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Sanseito supporters applaud Saya, Sanseito candidate for the Upper House election from Tokyo, and Manabu Matsuda, a candidate from proportional representation, at a public rally at Tsukiji Market on June 28.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 1, 2025

Sanseito touts 'Japanese First' rhetoric to gain support

Some observers say conservative voters who left the Democratic Party for the People are turning to the fledgling opposition party by default.
The Japanese version of the U.K.’s Disclosure and Barring Service aims to ensure a safe learning environment for children by facilitating checks for records of sexual offenses for those working in jobs involving contact with children such as education or child care.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 1, 2025

Japan expands scope of background checks amid child safety concerns

The expanded guidelines will apply not only to schools and kindergartens, but also to community spaces such as children’s cafeterias and talent agencies.
The Asaichi-dori morning market street in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, was devastated by a fire following an earthquake on New Year's Day in 2024.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2025

Noto quake-hit area sees biggest roadside land price drop

The roadside land price for a plot in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, plunged 16.7%, a stark contrast to a 4.5% decline in the previous year.
The Central Disaster Prevention Council adopted a revised disaster-prevention plan that will encourage municipalities and logistics business associations to ensure there will be an emergency transportation system should a Nankai Trough earthquake occur, at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2025

Japan adopts target of reducing death toll by 80% in Nankai Trough quake

According to the latest estimate disclosed in March, the death toll from a Nankai Trough megaquake is expected to reach up to about 298,000.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (left), Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (second from left), Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (second from right) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand together at the start of a meeting of "the Quad" at the U.S. State Department in Washington on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2025

‘Quad’ nations announce critical minerals initiative amid China concerns

A joint statement was carefully crafted not to directly mention China, but the four Indo-Pacific countries made clear a goal of reducing dependence on Beijing.
Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the Democratic Party for the People, speaks during an interview on Tuesday at the parliament building.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2025

DPP pledges to increase take-home pay ahead of Upper House election

The opposition party is looking to raise its seat count in the chamber to 21, which would enable it to independently submit bills needing budgetary measures.
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 2, 2025

Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks

In total, 911 earthquakes were recorded by Wednesday afternoon, with the cause behind the series of earthquakes still unclear.
Hiroshi Masuda (left), head of the Memorial Museum for Soldiers, Detainees in Siberia, and Postwar Repatriates, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2025

Japanese war memorial network unites to pass on memories to youth

The facilities will work on strengthening their capabilities to disseminate information and provide content for schools.
Data compiled by the Japan Department Stores Association shows that tax-free inbound sales at over 80 department stores across the country fell by 41% in May from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 3, 2025

Japan’s department store shares lag as tourist splurge slows

Tax-free inbound sales at over 80 department stores across the country fell by 41% in May from a year earlier.
Emperor Naruhito speaks during a news conference at the Imperial Palace on Wednesday ahead of his visit to Mongolia together with Empress Masako from Sunday.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025

Emperor to mourn Japanese detainees who died in Mongolia

The Emperor last visited Mongolia in 2007, when he was Crown Prince.
Cases of cancer patients and doctors having conversations about where the patient wanted to spend his or her last days came to 52.9% in 2021, up from 35.7% in the previous survey.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 3, 2025

About half of people who died from cancer discussed last days with doctors

About 60% of cancer patients were able to spend their last days at places where they wished to be, a report has shown.
Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima speaks during an interview on Jun. 27 at the Diet building.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

SDP campaign to focus on inflation and opposing military expansion, leader says

The SDP exists to prevent people from starving and the country from going into war, said party leader Mizuho Fukushima.
Aokigahara Forest in Yamanashi Prefecture. A man wanted by police in relation to the death of his father and the attempted murder of his mother at their luxury condominium in Shiga Prefecture earlier this year was found dead in Aokigahara Forest on May 11.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 3, 2025

Son of Shiga couple attacked in condo found dead in forest

Police identified the deceased as Makoto Iwasaki, a 50-year-old man wanted in relation to the death of his father and attempted murder of his mother in February.
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025

Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity

Authorities said there was no risk of tsunami and there have been no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
People listen to an election campaign speech in Miyazaki Prefecture on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Ishiba government’s survival may be at stake in July Upper House election

Election campaigning for the pivotal vote officially kicked off Thursday, with all eyes on how the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition will perform.
Satoshi Kirishima (Katsuya Maiguma) goes into hiding after becoming a wanted man for his alleged involvement in bomb attacks in “I Am Kirishima.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 3, 2025

‘I Am Kirishima’ peels back the mystery of a fugitive radical

Banmei Takahashi's drama gives shape to a man whose face appeared on wanted posters in police stations across Japan — and who stayed hidden for decades.
Foreign investors bought Japanese stocks for 13 straight weeks to June 27, their longest buying spree since 2013, data from Japan Exchange Group showed.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2025

Foreign buying of Japan stocks hits longest spell since 2013

The persistent buying — despite lingering concerns over U.S. tariffs and still sluggish domestic consumption — likely points to diversification away from U.S. equities.
Col. Neil Owens (right), chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, bows in apology at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 4, 2025

U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case

This is the first direct apology from the U.S. military to the Okinawa Prefectural Government for a series of sexual crimes committed by U.S. servicemen in the prefecture.
Shuhei Nakata, president of Nakata Kogei — a wooden-hanger maker in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture — says a revised work evaluation system and a strict policy against workplace harassment has helped to attract women to the company.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Jul 14, 2025

Fukushima looks to local initiatives to combat population decline

The measures will bring the area in line with other parts of Japan that are proactively trying to retain residents.
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2025

Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues

The recent swarm marks the most intense seismic activity in the quake-prone region since 1995.
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2025

Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity

The discovery raises serious concerns about the integrity of the research in the papers and highlights flaws in academic publishing.
Tokyo ranked second after New York and ahead of Dubai and Singapore in a ranking of the top global cities for nighttime tourism.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 4, 2025

Tokyo and Kyoto feature among top ‘noctourism’ destinations

Both cities rank highly in an emerging trend of nighttime tourism, according to a recently released report.
Voters listen to a stump speech in Tokyo on Thursday as campaigning for the July 20 Upper House election kicked off.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 4, 2025

Women make up fewer than 30% of candidates in upcoming Upper House election

Japan's law for promoting gender equality in politics calls on political parties to make the number of male and female candidates as equal as possible.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba gives a speech in Naha on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 4, 2025

Japanese parties' election campaigning swings into gear

In speeches on the second day of the official campaign period for the Upper House election, party leaders focused on issues such as inflation and rice shortages.
The share of households with children in Japan slid 1.5 points from the year before to a record low of 16.6%.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 5, 2025

Record 80% of Japanese mothers are employed

The latest survey also found that 58.9% of households felt they were struggling to make ends meet, almost unchanged from the year before.
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, in the Tokara chain, which has been hit by swarms of earthquakes in recent days, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday afternoon.
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2025

More residents evacuate quake-hit remote islands in Japan

The series of earthquakes with their epicenters in the seas around the Tokara chain — including two powerful quakes on Sunday — began on June 21.
Former soldier Shuzo Yamada recounts his experience of being detained in Mongolia after World War II, in Nanto, Toyama Prefecture, in May.
JAPAN / History
Jul 6, 2025

Memory of detention in Mongolia still fresh for 107-year-old Japanese man

As they make a state visit to Mongolia, the imperial couple will offer flowers at a memorial for Japanese who were captured and detained in Mongolia after World War II.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s unilateral tariffs mark a shift toward centralized control, eroding checks and balances and raising risks of corruption and unpredictability.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 7, 2025

Unchecked and unbalanced: The future of U.S. economic policymaking

The U.S. government is defined by its separation of powers, where authority is not concentrated in a single actor but divided between the different branches.
The Kadena U.S. Air Force Base in Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture, in August 2023. An airman from the base was arrested last weekend for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 7, 2025

Two U.S. servicemen arrested in Okinawa over assaults

A 25-year-old airman is accused of punching his girlfriend while, separately, a 21-year-old marine allegedly put his hands around the neck of an unacquainted man.
Yoshiomi Tamai
JAPAN / Society
Jul 7, 2025

Philanthropist Yoshiomi Tamai dies at 90

Tamai was the founder and longtime president of the Ashinaga Foundation, which has supported over 110,000 orphaned students.

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An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo