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Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a high level Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine, on the sidelines of the 78th U.N. General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 20.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 11, 2023
Ukraine fatigue unlikely to reach Japan anytime soon
Japan’s support for Ukraine remains steadfast at a time when popular opinion across several Western countries shows growing signs of weariness.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan head Kenta Izumi (left) and the Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki (right) attend a Rengo convention in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 5, 2023
Kishida’s attendance at union event offers hint at electoral strategy
The prime minister attended the event in his latest effort to court union members and expand his party's electoral base.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a news conference after his Cabinet reshuffle in Tokyo on Sept. 13.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 3, 2023
Two years in, Kishida delivers stability but fails to wow
Despite little to boast about, Kishida is on his way to becoming one of the longest-serving prime ministers in recent history.
Ukrainian refugees arrive at Haneda airport in Tokyo on April 5, 2022.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2023
Japan to introduce new residency status for asylum-seekers
A program to offer a long-term residence status that will allow asylum-seekers to work in Japan will be introduced in December.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shakes hands with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a high-level Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine on the sidelines of the 78th U.N. General Assembly, at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 22, 2023
As Kishida takes center stage, Japan's diplomacy enters a new phase
The prime minister looks set to take on a larger role in representing the country on the world stage as he struggles to build a legacy domestically.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 20, 2023
In speech, Kishida seeks to maintain momentum for U.N. reform
Kishida stressed the importance of human security and alluded to the increasing dysfunction of the U.N. Security Council caused by Moscow's vetoing power.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa speaks at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday, a day after she was named as the replacement of Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) in a Cabinet reshuffle.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 14, 2023
Japan's new foreign minister: A change in face, not policy
Yoko Kamikawa's appointment as foreign minister — the first time a women assumed the role in 19 years — is unlikely to bring a change in policy.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida leaves his office residence in formal attire to attend an attestation ceremony at the Imperial Palace with his reshuffled Cabinet in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2023
Kishida replaces top diplomat and boosts women in Cabinet reshuffle
Among the more stunning moves was the prime minister’s decision to have former Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa replace Yoshimasa Hayashi as top diplomat.
Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki speaks during an interview in his Tokyo office on September 7
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 12, 2023
Japan's opposition struggles to move beyond political fragmentation
The leadership race for the DPP has reignited debate over the state of the opposition, with calls for a united front clashing with divisions over policy.
An activist in Seoul protests Japan’s plan to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 7, 2023
Anger at Fukushima’s wastewater; hope in its renewables
Good news and bad news out of Fukushima.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters on Monday evening at the Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 5, 2023
Japan OKs additional fisheries aid and ups pressure on China
Support for the industry now tops ¥100 billion, as the government struggles to soothe fears over contaminated water at home and abroad.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (second from right) and Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi agree to cooperate in elections for Tokyo districts.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 4, 2023
LDP and Komeito patch up rift over Tokyo candidacies
Whether the agreement can heal the growing rift between the two parties and lead to support at the polls is still unclear.
Fisheries minister Tetsuro Nomura apologizes at the ministry on Thursday after calling treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant "contaminated."
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 1, 2023
Fisheries minister under fire for ‘contaminated water’ gaffe
“Contaminated water” is the expression used by China, and Japan has been extremely critical of Beijing's labeling.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center) visits a seafood wholesaler at Tokyo's Toyosu fish market on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 31, 2023
Japan announces new fishing industry aid after China ban
The new aid follows a ¥30 billion fund aimed at countering reputational damage. Another ¥50 billion had been earmarked to support the fishing industry.
Police and security personnel stand outside the entrance of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Tuesday. Japan said that harassment being faced by its citizens in China after the Fukushima water release was "extremely regrettable," confirming that a brick was thrown at the country's embassy in Beijing.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 31, 2023
Fukushima water release dampens chances of Japan-China detente
Japan is now bracing for a new period of wide-ranging tensions with its neighbor as the strained ties look likely to continue into the months ahead.
A gasoline station in Tokyo on Wednesday advertises its regular gasoline price as ¥186 per liter.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 30, 2023
Kishida announces extension of measures to bring gas prices down
The subsidy program will be extended until the end of the year and will be beefed up starting next week.
Storage tanks containing treated water on the grounds of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant earlier this week. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, the plant’s operator, started releasing some of the water into the sea on Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2023
Japan begins controversial release of treated Fukushima water
The discharge is a major step in the decommissioning process for the reactors hit by meltdowns following the March 2011 tsunami.
People protest in Hong Kong on Tuesday after Japan announced that it would release treated water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant into the sea.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2023
Treated water release from Fukushima sparks mixed reactions in Asia
After reaching an agreement with the IAEA on information-sharing about the operation, Seoul announced that it would not stand in the way of the plan.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a ministerial meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 22, 2023
Japan to begin releasing treated Fukushima water Thursday
Despite fishing cooperatives' lingering worries of reputational damage, the government will go ahead with its plan.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) meets with Masanobu Sakamoto (right), head of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, and other representatives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 21, 2023
Japan's release of Fukushima treated water could start Thursday
The government is set to announce Tuesday when the release of tritium-laced water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant will begin.

Longform

People in cities across Japan will pop into their local convenience store for any number of products they believe will help them with a night of drinking.
Hangover cures are everywhere in Japan — but do they work?