and Emperor Akihito (second from left) walk on a beach in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, with Prince Akishino (third from left) and his family -- Princess Mako, Princess Kiko and Princess Kako (from left to right), in this file photo taken Aug. 4, 2004. KYODO PHOTO

The royal pregnancy is in the spotlight because no boy has been born to the Imperial family in 41 years, jeopardizing the existence of the male-only emperor system.

Our Planet

Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past