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TOKYO
October 29, 2026
The Independent Voice in Asia
October 29, 2026
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Park24, the parent of Times Car operator Times Mobility, has said it plans to book a one-time special loss of ?5.5 billion for the business year through October over its data breach incident.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Times Car reporting ?5.5 billion loss has firms bracing for data breach fallout
By Maddie Baker and Spencer Landers
The parent of Times Car operator Times Mobility announced it plans to report a one-time loss of ?5.5 billion over a personal data leak.

More coverage

U.S. and Japan defense chiefs agree to boost cooperation to prevent cyberattacks
Website used by hackers to leak info shut down, GMO says
AI-powered cyberattacks on websites surge
Park24, the parent of Times Car operator Times Mobility, has said it plans to book a one-time special loss of ?5.5 billion for the business year through October over its data breach incident.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz shakes hands with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi before their meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Takaichi and Merz pledge to boost economic security and tech cooperation
By Spencer Landers
The leaders expressed ¡°grave concern¡± over economic coercion, including arbitrary export restrictions and retaliatory measures on critical minerals.
At its policy meeting in September, the Bank of Japan raised its policy rate to 1.25% from 1%, taking 91AVÔ­´´ borrowing costs to the highest level since 1995.
BUSINESS / Economy
Bank of Japan unlikely to take rates higher this week
By Kazuaki Nagata
The market is betting against a back-to-back rate increase, but sees December as a real possibility.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force holds a launching ceremony for submarine Sh¨­gei in Kobe on Oct. 8.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Defense buildup push faces financial roadblocks
By Kenji Yoshida
91AVÔ­´´ military ambitions are growing, but so are competing demands on the public purse.
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."
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
A Japanese guide to things that go bump in the night
By Yaeko Kabe
Let¡¯s meet four supernatural creatures and learn some useful grammar along the way.
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."

JAPAN

A screenshot of seismic intensity information displayed on the Japan Meteorological Agency website following a magnitude 5.4 earthquake in the town of Yokoshibahikari, Chiba Prefecture, early on Thursday.
M5.4 Chiba quake shakes Tokyo and nearby prefectures; no tsunami warning issued
The quake occurred at a depth of 50 kilometers in the town of Yokoshibahikari and registered up to lower five on 91AVÔ­´´ seven-point seismic scale.
Democratic Party for the People deputy leader Motohisa Furukawa speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
DPP approves LDP plan to cut Lower House proportional representation seats
The proposal includes the introduction of a system allowing multiple parties to compile a joint list of proportional representation candidates.
Three arrested over smuggling endangered tortoises from Thailand
U.N. panel adopts Japan-led nuclear weapon abolition resolution
Bereaved family of Kurdish man who died in custody sues Tokyo government
Children in Japan like reading, but most read less than an hour a week: survey

BUSINESS

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average, left, and the Topix Index displayed outside a securities firm in Tokyo
Hedge funds gear up for 91AVÔ­´´ $60 billion Topix revamp trade
By Alice French
A reshuffle impacting more than 700 stocks is expected to trigger around $60 billion of passive trading at Thursday¡¯s close.
The U.S. Treasury Department in Washington. The $32 trillion U.S. Treasury market remains unmatched in its depth, liquidity and near round-the-clock trading, while the dollar retains its role as the world¡¯s dominant reserve currency.
U.S.-aligned countries, led by Asia, slash U.S. Treasury purchases by 60%
Analysts cite weak currencies, rising yields at home, growing demand for stocks and unease over U.S. policy.
China¡¯s CXMT to start advanced AI memory production despite poor yields, sources say
Down by the River Thames, a failure to build holds back Britain¡¯s growth
Fashion¡¯s AI era: Face swaps and digital clones
By Helen Reid
Dutch bid to replace government jobs with AI set to test technology and society
By Jacob Reid

WORLD

Supporters of opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot during an election night event in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
With Israel poll results still murky, what happens next?
By Maayan Lubell
Votes are now being tallied, followed by potentially long negotiations as parties try to assemble a governing coalition.
United Arab Emirates diplomat Lana Nusseibeh at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday
Rights monitors raise concerns over UAE diplomat¡¯s bid for next U.N. boss
By Antoni Slodkowski
Pushback against Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE¡¯s former ambassador to the U.N., has gathered steam since her late entry into the race last week.
At least 30 people killed in collision between high-speed trains in Spain
By Emma Pinedo and Victoria Waldersee
Putin courts Africa leaders at Moscow summit to expand influence
From students to space: What¡¯s at stake at EU-Canada summit
Crypto blitzes U.S. midterms with $176 million as it prepares for post-Trump era
By Dawn Kopecki

Sports

Naomi Osaka walks onto the court ahead of her match against Jasmine Paolini at the Pan Pacific Open at Tokyo's Ariake Coliseum on Tuesday.
Naomi Osaka makes stylish return to Tokyo with victory at Pan Pacific Open
By Sam Byford
Osaka¡¯s next opponent is 144th-ranked Mia Pohankova, an 18-year-old wild card from Slovakia.
Former NBA guard Malik Beasley to plead guilty in U.S. betting case
Rays win thriller to avoid sweep and stay alive in World Series
Arsenal manger laments ¡®very sad day¡¯ after Fleetwood stuns Premier League giant in League Cup
Mercedes¡¯ investment in Kimi Antonelli paying off after Ferrari said no
By Alan Baldwin

Opinion

When a sanctioned Russian oligarch¡¯s superyacht anchored in Hong Kong waters in 2022, Chief Executive John Lee made clear the city would not enforce international restrictions it deems unilateral, a move criticized by some as an invitation for sanctions evaders to set up shop.
Hong Kong has become a safe harbor for international pariahs
Jonathan Stivers
Hong Kong is now the connective tissue between Western suppliers and three of the world¡¯s most heavily sanctioned regimes.
AI agents are coming for your bank¡¯s easy money
By Andy Mukherjee
Xi¡¯s military purges make U.S. deterrence more urgent
By Raja Krishnamoorthi
Lula killed the ¡®Donroe Doctrine¡¯
By Jeremy Adelman
A French accident waiting to happen
By John Authers

ENVIRONMENT

Fiji's climate-threatened Serua Island, which lacks natural forms of wave breakers, is constantly threatened by sea level rise and cyclones.
Climate-threatened Fijian utopia rejects calls to relocate
By Ben Strang
Residents of Serua Island want to protect their ancestral home and the culture linked to it. The island also boasts ¡°$100 million views.¡±
AI is part of solution for climate change, COP31 pledge says
By John Ainger
Summer heat¡¯s toll on Europe: 50,000 deaths and a €17 billion GDP hit
By Olivia Rudgard and Laura Millan
Nearly all coral reefs risk collapse in 50 years: IUCN
World faces nature reality check at U.N. biodiversity conference
By Virginia Furness

CULTURE

Uganda¡¯s Nakibembe Embaire Group gives an open-air performance at the Festival de Frue in 2025. A giant pit was dug in the venue grounds to house a log xylophone for the group's show.
Festival de Frue offers an antidote to 91AVÔ­´´ samey music festivals
By James Hadfield
The small-scale music festival has carved out its own identity without relying on deep-pocketed sponsors or pandering to the algorithm.
Manga artist Tetsuya Chiba, creator of ¡®Ashita no Joe,¡¯ dies at 87
By Alyssa I. Smith
Not so cozy? Japanese bookstore fiction gets real.
By Eric Margolis
¡®Vanishing Japan¡¯ asks what is lost when buildings fall
By Uliana Dobrova
¡®The Potentials¡¯ unpacks the dilemmas of a manga assistant in middle age
By James Hadfield

LIFE

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
Forget the temples and the famous landmarks. For some visitors, the country¡¯s appeal lies in the infrastructure of daily life.
James Suckling¡¯s Great Wines World Tokyo marks its third edition
By Weiwen Lin
Amid potato protests, Hokkaido has its best spud harvest in years
By Simon Daly
Farmers to tourists: Gifu¡¯s rural festivals court new crowds to survive
By Eric Margolis
Can a traditional ¡®ryokan¡¯ inn go global?
By Jessica Kozuka

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.
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
Castella searching for a home, sweet home
The do¡¯s and don¡¯ts when applying for permanent residency in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

Editors' Picks

LIFE
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie
Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
ENVIRONMENT
A dramatic bear hunt in a midsize Japanese city could be a harbinger of what is to come
By Tomoko Otake
Zookeeper Tetsuo Iso at the site of frantic search for a wild bear in Utsunomiya on June 9. Iso, 65, was asked by the prefectural government to help capture the bear and it was his shot with a tranquilizer gun that put an end to the saga.
COMMUNITY
How this long-term resident avoids the annoying tourist label in Japan
By Daniel Traylor
Tourists enjoy themselves while crossing the famous Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo on Oct. 12.
ENVIRONMENT
What can Asia do to avoid crossing crucial climate tipping points?
By Tomoko Otake
Motorists drive through a road covered with smog from wildfires nearby in Ogan Ilir in Indonesia's South Sumatra province on Sept. 25.
SUMO
Baku championships showcase rising standards in global sumo
By John Gunning
Ryan Roddy (second from left back) is pictured with the Ireland sumo team at this month's World Sumo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.

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

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

WORLD
U.S. has for years asked Musk to alter Starlink service in Ukraine and Middle East, sources say
By Erin Banco and Joey Roulette
A Ukrainian soldier sets up a Starlink satellite internet system near the frontline in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Oct. 16
JAPAN
U.S. military bans Chinese-made BYD cars from key air base in Okinawa
By Maddie Baker
An F-22 Raptor lands at Kadena Air Base in Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture on Oct. 9. The base is a crucial hub for U.S. military operations in the region.
JAPAN
Aging Japanese village turns to Peru in search of new residents
By Natsuko Fukue
Guests from Peru's Belen district interact with a baby in Nanmoku village in Gunma Prefecture.
JAPAN
On nuclear policy, Koizumi agrees with Finnish defense chief: Japan ¡®must not be naive¡¯
By Jesse Johnson
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Finnish counterpart, Antti Hakkanen, inspect an honor guard before their meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Monday.