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August 03, 2025
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August 03, 2025
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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba walks toward the Upper House hall to attend the opening ceremony of a parliamentary session in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Ishiba unlikely to make personal statement on WWII anniversary
A personal statement by Ishiba, who is viewed as relatively dovish, could intensify the calls for his resignation that have emerged inside the LDP.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba walks toward the Upper House hall to attend the opening ceremony of a parliamentary session in Tokyo on Thursday.
Voters cast their ballots for the Upper House election at a polling station in Tokyo on July 20.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan to ramp up measures against foreign election interference
In last month's Upper House election, foreign actors were suspected to be behind the spread of disinformation on social media.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff (left) arrives to meet families of Israelis held hostage by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip since October 2023 as they demonstrate in Tel Aviv's "Hostage square" on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
U.S. envoy meets Israeli hostage families in Tel Aviv
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met anguished relatives of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza on Saturday, as fears for the captives' survival mounted.
Troops from the Ground Self-Defense Force launch a Type 12 surface-to-ship missile at Beecroft Weapons Range in Australia's New South Wales state during Exercise Talisman Sabre on July 14.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
'Firsts’ abound in latest Talisman Sabre joint military drills
By Gabriel Dominguez
The multinational military drills saw over 80 "firsts" in which participants either tested new systems or performed certain combined activities for the first time.
Ottawa Senators defenseman Jordan Spence takes part in the Dreamskate Japan hockey camp in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, on July 5.
MORE SPORTS / Ice Hockey
From Osaka to the NHL: Jordan Spence hopes to inspire young Japanese hockey players
By Joel Tansey
The Ottawa Senators defenseman, who was born in Australia but grew up in Osaka, briefly returned to Japan last month to help run a hockey camp in Hokkaido.
Ottawa Senators defenseman Jordan Spence takes part in the Dreamskate Japan hockey camp in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, on July 5.

JAPAN

Four male workers were confirmed dead after falling into a manhole in Gyoda, Saitama Prefecture, on Saturday morning, fire authorities said.
Four dead after falling into manhole in Saitama
The four, all in their 50s, fell into the manhole around 9:25 a.m. during a sewage pipe inspection.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya speaks during a news conference last month.
Japan's foreign minister urges Myanmar to restore democracy
Japan strongly urges Myanmar's military to "swiftly restore the country's democratic political system," Iwaya told a news conference.
Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui arrives at International Space Station
Japan reluctant to recognize Palestinian statehood
Japan logs hottest July for third year in a row
Attacker wounds another Japanese national in China's Suzhou

BUSINESS

BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
BOJ watchers bring forward next rate hike call after trade deals
By Toru Fujioka and Cynthia Li
The view has emerged after clarity over trade increased with U.S. President Donald Trump announcing deals, including one with Japan.
U.S. President Donald Trump raises his fist as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday.
Trump’s economic agenda is losing support, but Democrats see few gains
By Nancy Cook
Democrats looking to retake the House of Representatives need to convince voters they can be trusted on issues like fighting inflation and lowering the cost of housing.
Japan's new auto sales log first fall in seven months
The AI race has Big Tech spending $344 billion this year
By Brunella Tipismana Urbano and Navya Menon
India aghast at Donald Trump’s ‘dead' economy dig and 25% tariffs
Trump fires data chief on bad job news and gets chance to tilt Fed

WORLD

U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday.
Trump builds $274 million war chest ahead of midterm elections
The fundraising is an unprecedented sum for a second-term president.
A man walks on a beach in Nice, France, amid a heavy rain storm. European governments are ramping up their own data collection systems to monitor climate change and weather extremes.
Europe is breaking its reliance on American science
By Kate Abnett, Valerie Volcovici and Sarah Marsh
Amid Trump's cuts, European governments are ramping up their own data collection systems to monitor climate change and weather extremes.
Federal agency opens probe into former Trump prosecutor Jack Smith
Israeli military intelligence goes back to basics with focus on spies, not tech
By Ethan Bronner
Ghislaine Maxwell moved to lower-security facility; Trump says no plea for pardon
U.S. and NATO developing novel funding mechanism for Ukraine arms transfers

Sports

Miyu Yamashita walks off the 18th green after completing her third round at the Women's British Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales on Saturday.
Miyu Yamashita takes slim lead into final round at Women's British Open
After holding a three-shot lead through the midway point of the tournament, Yamashita was at 9-under par through three rounds as her advantage was narrowed.
Canadian teen Mboko stuns top-seeded Gauff in Montreal
Imperious Ledecky beats McIntosh to win 800-meter free thriller
By Andrew MCKIRDY
Doncic embraces championship hopes after inking $165 million contract extension
By Rory Carroll
Track star Sha'Carri Richardson arrested for suspected domestic violence in Seattle

Opinion

Despite topping physical health rankings, Japan’s children face a worsening mental health crisis due to limited early education, inconsistent counseling support and poor awareness of their rights.
It’s time to take children’s mental health seriously
Yuko Tamura
Given these disparities, it is clear the government needs to build a consistent school system with appropriate emotional support mechanisms
Will Trump’s tech policies propel U.S. success against China?
By Mariko Togashi
A troubling reminder of Japan's vulnerability to natural disasters
Is this the end of Japan's 'big tent' parties?
By Edo Naito
Japan’s strategic blind spot in the heart of Europe
By Stephen R. Nagy

ENVIRONMENT

Some 460 million tons of plastic are produced globally each year, half of which is single-use.
Efforts set to resume to reach plastic pollution pact
The coming talks follow a failure to reach a deal last December on how to stop millions of tons of plastic waste from entering the environment each year.
How Trump-vetted scientists are trying to shred the climate consensus
By Brian Kahn, Danielle Bochove and Leslie Kaufman
Why did such a powerful earthquake produce such a weak tsunami?
By Katrina Miller
When Earth’s surface shifts, a new satellite will see it
By Kenneth Chang
In the Philippines, informal e-waste dismantling poses health risks
By Pam Castro

CULTURE

“Memory of Lines” is Chiharu Shiota’s second art installation on Teshima as part of the Setouchi Triennale.
Artist Chiharu Shiota weaves a hidden marvel on Teshima
By Thu-Huong Ha
The artist cherished for her red-thread installations creates a new work in one of Japan’s famed art islands.
'Stigmatized Properties: Possession': Layered lead faces ghosts and show business
By Mark Schilling
'Army on the Tree': World War II film leans into absurdist theater
By James Hadfield
How Japan made techno its own
By Arjan Rietveld
‘Demon Slayer’ movie slashes its own box office records
By Matt Schley

LIFE

Mika Horii (left) and Jane Su record an episode of “Over the Sun” at TBS Broadcasting Center in Tokyo’s Akasaka area. The show draws 1.5 million monthly plays.
'Over the Sun': A podcast for Japanese women who’ve lived a little
By Yuko Tamura
In their hit podcast “Over the Sun,” hosts Jane Su and Mika Horii turn everyday chats into a cultural phenomenon.
With a new distillery, Suntory makes a spirited move on gin market
By Weiwen Lin
In Tokyo, fish-shaped ‘taiyaki’ treats offer a sea of options
By Russell Thomas
A language built on the wind, from mountain gusts to wind chimes
By Eric Margolis
Communal knead: A Turkish baker in Kamakura draws queues
By Alex Michael Dwyer

COMMUNITY

Wakana, a Japanese fan of Thai BL, visits a temple in Thon Buri, Bangkok featured in the Thai adaptation of the Japanese series “Cherry Magic.” Her media consumption kindled an interest in Thai culture and language, and ultimately led her to relocate to Thailand. “I fell in love with the whole country,” she says.
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio
Thailand has become a top producer of BL (boys’ love) dramas — and audiences in Japan are among the most ardent consumers.
Charming Chikuwa has a zest for life
A big, beautiful Bengal cat named Pupu
Ayaka Ohira: ‘Being outside of the traditional path gave me more freedom’
By Zoria Petkoska
The mothers holding up Japan's Vietnamese community
By Nguyen Bao Anh

Editors' Picks

LIFE
Junglia brought dinos back to Okinawa. But will it bring tourists?
By Owen Ziegler
At Panorama Dining, one of Junglia’s two proper restaurants that also doubles as the rooftop Inifinity Terrace overlook, guests can pay extra to sit in balcony tables made to look like birds’ nests overlooking the park grounds.
JAPAN
Coordination office marks first step in U.S. Forces Japan’s shift to ‘warfighting’ command
By Gabriel Dominguez
U.S., Japanese and Australian staff work in the JJOC Cooperation Team office at the U.S. Army’s Hardy Barracks in central Tokyo in this image posted to the Australian Embassy's X account on July 25.
BUSINESS
GTN takes a chance on newcomers to Japan
By Kazuaki Nagata
Hiroyuki Goto, president of GTN. The company started after Goto personally co-signed leases for around 20 non-Japanese people, including some friends and friends of friends.
CULTURE
Artist Chiharu Shiota weaves a hidden marvel on Teshima
By Thu-Huong Ha
“Memory of Lines” is Chiharu Shiota’s second art installation on Teshima as part of the Setouchi Triennale.
JAPAN
How the Japanese TV industry is changing
By Yukana Inoue
Fuji TV headquarters in Tokyo's Minato Ward. Fuji TV came under fire over the manner in which it handled a case of “sexual trouble” involving former boy band member Masahiro Nakai and a female announcer.

Podcast

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

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear
By Jason Coskrey

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy
Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

COMFACTS

Tsunan Sake Brewery Develops “Yukigesho Castella” as Part of Sake Upcycling Project
Tsunan Sake Brewery Develops “Yukigesho Castella” as Part of Sake Upcycling Project
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY

WHAT’S TRENDING

ENVIRONMENT
Why did such a powerful earthquake produce such a weak tsunami?
By Katrina Miller
A person records images of waves following a tsunami advisory generated by local authorities after an earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, prompting warnings and evacuations stretching across at the South Pacific, in Vina del Mar, Chile, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Last soldiers of Imperial Japanese Army have a warning for younger generations
By Martin Fackler
Kunshiro Kiyozumi, 97, who was the youngest crew member of the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58 in World War II, on his way to a restaurant to have lunch in Matsuyama, Japan, on April 29.
JAPAN
Japanese students struggle with description-type tests
The average correct answer rate for description-type questions in the Japanese-language section of the fiscal 2025 national achievement test for third-year junior high school students was as low as 25.6%, according to the education ministry.
JAPAN
Severe Tropical Storm Krosa approaches eastern Japan
Severe Tropical Storm Krosa is expected to pass east of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture on Saturday morning.
BUSINESS
Japan's jobs-to-applicant ratio falls to 1.22 in June
Japan's seasonally adjusted effective job-to-applicant ratio dipped to 1.22 in June, down 0.02 point from the previous month, according to the labor ministry.