National | Remembering 3/11 Mar 11, 2021

Japan remembers 'man-made' Fukushima nuclear disaster, 10 years on

Areas around the Fukushima plant remain off-limits, worries about radiation levels linger and many who left have settled elsewhere.

National | ANALYSIS Nov 25, 2020

Messy reversal on Go To Travel campaign may dent Suga’s prospects

Critics say his re-evaluation was too little, too late, and risked leaving the image of a leader both stubborn and indecisive, without due care for public health.

National Nov 10, 2020

Japan should brace for 'leaderless era' as U.S. turns inward, Suga adviser says

Concerns about America's inward turn have simmered in Japan for years, intensifying in the face of China's growing military and economic assertiveness.

National / Politics | FOCUS Aug 24, 2020

How possible successors stack up if Abe resigns

The prime minister visited a Tokyo hospital on Monday as concerns grew over his ability to continue in his post.

Business / Economy | FOCUS Jun 12, 2020

Women bear brunt of Japan's recession as pandemic unravels Abe's 'Womenomics'

Many women lack the job security of male workers, with more than half holding vulnerable part-time, contract or temporary jobs.

National / Science & Health | FOCUS Mar 17, 2020

In Nagoya, scramble for hospital beds highlights coronavirus challenge for aging Japan

To free up beds, patients requiring nonurgent surgery will likely be asked to wait, and others may be discharged earlier than usual, experts said.

National / Politics Feb 26, 2020

Critics ask 'Where's Abe?' as coronavirus spreads in Japan

As Japan struggles to stem the spread of a coronavirus within its borders, critics are asking, "Where's Abe?" Shinzo Abe, 65, Japan's longest serving prime minister, has failed to take the helm as the public face of the response to the virus, critics say, leaving ...

National / Crime & Legal Jan 1, 2020

Ghosn's escape may see Japan impose stronger bail conditions on defendants

Carlos Ghosn's daring flight from Japan, where he was awaiting trial on charges of financial wrongdoing, has revived global criticism of the nation's "hostage justice" system, but in Japan it is prompting talk of reversing more lenient curbs on defendants. The ousted boss of Nissan ...

National / History Nov 20, 2019

Japan's aging 'Hidden Christians' fear they may be their religion's last generation

His face weathered from years at sea, kimono-clad fisherman Masaichi Kawasaki kneels before an altar adorned with images of the Virgin Mary, crossing himself as he softly intones chants handed down through centuries. Kawasaki, 69, is one of a dwindling number of Japan's "Kakure Kirishitan," ...

National / Politics Nov 19, 2019

Mission unaccomplished — Abe's drive to revise pacifist Constitution

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe surged back to power seven years ago, pledging to bolster the nation's defenses in response to a growing threat from China and aiming to amend the pacifist Constitution. Now on track to become Japan's longest serving prime minister, Abe has kept ...