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November 01, 2025
 

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Jessica Speed
Eric Morel de Westgaver, European Space Agency director of strategy, announces the opening of the agency's Tokyo office during a news conference on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2025
European Space Agency opens first Asia office in Tokyo
The European Space Agency said its Tokyo office will be a bridge between European and Japanese space stakeholders as both sides aim to boost their presence in the space industry.
The seventh H3 rocket carrying the newly developed HTV-X1 resupply vehicle is launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on Sunday.
JAPAN
Oct 26, 2025
JAXA launches new HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft to International Space Station
The craft’s journey to the ISS will be the first time in five years that Japan has sent supplies to the station.
A recent survey by the Sports Agency found that women in their 30s and 40s were less physically fit in 2024 compared to 1998 levels as more women are busy working and/or raising children.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 14, 2025
Fitness levels fall for women in their 30s and 40s compared to 1998, survey finds
The survey from the Sports Agency suggested women are too busy working and/or raising children to do physical exercise, resulting in the decline.
A Self-Defense Force plane loads emergency blankets, cardboard beds and other supplies to be flown to typhoon-hit Hachijojima on Sunday.
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2025
Water outages persist on Tokyo’s Hachijojima as second typhoon approaches
Approximately 2,700 households on Hachijojima have been without water for several days after power outages halted supply facilities and landslides damaged key water sources.
There has been a rapid rise in the number of business manager visa holders in recent years, triggering concerns that some are using it as an easy route to long-term residency rather than for genuine entrepreneurship.
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2025
Business management visa requirements to be tightened from next week
There has been a rapid rise in the number of business manager visa holders in recent years, triggering concerns some are merely using it as an easy route to long-term residency.
Tokyo was ranked the world's best large city for the second year in a row in the Conde Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2025
Tokyo named world’s best big city for second straight year
Recognition from readers of luxury travel and lifestyle magazine Conde Nast Traveler comes after Japan welcomed a record 36.8 million foreign visitors in 2024.
Shuichi Tachihara, director of the forecast division at the Japan Meteorological Agency, holds a news conference regarding the special warnings for heavy rain and high waves due to the approach of Typhoon Halong, on Wednesday at the agency's office in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2025
Typhoon Halong brings strong winds and heavy rain to southern Izu islands
The national weather agency issued its highest-level emergency alert for the Izu islands before downgrading the warning after the rain passed.
Japan plans to introduce nationwide five-year bachelor's-master's programs to raise graduate school enrollment and train more highly skilled professionals amid a shrinking workforce.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2025
Japan to move toward five-year integrated bachelor's-master’s programs
The proposed reform would allow students to complete a one-year master’s program after a standard four-year undergraduate course.
Atsuko Mori, founder and director of Kyoto-based tea salon Camellia Tea Ceremony, prepares matcha during a tea ceremony in Kyoto.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 2, 2025
Tea ceremony experts see matcha boom as a big opportunity
Matcha’s sudden spike in popularity overseas has prompted debate in Japan about whether the global craze risks diluting tea’s cultural meaning.
The Justice Ministry's figures show the number of specified skilled worker visa holders hit a record high as of the end of June.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2025
Skilled worker visa holders hit record high ahead of new visa program
The Justice Ministry stated that the goal for a new program set to be rolled out in 2027 is to make Japan a "country of choice" for foreign workers amid a labor shortage.
Japanese researchers estimated that as of 2023, there were 316,900 people in Japan with ulcerative colitis and 95,700 with Crohn’s disease.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 29, 2025
Japan sees 40% surge in chronic bowel disease cases over eight years
On a population basis, a study published this month shows prevalence is now 254.8 cases of ulcerative colitis and 77.0 cases of Crohn’s per 100,000 people.
The Tokyo Game Show opened Thursday in the city of Chiba with 521 Japanese exhibitors and 615 exhibitors from overseas — the largest share yet.
BUSINESS
Sep 25, 2025
Tokyo Game Show kicks off with largest lineup yet
The four-day event is hosting a record 4,157 booths and 1,136 exhibitors, more than half of which are from overseas.
A short-lived autumn is expected this year, with temperatures staying unseasonably high through October before plunging in late November, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2025
Autumn to be cut short as harsh winter arrives suddenly
In its three-month outlook, the weather agency forecast above-average temperatures nationwide in October, delaying the arrival of autumn weather.
With just three weeks left until the closing of the Osaka Expo, most admission slots are nearly fully booked. On auction sites, however, many reserved tickets are being traded at high prices.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2025
Osaka Expo tickets being resold at exorbitant prices as closing date nears
One adult 9 a.m. entry ticket for Oct. 5, originally ¥7,500, was selling online for ¥59,000 — over seven times the official cost.
Proxy-shopping services — companies that ship Japanese products ranging from cosmetics and snacks to limited-edition stationery on behalf of customers abroad — are already feeling the impact of the U.S. suspending de minimis exemptions.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Sep 17, 2025
End of U.S. de minimis exemption causes headaches for some businesses in Japan
Companies that ship to the U.S. are hoping customers will tolerate higher costs or that the de minimis treatment will be restored, but many believe it's gone for good.
Shigeko Kagawa, Japan's oldest person at 114, in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, on July 30
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2025
Aging Japan’s centenarian population nears 100,000
The number has grown steadily in recent years and comes as the birth rate continues to plummet.
Heavy rain hit Tokyo and surrounding areas Thursday afternoon, causing thousands to lose power, prompting flood warnings, grounding flights and causing transportation issues.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2025
Thousands without power in Tokyo as heavy rain batters Kanto region
The Japan Meteorological Agency urged vigilance against river flooding, inundation of low-lying areas and landslides, while also warning of lightning, sudden gusts and hail.
Asteroid Ryugu (left) and samples brought back by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 11, 2025
Asteroid ice discovery may change ideas about origin of water on Earth
The parent body of near-Earth asteroid Ryugu appears to have harbored water in the form of ice for over a billion years, Japanese researchers have found.
Emergency room visits for self-harm and suicide attempts have been rising since 2019, with the sharpest increases observed among young people and women, a report revealed on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 10, 2025
More people being hospitalized in Japan for self-harm, attempted suicide: report
In 2023, a total of 42,977 people were taken to hospital, 2,721 more than the previous year, according to the Japan Suicide Countermeasures Promotion Center.
The National Police Agency has issued a rulebook for cyclists detailing violations subject to fines from April 2026 onward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 5, 2025
New rulebook for cycling in Japan details fines for minor violations
Traffic offenses that will prompt police to issue tickets for fines on the spot include talking on the phone or staring at it while cycling and railroad crossing violations.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell
Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Trump trims fentanyl-linked China tariffs after 'amazing' Xi meeting
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping greet each other as they arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base, next to the Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday.
Japanese and South Korean leaders agree to boost ties in first meeting
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ahead of their talks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Thursday.
Takaichi and Xi reaffirm pledge in first meet to pursue ‘mutually beneficial’ ties
A screenshot from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's X account shows Takaichi exchanging greetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Friday.　
Japan’s government ramps up bear control efforts amid rise in attacks
A bear roams around a field in the town of Kuzumaki, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 12.
Oasis returns to Japan after 16 years — and fans can still sing every word
Liam Gallagher commanded the stage with effortless charisma during Oasis' Tokyo Dome set on Saturday.
At Japan Mobility Show, BYD gears up to conquer Japan's EV market
BYD Auto Japan President Atsuki Tofukuji unveils the Racco at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Oasis returns to Tokyo: Rain, rapture and rock
Fans wait to get into the Oasis show at Tokyo Dome on Saturday. While lining up in the rain, some broke into impromptu versions of the British rock group's hits.
Kyushu banzuke sets the stage to cement 2025’s sumo narratives
Onosato ahead of his bout against Aonishiki at The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 18
Tokyo Film Festival opens with global stars and a spotlight on Asian storytelling
Director Junji Sakamoto (left) walked the Tokyo International Film Festival red carpet with Sayuri Yoshinaga (center) and Non (right), who both play mountaineer Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mount Everest, in the biopic "Climbing for Life."

Podcast

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

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell
By Alex K.T. Martin

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