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Moriumius Marine & Food, in the Ogatsucho district in the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, on Oct. 19
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2025

New winery aims to revitalize tsunami-hit district in Miyagi

With the district's population continuing to decline since the disaster, an official said, "We want the winery to become a new engine (for local revitalization)."
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi talks with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Nov.1.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2025

Takaichi's summit diplomacy scores highly in Jiji poll

A total of 75.1% of respondents rated highly the prime minister’s summit meetings with the leaders of the U.S., China and South Korea.
Wales' Louis Rees-Zammit will be in the starting lineup against Japan on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 14, 2025

Wales' Louis Rees-Zammit to return to starting lineup against Japan

Louis Rees-Zammit will make his first start for Wales since the 2023 Rugby World Cup in Saturday's clash with Japan in Cardiff after coach Steve Tandy said he was "ready to return."
Japan Airlines is looking to streamline the number of jet types it operates and expand use of smaller aircraft to boost efficiencies and cost savings.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 14, 2025

Japan Airlines seeks up to 70 new jets in regional fleet overhaul

The airline is looking to streamline the number of jet types it operates to boost efficiencies and cost savings.
As of Nov. 10, a total of 11,045 employees at publicly listed companies in Japan have been targeted for early retirement this year, the highest since 2021, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 14, 2025

Profitable firms cut jobs as activist investors and TSE seek stronger returns

A wave of voluntary and early retirement programs in Japan that overwhelmingly target employees age 50 and above is on track to hit a four-year high.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) attends a session of the House of Councilors Budget Committee at the Diet in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2025

Prime Minister Takaichi says she sleeps only 2-4 hours a night

The revelation about how little she sleeps came after Takaichi raised eyebrows last week by arranging a 3 a.m. staff meeting in her office to prepare for a parliamentary session.
The Japan Innovation Party's Nobuyuki Baba (left) and the Liberal Democratic Party's Yoshitaka Shindo at a meeting on constitutional revision held in the National Diet Building on Thursday. Baba and Shindo co-chair the two parties' working-level forum for discussing constitutional amendments.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2025

LDP and JIP to advance talks over constitutional revision

The ruling parties held the first meeting of their working-level forum for discussing constitutional amendments on Thursday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (second from left) addresses a ministerial meeting on bear attacks at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2025

Government launches emergency bear attack prevention plan

Many of the proposed measures focus on increasing personnel and resources for bear management and culling.
According to the labor and education ministries, 73.4% of job-hunting university students expected to graduate in March 2026 secured informal job offers, up 0.5 percentage point from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 14, 2025

More university students in Japan get job offers

The rise in informal job offers comes amid a continued labor shortage.
Golden "age-fukuburo," a culinary take on Japan's new year "lucky bags," can be served on their own.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Nov 15, 2025

Good fortune, wrapped in fried tofu

Inspired by Japan’s lucky bags, these tofu pouches hold savory treasures that simmer into a small taste of good fortune.
The headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo's Nagatacho area
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2025

Ruling LDP marks 70th anniversary as it looks to regain footing

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday marked the 70th anniversary of its establishment, as it looks to stage a comeback after recent electoral drubbings.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 21, 2023

Kishida takes ‘global green’ initiative to the Middle East

Middle East countries are keen to diversify their economies, reducing their reliance on oil and gas for revenue. Japan hopes to assist in that transition.
Unlike other social media platforms, including Threads, Twitter has a way of pushing you out of your comfort zone.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 20, 2023

Can Threads dethrone Twitter in Japan?

Netizens in Japan jumped onto the Threads bandwagon soon after its launch, but the honeymoon phase is beginning to end, experts say, with many Japanese users remaining on Twitter.
A man stands atop a float holding a portable shrine at this year’s Sanja Festival in Tokyo.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 20, 2023

Why 2023 will be a deciding year for Japan’s iconic summer festivals

As the population gets older do we risk losing the summer festivals that make Japan unique?
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 20, 2023

Japan cuts growth forecast and projects inflation over 2% BOJ target

The estimates come ahead of a Bank of Japan policy meeting next week, set to be closely watched amid market expectations the bank will soon phase out its massive stimulus program.
On July 17, Jiyugaoka in western Tokyo held its summer Bon Odori Festival for the first time in four years. While the pandemic spelled the end of the road for some longstanding local events, others weathered the storm.
CULTURE / Longform
Jul 24, 2023

Fate of the fete: Japan’s matsuri fight to survive

While COVID-19 was the final nail in the coffin for many of the country's smaller festivals, others have clung on and are making a determined comeback this year.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2023

Safety in focus as summer events see return of crowds and foreign tourists

Nearly 11 million people visited Japan in the first half of the year, about 64% of the pre-pandemic level in 2019, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
While the U.S. referenced China 20 times in its October announcement of semiconductor export controls targeting Chinese companies, Japan has chosen broad equipment controls not specifically aimed at its bigger neighbor.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2023

As Japan aligns with U.S. chip curbs on China, some in Tokyo feel uneasy

Tokyo remains worried that targeting China will provoke damaging retaliation, such as a ban on Japanese electric cars.
A wind turbine stands next to solar panels at a Banpu Power solar plant in Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jul 25, 2023

Wind, solar and EVs offer Japan cheapest net zero climate path

In contrast to its G7 peers, Japan is still considering climate policies that extend the life of coal and gas-fired plants.
The nuclear-powered USS Annapolis submarine makes a port call at South Korea's Jeju Island on Monday. It was the second such visit by a U.S. submarine to the country in the span of about a week.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 25, 2023

Nuclear Consultative Group strengthens Northeast Asian deterrence

The logic for trilateral coordination between the U.S., Japan and South Korea is compelling. The NCG is an important first step toward that goal.
People walk past a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test at the main railway station in Seoul on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2023

North Korea fires missiles as it gears up for apparent military parade

The launch of two missiles came as the North Korea appeared to be gearing up for an large-scale military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice's signing.
The natural beauty of Minakami has attracted hundreds adventure tourism companies, but there's still no overarching network of safety protocols in place.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 15, 2023

In Japan’s adventure tourism mecca, the rush comes with risk

Minakami has come a long way since the early days of its adventure tourism beginnings, but if it wants to last well into the future, regulation may be key.
The population of Japanese nationals fell 801,000 in 2022 from a year earlier to 122,423,038, marking the largest drop since the survey began in 1968, government data showed Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 26, 2023

Number of Japanese drops in all 47 prefectures for first time as foreign population surges

As of Jan. 1, Japan's population, including foreign residents, stood at 125,416,877, down around 511,000 from a year earlier.
Contrary to some news reports, the movie "Oppenheimer," starring (left to right) Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh, has not been banned in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 27, 2023

'Oppenheimer' spurs debate on the atomic bombings

Christopher Nolan’s biopic has triggered a debate on the rights and wrongs of dropping the bomb. It could lead to a more useful discussion in Japan — assuming it’s ever released here.
Danish ambassador Peter Taksoe-Jensen hopes for a "ketchup effect" in the development of Japan's offshore wind potential.
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 27, 2023

Unlocking Japan's offshore wind potential requires change in mindset

While Japan has made progress in expanding its offshore wind power, Denmark’s ambassador to Japan says that the pace of change is still too slow.
Members of the media take photos of lawyers Hsu Sung Po (left) and Aiko Ohbuchi (center) and Taiwanese table tennis player Chiang Hung-chieh at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 27, 2023

Table tennis star Ai Fukuhara accused by ex-husband of abducting their son

The ex-husband, Taiwanese table tennis player Chiang Hung-chieh, has said that a court in Japan ruled that Fukuhara was required to hand over their son.
A major bonus of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme is the time it offers you to be able to plan for long-term goals. Writer Erik M. Jacobs was able to map out what he needed to pursue a career in U.S.-Japan relations, for example.
COMMUNITY / Issues / Learning Curve
Aug 8, 2023

Every situation is different on JET, but they're all similarly rewarding

As a new wave of JET Program participants arrives in the country, a program alumni shares tips on getting the most out of the experience.
Commuters in Tokyo in March. Japanese women are paid on average around 67% the salaries of men, according to a report based on around 2,000 firms’ financial statements, compiled by advisory firm Willis Towers Watson and others this month.
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2023

Investors see need for more gender pay data in Japan

Some firms have disclosed pay gaps according to different job levels, but most are revealing the minimum amount of information necessary.
An apartment building construction site in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, on July 19. Officials at Daito Trust Construction, which oversees the building project, say heatstroke dangers are a top concern given their aging workforce.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Jul 30, 2023

In Japan, extreme heat and an aging population are a deadly mix

Heat waves combined with high humidity are weighing particularly heavily on the nation’s 36 million people age 65 and over, who are at much greater risk of severe illness and death.
The batsman’s place can be a lonely one — in the center of the field, surrounded by the opposition — but you can always look back to your pavilion for support.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / Longform
Jul 31, 2023

Sweat, stumps and solidarity on the cricket pitch

It's a hot day and the Yokohama Alpha Quashers are about to take on the Chiba Sharks, fighting for a chance to move higher in the Japan Cricket League.

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