Search - kyodo

 
 
A woman takes her meal alone in Tokyo's Yanaka neighborhood. As the country ages, Japan's average caloric intake has been shrinking.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 20, 2023

Table for one? What depopulation in Japan means for dinner.

As Japan’s population ages and more people find themselves isolated, solving their dietary needs is shaping the way the country feeds itself.
In residential areas, bears are said to be attracted to compost waste, persimmons and chestnuts.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 20, 2023

Bear attacks on the rise in Akita and Iwate due to lack of food

According to Akita Prefecture, a record 39 people were attacked from April through Oct. 11.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 20, 2023

Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke pleads guilty to assisting parents' suicides

“The feelings of regret, remorse and gratitude (to my supporters) are something I will carry for the rest of my life,” Ennosuke said.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 31, 2023

Shooting suspect arrested after police raid Saitama post office

Two men were injured in the shooting at a hospital, while two female staff members of the post office were said to be unharmed.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2023

Defense chief condemns ‘outrageous’ response in SDF harassment case

A male perpetrator of sexual assault was forced to apologize directly to the female victim despite her wishes not to see him.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 1, 2023

Elderly Saitama hostage-taker had 'grudge' against post office

The 86-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of shooting into a hospital in Saitama Prefecture and taking hostages at a post office.
Treated water diluted with seawater flows to a downstream water tank at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant during a second release in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2023

Japan begins third release of treated Fukushima wastewater

The amount of water to be released in the latest round will be similar to the first and second, in which 7,810 tons of water was discharged.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2023

SDF plane evacuates 46 from Israel as Japan's top diplomat visits

The evacuation came as Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa visited Israel for talks with her Israeli and Palestinian counterparts.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 7, 2023

Japan’s aging population to increase burden on nursing care costs

The average annual nursing care cost per capita is estimated to increase 75% to ¥235,000 in 2050 compared to 2019 levels, according to government data.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 Summit in 2022 in Bali, Indonesia
WORLD / Politics
Nov 8, 2023

Biden and Xi to hold talks in San Francisco on Nov. 15, report says

Final preparations are under way for the meeting, which is set to be the first face-to-face talks that Biden and Xi will have in about a year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 8, 2023

Japanese fraud suspects extradited from Cambodia

Investigators say the suspects made fraudulent phone calls from Cambodia posing as nursing home staff and lawyers, aiming to scam victims in Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 9, 2023

Troubled 2025 Osaka Expo could see further cost increases

Amid numerous challenges, Osaka officials hope no further discussions on increasing the budget of the troubled event will be needed.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 9, 2023

Japan’s 'four-eyed tax hiker' and the curse of Colonel Sanders

Baseball writer Jason Coskrey and editor Joel Tansey discuss the Hanshin Tigers’ Japan Series victory; Gabriele Ninivaggi explains how the prime minister hopes to get a home run with his tax plan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 10, 2023

Cabinet approves ¥13.1 trillion extra budget to finance fresh stimulus

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida appears to be eager to regain popularity with the relief package, but voters aren't convinced.
Au Pay offers points for each transaction up to ¥250,000, with users receiving reward points.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 10, 2023

Six arrested in ¥171 million au Pay points scam

The store owner is believed to have been recruiting people on social media to cooperate with him on the fake transactions.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 13, 2023

Woman killed in Chiba was repeatedly hit with blunt object

The suspects — one male about 180 cm tall who was wearing a jacket and a cap, and another man described as fairly thin — remain at large.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2023

Lawmakers submit proposal to revise law on Unification Church assets

A group of lawmakers has submitted proposals to amend existing laws governing religious organizations, aiming to prevent the outflow of church funds.
The scene after a car crashed into a barricade near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2023

Man arrested after car crashes through barricade near Israel's Tokyo embassy

The driver, a man in his 50s, was arrested for alleged obstruction of official duties. Investigative sources said he is a member of a right-wing group.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 20, 2023

Kishida’s support rate hits new lows in three major polls

Polls by three major newspapers — the Yomiuri, Asahi and Mainichi — showed Kishida’s support rate at 24%, 25% and 21%, respectively.
Helping Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s political fortunes is the Liberal Democratic Party’s inability to agree on a successor.
EDITORIALS
Nov 24, 2023

Kishida is in trouble, but he’ll survive — for now

A Jiji Press survey released earlier this month put the Kishida Cabinet's approval at 21.3%, the lowest level since his inauguration in 2021.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2023

Japan, South Korea and China seek leaders' summit at 'earliest' time

The talks were seen as a steppingstone toward reviving the three-way summit, but progress on hammering out a specific date appeared elusive.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2023

U.S. Osprey crash rekindles safety concerns in Japan

The unique aircraft has had its share of incidents, but still has a relatively safe record compared to other military aircraft.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 1, 2023

Abe's former faction in focus as LDP political fund scandal deepens

Prosecutors are investigating the faction as part of a scandal involving the alleged underreporting of funds by groups within the ruling party.
An area known as Toyoko in the Kabukicho entertainment district in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 6, 2023

High school girl arrested for selling cough medicine illegally

The arrest coincides with a surge of young people in Japan abusing over-the-counter drugs, such as cold medicine.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is questioned about fundraising parties by reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Dec 7, 2023

Understanding the LDP political funding scandal and its implications

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his ruling LDP are in hot water over suspicions that party factions underreported funds for years.
Police have arrested a 58-year-old man after a 16-year-old female high school student was found dead in an apartment in Osaka Prefecture, apparently from a cough medicine overdose.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 8, 2023

Man arrested on kidnapping charge after overdose death in Osaka

An autopsy found that the kidnapped 16-year-old female student had a fatal amount of cough medicine ingredients inside her body.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno attend a Cabinet meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 8, 2023

Kishida walks tightrope after new funds allegations against Matsuno

The top government spokesperson is believed to have received kickbacks from his faction totaling more than ¥10 million over the last five years.
Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Koichi Hagiuda (center) attends a party hosted by his faction, which was previously led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in May in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 13, 2023

Focus turns to replacements as scandal-hit LDP ministers face ax

In a news conference Wednesday evening, Fumio Kishida said he would make replacements the following day but declined to comment on the details.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 29, 2023

20 Questions: The best answers of 2023

Our interviewees this year gave a lot of advice for living a good life and paying attention to the things that matter most.
Incoming Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 14, 2023

Kishida axes Abe faction members from government over funds scandal

In replacing nearly a dozen ministers and officials, the prime minister is attempting to contain the worst crisis of his administration so far.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.