Japan

About 570,000 Vietnamese live in Japan, many attracted by promises of qualified jobs linked to the Gijinkoku visa. Yet many are employed as trainees and underpaid. In Chiba, 150 workers are suing an agency for unpaid wages. The story puts the spotlight on a murky and abusive recruitment system.

The archbishop of Osaka-Takamatsu, 76, is one of two Japanese cardinals at the conclave. His great-grandfather, who personally lived the experience of the "hidden Christians", told him stories that sparked his priestly vocation. A master of poetry, he is also a passionate fisherman. The son of a survivor of the Nagasaki atomic bomb, he strongly condemns nuclear rearmament and deterrence.

As a young priest, the Verbite was a missionary in rural Ghana. Archbishop of Tokyo since 2017, he was elected president of Caritas Internationalis by the assembly of delegates two years ago. At 66, he leads a Church that is coming to terms with the loneliness and contradictions of the great metropolises, stressing the dignity of every human life. During the synod a few months ago, he said, “even Europe today is becoming a periphery.”

According to the 2025 Global Happiness Index, happiness and satisfaction vary greatly among Asian countries. In India, 88 per cent say they are happy, while only 60 per cent say the same in Japan. In Southeast Asia, too, happiness and positive attitude towards the future are higher than in the more advanced economies of East Asia. Economic difficulties remain the first cause of unhappiness everywhere.

The metropolis will host the universal exposition from 13th April to 13th October, with the theme ‘Designing tomorrow's society for our lives’. Osaka had already hosted the event in 1970, the first in Asia, and today it retains the same ambitious impetus. Today the symbol of the exhibition is the Grand Ring, the venue for the event, which stands on the artificial island of Yumeshima.

The Hang Seng index is down by 13.22 per cent, its sharpest drop since 1997, in the wake of the trade war triggered by tariffs. Recession fears are also sinking Singaporean real estate companies. Massive interventions by a Chinese sovereign wealth fund contains losses on the Shanghai stock exchange.

The manager of a Japanese 7-Eleven convenience store in Oita Prefecture killed himself after working non-stop to ensure the store was stocked all the time. The family accuses the company's headquarters of failing to supervise working conditions, while the company declines any responsibility.

As the tariffs imposed by US President Trump heat up the trade war, the three countries are looking for new ways of working together. The summit got underway today until tomorrow in Seoul. The South Koreans and Japanese are concerned about tariffs on cars. Meanwhile, Beijing announces countermeasures if Washington continues the trade war.

The Tokyo District Court revoked the religious movement’s status. Founded by Sun Myung Moon, the Church was involved in financial scandals over the years, which emerged following the murder of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. The Church, which will still be able to operate in Japan, plans to appeal, but it loses its tax benefits in the meantime.

One million Chinese will be living in Japan by next year, according to some estimates, driven by families enrolling their children in academies linked to Japan’s animation industry, where the best talents are offered the possibility of permanent residence. About 70 per cent of foreign students today come from mainland China, but distrust is growing towards them.

The agreement, which provides Mongolia with an air traffic control radar system, is part of Japan’s defence assistance programme inaugurated in 2023. For the Japanese government, it enhances its commitment to regional stability in an anti-Chinese perspective.

As the world follow news of the Pope's health, the Archbishop of Tokyo, Cardinal Kikuchi, has delivered a gift from the Pope to the elderly former Japanese prisoner, exonerated after more than half a century spent in prison on charges of murder. In 1984 he was baptised with the Christian name of Paul.