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JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 10, 2023

Kishida and Biden to 'set course' for alliance in first talks in Washington

Japan's new defense and security direction will play a key role in the talks, as Kishida is seeking Biden's strong endorsement of Tokyo's fresh strategy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices
Dec 31, 2022

The year through our own lenses

We asked our staff and freelance photographers to share the shots that made the year for them.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2022

Japan, U.K. and Italy to jointly develop next-gen fighter aircraft by 2035

The move will see Tokyo cooperate for the first time with countries other than the United States to meet a major defense requirement.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Longform
Nov 28, 2022

Wood spirits: How Japan made the world’s first liquor from trees

History is being made by a technology that may help aging rural populations, reinvigorate the nation's struggling forestry sector and shake up the global alcohol industry in unforeseen ways.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 6, 2022

North Korean provocations boosting U.S., Japan and South Korea security cooperation

North Korea's numerous weapon tests are bringing the U.S. and its top Asian allies closer together, as Japan and South Korea put aside long-standing political differences — at least for now.
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2022

North Korea fires ballistic missile over Japan for first time since 2017

The missile, which was estimated to have traveled 4,600 km, prompted Tokyo to issue a rare alert calling for residents to take cover.
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2022

Respect and protest: Abe funeral draws large crowds with contrasting aims

Huge throngs gathered around the Nippon Budokan for what may be remembered as one of the most controversial ceremonial events in Japan in recent years.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 25, 2022

Ray Masaki: ‘Being earnest and not overdoing things — that’s what resonates’

Ray Masaki moved from America to Japan to gain a better understanding of his heritage. Today, he continues to navigate his cultural identity both in his design work and his own life.
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2022

As Japan's neighbors ramp up offensive capabilities in cyberspace, SDF aims to bolster defense

In its budget proposal for the coming fiscal year, the Defense Ministry is requesting more than u00a575 billion — a twofold rise — to bolster the SDF's cyberdefense.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Aug 29, 2022

How faith and spirituality shape modern Japan

The religious movement behind the grudge held by the man charged with Abe's assassination has cast a fresh light on how religion is perceived and practiced in the nation.
Japan Times
LIFE
Aug 6, 2022

Sentō Samaritans: The fight to save urban bathhouses

Were public bathhouses to vanish from Tokyo, Osaka and other cities across Japan, much more than hot water would be lost.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 10, 2022

Oisin MacPartlin: ‘Nobody ever regretted starting training too soon’

The personal trainer from Ireland helps clients of all ages and dispositions achieve their respective fitness goals. What's his secret?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
May 16, 2022

The cofounders of German restaurant Schmatz offer some startup takeaways

They came to Japan with the goal of starting a business. Now, Christopher Ax and Marc Luetten are helping to update perceptions of Germany.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Apr 27, 2022

Japan is losing people, but is it all bad?

Staff writer Alex Martin joins to discuss Japan's declining population, and why one town in Saitama thinks it's not all bad news.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 25, 2022

Discreetly, the young in Japan chip away at a taboo on tattoos

Exposed to body art on social media, more young Japanese are getting tattoos, even if that means hiding them at work.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Apr 18, 2022

Seeing a new life: George Nobechi’s path to photography

Back in the day, photos used to be produced in a darkroom, where a film negative would be enlarged to expose a sheet of paper. The paper would appear blank, until swished gently in a bath of developer fluid. Gradually, an image would emerge.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 16, 2022

Where is Japan's Great Resignation?

This week, senior staff writer Alex Martin joins to discuss the changing face of work in Japan, and why so few people seem inclined to switch roles.
According to the education ministry survey for fiscal 2024, the English proficiency of public junior high school and senior high school students in Japan continues to improve.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2025

Japanese students' English proficiency keeps improving

The city of Saitama marked the highest figure for junior high school third graders with Grade 3 or higher Eiken levels, at 89.2%.
President of World Athletics Sebastian Coe speaks in Oslo on June 12.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Jun 24, 2025

It will be 'big and punchy': Athletics chief Coe looks to future

The World Championships arrive in September in Tokyo, and Coe describes them as "a massive moment."
The building housing the headquarters of Daiwa Securities Group in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 25, 2025

Daiwa plans $690 million real estate fund as Japan market booms

Daiwa will target Japanese rental housing and hotels, assets that tend to be better insulated from inflation compared with other sectors, at a time when consumer prices are rising.
Many recent video games, including Breath of the Wild and Planet of Lana, have borrowed from the pastoral aesthetic of Studio Ghibli films like “Princess Mononoke.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 25, 2025

Studio Ghibli’s majestic sensibility is drawing imitators

Forty years after the Japanese animation studio was founded, game creators are embracing its legacy of moral integrity.
Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Mei Semones incorporates Japanese lyrics into her music, which blends jazz and indie rock with bossa nova, math rock and a dash of early-1990s grunge, among other genres.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 26, 2025

Mei Semones is the rookie to remember at Fuji Rock

The singer-songwriter delivers her bilingual lyrics and artful blend of jazz and indie pop with quiet confidence.
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jul 1, 2025

Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead

Growth of the sport is being seen in Japan and elsewhere, and some feel this could even benefit traditional gridiron.
The Federal Trade Commission has opened an in-depth investigation of SoftBank Group's acquisition of semiconductor designer Ampere Computing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2025

SoftBank’s Ampere deal now faces a more in-depth review by FTC

SoftBank’s acquisition of semiconductor designer Ampere Computing is facing a potentially lengthy probe by the U.S. government.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya explains his campaign promises in Tokyo on June 30 for the Upper House election.
COMMENTARY / Japan / From Party Leaders
Jul 4, 2025

Japan’s Do It Yourself Party: Who we are and where we are headed

Our core philosophy is “to protect Japan’s national interests and bring about harmony in the world.”
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Jul 6, 2025

Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste

Some scholars and activists are raising concerns that Indigenous voices are not being heard amid the debate over whether to host nuclear waste storage facilities.
A V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft arrives at the Ground Self-Defense Force's new camp in the city of Saga on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2025

GSDF begins Osprey deployment to new camp in southwestern Japan

The deployment of the tilt-rotor aircraft from Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture to the new camp in Saga is scheduled to be completed by mid-August.
Mazda employees walk at the company's main plant in the town of Fuchu, Hiroshima Prefecture, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 18, 2025

Japan voters see little hope for tariff reprieve in carmaker Mazda's hometown

The economic engine of Hiroshima Prefecture faces U.S. tariffs of 25% on cars, a dispiriting prospect for an electorate already battling inflation.
Ichiro Suzuki will soon become the first Japanese player to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
BASEBALL
Jul 22, 2025

Induction of Ichiro has Cooperstown fretfully preparing

The star's entry into baseball's Hall of Fame could bring an influx of fans from far away.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan