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July 08, 2025
 

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Yukana Inoue
Despite the government releasing rice from its emergency stockpile since March, prices have remained high.
JAPAN
May 13, 2025
Rice prices finally fall, but change is in baby steps
The average supermarket price of 5 kilograms of rice dropped for the first time since December, falling ¥19 to ¥4,214.
SusHi Tech Tokyo 2025 was bustling with participants of various nationalities Thursday, and multiple languages could be heard around the room as many engaged in conversations throughout the day.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 8, 2025
SusHi Tech Tokyo 2025 expands to become one of Asia's largest startup events
This year, the conference — focused on sustainable cities and high technology — feels bigger and more global.
Arashi is known for massive hit songs such as “A・RA・SHI,” “Love So Sweet” and “Happiness.”
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 7, 2025
J-pop group Arashi to disband after going on tour next spring
Current fan club members will be given priority to purchase tickets for the last concert tour.
Amid shortages, the price of a 5-kilogram bag of rice during the week of April 14 was ¥4,220.
JAPAN
May 4, 2025
Why are rice prices still high in Japan?
The average price of 5 kilograms of rice in mid-April was ¥4,220 — more than double what it cost around the same time last year.
Fuji Media Holdings President Osamu Kanemitsu is set to step down from his post at a general shareholders meeting in June.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 1, 2025
After scandal, Fuji Media Holdings marks major net loss for first time
The company has also announced that President Osamu Kanemitsu, who was set to become chairman, will be stepping down.
A massive underground water leak early Wednesday flooded the streets near an intersection on National Route 1 in Shimogyo Ward in the city of Kyoto.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2025
Underground water leak floods Kyoto streets
City officials believe the aging water pipe, built 65 years ago, ruptured due to deterioration.
Tapple, one of Japan's most popular dating apps, has launched the nation's first feature to verify a user's single status via their My Number card.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2025
Single, or not? Japanese dating app launches relationship verification system
With Tapple boasting over 20 million users, worries about dishonest relationship statuses were common.
"Quiet quitting" is most common among the younger generation, with 46.7% of respondents to a survey in their 20s identifying with the practice, reflecting a less-motivated workforce more focused on work-life balance.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 28, 2025
Nearly half of workers in Japan engage in ‘quiet quitting’
Some 45% of full-time employees are doing just the bare minimum at work, according to a survey by job-matching company Mynavi.
Amid U.S.-China trade tensions, the U.S. may be looking at Japan as a potential country to make up for a drop in corn exports to China.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 25, 2025
Japan looks to increase U.S. corn imports ahead of more tariff talks
The idea appears to be aimed at appeasing U.S. President Donald Trump's criticisms about Japan's tariffs and could be used as leverage in next week's bilateral negotiations.
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.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2025
Japan brings forward deadline for electronic travel authorization system
In fiscal 2028, Japan aims to introduce the system for certifying foreign visitors who don't need a visa ahead of their arrival in the country.
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 23, 2025
Japan weighs using U.S. rice imports as tariff negotiation tool with Trump
The government hopes an import quota will give them more cards to play in tariff negotiations with the U.S.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a government meeting on crime prevention measures at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 22, 2025
In fight against fraud, Japan seeks new weapon: undercover bank accounts
The government is looking to allow the police to set up bank accounts under false names to track the movement of funds obtained by fraudsters.
Of the 721,000 childbirths reported in 2024 in Japan, 13.8% involved the use of an epidural, according to the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 22, 2025
Cases of epidural use in labor rise in Japan alongside concerns
More demand for epidurals may place a strain on the nation's anesthesiologists, who are already facing staffing shortages.
A revised child welfare bill passed the Upper House plenary session on Friday as cases of child abuse rise.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 18, 2025
New bill blocks visitations for parents suspected of child abuse
The revision to the child welfare law is intended to protect children in cases where contact with their parents could cause emotional or physical harm.
SBI Holdings CEO Yoshitaka Kitao speaks during a news conference on Thursday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2025
SBI Holdings CEO to 'fight to the end' if Fuji Media resists leadership rethink
Yoshitaka Kitao said he will increase SBI Holdings’ stake in Fuji Media Holdings depending on how the TV network responds.
Ryoko Hirosue was being detained at the Hamamatsu West Police Station in the city of Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 16, 2025
Actor Ryoko Hirosue released from custody after alleged kicking incident
The 44-year-old actor was arrested for allegedly kicking and scratching a medical staff member while in a “panicked state” following a car accident.
The Google logo is seen at the company's Bay View campus in Mountain View, California. Japanese authorities on Tuesday issued a cease-and-desist order to Google over an alleged violation of the country's anti-monopoly law.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 16, 2025
In a first, Japan issues cease-and-desist order against Google
The Japan Fair Trade Commission has accused the U.S. tech giant of violating the country's anti-monopoly law by forcing manufacturers to preinstall its apps in smartphones.
Ride-sharing vehicles in Kiryu, Gunma Prefecture, in March
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 15, 2025
One year in, ride-hailing in Japan has room for improvement
Japan has lagged in adopting ride-hailing services, largely due to opposition from the country's powerful taxi industry.
Shinji Ishimaru in June 2024
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 11, 2025
Tokyo hopeful's campaign team accused of election law violation
The complaint alleges that Ishimaru's election team paid a company to livestream a gathering on YouTube that was held two days before the gubernatorial election.
Cherry blossoms in full bloom at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 30
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2025
AI app helps monitor cherry tree health and keep hanami tradition blooming
As Japan celebrates cherry blossom season, aging trees pose safety risks — and a new AI app is helping track their condition.
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai in July 2022. The Chinese government risks long-term decline by repeating Japan’s policy mistakes in handling its real estate and demographic crises.
Lawson to let visitors use larger parking lots as paid car campsites
A Lawson convenience store in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture. A new service from the company comes amid the rise in inbound tourists, making hotels and inns harder to book and more expensive.
The future is bright inside the visionary mind of architect Sou Fujimoto
The exhibition of Fujimoto’s architecture surveys his career to date, as well as looks ahead as shown in his proposal of a future floating city designed in collaboration with data scientist Hiroaki Miyata.
A tiny mountain hamlet keeps traditional log rafting afloat
Once a way to transport lumber from the mountains to the coast, log rafting is now Kitayama's biggest attraction.
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.

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