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Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2023

COVID-19 tracker: Japan reports 132,373 new cases and 377 deaths

The number of severely ill COVID-19 patients, meanwhile, fell by two from Friday to 693.
European Council President Antonio Costa (left) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) join hands with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba prior to a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2025

Japan and EU launch trade ‘alliance’ amid concerns over U.S. and China

The new agreement will expand bilateral trade ties, promote business cooperation and explore ways to diversify critical mineral supply chains.
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures after signing executive orders in Washington on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 24, 2025

Trump says Tokyo agreed to buy U.S. defense gear, but questions remain

Touting the surprise trade agreement with Japan, the U.S. president claimed that Tokyo agreed to buy billions of dollars in defense equipment.
The pilot of an U.S. Osprey military aircraft contacted Hanamaki Airport in Iwate Prefecture to request an emergency landing due to a technical issue, according to an official at the airport.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2025

U.S. Osprey makes emergency landing at Iwate airport

The aircraft has been involved in accidents and several deadly crashes, including one in 2023 when all eight people on board were killed.
Wakana, a Japanese fan of Thai BL, visits a temple in Thon Buri, Bangkok featured in the Thai adaptation of the Japanese series “Cherry Magic.” Her media consumption kindled an interest in Thai culture and language, and ultimately led her to relocate to Thailand. “I fell in love with the whole country,” she says.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Jul 28, 2025

Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan

Thailand has become a top producer of BL (boys’ love) dramas — and audiences in Japan are among the most ardent consumers.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s last-minute trade deal with the U.S. may calm tariff fears but has cost him politically, leaving Japan’s ruling party divided and his leadership on the brink.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 24, 2025

‘Mr. Japan’ bends the knee — and falls on his sword

Shigeru Ishiba’s trade deal with Donald Trump will be his last act as leader
In Junglia’s Dinosaur Safari attraction during a media preview on Thursday, a casual drive through a habitat for the prehistoric creatures goes haywire when several Tyrannosaurus rexes break out of containment.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2025

Junglia, Japan’s newest theme park, opens in northern Okinawa

Open from July 25, the new Junglia theme park turns an old golf course into 22 dinosaur- and adventure sports-themed attractions.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, the day after he agreed to an 11th-hour trade deal with Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 24, 2025

Big unanswered questions follow Japan's big, beautiful deal with the U.S.

The $550 billion investment plan, in particular, is the subject of doubt and discussion.
A "no swimming" sign and flag are displayed on the beach at Shonan Bellmare Hiratsuka Beach Park in the city of Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Aug. 10 last year, following the issuance of emergency information on the increased risk of a huge Nankai Trough earthquake.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2025

Japan holds first meeting on Nankai quake information guidelines review

Japan issued its first Nankai Trough emergency information in August last year following a major quake off Miyazaki Prefecture.
The city of Obihiro in Hokkaido amid scorching heat on Thursday
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2025

Extreme heat grips Japan, including even Hokkaido

Several cities in Hokkaido experienced record-high temperatures on Thursday, and Hokkaido Railway has suspended portions of its rail lines as a safety precaution.
A technician works on the assembly line at a solar panel manufacturing hub on the outskirts of New Delhi last October.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Jul 27, 2025

Amid fossil fuel shift in U.S., hope emerges for India and Japan tie-up on solar

As the Trump administration shifts back to gas and coal, solar power stakeholders in Japan and India are seeking new ways to collaborate.
In August 1950, The Japan Times reported on the canceling of Hiroshima's fifth annual peace ceremony due to the Korean War.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Aug 2, 2025

Japan Times 1950: Hiroshima peace festival canceled

In August 1950, the fifth anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the city’s annual ceremony praying for peace was canceled due to ongoing combat on the Korean Peninsula.
Students hoping to work in Japan attend a Japanese class at a job placement company in Hanoi in October 2022.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 28, 2025

Japan to start new residency system for foreign workers

The aim is to systematically develop foreign human resources and ensure they stay in Japanese workplaces for the long term.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (left) shakes hands with economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, at the Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka on July 19.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 28, 2025

Japan expects only 1% to 2% of $550 billion U.S. fund to be investment

The bulk of the fund, agreed as part of Japan's trade deal with the U.S., will consist of loans, says chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa.
Ground Self-Defense Force troops fire a Type-12 anti-ship missile as part of the RIMPAC 24 sinking exercise around the Hawaiian Islands in July last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 29, 2025

Japan eyes locations for deploying longer-range standoff missiles

The defense minister said that the location for the weapons, due to be deployed by next March, has yet to be decided — though reports called Kumamoto Prefecture a top candidate.
Who will buy the cars, SUVs, and trucks like the F-150 Donald Trump has promised to sell in Japan? Who will purchase 100 Boeing jets? And what will the $550 billion Tokyo-backed fund actually look like?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 29, 2025

Who buys the F-150s, and more Japan deal mysteries

The long-awaited trade deal between the U.S. and Japan has investors celebrating after months of uncertainty. But as the song goes, nagging questions always remain.
Police officers ask a man to evacuate from an empty beach following a tsunami warning, in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2025

Japan on edge but prepared for tsunami after huge Kamchatka earthquake

Tsunami waves measuring up to 1.3 meters were observed off the Pacific coast of Japan, with authorities urging people in coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground.
Masayuki Yamauchi teaches junior high school students about the history of Okunoshima, an island in Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture, in May.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2025

80 years on, former teacher conveys history of hidden island in World War II

The tiny island in Hiroshima Prefecture hosted a poison gas plant of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, leading to its removal from maps for confidentiality purposes.
Emperor Naruhito meets with Micronesian President Wesley Simina at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2025

Emperor meets with Micronesia's president

Emperor Naruhito thanked Micronesian President Wesley Simina for visiting Fukushima Prefecture in March to observe the reconstruction efforts there.
Japan's temperature soared to a record 41.2 degrees Celsius in Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture, on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high of 41.1 C.
JAPAN / Breaking
Jul 30, 2025

Japan marks highest-ever temperature of 41.2 C in Hyogo

The mercury hit the above-human temperature of 41.2 C in the city of Tanba, Hyogo Prefecture, as authorities urged people to take precautions to avoid heatstroke.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Washington in January.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 30, 2025

As China advances and the U.S. retreats, Japan-India ties grow stronger

Located on two ends of the Indo-Pacific region, India and Japan anchor a stable counterweight to China and a mercurial Trump.
Kyoko Miura presenting a kamishibai picture story about her escape back to Japan from former Manchuria as a young girl after the end of the war, on June 27 in the city of Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2025

A girl’s life during wartime, told one picture at a time

Kyoko Miura heads a civic group based in the city of Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, that is working on passing down stories of World War II to future generations.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki attends a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 31, 2025

Japan's foreign population could top 10% in 2040, says justice minister

A 2023 estimate had projected that Japan's foreign population would exceed 10% in the 2070s.
Police officers ask people to evacuate a beach due to a tsunami warning in the city of Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2025

Japan lifts tsunami advisory nationwide

The Meteorological Agency first lifted the advisory for coastal areas between Tokyo Bay and Okinawa on Thursday morning before clearing it across the country at 4:30 p.m.
Hiroyuki Goto, president of GTN. The company started after Goto personally co-signed leases for around 20 non-Japanese people, including some friends and friends of friends.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 31, 2025

GTN takes a chance on newcomers to Japan

People said GTN President Hiroyuki Goto was "a bit crazy" guaranteeing leases for foreign residents.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets with Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok in Tokyo on May 22.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 31, 2025

Japan’s strategic blind spot in the heart of Europe

Central Europe may hold the key to increased strategic autonomy without the geopolitical baggage of the superpowers.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has been talking up Japan's successful tariff negotiations with the United States.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 1, 2025

U.S. sets Aug. 7 as start date for Japan's 15% 'reciprocal' tariff

The focus is now on unfinished business as auto duties go unmentioned.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses the media at the vote-counting center in the Liberal Democratic Party’s headquarters in Tokyo on July 20.  
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 1, 2025

Is this the end of Japan's 'big tent' parties?

The big winners of the day in the Upper House election were newer conservative parties.

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