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May 28, 2025
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May 28, 2025
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The leaders of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito bloc hold up a document on their agreement to reform the pension system in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Coalition clears last hurdle of parliamentary session with pension bill
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
The agreement largely revolves around a plan to boost funding for the basic pension program, which provides coverage to all residents in Japan age 20 to 60.
The leaders of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito bloc hold up a document on their agreement to reform the pension system in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a news conference Tuesday that the ministry is planning to sign contracts with retailers that have applied by Wednesday for the no-bid procedure and hand them the stockpile rice as early as Thursday.
JAPAN
At least 33 retailers applied for no-bid contracts for rice, farm ministry says
By Kanako Takahara
The ministry is planning to sign contracts with retailers that have applied by Wednesday and hand them the stockpiled rice as early as Thursday.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at the government’s advisory Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy meeting on Monday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Japan private sector backs 1% real wage growth per year over next five years
By Francis Tang
The plan was first mentioned by the government’s "new capitalism" panel earlier this month.
People head into a Seven & I Holdings shareholders meeting on Tuesday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
BUSINESS / Companies
Seven & I shareholders back new board to deal with takeover proposal
By Kanoko Matsuyama and Koh Yoshida
Investors appear to be willing to see what happens with the radical overhaul, which the Japanese retailer had pledged to counter Couche-Tard’s ¥7.39 trillion approach.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (center), locks hands with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (left) and Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah during a group photo at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
As ASEAN touts unity, Philippines seeks consensus on South China Sea
By Gabriel Dominguez
Manila’s call on the 10-member bloc comes as the situation between China and the Philippines has turned particularly tense.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (center), locks hands with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (left) and Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah during a group photo at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

JAPAN

A photo provided by a witness shows the scene of an explosion in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward on Tuesday.
Gas explosion injures 10 at Tokyo construction site, prompting evacuation
Police said workers had been driving piles into the ground for a new condominium when they likely struck an underground gas pipe, triggering the explosion.
Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested two men for allegedly stealing a safe containing roughly ¥100 million ($702,500) from the home of a company president last year.
Osaka police arrest two men in ¥100 million home burglary
Investigators believe the suspects may have had advance knowledge of both the cash and the location of a spare key inside the home for the safe they stole.
Hyogo governor likely behind whistleblower info leak, says panel
Japan and Italy agree to advance security cooperation
Japan says China conducted research near Pacific atoll
Police issue warning over toy pistols capable of firing live rounds

BUSINESS

Japan lost its position as the world’s largest creditor nation for the first time in 34 years despite posting a record amount of overseas assets, with Germany overtaking the country.
Japan loses top creditor status for first time in 34 years
By Erica Yokoyama
Despite Japan’s net external assets rising to a record high, it lost the top position to Germany.
Under the "digital address" system launched by Japan Post, users can input seven-digit combinations of numbers and letters on online shopping and other websites, and their addresses will automatically appear on the sites.
Japan Post launches 'digital address' system
Under the system, users can input seven-digit codes on online shopping websites, and their addresses will automatically appear on the sites.
Japan to subsidize home energy bills through summer amid U.S. tariff impact
Developing nations face 'tidal wave' of China debt, report finds
Yen rises as Ueda indicates BOJ is still eyeing more rate hikes
By Toru Fujioka
Dai-Ichi Life sees falling volatility in JGB market
By Taiga Uranaka and Nao Sano

WORLD

Destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized Israel's actions in the territory as "no longer comprehensible."
Germany shifts tone on Israel over 'incomprehensible' Gaza carnage
By Sarah Marsh, Matthias Williams and Thomas Escritt
The message reflects a broader shift in public opinion but also a greater willingness from top-ranking German politicians to criticize Israel's conduct.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (right) welcomes Chinese Premier Li Qiang ahead of the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council-China summit after an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
ASEAN seeks stronger ties with China and Gulf states amid Trump tariff threat
By Gabriel Dominguez
The summit was the latest sign of countries looking to work together to fend off Trump’s trade moves and could even lay the groundwork for a new bloc.
Candidate spouses take center stage in South Korea's heated presidential race
By Ju-min Park
India and Pakistan's drone battles mark new arms race in Asia
By Devjyot Ghoshal, Ariba Shahid and Shivam Patel
Indonesia eyes nuclear option in bid to grow energy and cut emissions
By Eric Bernaudeau and Marchio Gorbiano
South Korea's liberal candidate Lee in the lead a week before presidential vote
By Jack Kim

Sports

Naomi Osaka during her women's singles match against Paula Badosa at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris on Monday
Osaka despondent after French Open first-round exit
The player won a lower-level title on clay earlier this month and is back in the top 50 but is still fighting to return to the sport's upper echelons.
Ronaldo says Al-Nassr chapter is 'over'
Ancelotti pledges to make struggling Brazil 'champion again'
By Facundo Fernandez Barrio
Ohtani sets tone with leadoff homer in Dodgers' win over Guardians
Onosato locks in promotion to yokozuna

Opinion

Donald Trump’s approval of Nippon Steel’s U.S. Steel partnership signals a key step in U.S.-Japan economic and security cooperation amid rising competition with China.
Nippon Steel partnership go-ahead boosts U.S.-Japan cooperation
Jada Fraser
The move is a sharp departure from Trump’s earlier, politically motivated stance opposing foreign ownership of U.S. Steel.
Lessons from India-Pakistan war: Were China's arms overrated?
By Brahma Chellaney
Harnessing China’s tech giants: The case of Jack Ma
By Takahiro Tsuchiya
The FDA’s new COVID-19 vaccine policy is clear as mud
By Lisa Jarvis
Nothing civilized about Netanyahu's war in Gaza
By Marc Champion

ENVIRONMENT

The white-tailed eagle's wintering grounds include Hokkaido, northern Honshu, the Russian coast, the southern Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands.
Eagle nest discovery sparks opposition to megasolar project
By Eric Johnston
Groups want to put a stop to the project near eastern Hokkaido's Kushiro Wetlands National Park.
Do Japan's trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?
By Eric Margolis
'Serious problem': Afghan capital losing race against water shortages
By Susannah Walden
When extreme weather hits, Japan scientists will have faster answers on climate links
By Tomoko Otake
Fires drive tropical forest loss to 'red alert' record high
By Julien MIVIELLE

CULTURE

Director Jafar Panahi, Palme d'Or award winner for the film "Un simple accident" ("It Was Just an Accident"), poses during a photocall after the closing ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.
Iranian filmmaker Panahi urges 'freedom' as he wins top prize at Cannes
By Adam PLOWRIGHT and Fiachra Gibbons
The dissident filmmaker's "Un Simple Accident" tells the tale of five Iranians confronted with a man they believed tortured them in jail.
Japan's Seto wins International Critics Award at Cannes
Truth is slippery in ‘Suspicion,’ a detective story based on a true crime
By Kris Kosaka
At Cannes, Fukada spotlights J-pop’s ban on idol romance
By Adam PLOWRIGHT
AI fiction is already here. Are humans ready?
By Thu-Huong Ha

LIFE

After establishing Lagoon Brewery in 2021, Yosuke Tanaka began making export-only "nihonshu" (Japanese sake) and later, "craft sake," a new genre of sake that isn't bound by the rules of traditional sakemaking.
Brewed from rice, water and tomatoes: The growth of ‘craft sake’
By Weiwen Lin
Hampered yet inspired by the strict regulations for new brewers, a growing breed of sake producers are making the beverage on their own creative terms.
Tokyo's top bites — in a suburban mall food court
By Robbie Swinnerton
As spring unfolds, sea bream turns into a prized catch
By Makiko Itoh
Jeremy Strong brings male power-dressing to Cannes
By Adam PLOWRIGHT
Uh-oh, is the rest of the world making JRPGs better than Japan?
By Owen Ziegler

COMMUNITY

Drawn to tea ceremony while volunteering at a Japanese garden in Phoenix, Arizona, Michele Laudig (right) came to learn a “common language of movement and ritual” that brought her into new communities in New York City and Tokyo.
A moving meditation: Finding serenity in tea ceremony across space and time
By Michele Laudig
After an American writer ventured into the world of tea ceremony, its lessons transformed her relationship to Japan and brought her into communities bonded by movement and ritual.
Joshua Thomson: ‘Comedy is a pill that’s easier to swallow’
By Laura Pollacco
Detroit-Nagoya network empowers women-owned businesses around the world
By Jessica Kozuka
Ayano Kikuchi: ‘People need to take care of themselves holistically’
By Olivia Boissel
Kotomi Li: 'I refuse to choose death'
By Kat Joplin

Editors' Picks

BUSINESS
Even Nippon Steel is unsure about what a ‘partnership’ with U.S. Steel means
By Francis Tang
A United States Steel plant in River Rouge, Michigan. The guessing game continues as to what a "partnership" between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel, as announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, actually entails.
ENVIRONMENT
Eagle nest discovery sparks opposition to megasolar project
By Eric Johnston
The white-tailed eagle's wintering grounds include Hokkaido, northern Honshu, the Russian coast, the southern Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands.
BASEBALL
Fighters already showing last season's playoff run was no fluke
By Jason Coskrey
Fighters starter Hiromi Ito pitches against the Hawks in Fukuoka on April 29.
COMMUNITY
A moving meditation: Finding serenity in tea ceremony across space and time
By Michele Laudig
Drawn to tea ceremony while volunteering at a Japanese garden in Phoenix, Arizona, Michele Laudig (right) came to learn a “common language of movement and ritual” that brought her into new communities in New York City and Tokyo.
ENVIRONMENT
Are microplastics hurting our fertility?
By Tomoko Otake
A worker sorts plastic waste for recycling at Minato Resource Recycle Center in Tokyo in 2019. Japan has been criticized by environmental groups for its strategy on plastics, which is heavily reliant on recycling instead of reduction.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Construction equipment sits idle in a park near Shiba Toshogu shrine in Tokyo's Minato Ward. While Japan has a history of treating its trees with reverence, green coverage is said to be lacking in most of the major cities.
Do Japan's trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?
By Eric Margolis

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
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WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Luxury Tokyo penthouse sold for over $65 million in new record
By Lisa Du
Sales of luxury properties in Tokyo, like Azabudai Hills’ Aman Residences, have pushed up average real estate prices in the capital.
JAPAN
Bags of rice at half price will hit stores by early June, Koizumi says
By Kanako Takahara
Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi visits a supermarket to check the prices of rice on Friday in Koto.
JAPAN
U.S. Marine arrested for Okinawa hit-and-run that injured four
Members of the Okinawa Prefectural Police and the U.S. military conduct a joint patrol in the city of Okinawa in April. Prefectural police arrested a U.S. Marine for an alleged hit-and-run case on Sunday.
WORLD
Ukraine's key allies no longer limiting range of weapons, Germany's Merz says
By Patrick Donahue and Michael Nienaber
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz takes part in a discussion during the opening of the 'Re:publica 25' digital conference in Berlin on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Even Nippon Steel is unsure about what a ‘partnership’ with U.S. Steel means
By Francis Tang
A United States Steel plant in River Rouge, Michigan. The guessing game continues as to what a "partnership" between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel, as announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, actually entails.