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Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture in 2017. Travel agencies catering to luxury tourists often include areas outside well-known cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto in their itineraries offered.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2025

A trip to remember: Japan answers the demand for curated luxury travel

Creating a unique experience that luxury travelers feel they can hold on to well after their trip is part of the challenge.
Ado opened her Sunday night concert at the 2025 Osaka Expo with “Shin Jidai” (New Genesis)” after a rain-soaked lead-up to the show’s 7:45 p.m. start.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 18, 2025

Japan wanted a cultural do-over. Ado gave it one.

The 22-year-old J-pop singer cast a spell on the first weekend of the Osaka Expo
Shipping containers at Pyeongtaek port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on April 15
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2025

South Korea finds 'Made in Korea' breaches aiming to slip U.S. tariffs

In March, 19.3 billion won worth of surveillance cameras were imported from China in parts and reassembled in South Korea to bypass U.S. restrictions.
Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrates after scoring against Leicester during their match in Leicester, England, on Sunday.
SOCCER
Apr 21, 2025

Leicester relegated from Premier League as Liverpool closes in on title

Liverpool could be crowned champion on Wednesday if Arsenal loses at home to Crystal Palace.
The transport ministry will consider administrative punishments for Japan Post after carrying out probes.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2025

Government begins probe of Japan Post over improper driver checks

The audit started after it was learned that 75% of post offices offering collection and delivery services across the country had improperly conducted mandatory alcohol checks.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama (left), who also chairs the Japan-China Parliamentary Friendship Association, meets with Zhao Leji, the third-ranked official in the Chinese Communist Party and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in Beijing on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 30, 2025

Communist China’s quiet influence on Japanese politics

China Communist Party influence operations have been embedded in the Japanese government and political structures for 75 years.
Stephen Dacus, incoming chief executive officer of Seven & I Holdings, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on April 24.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 1, 2025

Seven & I and Couche-Tard sign nondisclosure agreement

The move might signal that discussion on Couche-Tard's takeover proposal is moving forward.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato (right) speaks during a news conference in Milan on Sunday.
BUSINESS
May 5, 2025

Finance chief Kato walks back idea of U.S. Treasury sales as trade chip

Japan held roughly $1.13 trillion in Treasury Securities at the end of February — making it the biggest overseas holder of U.S. debt.
Italy's Jannik Sinner serves during a training session in Rome on Monday ahead of his return to tennis at the Italian Open.
TENNIS
May 6, 2025

Sinner happy to return after doping ban but keeping expectations low for Italian Open

The three-time Grand Slam champion, who has not played since January, will now hope to leave the doping saga behind him and build momentum for the French Open.
Staff members from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Community Guidance Division call for cooperation with officers conducting door to door visits, on April 15 in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. Officers make a point of clearly identifying themselves and their assigned police box during each visit.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 6, 2025

Tokyo police promote home-visit program amid growing security challenges

Some residents, wary of scam artists pretending to be police officers, refuse to engage at all when one visits their home.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrive to greet guests at a spring garden party at the Akasaka Imperial Garden in Tokyo on April 22.
JAPAN
May 7, 2025

Emperor's family to visit Okinawa in June

During the trip, they will pray for the more than 200,000 people who lost their lives eight decades ago in the Battle of Okinawa.
Apple Music personalities (from left) Ebro Darden, Kentaro Ochiai, Zane Lowe and Mino came together for a special recording in late April to discuss music and celebrate the newly opened Apple Music studio in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Music
May 8, 2025

With a new Shibuya studio, Apple Music bets big on Japan

Streaming numbers are up, world tours are growing, and now, Tokyo has a new studio aimed at amplifying Japan’s voice.
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on April 7.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2025

Bypassed by Trump, Israel dismayed but silent

Israel has maintained a diplomatic silence this week even as their assumptions about their standing with the U.S. were shaken by Trump's moves.
Nissan's Oliver Rowland drives during qualifying for Miami E-Prix at Homestead Motor Speedway in Homestead, Florida, on April 12.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
May 16, 2025

Nissan hoping to electrify home crowd as Formula E returns to Tokyo

Nissan heads into the race leading the constructor standings.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden departs Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Jan. 20.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2025

Release of 2023 Biden recording renews debate on his capabilities

The four-minute audio clip comes as a book is being released alleging the White House staff covered up Biden's decline even as he was seeking reelection.
Members of Utsunomiya Brex celebrate their victory at Yokohama Arena on Tuesday.
BASKETBALL / B. League
May 28, 2025

Utsunomiya Brex clinch record third B. League title in decisive Game 3

The victory marked Utsunomiya's first title in three seasons and came just months after the death of head coach Kevin Braswell.
Elon Musk holds a chainsaw featuring a Spanish slogan that translates as  "Long live freedom, damn it" during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Feb. 20.
WORLD / Politics
May 29, 2025

Elon Musk leaving Trump administration, capping turbulent tenure

Musk's departure was quick and unceremonious, and he did not have a formal conversation with Trump before announcing his exit.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during an Upper House agriculture committee meeting on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 30, 2025

Some LDP lawmakers wary of Koizumi's aggressive price policy

There are fears that the approach may cause farmers, a key support bloc, to distance themselves from the party.
Toyota group companies could establish a new holding company to privatize Toyota Industries.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2025

Toyota Industries receives $33 billion buyout offer from group companies

The deal would be in line with government efforts to encourage big companies to unwind cross-held shares with subsidiaries and other businesses.
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, depart from Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Wednesday for Okinawa to mourn those killed in the Battle of Okinawa during World War II 80 years ago.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2025

Emperor's family arrives in Okinawa

On Thursday, the family will offer flowers at a monument in Naha for the victims of the Tsushima Maru evacuation ship.
If Japan Post loses its general cargo vehicle license, it would be barred from reapplying for a new one for five years.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 5, 2025

Japan Post may lose cargo license over widespread driver check failures

A transport ministry audit in April revealed enough instances of missed checks in the Kanto region to surpass the threshold for license revocation.
Gen. Jennie Carignan, Canada’s Chief of the Defense Staff, attends an interview with The Japan Times on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2025

Japan ‘priority’ as Canada eyes bigger Asian footprint, military chief says

Ottawa's concerns about what it sees as growing challenges to the current world order are driving its Asia push.
A B-2 stealth bomber drops a dummy bomb during a drill. As diplomacy falters, military options against Iran are gaining traction. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 8, 2025

Could U.S. and Israel destroy Iran’s nuke program? Yep, here’s how.

Having lost control of its decimated proxies — Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis — Iran has few moves left on the chessboard.
A ball kid holds tennis balls during a women's quarterfinal match at Wimbledon in July 2023.
TENNIS
Jun 12, 2025

WTA players undergoing fertility treatments to receive protected ranking

Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, said the rule will reduce the pressure on players to return to the court too quickly.
Sam Burns prepares to putt on the 16th green during the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday in Oakmont, Pennsylvania.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 15, 2025

U.S. Open leader Burns eyes first major title at historic Oakmont

The 28-year-old American will carry a one-stroke lead into Sunday's final round after firing a 1-under-par 69 on Saturday.
Nippon Steel is buying United States Steel in a deal that gives the U.S. government a golden share in the U.S. steelmaker.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 16, 2025

Nippon Steel may have gotten the deal it wanted all along

The Japanese company has already committed to heavy investment in U.S. Steel and a U.S.-controlled board of directors at the American steelmaker.
U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist as boards Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 22, 2025

Israel tells U.S. it could attack key Iran nuke site before Trump deadline

Israel communicated their concerns to Trump administration officials on Thursday in what sources described as a tense phone call.
Minjee Lee poses with the winner's trophy after the final round of the Women's PGA Championship in Frisco, Texas, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 23, 2025

Minjee Lee wins Women's PGA Championship to capture third major

Lee began the day with a four-stroke advantage over Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul and was never seriously threatened.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that terror victims can sue the Palestinian Authority and PLO in American courts, a decision likely to impact future cases and the law.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 27, 2025

Foreign terror has a price in U.S. courts

The lower courts dismissed the cases on the ground that they lacked jurisdiction over the defendants. The U.S. Supreme Court disagreed.
A resident carries his belongings from his damaged house in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 2, 2024 — the day after a major earthquake devastated parts of the area.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2025

Japan eyes body for local government disaster waste management

The institution will help local governments quickly collect and dispose of large amounts of disaster waste, a type of work in which many local governments have no experience.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past