National Jul 6, 2021

School's out for the Tokyo Olympics as parents and teachers reconsider trips

Many schools have pulled out of a program intended to let hundreds of thousands of children see the world's best athletes compete.

National Jun 11, 2021

JOC executive Kaori Yamaguchi says Tokyo Games should be held without spectators

Yamaguchi said the government was "confusing" the public by asking them to stay at home and imposing curbs while putting on the global sports showpiece.

National | FOCUS Jul 1, 2020

Peeling back the hospital curtain: One Japanese hospital's fight against COVID-19

As the country emerges from a state of emergency, hospitals like one in Yokohama face the prospect of operating in the shadow of a virus with no treatment or cure.

National / Politics Jul 18, 2019

Path to the Diet still strewn with high hurdles for Japan's women

When anti-nuclear activist Junko Isogai ran for office in Niigata, her campaign had an awkward dimension: not just speeches and chats with constituents, but efforts to entertain potential backers. "I was asked to pour sake, make flattering conversation and act in a way men wouldn't ...

National / Social Issues Mar 20, 2019

Vietnamese blue-collar workers in Japan seen facing risks as labor system opens up

When a young Vietnamese woman found out late last year that she was pregnant after arriving in Japan on a technical trainee visa, she was given a stark choice: "Have an abortion or go back to Vietnam." But returning home would leave her unable to ...

National Sep 26, 2018

Shrinking applicant pool: Japan's Self Defense Forces struggling to recruit amid population crisis

As a Self-Defense Forces recruiter sat patiently at a booth outside a supermarket in Tokyo one recent weekend, she welcomed a rare visitor, high school student Kazuaki Matsumura. But Matsumura, who plans to go to university, wasn't there to sign up. He was just curious. "There ...

National Jul 16, 2018

In Mabicho, delays, lack of awareness raised death toll from floods

When Isao Akutagawa moved to the sleepy riverside community of Mabicho in Okayama Prefecture 45 years ago, it seemed like the perfect suburb to raise his children. In the town, which was merged with the nearby city of Kurashiki in 2005 and is now called ...

National / Politics Dec 14, 2017

Edano's David goes after Abe's 'arrogant' Goliath in Diet

The leader of the small Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which exceeded expectations in October's snap poll, now hopes that by offering clear policy alternatives he can oust Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition in the next election. One key to achieving that ambitious goal, ...

National / Politics Oct 18, 2017

Japan's oldest village by age sees LDP leadership as key for survival

Chikara Imai, 73, is quick to dismiss the new parties in Sunday's national election, saying old ties with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party is what the country's most elderly village needs for survival. Nanmoku, 107 km (67 miles) northwest of Tokyo, is at ...

National Jul 5, 2017

Heavy reliance on coal is likely to stymie Japan's climate agreement goals

Japan may not achieve its carbon emissions target if an ambitious plan to build more coal-fired power plants moves ahead, the environment minister said, underlining Tokyo's struggle to meet globally agreed goals to halt climate change. Even as it champions the Paris climate agreement, Japan ...