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July 05, 2025
 

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Sakura Murakami
Reuters
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 19, 2018
What does Japan's Nationality Act really mean for its dual citizens?
Given the present 'don't ask, don't tell' attitude of the Justice Ministry, it would be highly unusual if Naomi Osaka was forced to relinquish her U.S. citizenship at the age of 22.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 19, 2018
New app identifies underwater creatures at Japan aquariums with the tap of a finger
Ever struggled to identify the name of a fish when visiting an aquarium?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Deep Dive
Sep 18, 2018
Japan's 'danchi': Public housing blocks highlight the complexity of interculturalism
Stroll through Shibazono Danchi in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, on a weekend and you will find children shrieking with glee. They run across its communal playground or splash about in the fountain of the public housing complex as elderly residents enjoy leisurely walks in the background. Apartment...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2018
Online map plots the many spots that boast a view of Mount Fuji
The Japan Map Center on Monday released an online guide to locations where Mount Fuji can be viewed, showing that the nation's renowned 3,776-meter volcano can be observed from as far as 300 km away.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2018
Justice Ministry to enforce rule designating number of weeks Japanese-language schools must be in session
The measure is intended to ensure that students who enter Japan to learn the language do not spend the majority of their stay working.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 28, 2018
Japan will overhaul Immigration Bureau to create agency for expected surge of blue-collar workers under new status
The move comes as the government seeks to accept more foreign workers and introduce a new status of residence amid a serious labor crunch.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2018
Saitama starts recruiting homestay hosts for Tokyo 2020 athletes' families
The prefecture's project is intended to help the families and others involved in the games secure lodging and offer opportunities for them to experience Japanese culture and cuisine.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Aug 20, 2018
As summer vacations end, grass-roots movements in Japan work on counseling suicidal students and truants
The first day of September is the deadliest day for troubled young people in Japan, according to a 2015 Cabinet Office white paper.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Aug 16, 2018
Bucking superstition, Japanese woman tunnels way to top of civil-engineering world
For civil engineer Reiko Abe, 55, being competent at her job was never enough. Her sex and the superstitions surrounding it caused her to be turned away from job interviews and construction sites in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2018
Hostage Jumpei Yasuda's wife speaks of hope for his release in first public appearance since his detention
Journalist's spouse said she is grateful for the help provided by the government and apologized to the public for the trouble caused by her husband's captivity.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2018
Katsura Imperial Villa to allow more visitors, charge ¥1,000 from November
The Katsura Imperial Villa, or Katsura-Rikyu, located in Kyoto and originally built as a holiday home for the Imperial family, will welcome more visitors from Nov. 1 at a charge of ¥1,000 for those aged 18 or older, the Imperial Household Agency said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 27, 2018
Wife of Nepalese man who died during interrogation sues state, Tokyo Metropolitan Government
The wife of a 39-year-old Nepalese man who died in March last year while being interrogated by prosecutors filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court on Friday, demanding about ¥7 million in damages from the central government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 26, 2018
Female leaders encourage women to be confident and believe in themselves at Tokyo conference
With "womenomics" often touted as a key policy of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the government has been working to increase women's participation in the workforce, politics and other areas in recent years.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 26, 2018
Japan sends last six Aum death row inmates to the gallows
Some speculate the Justice Ministry wanted to draw a curtain on the shocking crimes before the end of the Heisei Era, set for next April.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 20, 2018
Former president of bankrupt travel agency Tellmeclub gets six years for fraud
The Tokyo District Court on Friday found Chikako Yamada, the former president of failed travel agency Tellmeclub, guilty of falsifying her company's financial records to fraudulently receive funding from two banks. She was sentenced to six years in prison.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2018
Non-Japanese speakers turned to employers for help in aftermath of west Japan flooding disaster
With basic necessities interrupted, homes evacuated and infrastructure badly in need of repair, surviving a disaster is challenging enough, but for non-Japanese speakers there is the added worry of getting important information in a language they can understand.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2018
Tokyo to provide free housing for those displaced by floods in western Japan
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has said it will provide free public housing for victims of the torrential rains and floods that recently inundated western Japan, and will start accepting applications from prospective residents Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Jul 9, 2018
Real estate for the people: One man's mission turning vacant houses into homes for everyone
Hideki Kawakita doesn't look like your average real estate agent.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 6, 2018
Aum Shinrikyo guru Shoko Asahara and six other cult members hanged for mass murders
Shoko Asahara, founder of the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo and mastermind behind the deadly 1995 nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway system is executed.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 5, 2018
Tokyo court defies Justice Ministry in ordering asylum for Sri Lankan man
The 58-year-old plaintiff, who is a member of the ethnic Tamil minority, applied for refugee status in October 2006 during civil war in Sri Lanka.
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
Toyoko Kids: The lonely street children of Tokyo
Many young people who feel neglected at home flock to the Toyoko area to find a community where they can fit in.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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