had unwittingly trapped the apex predator. “I thought I was done for.”

    The bear pinned him down and mauled him, leaving deep gashes across his face, bite marks along his arm and torso, and nearly scalping him before running off. Emergency services airlifted Minatoya 60 km (37 miles) to Akita city to save his life.

    “While it was on me, there was this terrifying roar, the sound of a wild animal. Its mouth was right here,” the 68-year-old said, pointing to his ear. “That sound is burned into my head.”

    The mauling in 2023 is more than a horrific memory for Minatoya. He and his neighbours, most of them elderly, continue to live on the frontline of a growing wave of bear attacks.

    Japan has had more than 100 bear attacks since April, with a record 13 people killed, government data shows. More than two-thirds of those deaths were in Akita prefecture, where Minatoya lives, and nearby Iwate. Bear sightings in Akita have jumped sixfold to more than 8,000 this year.

    At the prefecture’s request, Japan’s army has deployed to help hunters set traps for a cull aimed at thinning a bear population that has outgrown the supply of wild acorn and beech-nuts they rely on to fatten up for winter hibernation.

    But the emergency measure is, at best, a temporary fix for a surge in black bear numbers that are estimated to have tripled since 2012, helped by restrictions on hunting and a greater emphasis on conservation. While its numbers have been growing in Japan, the Asiatic black bear is listed as a vulnerable species globally.

    Minatoya’s hometown faces a problem that the military aid won’t remedy. Hollowed out by depopulation, it is riddled with abandoned homes and overgrown gardens that provide cover and food to foraging animals, including black bears weighing up to 130 kilograms (287 lb).

    “It’s very scary, I feel uneasy,” said Yoshihide Ishida, 70, who lives a few hundred meters down the street from Minatoya’s home and around the corner from where a bear was spotted two days earlier.

    The empty buildings in the area make it easier for bears to wander in from the forested mountains that surround the town, he added as he swept up fallen autumn leaves outside the shuttered photography shop his family ran until seven years ago.

    “There used to be more people, more cars. It was busy,” he said. Of the few residents on its streets, some carried bells to avoid startling any prowling bears they might encounter.

    In the past two decades, the town’s population has shrunk by about a third to 30,000. One of Minatoya’s neighbouring properties is vacant and the one on the other side will probably remain empty after its elderly owner passes away, he said.

    City officials say they are asking residents to harvest fruit and, where possible, cut down trees that attract bears. Forestry and environment officer Kimitoshi Kishino, who has spent weeks setting off firecrackers and rockets to drive away bears, says the city can’t trim overgrown yards without property owners’ permission, a difficult task when houses are vacant.

    “Overgrown yards around empty houses make people uneasy,” he said, speaking at his office building where the doors no longer open automatically to prevent unwelcome bear entries.

    Near his confectionery shop, a business founded by his grandfather more than a century ago that has stayed closed since he was attacked, Minatoya is blunt.

    He thinks authorities must be ruthless with bears that no longer fear human settlements. The animals are also venturing into bustling cities, with sightings around Kyoto and Tokyo on the rise.

    “Bears that attack have learned that humans are weak,” Minatoya said.

    He says he doesn’t hate all bears. But about the creature that almost claimed his life? “I would eat it,” he said.

    (Reporting by Tim Kelly and Tom Bateman; Additional reporting by Sophia Kisa Eaton in Tokyo; Editing by John Geddie and Edwina Gibbs)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Japan PM Takaichi fills panel posts with advocates of big spending

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    By Leika Kihara and Yoshifumi Takemoto

    TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s reflationist advocates of expansionary fiscal policy are making a comeback in economic decision-making with some hand-picked by Prime Minister Sanae ​Takaichi to fill posts in key government panels.

    The move heightens the chance proponents of former premier Shinzo Abe’‌s “Abenomics” stimulus will yield influence on the fiscal and monetary policies of Takaichi, who herself is known as an advocate of loose ‌fiscal and monetary policy.

    Among the reflationist academics, former Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Masazumi Wakatabe will join the Council of Economic and Fiscal Policy as one of the four private-sector members, the government said on Friday.

    As the government’s top economic panel, the council lays out Japan’s long-term fiscal blueprint and policy priorities. Key economic ministers and the BOJ ⁠governor participate in the discussions.

    Known as a ‌proponent of aggressive monetary and fiscal stimulus, Wakatabe served at the BOJ from 2018 to 2023 when it was sustaining a massive asset-buying programme deployed under then governor Haruhiko Kuroda.

    In an ‍interview with Reuters last month, Wakatabe said the BOJ can raise interest rates if prospects of durably hitting its 2% inflation target improve – but added that doing so could this year could be difficult.

    Toshihiro Nagahama, an economist at Dai-ichi Life ​Research Institute who has advocated steps to stimulate demand, was also appointed as a private-sector member of the ‌council.

    “Given how this council discusses key economic and fiscal policies, we appointed members who are suitable under the Takaichi administration after consulting with the prime minister,” Minoru Kiuchi, economic revitalisation minister who oversees the council, told a news conference on Friday.

    The appointments contrast with those under previous premier Shigeru Ishiba such as BNP Paribas economist Mana Nakazora, who had called for fiscal discipline and faster normalisation of the BOJ’s ultra-loose monetary policy.

    The Takaichi administration has ⁠already appointed Takuji Aida, an economist seen as close to the ​premier, to join her flagship panel tasked to lay out Japan’​s growth strategy.

    Aida has said Japan should pursue expansionary economic policies until the output gap, which is currently around zero, exceeds 2%. He also calls for a shift away from ‍what he saw as current policies ⁠that prioritise fiscal consolidation over steps to stimulate demand.

    Japanese stock prices have risen since Takaichi was elected Japan’s first female prime minister on October 21 on market expectations that she will deliver a big spending package backed ⁠by low interest rates to reflate the economy.

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  • McDonald’s Japan overhauls packaging with rPET strawless lids

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    McDonald’s Japan will begin phasing out paper straws and introducing 100% recycled PET (rPET) strawless lids for cold drinks nationwide from Wednesday, 19 November 2025.

    The shift to strawless lids—designed so customers can drink directly from the cup—forms part of a broader packaging plan the company says will cut the use of virgin plastic by about 6,600 tonnes a year between 2022 and 2025.

    McDonald’s Japan Inc., headquartered in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward and led by president and CEO Thomas Ko, outlined the measures in an update dated 27 October 2025.

    Switch to strawless lids begins on 19 November

    The new rPET strawless lid will be used on paper cups for cold drinks and will replace the current lid-and-straw set-up.

    According to the company, the lid has been in development for more than three years to meet the needs of in-store, takeaway, delivery and drive-through orders. The design includes a drinking spout intended to open easily while resisting accidental leaks in transit.

    For carbonated beverages, the lid is built to limit liquid “blow-out” caused by pressure changes during movement. As the rollout progresses nationwide, paper straws will be discontinued in sequence.

    The move places “strawless lids”, “rPET” and “recycled PET” at the centre of McDonald’s Japan’s single-use plastic reduction strategy.

    Company targets cut of about 6,600 tonnes of virgin plastic a year

    McDonald’s Japan says it has been reviewing containers and packaging materials since 2022 with the aim of prioritising renewable, recycled or certified inputs.

    The series of changes—culminating in the introduction of rPET strawless lids—are expected to reduce the annual use of virgin plastic by roughly 6,600 tonnes once fully implemented.

    The company frames the transition as part of a multi-year plan running through 2025, aligning with broader retail trends on plastic reduction, packaging optimisation and circular materials.

    Biomass plastic carrier bags expand nationwide

    From 19 November, stores across Japan will also begin switching their takeaway carrier bags to versions made with 95% biomass plastic, replacing bags previously made with 50% biomass content.

    The higher-content bags were trialled earlier in 2025 across all McDonald’s outlets in Nagasaki Prefecture (23 locations, excluding the Sasebo Air Base store). The company reports that durability and usability were equivalent to the earlier bags, paving the way for national deployment.

    Customers are encouraged to decline a bag when not needed as part of ongoing efforts to reduce packaging waste.

    Happy set materials move to certified paper and away from virgin plastic

    Beyond drinks packaging and carrier bags, McDonald’s Japan says it is working to move all Happy Set® toys to renewable, recycled or certified materials by the end of 2025.

    As part of that effort, the company switched its picture books—introduced with Happy Set in March 2025—from a hardcover format using virgin plastic to a softcover made from FSC-certified paper.

    The book packaging likewise changed from plastic to an FSC-certified paper bag.

    These measures add to the company’s stated goals around virgin plastic reduction and responsible sourcing in its family and kids’ ranges.

    “McDonald’s Japan overhauls packaging with rPET strawless lids” was originally created and published by Packaging Gateway, a GlobalData owned brand.

     


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  • Japan Is Overrun With Tourists. This City Wants More.

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    NAGOYA, Japan—The tourists who crowd the bullet trains from Tokyo tend not to disembark at Nagoya as they speed along the so-called Golden Route linking the Japanese capital with Kyoto and Osaka. 

    “Nagoya tobashi,” the locals say. Nagoya gets skipped. The manufacturing hub, which anchors the region that is home to auto giant Toyota, is Japan’s fourth most-populous city and, according to a decade-old newspaper poll that still stings here, number one in dullness. 

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