The new version of Harajuku Station opened on Tokyo's busy Yamanote loop line Saturday as visitors in masks gathered to gawk despite the coronavirus pandemic. The new building, situated just south of the original wooden one, is a two-story structure straddling the tracks with exits ...

As with many feature films based on real-life incidents, "Fukushima 50," which opened nationwide March 6 and depicts the actions of the men who struggled to contain the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant following the Great East Japan Earthquake of ...

Some time before the coronavirus outbreak put a damper on this year’s hanami (blossom viewing) parties and other social activities, the media had already noted that the decline in alcohol consumption by younger Japanese has been accelerating. This phenomenon even made the front page ...

Japanese dads are coming under scrutiny — again. Ever since Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi officially made ikumen (men who take an active role in child-rearing) fashionable by publicly taking two weeks off for paternity leave, fathers who let their spouses shoulder all the burden ...

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo say they see a need to implement border controls for a certain period of time.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, one company is taking a unique approach to easing the shortage of masks in Japan. Atsumi Fashion Co., a sewing company based in Toyama Prefecture, is producing masks by repurposing women's underwear. The company began utilizing the cloth lining from ...

Until the pandemic settles down, the government’s call for restraint on big events means no meetings, rallies or snap elections for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s revision-minded LDP.

Tax authorities are preparing to act against a possible increase in abuses of a rule that exempts export transactions from sales levies following October's consumption tax hike from 8 percent to 10 percent. The value-added tax is levied at each stage of distribution for goods ...

The health ministry sees coronavirus patients in the two neighboring prefectures spiking to 3,374 between March 28 and April 3.

From tutorials on how to wear makeup with a face mask, to hats that incorporate a protective plastic face shield, South Koreans are seeking to make sure the coronavirus outbreak doesn't damage their reputation for style. In one video that has gathered tens of thousands ...

Finland has once again been crowned as the world's happiest country, extending its lead over Denmark and Switzerland, according to a United Nations-affiliated research network. Finnish contentment stems from high levels of trust, which also underpins solid rankings across the rest of the Nordic region, ...

Five prefectures now have more than 100 infections that have been confirmed, including Hokkaido, Tokyo and Osaka.

When the novel coronavirus started spreading across Asia in January, forcing the world’s largest work-from-home experiment, not many knew what to expect, least of all Bloomberg’s 400-plus journalists in the region. Six weeks later (and counting), only now are some starting to return to ...

How has Japan seemingly escaped the spread of the coronavirus when other countries have suffered so badly?

No one knows where or how fast a new virus will spread. We cannot calculate the risks with confidence, and we will know only in hindsight whether we overreacted or underreacted. Given this uncertainty, how we respond to a viral outbreak is as crucial ...

Blossoms are beginning to open in Tokyo, but will this year's celebrations wither due to concern over the new coronavirus?

Although many bars and restaurants in Japan remain open, medical professionals strongly recommend people refrain from congregating in small, crowded spaces to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For more information, visit bit.ly/whocovid19-jp. "An iza-what?!" says a friend visiting Tokyo, ready to eat his way through ...

Farmers Market @UNU Farmers gather from throughout Japan in what might seem like incongruous surroundings: Tokyo’s upscale Aoyama district, known for its concentration of high-end fashion boutiques. Here the farmers sell organically and naturally grown produce as well as foods made with such ingredients — ...

"When I was little, there was a room with a big lock on the door in my house — my mother's studio. The lock came off when I finished elementary school," says embroiderer Satoshi Sekimoto over coffee at a Parisian cafe in the 13th ...

Stacey Ward couldn’t find the home-style British baked goods she craved in Tokyo. So she took things into her own oven and opened Mornington Crescent, a combination bakery and teaching space.

This year's hanami season is shaping up to be a weird one. The beginning of spring rarely forces people to choose between having a good time under the cherry blossoms and grappling with a pandemic, but that's where we’re at in 2020. For those proactively ...

Ken Mogi talks about the significance of studying the brain and how he likes to use his.

Sick and tired of the Tokyo main drag? Good thing there are plenty of lesser-known neighborhoods. Here are The Japan Times' recommendations for five locales where its possible to both sightsee and get a glimpse of normal Tokyo life.

Author Rebecca Otowa came into her writing career late in life. But that doesn't stop her from immortalizing many aspects of her experiences of being part of a traditional Japanese family living in a 350-year-old farmhouse.

Dedicated to children's literature since her youth, Momoko Ishii authored and translated dozens of books, and her tireless advocacy changed the way postwar society valued children's literature for decades to come.

Spring Basho Sumo's two highest-ranked grapplers will fight it out on Sunday for the championship of the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament. For the first time since July, Mongolian-born yokozuna Hakuho and Kakuryu will both be competing for the title on the final day after wrapping ...

Former major league star Ichiro Suzuki said Friday that by putting pro baseball in the United States and Japan on hold, the current coronavirus pandemic has made him realize ballplayers cannot take their game for granted. Speaking to Kyodo News on the anniversary of his ...

When the 2020 NFL Draft gets under way on April 23rd, Joe Burrow is widely expected to be the first overall pick after leading Louisiana State University to the National Championship, winning the Heisman Trophy and having one of the best seasons for a ...

Norway's Olympic committee said Friday it has asked the International Olympic Committee not to hold this summer's Tokyo Games until the coronavirus pandemic is under control. The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee made the request in a letter to IOC President Thomas Bach after discussions ...