Business Jun 24, 2022

Japan 7-Eleven franchisee who rebelled against company loses in court

A judge ordered Mitoshi Matsumoto to hand his store, which he opened in 2012, over to the company and pay damages for lost business.

National May 19, 2022

Katsumoto Saotome, who preserved memories of Tokyo firebombing, dies at 90

He compiled six books of survivors’ recollections of the 1945 attack. He also founded — without government support — a memorial museum.

Lifestyle May 2, 2022

At 119, she was a symbol of how to live with wit and vitality

Kane Tanaka, who died in Japan last month, survived two world wars, the 1918 influenza outbreak, paratyphoid and two rounds of cancer.

Business Apr 28, 2022

Can Japan keep the lights on? The Ukraine war upends a big energy bet.

Liquefied natural gas was seen as a crucial transitional fuel in Japan's gradual shift to renewable energy. But then came the pandemic and the Ukraine war, which caused prices to soar.

Lifestyle Apr 25, 2022

This man married a fictional character. He’d like you to hear him out.

Akihiko Kondo and thousands of others are in devoted fictional relationships, served by a vast industry aimed at satisfying the desires of a fervent fan culture.

National Apr 4, 2022

Asia welcomes travelers, but Japan says, not yet

Countries across region are reopening borders to tourists, but Japan continues to turn them away. And it is not rushing to change things.

National / Social Issues Feb 3, 2022

In Japan, a thousand digital eyes keep watch over the elderly

The surveillance programs offer the promise of protecting those in cognitive decline while helping them retain some independence, but they have also evoked fears of authoritarian overreach.

Asia Pacific Dec 17, 2021

Japan's island paradise near the front line of tensions over Taiwan

Not long ago, Japan saw mostly economic opportunity with China, but with security challenges growing, the calculus has changed.

National / Politics Oct 28, 2021

Japan’s Communists are hardly radical, but make a handy election target

The party, which long ago abandoned Marx and Lenin and never really had time for Stalin or Mao, is about as radical as a beige cardigan.

Lifestyle Oct 24, 2021

Yes, this tiny water cooler capsule toy is 'ridiculous.' Perfect.

Yoshiaki Yamanishi set out to create the most boring toy imaginable. In the booming universe of Japanese capsule vending machines, the competition is strong. Anyone with some pocket change could have been rewarded in recent months with a miniature toy gas meter that doubles as ...