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An Yong Hak, a former North Korean soccer player, in Yokohama on Thursday. An played 40 times in midfield for North Korea, and appeared with the team at the 2010 World Cup.
SOCCER
Mar 18, 2024

North Korean World Cup player says Japan game more than just soccer

This week's qualifier is a special occasion for some ethnic Koreans in Japan.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Mar 18, 2024

Japan’s eased defense export rules open door to more changes

The speed at which the Kishida administration has been pushing through defense reforms has stunned many even as the regional security environment worsens.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife, Yuko, welcome Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and his wife, Louise Araneta, at the Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo last December.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 19, 2024

Biden, Kishida and Marcos to hold first trilateral summit in April

The summit comes as economic and security ties continue to grow and the partners cast wary eyes on China.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Mar 19, 2024

Japan's 'hostage justice system' faces renewed scrutiny

The long-criticized system has come under the spotlight as executives wrongly accused of a crime continue their legal battle.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo attend a working luncheon at the Sofitel Hotel in Manila on Tuesday. Blinken’s trip, which also touched upon economic cooperation, followed a trade mission visit by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo a week earlier.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 19, 2024

Blinken pledges closer U.S.-Philippine security ties ahead of trilateral summit with Japan

The top U.S. diplomat and his Philippine counterpart also signaled the allies were eyeing ways to "operationalize" security cooperation with Tokyo.
Japanese automakers explore a unified approach and industry consolidation to stay competitive in the global EV market.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 19, 2024

As China’s EVs approach, Japan’s carmakers must step on the gas

China sees an opportunity to dominate, and just as it did with sectors from steel to solar panels, it’s unlikely to always play fair.
Japan fans during the women's team's Olympic qualifier against North Korea in Tokyo last month.
SOCCER
Mar 20, 2024

Japan warns football fans not to go to North Korea for World Cup qualifier

Japan and North Korea play in Tokyo on Thursday as part of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, before the return fixture next week.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 22, 2024

Japan urges priority for children as demand for measles shots spikes

Recent outbreaks in the country have led to a surge in interest in the vaccine among unvaccinated adults who haven't been infected with the disease.
North Korean fans cheer on the national team during a World Cup qualifying match against Japan on Thursday in Tokyo.
SOCCER
Mar 24, 2024

The many twists and turns for Japan's canceled World Cup qualifier in Pyongyang

On Sunday, FIFA ultimately determined that the match wouldn't go ahead at all, which could hand Japan a place in the next round.
Containers transporting coal at a dock in Cam Pha, Vietnam. Enthusiasm for Vietnam’s renewables boom is dampened by factors such as its underdeveloped electricity grid and patchy regulatory framework, while the country’s major source of electricity remains coal.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Mar 25, 2024

With Japan’s help, is Vietnam headed for a flawed energy transition?

The climate-vulnerable nation is looking to renewables, but also questionable solutions promoted by Tokyo, for its energy needs.
High school students visit seawalls in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Thursday during a weeklong tour of areas hit by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in the prefecture.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 26, 2024

Students from wildfire-struck Hawaii learn about disaster recovery in Miyagi

The students visited four municipalities in Miyagi Prefecture to study their efforts to rebuild following the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (left) and Yuichiro Tamaki (right), leader of the Democratic Party for the People, hold a party leaders' debate in June 2021.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2024

Is Japan-style 'question time' facing abolition in parliament?

Both ruling and opposition parties have shown a lack of enthusiasm for holding such events, with some forces even advocating for its abolition.
The 2024 grand prix winner was Zerogravity, a marine activity provider with a focus on accessible tours and accommodation.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 29, 2024

Japan Travel Awards promote inclusive tourism

While currently far from a global player, the Japan Travel Awards is filling a void for recommendations on forward-looking travel-centric organizations.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has expressed his eagerness to revise the political funds law in the current session of parliament, slated to end on June 23.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 29, 2024

Spotlight on political reform after budget clears Japan's parliament

Ruling and opposition parties are eager to outline a bolder plan for reform to raise their profile among voters amid growing political disenchantment.
Japan’s Cabinet agreed to ease defense export rules for the nation’s next-generation fighter jet, a concept model of which is seen on display here at a defense show in Chiba in March 2023.
EDITORIALS
Mar 29, 2024

Japan greenlights its defense industry

The government's steps on easing defense export rules will allow Japanese companies to participate more fully in the global market for defense equipment.
Demand for infertility treatment is high in Japan, where the number of live births fell for eight straight years to another record low last year.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 30, 2024

Fertility startups in Japan step in as treatment demand soars

In Japan, shortages of treatment options plague patients as the country grapples with one of the world’s lowest birthrates.
With emerging headwinds in the U.S. and Japan, U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will have their work cut out for them next month as they look to maintain the momentum driving change in the alliance between both countries.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 31, 2024

Kishida heads to U.S. with a mission — maintain alliance momentum amid challenges

Defense and security will likely top the agenda, though it is unclear how the PM will handle the issue of Ukraine assistance amid a split U.S. Congress.
Children wash their hands with a new public pump installed as part of a climate resilient water system in Inn Chey in Kratie Province.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Mar 31, 2024

Japan sits at the forefront of climate resilient infrastructure in Southeast Asia

Japanese businesses and government agencies are pouring billions of yen into various programs across Cambodia and Southeast Asia to reduce climate risks.
Hundreds lined up at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa, which came to Japan for a 50-day exhibition.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Apr 1, 2024

Japan Times 1974: Some troubles reported at Mona Lisa's opening

Fifty years ago, a woman made a statement on the rights of the physically disabled by splashing paint on the Mona Lisa in Tokyo.
New regulations took effect this month to cap the working hours of hospital doctors, with the health ministry also specifying that hours spent on duties and self-development directly associated with education and research should be considered work hours.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2024

Japan starts work style reform to cap doctors' overtime

Medical services in Japan have historically relied to some extent on the self-sacrifice of doctors.
A boy watches Self-Defense Forces live-fire drills in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in 2017. Japan’s defense posture is shifting, as the government’s recent approval of new arms export regulations signals.  
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 1, 2024

Is Japan leaving pacifism behind?

How a previous generation of Japanese leaders, those who made defense budget and arms export limits a national credo, would view the current shift.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (right) meets with UNRWA head  Philippe Lazzarini in Tokyo on March 28.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2024

Japan resumes funding to embattled Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA

Japan on Tuesday said it will lift its suspension of funding to the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) as the relief body works to regain trust after an allegation that some of its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Children are evacuated from a preschool in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, following tsunami warnings after a powerful earthquake struck off Taiwan on Wednesday morning.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2024

Japan lifts tsunami advisory after strong quake hits Taiwan

Tsunami measuring at least 30 centimeters were observed at Yonaguni and Miyako islands, while waves as high as 20 cm also reached Ishigaki Island.
The Osprey provides vertical takeoff and landing like a helicopter but is also capable of flying at high speeds over long distances when operating as a conventional plane.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 3, 2024

The Japan-U.S. alliance needs the versatile Osprey

In Japan, there has been an outsized and lingering concern about the aircraft’s safety. That concern is, frankly, misplaced,
U.S., Japanese and District of Columbia flags are seen on a lamp post near the White House in Washington on Thursday in preparation for next week's official state visit of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 5, 2024

Kishida and Biden to discuss joint defense gear production

The move would form part of efforts to deter Russia and China.
Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS) is caused by bacteria called group A streptococcus, the same type that causes a strep throat infection, which affects mostly children. A strep A throat infection is not the same as STSS, however.
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Apr 5, 2024

Japan's tissue-damaging bacterial disease: What you need to know

Misconceptions are fueling jitters at home and abroad, with travelers considering putting off their plans to visit the country.
Takuya Yokota, the representative of the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, gives a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 5, 2024

Relatives of Japanese abducted by North Korea hope Kishida raises issue in U.S.

Takuya Yokota, who represents a group of family members of abductees, said the matter is a human rights and humanitarian issue.
United States defender Casey Short (20) and Japan midfielder Aoba Fujino (15) run for the ball during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday.
SOCCER
Apr 7, 2024

Horan penalty gives USA comeback win over Japan

The Americans will now face regional rivals Canada in Tuesday's final.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during an interview at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday, ahead of his visit to the United States this week.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 8, 2024

Kishida advocates wider defense network ahead of U.S. trip

The Japanese leader said he would push ahead on cooperation with like-minded countries on security, including on defense equipment and technology.
In one of the biggest changes to the alliance in decades, U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to agree on revamping the U.S. military’s command in Japan to help strengthen operational planning with the Self-Defense Forces.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 8, 2024

At Biden-Kishida summit, tech tie-ups are as important as defense deals

The two leaders are also expected to announce boosted cooperation on supply chains and cutting-edge technologies, all with an eye on China.

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With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear