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The Tokyo Electron booth at the Semicon Japan exhibition in Tokyo in December. Tokyo Electron supplier Marumae is seeking out deals to consolidate the chip tool components sector.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 26, 2025

Japan’s niche chip gear makers left out of Nvidia boom, one CEO says

Small companies lack the scale to demand better prices and lower costs, resulting in profit margins of less than 10%, the head of Tokyo Electron supplier Marumae said.
Japan Times
PRESS
Aug 27, 2025

ジャパンタイムズ主催 Sustainable Japan Award 2025 発表

株式会社ジャパンタイムズキューブ(代表取締役:末松 弥奈子)は、「Sustainable Japan Award 2025」の受賞企業・団体を発表しました。
People shield themselves from the sun with umbrellas in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2025

Tokyo logs record 10 days of 35 C or hotter, weather agency says

Japan sweltered through its hottest ever June and July this year.
Japan's 2024 Olympic bronze medalists in team eventing pose for a photo at the memorial to Olympic medalist Takeichi Nishi on Iwo Jima in January.
OLYMPICS / Equestrian
Aug 27, 2025

Japan's equestrian team honors Olympic predecessor on Iwo Jima

Takeichi Nishi, known as Baron Nishi, was killed on Iwo Jima during World War II after capturing gold in show jumping at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.
Chief negotiator Ryosei Akazawa will be pushing for U.S. auto tariffs to be lowered soon.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 27, 2025

Akazawa heading to Washington for 10th round of tariff talks

The U.S. promises clarity on Japan's $550 billion pledge by the end of the week.
The factory of Asahi Tekko, which produces parts for Toyota vehicles, in Hekinan, Japan, on Aug. 18
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 28, 2025

The backbone of the global auto supply chain is at risk from Trump’s tariffs

Industry experts expect a devastating effect on the dense networks of auto parts suppliers that make everything from pistons to wiring.
Many schools in Japan show "Grave of the Fireflies" as educational material to tell the emotionally grueling story of a boy who has no means to prevent his sister from starving to death.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Aug 28, 2025

Can anime carry the memories of World War II?

The medium could serve as a doorway to exploring the complexities behind the war and the horrors associated with it.
Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
LIFE / Style & Design
Aug 30, 2025

Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones

Tokyo’s tattoo artists say natural dyes and ‘made-to-fade’ inks are helping to push back on the long-held stigma against body art.
Despite political uncertainty in Japan, investors in the stock market are banking on an economy that is finally gaining momentum after years of stagnation.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 29, 2025

Japanese stocks tipped to extend record rally after trade deal

The Nikkei Stock Average is projected to rise an average of 10% over the next 12 months from its most recent record high of 43,714.31.
Headlining the second day of YouTube Music Weekend is Vocaloid artist Kikuo, who, with 1.46 million YouTube subscribers, is one of the most popular artists in the genre.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 29, 2025

YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global

YouTube's three-day weekend of online performances features a medley of Vocaloid, hyperpop, rock and pop artists in a supportive, cultural festival atmosphere.
Japan's chief tariffs negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, expects to visit the U.S. at least once more before the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump issues an executive order to formally lower tariffs on Japanese imports.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2025

Akazawa expects to make another trip to U.S. ahead of executive order

Various consultations need to be completed before the agreement can be implemented, Japan's chief tariff negotiator says.
A McDonald’s Japan Pokemon card promotion triggered scalper frenzy, upset children and forced the company to rethink its Happy Set campaigns.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 28, 2025

McDonald’s 'Pokemon' frenzy shows the collecting boom’s dark side

After a "Pokemon" trading card promotion went disastrously wrong, it’s been rebuked by the Consumer Affairs Agency and is rethinking future campaigns.
A Citibank branch in Tokyo. Amid a talent war, the New York-based lender tried to convince a senior executive of equity distribution in Tokyo and his junior colleague to stay after they tendered resignations.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2025

Citigroup asks two Japan bankers to rethink leaving in talent war

The negotiations highlight the challenges facing global and local financial firms in Japan to retain top staff and attract newcomers.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meet in Sendai on Saturday during a trip in which they toured a chip factory belonging to Tokyo Electron.
BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2025

Indian PM Modi tours Miyagi chip plant with Ishiba

"We hope to work together to strengthen the semiconductor supply chain and enhance economic security,” Ishiba told reporters after the visit.
Royal Navy Commodore James Blackmore, the commander of U.K. CSG 25, said in an interview aboard the Prince of Wales aircraft carrier that the chance to train closely with the Maritime Self-Defense Force was a "golden moment" for military ties between the countries.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 2, 2025

In Indo-Pacific deployment, U.K. carrier group boosts warfighting capability, says commander

The British warship also saw F-35B fighters — one British and one American — touch down and take off from the deck of the MSDF’s Kaga de facto aircraft carrier.
Takeshi Niinami, who has resigned as Suntory Holdings chairman and CEO, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 3, 2025

Ex-Suntory CEO Niinami says he is confident he has 'broken no laws'

His comments came a day after Tuesday’s shocking revelation that he is the target of a police investigation over illegal drugs.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama attend the LDP’s plenary meeting in Tokyo on Aug. 8. Once dominant, the ruling party is now struggling to maintain control amid calls for Ishiba to step down.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 4, 2025

Dragging on the LDP’s political drama does little for Japan

From dominance to doubt, the ruling party struggles to maintain control.
Takeshi Niinami, the former chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings, at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Sep 4, 2025

What we know about the supplements scandal linked to Suntory’s ex-CEO

The ex-Suntory CEO’s side of the story offered some clarity, but much remains unknown.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, shake hands.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 5, 2025

Trump signs order reducing tariffs on Japanese autos

The executive order signed by the U.S. president on Thursday in Washington sets auto tariffs on Japan at 15%.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un view a military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 4, 2025

Divide the dictators, President Trump — don’t unite them

Xi's objectives here are clear: first, to elevate China's national prestige; second, to strengthen alliances among authoritarian leaders; and third, to rewrite history.
Minimum hourly wages in Japan's 47 prefectures are set to average ¥1,121, up by a record ¥66 from the previous year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 5, 2025

Japan to hike minimum wage by record amount, backing BOJ’s rate hikes

A record 6.3% increase takes the minimum wage to an average of ¥1,121 per hour across the country's 47 prefectures, the largest increase since 1978.
Mexican defender Jorge Sanchez battles for the ball with Japan's midfielder Kaoru Mitoma during a friendly in Oakland, California, on Saturday.
SOCCER
Sep 7, 2025

Japan and Mexico play to goalless draw as World Cup preparations ramp up

A lively Japanese side could not break through against a Mexico team that lost captain Edson Alvarez when he hobbled out with an injury in the first half.
The city of Obihiro, Hokkaido, under the scorching sun on July 23
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2025

Heatstroke patient numbers jumped in cooler Hokkaido and Tohoku this summer

In Hokkaido, the number of heatstroke patients rose 1.7-fold from the previous year, while Aomori Prefecture saw a 1.53-fold rise and Akita Prefecture saw a 1.42-fold rise.
Shigeru Ishiba’s brief, tumultuous prime ministership weakened Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, alienated conservatives and left the party scrambling to find a new leader capable of restoring credibility.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 9, 2025

Japan deserves far better leadership than this

While the country is mostly back where it was a year ago, the LDP is in a much weaker position.
Candidates for Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election stand together on stage before a debate in Tokyo in September 2024. Pictured are future Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Sanae Takaichi, Shinjiro Koizumi and others. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 9, 2025

Ishiba’s resignation triggers a battle for the soul of the LDP

To become the next prime minister, the new LDP leader will also need to secure enough support from one or two of the other larger conservative opposition parties.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief negotiator, says that U.S. tariffs on Japanese autos will fall soon.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 9, 2025

Akazawa heralds U.S. trade deal as he moots wrinkle in it

He notes Japan cannot finance any project that contravenes its laws.
David Ha, the head of AI tech company Sakana AI, points at his laptop during an interview at the company's office in Tokyo on Aug. 28.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2025

Top Japan startup Sakana AI touts nature-inspired tech

Sakana aims to merge existing and new systems, large and small, to develop what it calls "collective intelligence."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Swastika Jajoo (fourth from right) began attending the daily radio calisthenics routine at Sendai’s Kitasanbancho Park and struck up unexpected friendships with a group of elderly residents.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Sep 15, 2025

Calisthenic companions bridge cultures and generations

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a doctoral student in Sendai found friendship in unexpected places.
Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life and 7-Eleven, a chain that began in the U.S. in 1927, opened its first store in Japan in 1974 — and then became wholly Japanese-owned in 2005 through parent company Seven & I Holdings.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2025

Is America ready for Japanese-style 7-Elevens?

Facing a stagnant and highly competitive retail market in Japan, Seven & I’s growth is expected to come from overseas.
A screen displays share prices outside a securities firm in Tokyo. Some activists believe Japan’s corporate governance reforms will touch more firms, especially smaller ones.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2025

Activist AVI poised to boost holdings of Japan small-cap shares

The plan is an example of how activists are shaking up corporate Japan as they plow capital into the country given the Tokyo bourse telling firms to raise their enterprise value.

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