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Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2021

Japan set to be scrubbed from EU safe travel list over COVID-19 rate

The list does not bind individual EU nations, but Germany has already added Japan to its list of 'high-risk areas' subject to tighter entry restrictions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 23, 2020

Japan seeks closure in post-Brexit U.K. trade talks by end of July

Japan is aiming to conclude its current trade negotiations with the U.K. by the end of next month, according to a Japanese government official familiar with the talks.
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Aug 26, 2022

Isolation ends: Japan reopens its borders to the world

The coronavirus will not be going away and Japan must adapt to it. Isolation may be a temptation but it is a false hope.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 31, 2022

When will Kishida fully reopen Japan's borders?

A look at the political forces that have been driving Japan's draconian stance on incoming tourism for the past two years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 5, 2021

Alex Kerr sounded an alarm 25 years ago. Did Japan listen?

On the anniversary of his breakout book u2018Lost Japan,' the author finds reasons for hope in some rural towns.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 3, 2021

Japan squeezes by U.S. in extra innings, buying easy pass to semifinals

The win sets up Japan for a matchup against South Korea, while the U.S. faces a tougher route to a place in the final.
An event to promote Japan-India cooperation on supply chains for minerals was held at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025

New Delhi event highlights Japan's bid to deepen India ties on critical minerals

The event brought together a total of some 70 companies from both countries, including members of the Battery Association for Supply Chain, a Japanese industry group.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung holds a news conference to mark his first month in office at the Blue House in Seoul on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2025

South Korean president hopes to visit Japan soon

Lee Jae Myung, who marked his first month in office, expressed hopes of promoting dialogue with Japan through mutual visits.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Abukuma-class destroyer Chikuma (front) and the Australian Navy's Hobart-class guided-missile destroyer Brisbane sail in formation during a military exercise in the Pacific Ocean in November 2023.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 7, 2025

Japan eyes used warship transfer to Philippines in bid to counter China

Sending the Abukuma-class vessels to Manila would mark Tokyo’s first export of an entire major naval platform in decades.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand shakes hands with Japan's top diplomat, Takeshi Iwaya, at the end of a signing ceremony for an information security agreement, after bilateral talks in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 9, 2025

Japan and Canada ink key intel-sharing deal

The agreement is another important step toward deepening ties with individual members of the Five Eyes intelligence grouping.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during bilateral talks on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related meetings in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 10, 2025

Japan voices strong concern over Chinese military and rare earth moves

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, met for talks on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related gatherings.
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a trilateral defense meeting with Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, the chief of staff of the Self-Defense Forces’ Joint Staff, and South Korean Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myung-soo at the Defense Ministry in Seoul on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2025

South Korea, Japan and U.S. conduct air drill as defense chiefs meet

The three countries' defense chiefs also held an annual meeting in Seoul on Friday, where they recognized the importance of close trilateral cooperation.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters during Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related meetings in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 11, 2025

Rubio says Japan defense spending hike less about money, more about capabilities

The comments echoed the view of Ishiba, who has repeatedly said that what is most important is the substance of strengthened defense capabilities — not arbitrary figures.
A Ground Self-Defense Force member conducts a military drill with an anti-ship missiles unit, at the GSDF's base on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2022.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2025

U.S. urges clarity on Japan’s role in potential war over Taiwan, report says

The move reportedly caught Japanese officials off-guard, since the U.S. itself maintains a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on whether or not it would defend Taiwan.
Moomin characters take part in a ceremony for Finland’s National Day event at the World Expo in Osaka last month.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2025

Moomins enjoy enduring popularity in Japan on their 80th anniversary

The charming characters along with their diverse cast of companions from the series have captivated Japanese audiences for generations.
A senior member of a Self-Defense Forces honor guard inspects a formation before the arrival of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for a visit to the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on June 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 15, 2025

With China and Trump, Japan defense report says world entering ‘new era of crisis’

The annual defense white paper says that U.S. actions under Trump will “significantly impact” the Indo-Pacific region and “will require continued attention.”
"The odds are high that the U.S. and Japan can come to an agreement," former U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty said.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 15, 2025

Ex-U.S. envoy William Hagerty optimistic about tariff talks with Japan

"The odds are high that the U.S. and Japan can come to an agreement," Hagerty said in an interview.
Elbridge Colby (center), then-nominee to be the Pentagon's undersecretary of defense for policy, is introduced by U.S. Vice President JD Vance (left), during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington in March.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 16, 2025

Pentagon No. 3 praises Japan defense report, but vows to make alliance more 'equitable'

The Pentagon's top policy official Elbridge Colby labeled the defense white paper “an important, clear-eyed strategic assessment from our close ally."
Visitors crowd Nakamise shopping street in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on June 22.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2025

Japan tourism growth slowed as quake rumor deterred Hong Kongers

Fears of an earthquake on or around July 5 originated from a manga by Ryo Tatsuki, whom some claim to have foreseen Japan’s disastrous 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces stand in formation during a review at Camp Asaka in October 2018. The government’s latest Defense White Paper warns of growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea.
EDITORIALS
Jul 18, 2025

Japan must be ready for an increasingly dangerous world

If there is a complaint to be issued against this year’s Defense White Paper, it is its reluctance to fully address the impact of Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency.
A think tank researcher said anti-government propaganda by Russian bot accounts was what has made the small far-right party Sanseito so popular leading up to the Upper House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 18, 2025

Concerns grow in Japan over possible Russian interference in Sunday’s election

A blog post from a member of the Japan Institute of Law and Information Systems went viral for stating Russian bots were interfering in the upcoming Upper House election.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves concurrently as  president of the Liberal Democratic Party, delivers a campaign speech in Yokohama on July 6.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 19, 2025

Japan's minority government faces election snub as economic storm brews

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's LDP and its partner Komeito are forecast to lose their majority in a repeat of last year's Lower House election.
An event featuring maiko (young female entertainers) is held at the Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu in the city of Kyoto.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2025

Experiential tourism key to driving inbound spending in Japan

The consumption patterns of visitors to Japan have been shifting as their enthusiasm for purchasing luxury items appears to be waning.
In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jul 21, 2025

The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan

AI chatbots are becoming stand-ins for pets and partners — offering comfort, connection and raising new concerns.
Former residents of Russian-held islands claimed by Japan hold a memorial service aboard the exchange ship Etopirika, which arrived off Kunashiri, part of the Northern Territories, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2025

Ex-residents of Japan-claimed isles hold memorial at sea

Former Japanese residents of the Russian-held islands cannot return to their hometowns because exchange programs between the two countries have been suspended.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas attends a meeting in Brussels on July 14.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 23, 2025

China singled out at EU-Japan summit

The two sides reiterated their opposition to “any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion” in the East and South China seas.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks to The Japan Times at Europa House in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Wednesday, ahead of an EU-Japan summit.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 23, 2025

EU and Japan aim for deeper defense cooperation in high-tech arena

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says she sees "a lot of room for cooperation" with Tokyo, particularly in technology-driven areas.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade deal opening Japan to U.S. auto exports sounds big but means little in practice because American carmakers don’t make what Japanese consumers want, such as the Honda N-Box, the nation's best-selling model.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 24, 2025

Japan trade deal offers U.S. automakers relief, not new markets

The peculiar tastes of America’s consumers put its vehicles at a disadvantage overseas that tariffs won’t fix.
Indian assistant language teachers pose for a photo with Japanese Ambassador Keiichi Ono (center) at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2025

Japan to regularly accept assistant language teachers from India

This marks the first regular dispatch of assistant language teachers from India under a government initiative to promote exchanges at the regional level.

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