月: 2025年8月

1. Tokyo’s consumer inflation slowed in August, mainly due to resumption of government subsidies on household electricity and gas bills.
2. Four of Japan’s major automakers reported year-on-year increases in US sales in July, mostly led by demand for hybrid and plug-in models. Toyota says its sales jumped nearly 20 percent to more than 218,000 vehicles. Honda sold about 121,000 models, up 0.2 percent, while Subaru delivered 54,000 vehicles, a gain of about 4.5 percent. Mazda saw sales rise 13 percent to just above 45,000 units.
3. Police in the Philippines suspect that at least eight people were involved in the recent killings of two Japanese men in Manila.

1. The Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan has chosen a movie set in the world of kabuki, titled “Kokuho,” as Japan’s contender for the Best International Feature Film category at next year’s Academy Awards. “Kokuho,” which means national treasure, portrays the life and career of a kabuki performer. Born into a yakuza family and later adopted b a kabuki actor, he dedicates his life to the stage and ultimately achieves recognition as a living national treasure. The film is based on a novel by Yoshida Shuichi.
2. Tokyo police say a man riding in a Shinkansen bullet train sustained a slight burn on Thursday morning when he tried to stop smoke from spewing out of a battery charger that was in his suitcase.
3. China says 26 foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, are expected to attend the Victory Day military parade in Beijing next Wednesday.

1. Japanese weather officials say temperatures are expected to surge across much of the country on Wednesday, especially in inland areas north of Tokyo. They say people should take thorough precautions against heatstroke.
2. Suzuki Motor has started shipping its first fully electric sport-utility vehicle built in India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the battery-powered model at the Japanese carmaker’s factory ceremony in the western state of Gujarat. “From today, electric vehicles made in India will be exported to 100 countries,” said Modi.
3. Arrangements are underway for Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to forge an agreement to aim for an exchange of more than 500,000 people between the two countries over the next five years. One of the major topics will likely be expanding people-to-people exchanges. Japan plans to accept 50,000 people from India. It expects that highly skilled personnel, particularly in science and engineering, will help promote Japana’s economic growth and regional revitalization.

1. Japan’s top government spokesperson has made clear that the designation of several Japanese cities as Africa “hometowns” is not aimed at promoting immigration from African countries. The Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA, designated four cities as Africa “hometowns” last week, while an African development conference was underway in Yokohama, near Tokyo.
2. United States Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says a trade deal with Japan that includes a 550-billion-dollar investment in the US will be announced later this week. Lutnick said on Fox News on Monday that they need to make semiconductors and antibiotics in America and that they also need rare earths. He said President Donald Trump will have 550 billion dollars at hand and will be able to invest in those areas.
3. A city in central Japan has drafted an ordinance seeking to limit people’s use of smartphones and other devices to two hours a day outside their work and studies. The Toyoake City government in Aichi Prefecture submitted the proposal to a municipal assembly session on Monday. City officials say it is the first stature in Japan to suggest a screen time cap for all residents in the city.

1. The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations have discussed the situation in Ukraine and urged Russia to engage “sincerely and promptly” in peace negotiations without preconditions. Ukraine declared its independence from the former Soviet Union on August 24 in 1991. Sunday also marked three-and-a-half years since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.
2. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has expressed support for security guarantees for Ukraine and indicated that Canada may send troops to the country after a ceasefire with Russia. Carney visited the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Sunday, the anniversary of Ukraine’s 1991 independence from the former Soviet Union. Carney said Canada is working with its allies and Ukraine on “the modalities of those security guarantees on land, in the air and the sea.”
3. Russia’s top diplomat says a group of nations, including the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, should guarantee Ukraine’s security after the current conflict ends. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the remark in an interview with US media outlet NBC News, broadcast on Sunday.

1. Tropical Storm Lingling has turned into a tropical depression, but the risk of landslides and flooding from heavy rainfall remains as the system is moving slowly.
2. The leaders of Japan and India are expected to agree to create a new economic security framework during their summit slated for next week.
3. The United States and Europe are taking steps to implement a new trade agreement. That comes after US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reached a deal on tariffs last month.

1. Japanese weather officials say Tropical Storm Lingling has made landfall on the country’s southwestern region of Kyushu. They say southern parts of Kyushu are being hit by intermittent downpours. Officials warn that bands of heavy rainclouds could form over Kagoshima Prefecture, excluding the Amami region, from Thursday evening through Friday evening, sharply increasing the risks of disasters.
2. A Japanese government survey has shown that local authorities will request at least 520,000 people to evacuate for a week to brace for a potential tsunami if Nankai Trough Earthquake temporary information is issued for a possible mega-quake occurring along the Pacific. If an earthquake of magnitude 8 or stronger occurs in the Nankai Trough quake’s expected hypocenter areas, the government will issue a huge earthquake caution. Municipalities will then ask residents in areas designated as difficult-to-evacuate in time to take refuge for a week in advance.
3. As Japan faces a shrinking workforce, businesses and politicians are looking overseas for talent – and one of the regions they’re looking to is Africa. That’s been a topic of discussion at the three-day Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD, currently underway in Yokohama.

1. Researchers say climate change may be affecting the winter foraging behavior of wild snow monkeys in Japan. A team of researchers, including those from the University of Tsukuba, in Ibaraki Prefecture, and Shinshu University located in Nagano Prefecture, analyzed footage shot by NHK for a nature program, and DNA samples from the feces of Japanese macaques.
2. People in western Japan have reported seeing what appeared to be a ball of light falling from the sky on Tuesday night. One expert says it was an exceptionally bright meteor known as a fireball. Many people in Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures posted on social media that they had seen a ball of light in the sky at around 11 p.m.
3. US President Donald Trump has said the United States will not send ground troops to Ukraine for security guarantees after a ceasefire, but suggested a possibility of providing air support.

1. US President Donald Trump wrapped up meetings in Washington with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his European counterparts. He said he will set up a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders. Trump posted on social media at the end of the meetings at the White House, saying, “I called President Putin, and began arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy.” Trump also commented on the talks with European leaders and Zelenskyy. He said, “We discussed Security Guarantees for Ukraine, which Guarantees would be provided by the various Europeans countries, with a coordination with the United States of America.”
2. US President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House for ceasefire talks with him and European leaders on Monday. They said security guarantees would be on the table. It was Zelenskyy’s first visit to the Oval Office since their February meeting, which devolved into a heated argument. The talks came on the heels of Trump’s Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Before beginning the bilateral meeting, Trump told reporters that the wanted to make sure there will be a lasting peace, and he hoped it will be “immediately.”
3. Police in the Philippines said on Monday that they had detained two suspects in connection with the recent fatal shooting of two Japanese men in Manila. The pair were shot by a man who approached them when they got out of a taxi on Friday night in the capital. Both of them died. The shooter reportedly took the victims’ belongings and fled on a motorcycle. The police say they are looking into the relationship between the two suspects and what motive they could have had.

1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump and European leaders about ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
2. Police and Japan’s Coast Guard are tightening security at a distinct in Yokohama City, near Tokyo, where the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD, is to be held later this week.
3. Two Japanese men were shot dead after getting out of a taxi in the Philippine capital Manila on Friday.