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June 07, 2025
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June 07, 2025
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Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to the media as he inspects a warehouse storing stockpiled rice in Kanagawa Prefecture on May 30.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
From ridicule to redemption: Rice crisis returns Koizumi to the spotlight
By Eric Johnston
The lawmaker, sometimes said to be long on image and short on substance, has won praise for bringing down the price of rice.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to the media as he inspects a warehouse storing stockpiled rice in Kanagawa Prefecture on May 30.
Keita Ueno (right), the owner of Kiki Driving School and an instructor who supports both foreign nationals and Japanese citizens returning from abroad in getting their foreign driver’s licenses converted, is worried about the current lax system for the process.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Accidents raise concern over how Japan vets foreign drivers
By Karin Kaneko
A driving school owner points out that traffic signs could carry different meanings in other countries, and driving standards might vary significantly.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during ministerial meeting meeting on foreign residents in Japan on Friday at the Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN
Foreign tourists with unpaid medical bills in Japan to be denied entry
By Karin Kaneko
There have been growing calls for legislative reform to address unpaid medical fees and health care premiums — deficits filled by taxpayers' money.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick held a 110-minute meeting on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
In tariff talks with the U.S., Japan may have blinked
By Francis Tang
Tokyo is backing off from its insistence that all new tariffs be removed, according to a Friday report by the Asahi Shimbun.
Detail of Takashi Murakami, “Rakuchu-Rakugai-zu Byobu: Iwasa Matabei RIP” (2023-25)
CULTURE / Art
New Naoshima museum bets on Asia, not the West
By Thu-Huong Ha
The Naoshima New Museum of Art is Tadao Ando’s 10th contribution to the popular art islands.
Detail of Takashi Murakami, “Rakuchu-Rakugai-zu Byobu: Iwasa Matabei RIP” (2023-25)

JAPAN

After the appellate court ruling in the shareholders' lawsuit over the Tepco Fukushima No.1 nuclear accident, plaintiffs hold up signs reading "Unjust Ruling" on Friday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
High court overturns ruling against ex-Tepco executives
The count found the executives were unable to predict the tsunami that triggered the triple reactor meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
Takuya Haraguchi, head of ReFruits, speaks while looking at the kiwifruit vine at his farm in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on April 24. A newcomer to farming, he hopes to revive the area by growing kiwifruits in this former no-go zone.
'Moving forward': the Gen Z farmer growing Fukushima kiwifruits
By Hiroshi Hiyama
Fukushima is renowned for its delicious fruit, from pears to peaches, but the nuclear disaster led many people in Japan to shun produce grown there.
My Number Card functions to be available on iPhones
Japan law comes into force to extend nuclear plant lifespans
Philippines detains leader of 'JP Dragon' crime ring
Ishiba eager to submit disaster agency bill next year

BUSINESS

Japan's household spending fell 0.1% from a year earlier in April, as the elevated cost of living weighs on consumer spending.
April household spending drop deals blow to Japan's shrinking economy
By Toru Fujioka
Domestic demand will likely be a key factor in determining whether a technical recession can be avoided after the economy shrank in the first quarter.
A Mercedes-Benz production line in Rastatt, Germany, earlier this month. European auto suppliers alone have filed hundreds of requests to China for rare earths since early April, with only about a quarter granted.
The world's auto supply chain is in the hands of a few Chinese bureaucrats
By Laurie Chen and Lewis Jackson
China holds a near-monopoly on rare earth magnets — a crucial component in EV motors — and it added them to an export control list in April.
Bank of Japan considering smaller reductions in bond buying
Pressure mounts for Japan to adjust bond sales as soon as July
By Mia Glass and Masahiro Hidaka
Soaring rice prices take a bite out of Japan's beloved curry shops
By Ryotaro Nakamaru
Japan’s early May exports drop as tariff woes upend commerce
By Yoshiaki Nohara

WORLD

The highly anticipated call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping came in the middle of a dispute over "rare earths" minerals that threatened to tear up a fragile truce in the trade war.
Trump and Xi pledge more talks as trade disputes brew
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Yukun Zhang
In a rare call, Trump and Xi pledged to resume trade talks, but tensions over rare earth minerals and Taiwan remained unresolved.
Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
Hamas says ready for 'serious' Gaza truce talks, as rescuers say scores killed
Talks aimed at brokering a new ceasefire have failed to yield a breakthrough since the last brief truce fell apart in March.
India's Modi opens strategic railway in contested 'crown jewel' Kashmir
EU backs International Criminal Court after U.S. sanctions judges
China seeks improved ties with Canada amid rising trade tensions
Trump-inspired Cantonese opera in Hong Kong aims to bring love and peace
By Joyce Zhou and Jessie Pang

Sports

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (center) reaches for the ball against the Thunder during the second quarter of Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals in Oklahoma City on Thursday.
Haliburton's last-second shot lifts Pacers over Thunder in Game 1
Haliburton gave the Pacers their only lead of the game on a dramatic 21-foot jump shot with 0.3 of a second remaining.
Soccer surging in Canada a year from World Cup hosting
By Ben Simon
Moriyasu mourns end of unbeaten run after loss to Australia
By Nick Mulvenney
Four-time NFL MVP Rodgers agrees to deal with Steelers
Spain beats France 5-4 in thriller to reach Nations League final
By Peter Hall

Opinion

Japan is the world's biggest market for Iqos, a heat-not-burn tobacco product marketed by its maker Philip Morris as a less harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes — a claim not backed by independent scientific research.
Smoke and mirrors: How big tobacco manipulates science in Japan
Shiro Konuma
In Japan, not only does the tobacco industry have close ties to government, but universities are also vulnerable to its influence. In this equation, public health loses out.
A return to normalcy in South Korea, but hard work lies ahead
Mark Zuckerberg finally found a use for his Metaverse — war
By Dave Lee
A new generation of 'Japan hands' and a changing world
By Joshua W. Walker
South Korea's new president has a chance to clean up
By David Fickling

ENVIRONMENT

The small village of Blatten in the Swiss Alps was destroyed by a landslide after part of a glacier collapsed last week.
How Switzerland's Birch glacier collapsed
By Robin Millard
There are strong theories on the causes, and to what degree it is linked to climate change — but these are yet to be confirmed by scientific analysis.
Swiss glacier collapse is a lesson on climate disaster management
By Laura Millan
Octopus invasion in English Channel flags marine heat wave risks
By Joe Wertz
Half the world has faced an extra month of extreme heat, study finds
China is eroding Japan's LNG dominance. How does that affect Japanese buyers?
By Nithin Coca

CULTURE

Vice president of events and exhibitions for Studio Ghibli, Kenichi Yoda (right), and director and Ghibli Park creative development manager, Goro Miyazaki (left), pose at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival before receiving an Honorary Palme d'Or.
Studio Ghibli marks 40 years, but future looks uncertain
By Natsuko Fukue
A look into the legacy of the beloved anime studio.
‘Strangers in Kyoto’: Tea, tradition and passive-aggressive politeness
By James Hadfield
'Kokuho' illuminates the high price of becoming a national treasure
By Matt Schley
'Godzilla The Art Exhibition' reimagines film icon as monstrous muse for modern art
By Matt Schley
Anime's big night out is getting bigger — and more surreal
By Patrick St. Michel

LIFE

Reports claim that children with unusual names were being bullied at school and facing difficulties finding jobs.
What’s in a name? With new guidelines, the Japanese government wants to know.
By Yuko Tamura
Japan now requires official furigana for names in the family register, aiming to limit overly creative "kira-kira" readings.
In Elden Ring Nightreign, the FromSoftware formula goes awry
By Owen Ziegler
Waves of umami: Awaji Island's culinary trove
By Kathryn Wortley
The empanada that’s secretly a ‘gyōza’ inside
By Simon Daly
How ‘hikikomori’ shut-ins ‘start to have dreams for the future’
By Eric Margolis

COMMUNITY

Since moving to Tokyo from New York City in 2014, Hiraku Morilla has been promoting Keith Haring’s legacy in his professional life and advocating for LGBTQ+ community.
Hiraku Morilla: ‘Pride means respect for those who walked so we could run’
By Gendel Gento
The New York-raised director of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection reflects on his queer, multiracial identity and LGBTQ+ rights in Japan.
‘A garden is a grand teacher’: The Kamakura Gardener nurtures via YouTube
By Alex Michael Dwyer
Mateusz Urbanowicz: ‘Miyazaki inspired me to put the audience first’
By Naomi Oren
This charming Shiba enjoys life’s simple pleasures
A moving meditation: Finding serenity in tea ceremony across space and time
By Michele Laudig

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
New Naoshima museum bets on Asia, not the West
By Thu-Huong Ha
Detail of Takashi Murakami, “Rakuchu-Rakugai-zu Byobu: Iwasa Matabei RIP” (2023-25)
JAPAN
Japan’s prison reform focuses on rehabilitation
By Karin Kaneko
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday. Suzuki said preparations for the changes that will focus more on rehabilitation are being actively made at each correctional facility.
CULTURE
Six months into 2025, J-pop is having a full-on identity crisis (and a great time)
By Patrick St. Michel
The year so far is only proving that Mrs. Green Apple is the biggest band in Japan. Their success also seems to be hinting at a change in the musical landscape more broadly.
BUSINESS
Nintendo’s Switch 2 console is finally here
By Owen Ziegler
The Switch 2 is Nintendo's first new gaming console in eight years.
SUMO
Hakuho’s departure highlights worrying sumo trend
By John Gunning
Former <i>yokozuna</i> Hakuho performs a ring-entering ceremony at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in February 2020.

Podcast

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

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic
By Alex K.T. Martin

JT Directory Service

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Japan eyes tougher rules for foreign residents and tax hike for tourists
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A tax-free shop in Kyoto in April 2024. Last week, members of a Liberal Democratic Party study group drafted a proposal seeking to scrap the country's tax-free shopping system altogether.
JAPAN
From ridicule to redemption: Rice crisis returns Koizumi to the spotlight
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Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to the media as he inspects a warehouse storing stockpiled rice in Kanagawa Prefecture on May 30.
SUMO
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Former <i>yokozuna</i> Hakuho performs a ring-entering ceremony at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in February 2020.
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JAPAN
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic
By Alex K.T. Martin
After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.