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April 25, 2025
 

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Sakura Murakami
Reuters
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2018
Tokyo opens free 24-hour multilingual call center to help tourists get around language barrier
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government opened a call center Friday for foreign visitors to improve communication with businesses and other organizations of interest.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 31, 2018
Japanese-style plea bargaining debuts but authorities fear spread of false testimony
Japan on Friday introduced a bargaining system as part of an overhaul of its criminal investigation and trial systems, while battling concerns the new practice could encourage suspects or defendants to make false statements that lead to miscarriages of justice.
MORE SPORTS
May 25, 2018
Nihon University president Kichibe Otsuka offers apology for dirty tackle scandal
Kichibe Otsuka, president of Nihon University, addressed reporters at a news conference held in Tokyo on Friday, saying that he felt "responsibility" regarding Nihon University's handling of the dirty tackle scandal, and that he "couldn't apologize enough" to the victim.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 18, 2018
Tokyo High Court upholds ruling calling city of Saitama's refusal to publish pacifist haiku 'unfair'
The Tokyo High Court on Friday upheld a district court ruling that called "unfair" the city of Saitama's refusal to publish a haiku which referred to the Constitution and carried a pacifist message in its local newsletter .
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 8, 2018
Heatstroke campaign looks to raise awareness among foreign tourists and residents
Every year the Japan Weather Association stages a public campaign aimed at reducing heatstroke victims during the hot, humid summer.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 4, 2018
Tokyo-based startups look to link consumers with restaurants to curb food waste
In affluent Japan millions of tons of still-edible food waste are thrown away each year, evoking a sense of guilt for many. According to the agriculture ministry, 6.46 million tons of untouched food were discarded in 2015.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2018
Japan's retailers hope to boost sales by capitalizing on Cool Biz
With temperatures soaring higher than average this year, retailers are hoping to boost sales of apparel by capitalizing on the government's annual Cool Biz campaign, which started Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Deep Dive
Apr 19, 2018
Dual citizenship in Japan: A 'don’t ask, don’t tell' policy leaves many in the dark
Do you have to renounce citizenship? Do you switch passports at the airport? Has anyone ever been punished? Dual nationals tell their stories.
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2018
New definition of beer gives Japanese breweries license to change
Japan will change its legal definition of beer on Sunday, allowing its lager-laden breweries to finally diversify and reinvigorate the stale market.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2018
Peak season + tourism boom = long lines at Narita airport
Japanese airports are known for their cleanliness and clockwork efficiency, but the surge in tourists and foreign students entering the country has been creating hourlong lines at Narita airport's border control.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 12, 2018
Lawsuit challenges Japan's ban on dual citizenship
Plaintiffs sue Japan over its ban on dual nationalities, claiming they were unconstitutionally deprived of their Japanese citizenship upon becoming citizens of foreign countries.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2018
Japan fails to shine in annual report on women's participation in politics
As the world marks International Women's Day on Thursday, an annual report shows again that Japan lags far behind other countries for women's participation in politics.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2018
Futuristic, traditionally attired superheroes selected as Tokyo 2020 mascots
Tokyo 2020 organizers unveiled Wednesday the official mascots for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, based on a futuristic vision of the world with the two characters decked out in traditional blue-checkered and a pink cherry-blossom-theme attire, respectively.
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2018
Sports expo spotlights high-tech ways to better train athletes ahead of 2020
With Japan riding high after its best showing ever in a Winter Olympics, a recent trade show drew attention to state-of-the-art technologies that could one day help train future Olympians.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2018
Japan's discretionary labor system: What you need to know
As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and government officials clash with opposition lawmakers over a proposal to expand an overtime work system called the discretionary labor system, here's a look at how the system works.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2018
Japan lags in fact-checking initiatives, media watchers say
Japan lags behind other countries in fact-checking initiatives and still has low awareness of their importance, according to FactCheck Initiative Japan (FIJ), a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization that encourages fact-verifying activities.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2018
NHK World updates app to issue disaster alerts in English
Tourists and residents in Japan who don't speak Japanese no longer need to be concerned about missing out on earthquake and tsunami alerts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 29, 2018
Tokyo's internet cafe 'refugees' number 4,000, survey says
People without a stable residence are finding succor in the hundreds of net cafes across the capital that stay open 24 hours a day.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2018
Tokyo Metro to trial playing classical music on Hibiya Line
Starting Monday, Tokyo Metro Co. will experiment with playing background music on their trains in a bid to provide a more comfortable travel experience for passengers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2018
Tokyo Metro trains vandalized for third time in seven days
In the early hours of Thursday, Tokyo Metro Co. discovered one of its trains had been vandalized overnight with graffiti while parked near Nakano Station, the subway operator said.
Japan must correct Trump’s false data for trade talks, says Kono
Former Foreign Minister Taro Kono
Japan wants to 'separate' tariff and security issues. That may be tough.
Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, poses with a "Make America Great Again" cap at the White House in Washington on April 16.
Social media helps fuel growing 'sex tourism' in Japan
People walk down a street in the red-light entertainment area of Kabukicho in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on March 31.
Japan set to fine cyclists on the spot for rule violations from 2026
Under new rules, those who use smartphones while riding a bicycle would be subject to the maximum fine of ¥12,000.
Naked man’s rampage in Saitama linked to one fatality and 10 injured
Police believe Daisuke Nishimura may have been involved in roughly 20 incidents in the 90 minutes leading up to his arrest, including a fatal hit-and-run and multiple assaults.
Amid uncertain tariffs, is now the time to buy a new iPhone?
An Apple store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in September. Prices for the newest iPhone models start at around ¥100,000 ($700) in Japan.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Japan weighs using U.S. rice imports as tariff negotiation tool with Trump
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo
Is Japan’s parliament ready to welcome more youth to its ranks?
Lower House lawmaker Kai Odake in his Tokyo office on Wednesday
Crow meat, goat tartare: Mauvaise Herbe raises its game
Crow meat, shaped into a ball and attached to a foot of the bird, is one of the peculiar offerings of game at Mauvaise Herbe.

Podcast

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

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.
By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones
Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

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