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Appi Geothermal Energy's power plant in Hachimantai, Iwate Prefecture, began commercial operations in March.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Oct 31, 2024

Geothermal power slowly gains steam in Japan

Development of the energy source has long stalled, partly because they tend to lie beneath national parks, which are protected for wildlife conservation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2024

Warm weather causes record-breaking delay for autumn foliage in Japan

In many regions, the vibrant color change has been pushed back by more than 10 days, according to a forecast released Wednesday.
Truant students at high schools numbered 68,770 in fiscal 2023, a record high.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2024

Truancy hits record high in Japan in fiscal 2023

The number of truant students at elementary and junior high schools rose by some 47,000 from the previous year to a record 346,482.
Various kinds of over-the-counter drugs seized by police after being illegally kept to be sold in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district and other locations
JAPAN / Society
Nov 1, 2024

Experts call for action on OTC drug abuse among youth in Japan

A number of people have experienced organ damage, including liver failure, with some cases resulting in death.
Hana Wakimoto hits her tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the LPGA Japan Classic in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, on Thursday. Wakimoto leads the event after two rounds.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Nov 1, 2024

Outsider Wakimoto keeps two-shot lead at LPGA Japan

Japan's world No. 236 Wakimoto carded a 4-under-par 68 for 13-under score at Seta Golf Course.
Democratic Party for the People chief Yuichiro Tamaki’s personal YouTube channel has more than 326,000 subscribers, by far the highest number among party leaders.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 1, 2024

How Japan’s new kingmaker party won over young voters

The Democratic Party for the People's election gains can be traced to two different factors: its youth-oriented policies and skillful use of social media platforms.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves concurrently as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, attends a news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 2, 2024

Ishiba to meet with U.S. and Chinese leaders during multilateral summits

The meetings will be the first time for Ishiba to hold talks with either president in person since taking office early last month.
The Meteorological Agency said that, as of 2:10 p.m Saturday, a total of 188 observation points in western and central Japan had recorded their largest-ever 24-hour rainfall for November
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2024

Western and central Japan drenched by record rainfall for November

The heavy rains saw the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, issue the highest-level alert and urge nearly 190,000 residents to evacuate to shelters.
The seaside town of Shika on the Noto Peninsula, where the local power provider, Hokuriku Electric, has been fighting for a decade to restart a nuclear power plant in the town’s center.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2024

Can quake-prone Japan ever embrace nuclear energy again?

The government, its makeup in flux after the LDP lost seats this week, will soon need to make decisions that will shape Japan's future nuclear policy.
The United Nations Headquarters in New York City
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2024

U.N. panel adopts nuclear abolition resolution proposed by Japan

The resolution mentioned the selection of Nihon Hidankyo, the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, and comes amid a tense security environment.
Nobuaki Koga, former president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, speaks about receiving this year's Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2024

Japan recognizes 3,987 people in autumn honors

Among the recipients are Nobuaki Koga, the former president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, and former Environment Minister Sakihito Ozawa.
In a group interview at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Thursday, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya declined to make predictions about the Liberal Democratic Party’s approach to any revisions to the Status of Forces Agreement, but said he believes “some wisdom will probably come about” from planned talks within the party.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 4, 2024

Top diplomat says Foreign Ministry will ‘quietly examine’ revising SOFA pact

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya says finding a "mutually acceptable" solution to issues in the pact governing the U.S. military presence in Japan is key.
A front page announcement for Hideki Yukawa's Nobel Prize win in the fields of physics informs readers of Japan's first-ever Nobel laureate.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Nov 4, 2024

Japan Times 1949: Yukawa wins Nobel award

Along with Japan receiving its first Nobel Prize 75 years ago, a lengthy write-up on the man who sought to kill the emperor appeared on our front pages.
Players gather for a baseball game at an unearthed and restored baseball field that had not seen a competition in 75 years, at the site of a Japanese internment camp in Manzanar, California, on Oct. 28.
JAPAN / History
Nov 4, 2024

In an internment camp, all they had was baseball. They’re back to play.

Before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, baseball was a source of connection between Japan and the United States.
The BayStars toss manager Daisuke Miura into the air after defeating the Hawks in Game 6 to win the Japan Series in Yokohama on Sunday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Nov 4, 2024

BayStars turn tables on Hawks after 2017 loss to capture Japan Series title

For the first time in 26 years, the BayStars are Japan Series champions.
Members of the Lower House panel on the Constitution discuss issues related to constitutional amendments in June.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 5, 2024

Push for constitutional amendments in Japan wanes after election

The number of Lower House seats held by the parties positive toward constitutional amendments fell short of the 310 needed to put them up for a national referendum.
The topics nominated for this year’s buzzwords of the year ranged from new banknotes and Olympian quips to political scandals and rice shortages.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2024

From cat memes to Olympians with too much rizz, these are Japan's 2024 buzzword nominations

The buzzword of the year, along with the top 10 picks, will be decided from the 30 nominated terms on Dec. 2.
The body of Claudio Worm, a German university student who went missing in Wakayama Prefecture, has been found.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 6, 2024

Body of missing German tourist found off Wakayama coast

The 21-year-old's body was discovered off the Takurazaki coast after an individual alerted the Wakayama Coast Guard at around 2.50 p.m. on Nov 1.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 7, 2024

Ishiba holds first phone call with Trump as Japanese PM seeks to build ties

Ishiba called his first one-on-one conversation with Trump "friendly," saying that he expects the two will be able to "speak openly and candidly.”
Interim spent nuclear fuel storage facility in the city of Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2024

Japan's first interim spent fuel storage facility starts operations

The facility is scheduled to take in a total of eight casks by March 2027.
Defense equipment such as tanks and ships often require time to build, leading the government to conclude contracts spanning multiple fiscal years.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2024

Japan's future payment obligations for defense goods balloon

An increase in such obligations may put constraints on spending to procure new equipment and build facilities, resulting in budget rigidity.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, director of Hiroshima Hidankyo and a co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, hopes the U.S. will strive for a world free of nuclear weapons.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 7, 2024

With Trump’s return, Japanese advocacy groups seek renewed U.S. support

Groups representing atomic bomb survivors and the families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea hope the new administration will back their causes.
Onlookers watch a broadcast of Republican candidate Donald Trump addressing his election night watch party, in Times Square, New York, on Wednesday. Trump has been elected the 47th president of the United States, pulling off a stunning political comeback in one of the most polarized contests for the White House in U.S. history.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 7, 2024

U.S. allies and partners gird for return of ‘transactional’ Trump

Trump is expected to raise his demands at every turn, a scenario that could very well play out with Japan, especially if Tokyo remains mired in political turmoil.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reviews Self-Defense Forces troops during the SDF's 70th anniversary at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Asaka, which straddles Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 9, 2024

Ishiba considering U.S. visit for first in-person talks with Trump

The Japanese government is working with the Trump team on arranging the visit and officials may visit the U.S. next week to discuss details.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a speech prior to reviewing Self-Defense Forces troops during a ceremony at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Asaka, which straddles Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 9, 2024

Ishiba vows to bolster alliance with U.S. following Trump return

Work is underway for setting up Ishiba's first face-to-face meeting with Trump, who won Tuesday's U.S. presidential election, later this month.
Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
BUSINESS / Longform
Nov 11, 2024

A boom for business tourism in Japan?

Japan’s MICE sector is expanding rapidly, adapting with tech upgrades, flexible venues and sustainable initiatives as the Osaka Expo approaches.
Shurei Sasai in Nagpur, India, on Oct. 13
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2024

Monk from Japan works to lead people in India to Buddhism

Shurei Sasai has been devoting his life to freeing people from discrimination based on the Indian caste system for more than half a century.
BayStars manager Daisuke Miura is tossed into the air as the team celebrates after Game 6 of the Japan Series on Nov. 3.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 11, 2024

BayStars manager Daisuke Miura says team never lost faith during Japan Series run

The BayStars defeated the Hawks to win the Japan Series for the first time since 1998.
An infrastructure project in the city of Mumbai. The International Monetary Fund forecasts 7.0% growth for India in 2024 and 6.5% in 2025, compared with 0.3% growth for Japan this year and 1.1% next year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2024

India set to overtake Japan in GDP rankings

Economic stagnation and a weak yen could take Japan's economy to fifth place globally as early as next year.
A village school bus drives along an empty street in the village of Tenei, Fukushima Prefecture, in March 2023. In rural areas, more single-member households will emerge from an aging population and the eventual death of spouses in two-person households, according to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 12, 2024

1 in 5 people in Japan age 65 and older will be living alone in 2050

The trend resulting from rapid depopulation will affect both metropolitan and rural areas, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research says.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami