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A peace rally on Constitution Memorial Day in Tokyo on May 3. Japan’s identity as a pacifist nation is shifting as the government strengthens its military, but many don’t agree with the policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 27, 2024

Government and society are at odds on national security

Tokyo posits itself as a mutual defense ally of the U.S., but polls show that while the public wants a stronger military, changes should align with the peace Constitution.
Toyota's global sales, including those of subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hino, fell 4.5% last month from a year earlier to 835,788 vehicles.
BUSINESS
May 30, 2024

Toyota sales and output fall on Prius recall and dip in China

Global sales, including those of subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor and Hino Motors, fell 4.5% last month from a year earlier.
A worker installs a barrier to block the sight of Mount Fuji in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on May 21.
JAPAN
May 30, 2024

Town to replace Mount Fuji barrier after holes found: local media

The barrier was put up last week in a popular viewing spot in the town of Fujikawaguchiko.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik at the ministry's briefing room in Seoul on Friday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 17, 2024

U.S., South Korea, Japan to lock in security ties before inauguration

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik said that the three countries' defense chiefs will soon sign a pact known as the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework.
The government is considering introducing a new preclearance system for foreign visitors, starting with tourists from Taiwan, to help shorten the time taken for entry procedures on arrival.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2024

Japan to speed up entry process as tourist wave hits new record

The government will introduce a new preclearance system from January, starting with tourists from Taiwan, NHK has reported.
Japan cut its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year, reflecting weaker-than-expected private consumption.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 19, 2024

Japan cuts growth forecast as prime minister warns of weak-yen pain

The government cut its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year ending in March 2025 to 0.9% from 1.3% projected in January.
Hedwig Schreck is a third-generation Tokyoite whose grandfather first arrived in Japan from Germany in 1920 as a submarine engineer.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 24, 2024

Hedwig Schreck: ‘Art has always been part of my life’

A third-generation Tokyoite, the former TV producer has pivoted to teaching others about Japanese culture in her retirement.
Prosecutors leave Upper House lawmaker Megumi Hirose's home in Tokyo on Tuesday after searching it as part of an investigation into alleged fraud.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 31, 2024

Resignation of LDP lawmaker over pay scandal adds to party's woes

Megumi Hirose has left the party over allegations she pocketed public money to pay the salary of a secretary who didn’t actually work.
Japan's Tatsuru Saito (left) and France's Teddy Riner compete in the judo mixed team final at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 3.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Aug 9, 2024

French judo great Teddy Riner praises Tatsuru Saito in social media post

Tatsuru Saito earned the respect of French superstar Teddy Riner with his performance in the mixed team final.
The front page of The Japan Times on Sept. 15, 1974, reports news of a terrorism incident in Europe.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Sep 1, 2024

Japan Times 1974: 'Red Army' trio seizes embassy

Fifty years ago, a terrorism incident plays out in Europe. Meanwhile, editions of The Japan Times look back on significant anniversaries.
Liberal Democratic Party presidential election candidates after a campaign event in Nagoya on Saturday
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2024

LDP leader candidates split on separate surnames for married couples

While party conservatives worry about damaging family unity, others say it’s time to push through a legislative change.
The logo of Japanese walkie-talkie maker Icom at a shop in Tokyo. The firm said that it had stopped producing the model of radios reportedly used in recent blasts in Lebanon around a decade ago.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2024

Walkie-talkies in Lebanon blasts were discontinued a decade ago

Thousands of electronic devices, including pagers and walkie-talkies, exploded over the last two days, killing at least 26 people and wounding more than 3,000.
Kioxia Holdings was reportedly planning an initial public offering in October valuing it at $10 billion.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 25, 2024

Kioxia reportedly pulls IPO as AI winter looms

The IPO delay comes as the chip business globally faces a number of challenges related to possible overcapacity in some products.
Damaged buildings following an overnight Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Shebaa on Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2024

Japan to dispatch military planes for possible Lebanon evacuations

Israeli bombing has killed hundreds of people this week in Lebanon, particularly in Hezbollah strongholds.
Shigeru Ishiba, the newly elected leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party holds a news conference after the LDP leadership election in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 28, 2024

Ishiba gets down to the business of forming new administration

The incoming prime minister has reportedly decided to keep Yoshimasa Hayashi in the key post of chief cabinet secretary.
Paul Watson speaks at a news conference on the sidelines of the U.N. climate summit in Paris in December 2015.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 4, 2024

Japan says Paul Watson case 'nothing to do with whaling'

The co-founder of Sea Shepherd was arrested in Greenland in July on an arrest warrant issued by Japan.
Players on Nintendo Switch game consoles. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is reportedly weighing deploying more capital to Nintendo and its sector peers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 7, 2024

Nintendo jumps after Saudi fund expresses interest in bigger stake

The Saudi government is keen to mold the kingdom into a global gaming industry player and diversify its oil-heavy portfolio.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (center right) makes a speech Sunday in Soka, Saitama Prefecture, along with Komeito leader Keiichi Ishii (center left).
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 14, 2024

General election campaigning to kick off Tuesday

Rocked by a political funds scandal that engulfed the party and led to the dissolution of most of its factions, the LDP faces its toughest election since 2012.
A board for election posters in Tokyo's Chuo Ward on Monday
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 15, 2024

Election to test Ishiba's ability to build a strong political base

The PM must mitigate the reputational damage caused by the LDP's recent funds scandal and persuade voters that the party is still their best choice.
Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Billie Jean Cup finals, the last event on her 2024 schedule due to an injury.
TENNIS
Oct 21, 2024

Naomi Osaka cuts season short due to injury

Osaka has been sidelined since retiring from her last-16 match at the China Open against Coco Gauff in early October.
Investors already rattled by economic and monetary policy uncertainty are carefully watching Sunday's election.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 25, 2024

Tokyo stocks could 'plunge' if ruling coalition loses majority in Sunday vote

Investors are already rattled by monetary-policy tightening and geopolitical concerns.
In Japan, terms like "progressive," "liberal," "conservative," and "nationalist" may sound familiar but do not align with their meanings in other democracies.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 25, 2024

How to understand labels in Japanese politics

The issues that define political labels are often unique to Japan. As a result, quite a few Western authors will pick them up and use them.
Olympus CEO Stefan Kaufmann has resigned over an allegation he bought illegal drugs, the company announced Monday.
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2024

Olympus CEO exits after probe into drug-buying allegation

Stefan Kaufmann has resigned all positions effective immediately, the company said in a statement.
Nomura Holdings Chief Financial Officer Takumi Kitamura (center) speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 1, 2024

Nomura's profit beats estimates, though scandals cloud outlook

Net income more than doubled from a year earlier to ¥98.4 billion in the three months ended Sept. 30.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in Niigata Prefecture, the world's biggest nuclear plant, on Aug. 5. Like many others in Japan, the plant is seeking clearance to restart, as the country grapples with how to shape its nuclear future.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 19, 2024

Japan’s nuclear future: Caught between climate goals and reality

Japan is well short of hitting its nuclear power goals by 2030, with the challenging nature of reactor restarts likely impacting its emissions reduction targets.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses a meeting at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters on Thursday to discuss political reform.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 25, 2024

Corporate donations remain sticky point in political reform talks

The opposition wants such donations banned but the ruling coalition maintains that a ban would curtail the political freedom of the private sector.
Sanae Takaichi (left) celebrates Shigeru Ishiba’s victory in becoming the head of the Liberal Democratic Party along with then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo in September. Takaichi appears to be the only woman in any party who is close to breaking the glass ceiling to become the nation’s first female leader. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 26, 2024

The derailing of potential female prime ministers

Sanae Takaichi stands as the closest woman to breaking the glass ceiling and becoming Japan's first female prime minister.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the quake hit at a depth of 7 kilometers at 10:47 p.m. off the Noto Peninsula.
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2024

Moderately strong quake hits off central Japan

A woman in her 70s was later reported injured in the town of Tsubata, Kyodo news agency reported, citing the prefectural government.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova at a news conference in the city of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, in June
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2024

Russia says it will respond if U.S. places missiles in Japan

A report on Sunday said that Japan and the U.S. aim to compile a joint military plan for a possible Taiwan emergency that includes deploying missiles.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during a G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 18.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2024

Japan to lean heavily on extra tax revenue to cover costs of extra budget

The extra budget will partly be funded by ¥3.83 trillion in higher-than-expected tax receipts and unused funds from the previous year.

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