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Tokyo’s skyline keeps evolving, but the country’s drab, outdated government district, long hours, low pay and poor work conditions are driving young bureaucratic talent away just when it needs them most.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 11, 2025

Tokyo is missing 'Blade Runner' where it needs it most

Until the 1960s, Japan had strict prohibitions on developments higher than 31 meters (around 100 feet), a provision that kept cities dense but low.
Bullet trains at Tokyo Station earlier this year
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2025

Summer vacation budget for Japanese hits record high

The average budget grew 26.4% to mark an increase for the fourth straight year.
People listen to stump speeches earlier this month in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, ahead of the Upper House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 11, 2025

Dual surnames for married couples in focus ahead of Japan poll

The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has urged the Japanese government to introduce the system four times.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Yosuke Tsuruho speaks during a news conference at the Wakayama Prefectural Government office in the city of Wakayama on Wednesday
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2025

LDP lawmaker to quit as parliamentary committee chief over Noto quake gaffe

According to a senior official of the ruling LDP, Yosuke Tsuruho is poised to step down as chairman of the Budget Committee in the House of Councillors.
People check out Mie Prefecture's exhibit inside the Kansai Pavilion at the Osaka Expo in May.
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2025

Local governments leverage Osaka Expo to attract tourists

Officials of local governments are feeling confident about their promotion activities, with some events to introduce local food and culture at the expo proving popular.
The Kanagawa Prefectural Police department suspects that Hideyuki Shirai, 28, killed Asahi Okazaki, a 20-year-old part-time worker, in or near the prefecture around Dec. 20 last year.
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2025

Man arrested for alleged murder of ex-girlfriend in Kawasaki

The Kanagawa Prefectural Police department suspects that Hideyuki Shirai, 28, was stalking Asahi Okazaki, 20, and later killed her around Dec. 20 last year.
An intricate and massive wooden ring encircles the 2025 World Expo site in Osaka on April 9.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2025

Visitors to Osaka Expo likely to exceed 10 million soon

The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition is working to reach its target of 22 million visitors, the Osaka Expo's break-even point in terms of operating costs.
Tropical Storm Nari's forecast path as of Monday morning
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2025

Tropical Storm Nari moves northward, with possible landfall Tuesday

The Meteorological Agency is warning residents to remain on alert for high winds, heavy rain, high waves and the risk of landslides and flooding in low-lying areas.
While shareholders in general still support company management, the notable break from their passive stance is seen as a boon for funds looking to invest in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 14, 2025

Corporate Japan’s shareholders show more clout this AGM season

The notable break from a passive stance is seen as a boon for funds looking to invest in Japan.
Riot police officers demonstrate their actions during a recruitment event held by Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2025

Tokyo police hold recruitment event to attract applicants

Police officers from about 50 different sections were on hand to talk with participants and answer questions.
People listen as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (not pictured) speaks on Sunday in Kikuchi, Kumamoto Prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 14, 2025

Ruling parties could lose majority in Upper House election, poll suggests

A Mainichi Shimbun poll shows the ruling coalition might end up falling short of the 50 seats they need to maintain their majority in the Upper House of parliament.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on April 7. Trump’s unexpected strike on Iran shows how Israel’s influence overcame his reluctance for foreign wars.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2025

Trump’s Iran attack shows what it takes to win his military support

How did Israel convince Trump? Put simply, why did Trump, unlike previous presidents who considered it but held back, launch a direct strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities?
Orders from the automobile and auto parts industries decreased 7.1% in May after a 20.3% drop the previous month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 14, 2025

Japan core machinery orders down 0.6% in May

The government kept its basic assessment unchanged, saying that machinery orders are showing signs of picking up.
Emperor Emeritus Akihito is accompanied by Empress Emerita Michiko as he travels to the University of Tokyo Hospital on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 14, 2025

Japan's Emperor Emeritus admitted to hospital to begin new heart treatment

Dosage for the new treatment will be decided after the 91-year-old former emperor undergoes an electrocardiogram.
The ancient ocean was full of squids, whose population exceeded that of fish or ammonites, a Japanese research team mainly from Hokkaido University has found through a new method using technology.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2025

Japan team finds ancient ocean full of squids

The team of researchers discovered a large number of squid fossils from rocks of the late Cretaceous period using a technique called digital fossil-mining.
Megan Myungwon Lee, head of Panasonic's North American operations, says the company's newest battery plant in Kansas will reach full production this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 15, 2025

Panasonic aims for full output at Kansas battery plant this year

The new factory will ship battery cells to Tesla as well as several other EV makers, including Lucid and Hexagon Purus.
Kioxia is rated BB+, one step below investment grade, by both S&P and Fitch.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 15, 2025

Chipmaker Kioxia plans debut bond abroad, joining Japan peers

Kioxia plans to raise as much as $3 billion via a dollar bond sale that would be its first corporate debt issuance, in the latest sign of investor appetite abroad.
Scientists say a recently published study could help explain why women are typically less prone to weight-related conditions. The research may lead to new therapies that target calorie-burning mechanisms.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 15, 2025

Japanese scientists discover clue to why women burn more fat than men

Scientists say their findings could help explain why women are typically less prone to weight-related conditions and may lead to new therapies.
The share of respondents to a Bank of Japan quarterly survey in June who said they have become worse off came to 61.0%, up 5.1 percentage points from the previous survey.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 16, 2025

Living conditions index hits lowest level in 15 years in Japan

The percentage of respondents who said their living conditions improved from a year before minus those who said the opposite was the worst since the September 2009 survey.
A survey by Tokyo-based nonprofit Good Neighbors Japan showed that the number of respondents saying that their children eat two meals or fewer a day during holidays was about 2.5 times higher than during the school term, at 32.2%.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2025

More kids going hungry during school holidays as food costs soar, survey finds

Rising food and utility prices are placing additional pressures on families already struggling to make ends meet.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, delivers a campaign speech in Yokohama on July 6.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 16, 2025

Ishiba faces bad poll numbers with Upper House vote only days away

Losing a majority in the Upper House would pile pressure on Ishiba to resign and kickstart efforts by the ruling coalition to find an opposition party to join it.
Tokyo police arrested Yuga Matsuoka, an employee at a leasing company, Wednesday on suspicion of attempted arson after he allegedly tried to set fire to a tourist go-kart company’s property.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 16, 2025

Tokyo police arrest man for attempted arson at tourist go-kart company

Yuga Matsuoka, the 28-year-old suspect, confessed to the crime, calling the sound from the karts’ engines "noisy" and "stressful.”
Egyptian wrestler Osunaarashi has some fun with children during a special Japan Sumo Association event in 2017.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 16, 2025

JSA’s 100th anniversary event is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for sumo fans

People in attendance for the celebration will get a chance to see the rare "sandangamae" performance and demonstrations of ancient sumo.
Climate change affecting food sources and hibernation times, along with depopulation caused by an aging society, are causing bears to venture into towns more frequently, scientists say.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 16, 2025

Bear stops play again at Japan golf event

The bear was spotted in the morning near the first tee at the Meiji Yasuda Ladies tournament at Sendai Classic Golf Club, a stop on the JLPGA Tour.
Japanese companies are heading overseas to borrow as their local market is becoming too volatile and rates are rising.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 17, 2025

Japan Inc. takes global credit by storm with record sales

More and more Japanese companies are heading overseas to borrow as their local market is becoming too volatile and rates are rising.
Masako Wada, assistant secretary-general of Nihon Hidankyo, urged policymakers around the world to "take the leadership ... toward human society free of nuclear weapons."
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2025

Nuclear deterrence 'cannot save humanity,' Nihon Hidankyo member says

Masako Wada urged policymakers around the world to "take the leadership ... toward human society free of nuclear weapons."
Shigeru Ishiba, prime minister and president of the Liberal Democratic Party, gives a campaign speech in Yokohama on July 6.
COMMENTARY / Japan / From Party Leaders
Jul 17, 2025

In uncertain times, Japan needs responsible leadership

As a responsible political party, the LDP is determined to consistently pursue policies that are accountable to future generations.
A former company employee who posts highlight videos on YouTube prepares to livestream Shinji Ishimaru's stump speech in Tokyo in June. Jiji
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2025

Highlight videos online playing big role in Upper House election

Social media is increasingly impacting election results in Japan amid the growing popularity of YouTube and other video-sharing sites.
Campaign posters in Tokyo. Voters in Japan put immediate economic issues ahead of longer-term concerns about the effects of tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 17, 2025

Trump tariffs fail to register with Japanese voters ahead of key election

Only 8% of voters surveyed by NHK rated tariffs as their top priority.
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya makes a stump speech in Tokyo on July 3.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2025

Sanseito third-most-popular party in Upper House race, poll shows

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party remained the front-runner at 20.9%, albeit down 3.6 points from June.

Longform

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