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False social media stories about Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba planning mass immigration obscure Japan’s real and growing reliance on foreign labor.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 12, 2025

Japan needs an immigration debate, not social media myths

There’s no mass immigration from the Global South into Japan, though you might not know that if you primarily consume your news on social media.
Japan head coach Eddie Jones ahead of a match against England in June last year.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 16, 2025

Japan and Fiji cruise into Pacific Nations Cup rugby final rematch

Fiji rolled over Japan 41-17 in last year's final, and Japan coach Eddie Jones admitted his side has plenty of work to do to flip the script this year.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, speaks on Tuesday about the implementation of the Japan-U.S. trade deal.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 16, 2025

U.S. tariffs on Japanese autos formally cut to 15% from 27.5%

The reduction is a long-awaited implementation of the terms of a July 22 agreement.
Japan’s high-tech toilets, from bidets to innovative public lavatories, offer a unique lens through which to explore the country’s culture, technology and even soft power.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 16, 2025

‘Perfect Days’ spent pondering the Japanese potty

The Japanese toilet is an engineering and technological marvel that transforms daily ablutions.
Visitors look at a model of the China's Fujian aircraft carrier at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, China, last November.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 16, 2025

China offers latest hint that newest aircraft carrier could soon enter service

Observers say that a commissioning ceremony could come as early as next month, though training for carrier-based aircraft must still be conducted.
Japan's exports slipped 0.1% in August from a year earlier, led by a 13.8% drop in the value of shipments to the U.S., with cars the main drag.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 17, 2025

Japan’s exports fall for fourth month as U.S. shipments tumble

Exports slipped 0.1% in August from a year earlier, led by cars and steel, the Finance Ministry reported Wednesday.
Yasuhiko Ito speaks of his experience as an internee under the Soviet Union after World War II, in the city of Fukuoka in April, prior to his death in May at the age of 100.
JAPAN / History
Sep 17, 2025

Former Japanese internee in Ukraine pained by Russian invasion

After World War II, Yasuhiko Ito was taken as a disarmed soldier of the Imperial Japanese Army by the former Soviet Union to Ukraine for forced labor.
Race walker Hayato Katsuki earned bronze for Japan on the opening day of the World Athletics Championships on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 17, 2025

Still plenty to fight for, says Japan’s team leader at worlds

Race walker Hayato Katsuki has Japan's only medal so far, but team officials are optimistic that there's more to come.
In the “Kojiki,” the origins of the Japanese archipelago are attributed to the coupling of Izanagi and Izanami, two kami from the Plain of High Heaven.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Sep 20, 2025

Humanity's tales of creation, cataclysm and kami

Cultures the world over have invented their own distinctive creation myths since antiquity. In Japan, the “Kojiki” offers insight into premodern perspectives on the nation.
Otherwise common sights in Japan's supermarkets, the country's fruit and veggie boxes can hide surprising symbols of local pride.
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 19, 2025

Behold the glory of Japan’s fruit boxes

Watermelon mountains and onion parades: The everyday cardboard containers for fruits and veggies are a designer’s delight.
Channing Tatum, one of the English-language voice actors, and others attend the premiere of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle” at the TCL Chinese 6 Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 9. Japanese anime has surged from niche fandom to global box-office powerhouse with the latest “Demon Slayer” installment.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 19, 2025

Anime’s ‘Demon Slayer’ hit is a watershed for Japan

Its animation finally has a global box-office smash. Now the country must capitalize on it.
The Plaza Hotel in New York, where finance ministers and central bank chiefs from the Group of Five countries met and struck the Plaza Accord on Sept. 22, 1985.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 21, 2025

40 years after Plaza Accord, Japan still at mercy of forex swings

Monday marks the 40th anniversary of the accord, struck between Japan, the U.S., the U.K., France and what was then West Germany.
James Baker speaks at the funeral service for former U.S. President George Bush in Houston in December 2018. As Treasury secretary in 1985, he was the key U.S. negotiator of the Plaza Accord, the landmark deal to weaken the dollar and realign global currencies.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 22, 2025

Why the Plaza Accord is still the gold standard

Rather than grieve Plaza, salute it. The deal reflected a confluence of national interest, diplomatic nous and a sense that common interests dictated collaboration.
(Clockwise from top left) Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi; former foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi; Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shinjiro Koizumi; former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi; and former minister of state for economic security Sanae Takaichi
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 22, 2025

Who’s who in the LDP presidential race?

Here is a brief outline of the backgrounds and policies of the five candidates vying to lead the ruling party, and ultimately, the country.
Yuki Joseph Nakajima after placing sixth in the men's 400-meter final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Thursday
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 22, 2025

World championships bring few medals but win big with the crowds

Japan is now looking ahead to the Asian Games in Nagoya in 2026, the next world championships in Beijing in 2027 and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Apple is reopening its redesigned store in Ginza, Tokyo, on Friday. The location holds special importance for the company — it was its first overseas store, which originally opened in 2003.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 24, 2025

Tim Cook arrives in Tokyo as Apple prepares to reopen Ginza store

The Ginza location holds special importance for Apple — it’s the company’s first overseas store, originally opening in 2003.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi addresses a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday, alongside candidates vying to become the Liberal Democratic Party's next president. The ruling party’s leadership race officially kicked off on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2025

An identity crisis is haunting Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party

Dismal performances have the LDP clinging to power as a minority in both houses of parliament, and in search of its fifth leader in as many years
KKR Co-CEO Joe Bae says that if Japan doesn’t invest in areas such as automation, robotics and artificial intelligence, "the aging population and decline will become a bigger and bigger challenge for its success as a nation.”
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 26, 2025

KKR chiefs bet aging Japan will fuel AI and technology investment

Japan has become a key growth area for New York-based KKR.
Payments using the PayPay app will soon be possible in South Korea.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 26, 2025

SoftBank’s PayPay to become available in South Korea as company looks outward

Japan’s largest mobile payment platform decided on South Korea because it is the most popular country for people in Japan to visit.
Data storage tapes at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center facility in Berkeley, California. Data centers consume massive amounts of electricity and water, and that will only rise as generative artificial intelligence takes off in earnest.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Sep 28, 2025

Japan faces fresh energy challenge as it seeks to expand power-hungry data centers

The growth could have major effects on both Japan’s standing in the fight against climate change and its industrial competitiveness on the world stage.
Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi at a debate at the Japan National Press Club with other candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency on Sept. 24
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 29, 2025

Takaichi moots U.S. tariff deal do-over when asked about $550 billion pledge

The woman who could become Japan’s next prime minister raises questions about the agreement.
The Justice Ministry's figures show the number of specified skilled worker visa holders hit a record high as of the end of June.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2025

Skilled worker visa holders hit record high ahead of new visa program

The Justice Ministry stated that the goal for a new program set to be rolled out in 2027 is to make Japan a "country of choice" for foreign workers amid a labor shortage.
With the average farmer in Japan over 65, the agricultural sector, like others, faces the challenge of demographic decline as an aging workforce strains productivity and growth.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 30, 2025

Graying Japan needs both globalization and immigration

Japan has the highest ratio of elderly to working-age people in the world — over 50% — meaning there are only two workers for every person over 64.
Although Ryan Bader is stepping into somewhat unfamiliar territory at Rizin, where he will be fighting in a boxing-style ring as opposed to the cage typically used in Western promotions, his New Year’s Eve bout won’t be his first time competing in Japan.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 1, 2025

From Hollywood to Japan, MMA star Ryan Bader has his sights on Rizin glory

After starring alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt in "The Smashing Machine," Ryan Bader has a new mission: become a champion with Rizin.
The Pokemon mascot Pikachu wearing a Chicago Cubs jersey attends the Tokyo Series at Tokyo Dome in March. As the world rediscovers Japan, it’s learning that many preconceptions no longer apply.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 1, 2025

Is Japan finally back? That’s the wrong question.

Almost three decades after prices first fell into negative territory, they’ve now risen every month for the past four years.
U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House in February. The next prime minister faces the dual challenge of managing a volatile U.S. relationship under Trump while addressing trade and national security concerns.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 1, 2025

Could the Trump factor be a wild card in the LDP race?

The ability to handle the Americans has been a core element of the prime minister’s portfolio.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya (center) with other parliament members from the party
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 3, 2025

What’s driving the far-right voters who shook Japanese politics

Sanseito’s slogan is "Japanese First,” and it campaigned on a mix of tax cutting, vaccine skepticism and restrictions on immigration and foreign investment.
Yotaro Sato and Tomoka Sato perform during the artistic swimming mixed duet competition at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka on July 16, 2023.
MORE SPORTS / Swimming
Oct 3, 2025

Artistic swimming welcoming more men into pool ahead of LA Olympics

Yotaro Sato used to hide the fact that he’s an artistic swimmer. Now, he’s part of a growing number of men taking up a sport that was long exclusive to women.
Intrigued by Japanese wines, Burgundy winemaker Etienne de Montille decided to explore Hokkaido's wine scene, eventually setting up his outpost in Hakodate in 2017.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 3, 2025

Japan’s first foreign wine investor plants its roots in Hokkaido

Burgundy’s Domaine de Montille has opened a winery in Hakodate — a vote of confidence in the region’s terroir.
A Swedish snowboard instructor works at the Niseko ski resort area on Hokkaido, in Kutchan, in December 2022
JAPAN / Society
Oct 4, 2025

A Japanese ski resort town is roiled by a debate over immigration

Residents are protesting a planned housing facility for foreign workers, exposing the conflict between labor needs and worries over immigration.

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