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November 21, 2025
 

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Jessica Speed
A densely populated residential area near the Saganoseki fishing port where a fire broke out, in the city of Oita on Wednesday morning
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2025
Massive fire engulfs more than 170 buildings in Oita
Fire crews were still working to control the blaze, which has left one resident missing, as of Wednesday morning.
Authorities have determined that a woman in her 70s found in a rice field in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, died of hypothermia.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 19, 2025
Akita woman thought to have been killed by a bear actually died of hypothermia
Authorities concluded that a smaller animal had inflicted the wounds on the body of the woman, who was in her 70s, after her death.
With the government's integration of health insurance with My Number cards, conventional health insurance cards will no longer be accepted at clinics and hospitals across Japan from Dec. 2.
JAPAN / Explainer
Nov 17, 2025
What you need to know about the shift to My Number health insurance cards
By integrating health insurance with My Number cards, the government hopes to streamline administration processes, reduce paperwork and make it easier to treat patients.
A staff member sorts bells next to an advertisement for bear spray at a store in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 24.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 10, 2025
Businesses in Japan tighten bear safety measures as sightings surge
Convenience stores and delivery companies are taking action to protect employees and customers as the predators are spotted in record numbers.
Financially struggling families are burdened with educational expenses, as many schools require students to purchase designated uniforms and digital devices, according to a survey.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 7, 2025
Educational expenses for schoolchildren on the rise, survey finds
The average cost of uniforms for first-year junior high and high school students has risen by about ¥10,000 this year.
Shiori Ito at the National Board of Review Awards Gala in New York in January
JAPAN / Society
Nov 7, 2025
Shiori Ito’s documentary to be finally screened in Japan next month
The Japanese release of “Black Box Diaries” includes revisions, although it’s not clear precisely what edits have been made.
A rapid adoption of solar panels by homeowners in Japan has created new targets for aggressive sales tactics and outright scams.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 6, 2025
Consumer watchdog warns of solar panel inspection scams
The number of homes equipped with solar panels has skyrocketed in recent years, creating new targets for aggressive sales tactics.
A bear is seen near a house in the city of Akita on Oct. 30.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2025
Bear threat casts shadow over autumn outdoor activities
Twelve people have been killed by bears this fiscal year, and 108 have been attacked in Japan as of the end of September — both the highest figures on record.
Waseda University in Tokyo
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2025
More Japanese universities pushing toward teaching in English
Many university officials in Japan believe bringing an international environment onto campus is a cheaper, safer way to produce highly skilled graduates.
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.
Japanese court orders Cloudflare to pay ¥500 million over manga piracy
Cloudflare has been ordered to pay ¥500 million after four major publishing firms accused the firm of copyright infringement for its role in hosting sites that distribute pirated copies of manga titles.
The reality of human trafficking in Japan
A view of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward at night. Last year in Japan, 66 people were put in protective custody as victims of human trafficking. Among them, 58 — including all 41 minors — were Japanese nationals. International pressure to act on human trafficking led Japan to make efforts to crack down on the crime, such as a tightening of conditions in 2005 for entertainer visas.
Beware of China’s strategic distortion of reality
China holds a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3. 
China to reimpose ban on Japanese seafood imports amid row over Taiwan, reports say
A sign reading, "Suspend the sales of all fish products imported from Japan" is displayed in an area home to Japanese restaurants in Beijing in August 2023. China will reimpose a ban on imports of Japanese seafood, media reports in Tokyo said Wednesday, as a diplomatic spat between the two countries deepens.
Yen rout brings talk of ¥160 to the dollar and possible intervention
The yen has been weak against the U.S. dollar in recent weeks, with some analysts expecting the retreat to continue.
Onosato stumbles in quest for first perfect championship
Yoshinofuji (left) beats Onosato by <i>oshidashi</i> at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday.
The reality of human trafficking in Japan
A view of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward at night. Last year in Japan, 66 people were put in protective custody as victims of human trafficking. Among them, 58 — including all 41 minors — were Japanese nationals. International pressure to act on human trafficking led Japan to make efforts to crack down on the crime, such as a tightening of conditions in 2005 for entertainer visas.
Why we can’t get enough of the sham of the rental family
“Rental Family,” directed and co-written by the single-named Hikari, follows out-of-work actor Phillip (Brendan Fraser), who is hired as the “token white guy” at a Tokyo agency called Rental Family.
Economic security minister stresses crackdown on rule-breaking foreign nationals
Economic security minister Kimi Onoda speaks during a group interview in Tokyo on Monday.
How Band-Maid brought anime energy into the hard-rock sound of ‘Scooooop’
Members of Band-Maid combine heavy riffs and maid-inspired visuals in their latest project, "Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty."

Podcast

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

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo
By Kathryn Wortley

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