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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida leaves his office residence in formal attire to attend an attestation ceremony at the Imperial Palace with his reshuffled Cabinet in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2023

Kishida replaces top diplomat and boosts women in Cabinet reshuffle

Among the more stunning moves was the prime minister’s decision to have former Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa replace Yoshimasa Hayashi as top diplomat.
Draft documents show a hole of about €220 million ($235 million) in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s €650 million budget for this year, with the U.S. and China being the biggest debtors.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 15, 2023

Nuke watchdog risks running out of money amid U.S.-China tensions

The last time the IAEA was in such dire financial straits was in the mid-1990s.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa during a news conference at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2023

Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa's diplomatic chops to be tested at U.N.

The visit to New York marks the top diplomat's first overseas trip since she became foreign minister in last week's Cabinet reshuffle.
A cross-section illustration of the second Seikan Tunnel proposed by the Japan Project-Industry Council
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Sep 25, 2023

Is the plan to build a second Seikan Tunnel realistic?

Advocates suggest shorter travel times and revitalized communities, while critics worry about the price tag.
An All Nippon Airways employee (left) escorts a group of Chinese tourists and a tour conductor (right) at the arrival lobby of Haneda Airport in Tokyo in August.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 20, 2023

Chinese visitors help Japan edge toward pre-pandemic tourism levels

Inbound tourism, counted as an export of services, has been a bright spot in Japan’s economic recovery.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's disapproval ratings stood at 59%, according to a recent poll, up from 37% when elected last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 22, 2023

South Korea's Yoon lambasts critics, calling them ‘communists’

The remarks may rally his conservative base and distract from unease about some of his policies, but it risks fueling division and alienating some voters.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2023

Hokkaido seafood piles up in freezers following China ban

Scallops and other products are amassing in freezers at processing facilities in the prefecture, costing businesses more for storage.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 24, 2023

Aomori bento maker banned from operations due to food poisoning

As many as 270 people in 21 prefectures in the country have become sick after eating bento meals supplied by Yoshidaya.
Light from the opening ceremony of the 2022 Asian Games in the sky over the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou, China on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 24, 2023

China opens Hangzhou Asian Games with dazzling ceremony

Spectators in the city's 80,000 capacity stadium let out a huge roar as Chinese leader Xi Jinping was introduced and sat with visiting dignitaries.
Katsuura in Chiba Prefecture — around 90 minutes by express train from Tokyo — has never seen the mercury climb above 35 degrees Celsius, a benchmark the meteorological agency uses to describe “extremely hot” weather, since records began in the city in 1906.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 24, 2023

Japan’s endless summer pushes some toward cooler places

Amid a summerlong heat wave, more people are showing interest in moving to places like Katsuura that are known for their milder temperatures.
Women with portable electric fans in the Yurakucho district of Tokyo on Sept. 12. In Japan, Cool Biz became especially popular with women, who tended to wear lighter clothes and often complained about the cold temperatures needed to make business suits comfortable for their male colleagues.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023

Where did all the dark-suited Japanese businessmen go?

Under Cool Biz, salarymen and government workers don short-sleeved shirts in the summer as offices are kept above 28 degrees Celsius to save energy.
Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2023

Coalition party leader seeks China visit this year to mend ties

Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Komeito, abandoned a planned trip last month as friction worsened with Japan’s biggest trading partner.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has overseen foreign policy successes during his two years in power, including on the nation's approach to development aid and climate change.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 28, 2023

Kishida's mixed bag of successes and shortcomings

Kishida has also been adept in terms of diplomacy in at least four areas: the war in Ukraine, the Taiwan issue, development aid and South Korea relations.
The Mikomotojima Lighthouse in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, was designed by Richard Henry Brunton, a Scotsman who was employed by the Meiji government to build lighthouses across Japan in the 19th century. In "The Japan Lights," author Iain Maloney connects his personal travels and experiences in Japan to Brunton's pursuits.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 1, 2023

'The Japan Lights' traces a journey of self-discovery in the wake of 3/11

Iain Maloney's wise book connects his travels in Japan to the pursuits of Richard Henry Brunton, a Scotsman who built lighthouses across the country.
Central to China’s global media campaign is the aggressive use of new technologies to target and spread messages, silence critics and create a digital infrastructure that is more easily controlled.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2023

Pushing back against China’s media offensive

China is using propaganda, disinformation, censorship and covert tactics to promote its preferred narrative and suppress critical reporting.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 10, 2023

Ruling party executive Koichi Hagiuda visits Taiwan

Hagiuda hopes to hold talks with Taiwanese officials, including President Tsai Ing-wen, during the visit.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of social media site X, attends the Viva Technology conference in Paris in June.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 11, 2023

EU warns Musk over 'illegal' disinformation on X after Israel attack

Everything from video game and movie clips to old images of conflicts are being used to push false narratives across Elon Musk's platform.
BUSINESS
Oct 13, 2023

Japan and Thailand to cooperate to improve investment climate

Thailand's foreign minister reportedly said that he hopes his country can cooperate with Japan in new areas, including digital transformation.
Oil storage tanks in the Keihin industrial area in Kanagawa Prefecture. Japan relies on the Middle East for over 95% of its oil.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Oct 17, 2023

Japan still relies on Middle East oil 50 years on from crisis

Japan's alternative oil suppliers, such as Indonesia, have seen their ability to export reduced by their own economic growth.
Foreign tourists in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Wednesday
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2023

Foreign visitors to Japan hit 96% of pre-COVID level in September

The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure was 2.18 million last month, up slightly from 2.16 million in August.
Japan's exports rose more than expected in September, led by shipments of cars and medical supplies.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 19, 2023

Japan exports rise more than expected in support for recovery

The value of exports gained 4.3% from a year earlier, led by shipments of cars and medical supplies in the first overall rise in three months.
Vagaries in Japanese law mean single mothers are sometimes left without financial support from their former partners.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Oct 23, 2023

Documentary shines a spotlight on Japan’s single mothers

"The Ones Left Behind" explores the successes and struggles of single mothers in modern Japan.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a policy speech during an extraordinary session of parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2023

The economy takes center stage in Kishida’s policy speech

"'The economy, the economy, the economy.’ I will focus my attention on the economy more than anything else,” Kishida said in opening remarks.
Nissan Motor Sakura electric vehicles (left and center), and a Mitsubishi Motors eK X electric vehicle on display during their release ceremony at the Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima plant in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, in May 2022.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 24, 2023

Japan's bestselling EV isn’t a Tesla but a $13,000 minicar

A jointly developed minicar sold as the Nissan Motors Sakura and Mitsubishi Motors eK X accounts for roughly half of all EV sales in Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 24, 2023

Japan taps new U.S. and China envoys as Tokyo looks to balance ties

The appointments of new envoys to the U.S. and China come amid growing rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
JR Kyushu is investigating four foreign YouTubers who seemingly took free rides on trains around the country.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 24, 2023

Railway operator investigates free-riding foreign YouTubers

A YouTuber known as Fidias posted a video of the four riding trains around Japan, apparently without paying for tickets.
PRESS
Oct 24, 2023

ジャパンタイムズが世界新聞協会のアジア・メディア・アワード2023を受賞

株式会社ジャパンタイムズ(本社:東京都千代田区、代表取締役社長:末松弥奈子)は、2023年10月に発表された世界新聞協会(WAN-IFRA)のアジア・メディア・アワード2023にて、速報部門と特集記事部門の2部門で最優秀賞を受賞しました。...
Tomochika Uyama, a senior official of the World Trade Organization, during an interview in Osaka on Sunday
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2023

WTO's Tomochika Uyama eager to restore dispute settlement system

The senior adviser to the body's director-general cited momentum following a two-day meeting of Group of Seven trade ministers in Osaka.
"The Ones Left Behind" documents the successes and struggles of single mothers in Japan.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 2, 2023

Why single mothers in Japan have been left behind

Filmmaker Rionne McAvoy joins us to discuss the hidden poverty present in one of the world’s richest nations.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2023

With Naoto Kan's exit from the CDP, some see a generational shift

The exit of the former prime minister, a high-profile figure and political veteran from the CDP’s liberal wing, comes at a time of change for the party.

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?