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April 26, 2025
 

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Gabriele Ninivaggi
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 21, 2023
My Number and beyond: What's holding back Japan’s digitalization?
The transition from analog to digital in the public sector has been a long-standing challenge for the country, spanning at least the past two decades.
U.S. President Joe Biden walks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol as the three arrive for a joint news conference during a trilateral summit at Camp David, near Thurmont, Maryland, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 19, 2023
Japan, South Korea and U.S. inaugurate a 'new era' of cooperation
The three countries' leaders also announced a plan to create a hotline for coordinating responses to regional challenges and threats.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol attend a photo op on the day of trilateral engagement during the Group of Seven summit at the Grand Prince Hotel in Hiroshima on May 21.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 16, 2023
Biden, Kishida and Yoon look to ‘institutionalize’ trilateral ties
The leaders will agree to hold three-way summits at least once a year, in addition to conducting more joint drills and boosting intelligence-sharing.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 10, 2023
Why is modernizing Japan so darn tough?
Reporter Gabriele Ninivaggi joins us to break down how Japan’s digitalization hiccups risk exposing how backward things are.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 8, 2023
My Number report highlights errors by insurers and local governments
Roughly 20% of surveyed local governments followed the wrong procedures when linking My Number with disability records.
The Advanced Liquid Processing System, used for treating accumulated contaminated water, is seen during a media tour of the wrecked Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 21.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 7, 2023
Japan to start Fukushima water release as early as late August
The government will make a final decision on the matter following further internal deliberations and diplomatic discussions with its allies.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 4, 2023
Kishida confirms plan to merge My Number and health insurance card
Kishida apologized for the anxiety caused by recent errors and announced a series of steps in the hope of restoring public trust.
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.
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.
Japan brings forward deadline for electronic travel authorization system
Japan is planning to implement by March 2029 a new online screening system in which foreign visitors who don’t need a visa apply for a certification before entering the country.
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.
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.
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

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