Search - japan

 
 
Then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds a news conference in Tokyo in December 2023 where he addressed the political fundraising scandal and announced plans to replace several implicated ministers.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 15, 2025

Cost of living trumps corruption as Japan heads to the polls

A recent NHK poll asked that question to prospective voters, and the majority answered “measures to deal with rising prices” and “social security and the declining birthrate.”
Mahatma Gandhi led the Indian independence movement with an unshakable faith in nonviolence that arguably dovetailed with Zen philosophy in some respects.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Jul 19, 2025

Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence — and Zen?

The Indian nationalist’s beliefs hewed close to certain aspects of Zen thought, particularly his fearlessness in the face of death.
Shizuku Urata, a fixed-net fishery worker in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2025

Women in Japan's fishery sector on the rise

Efforts to attract women into the industry reflect the struggles of many fishery businesses in finding young workers who can continue operations in the future.
A municipal library in Fujikawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, that opened in July 2023, has become a community hub.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2025

Work to consolidate public facilities gains traction across Japan

Municipal facilities such as libraries are increasingly being constructed within government office complexes in a bid to streamline public services.
Astellas Pharma's headquarters in Tokyo
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 16, 2025

Chinese court jails Japanese executive after sudden detention for spying

The convicted man, an executive of Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma, was detained in March 2023 and charged with espionage in October of that year.
Researchers at the University of Osaka Hospital last year became the first in Japan to conduct surgeries of reducing the number of fetuses in multiple pregnancy as part of clinical research.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 16, 2025

Researchers in Japan conduct multifetal pregnancy reduction surgeries

It is the first time that the procedure has been carried out as clinical research in Japan.
A guilty ruling on a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma in China for a spying charge has shocked Japanese firms operating in China.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2025

Japanese firms in China wary after Astellas employee spy conviction

"We don't know what actions (by the Astellas employee) were considered a problem" by Chinese authorities, a senior official of a Japanese manufacturer stationed in Beijing said.
Kiyoshi Shibata stands in front of one of the rice paddies in Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, where he produces the prefecture's signature rice brand Tsuyahime.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 17, 2025

Japan's rice farmers are confounded by Shinjiro Koizumi’s policies

Farming communities, a key base for the Liberal Democratic Party, are increasingly voicing their distress at how the rice situation is being handled.
A member of staff works on a production line that manufactures small metal coils at Mitsuwa Electric in Tokyo on July 11.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 18, 2025

Japan's smaller firms say they are ready to adapt to Trump tariffs

Millions of small- and medium-sized firms that make up 99.7% of Japan's companies are world-class in their specialist niche, giving rise to confidence about weathering tariffs.
Japanese officials made a similar call in March to China to expand a program allowing certain mainland investors to put more money abroad when they held a high-level economic dialogue in Tokyo with their Chinese counterparts.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 18, 2025

Japan official urges China to expand foreign investment quota

China has been easing its strict controls over capital outflows in recent years.
The Japan Football Association aims to be part of a joint bid to host the 2046 FIFA World Cup.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 18, 2025

Japan Football Association planning to join Asia bid for 2046 World Cup

The JFA aims to be part of a joint bid including other East Asian countries as well as ASEAN members.
Visitors line up to enter the Nepal pavilion, which finally opened at the Osaka Expo on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2025

Nepal pavilion finally opens at Osaka Expo

With Nepal's entry, all foreign pavilions of the 158 countries and regions and seven international organizations participating in the event are now open.
China's Shi Yuqi hits a return to France's Alex Lanier during the final of the Japan Open on Sunday in Tokyo.
MORE SPORTS / Badminton
Jul 20, 2025

Shi beats Lanier to win Japan Open badminton title

South Korea's An Se-young downed China's Wang Zhiyi 21-12, 21-10 in the women's final to capture an incredible sixth title in seven tournaments so far this year.
Pedestrians walk in front of an election notice board displaying posters of candidates in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 20, 2025

Voters in Tokyo reflect shifting political views across Japan

Many constituents, frustrated with the current state of affairs, have turned away from the LDP and are seeking possibilities in newer and smaller parties.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves concurrently as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, leaves at the party's headquarters following announcement of Upper House election result projections in Tokyo early Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 21, 2025

Japan ruling bloc loses majority in Upper House after election drubbing

The ruling LDP-Komeito coalition's devastating loss in Sunday’s poll could lead to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation or political gridlock in parliament.
Election officials open ballot boxes during the Upper House election at a counting center in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 21, 2025

Voter turnout rises to 58.51% in Japan's Upper House poll

In Sunday's election, the voter turnout topped the 2022 levels in all of Japan's 47 prefectures and surpassed 60% in 12 of them.
Ayaka Shiomura, running for an Upper House seat on a Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan ticket in the Tokyo district, was one of 42 women elected in Sunday's election.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 21, 2025

Japan elects record number of women to Upper House

Female candidates won 42 of the 125 seats contested on Sunday, up from 35 seats in the last election in 2022.
The Maritime Transport Group's medium-size 3,500-ton Yoko-class landing support vessel will be used for rapid transportation of personnel and supplies.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 22, 2025

SDF maritime transport group boosts mobility in contingencies

China's ongoing maritime expansion has heightened regional tensions and increased concerns about a potential crisis involving Taiwan.
Kansai Electric Power Company's Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2025

Kepco to build Japan’s first new nuclear reactor since Fukushima meltdown

Kepco’s plan for a new reactor comes after the government adopted the Seventh Strategic Energy Plan in February, declaring policies to maximize the use of nuclear power.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba looks on after meeting with the Liberal Democratic Party executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 23, 2025

Ishiba denies reports he will resign next month, leaving his fate unclear

Some media outlets had reported that the prime minister was poised to step down in the coming weeks.
Miyazaki Gov. Shunji Kono speaks at a meeting of the National Governors' Association in the city of Aomori on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 24, 2025

Governors urge central government to address Japan's shrinking population

During a two-day meeting in Aomori Prefecture, governors called for the establishment of a government agency-level control tower to coordinate related policies.
The National Police Agency will begin a trial run of wearable cameras starting in late August.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 24, 2025

Police in Japan to trial wearable cameras from late August

Officers will clearly indicate when recording is taking place using illuminated lights, stickers or armbands.
The pilot of an U.S. Osprey military aircraft contacted Hanamaki Airport in Iwate Prefecture to request an emergency landing due to a technical issue, according to an official at the airport.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2025

U.S. Osprey makes emergency landing at Iwate airport

The aircraft has been involved in accidents and several deadly crashes, including one in 2023 when all eight people on board were killed.
Japanese passport holders have visa-free access to 190 destinations out of 227 globally.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2025

Japan ties with South Korea for second most powerful passport

Japan continues to hold the world’s second most powerful passport — tied with South Korea — according to a new global ranking.
A "no swimming" sign and flag are displayed on the beach at Shonan Bellmare Hiratsuka Beach Park in the city of Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Aug. 10 last year, following the issuance of emergency information on the increased risk of a huge Nankai Trough earthquake.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2025

Japan holds first meeting on Nankai quake information guidelines review

Japan issued its first Nankai Trough emergency information in August last year following a major quake off Miyazaki Prefecture.
The city of Obihiro in Hokkaido amid scorching heat on Thursday
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2025

Extreme heat grips Japan, including even Hokkaido

Several cities in Hokkaido experienced record-high temperatures on Thursday, and Hokkaido Railway has suspended portions of its rail lines as a safety precaution.
Miyako Yoshida, artistic director of the National Ballet of Japan, speaks during an interview on Tuesday in London.
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 25, 2025

National Ballet of Japan stages first overseas performance in London

Thursday's show was the first of a total of five performances scheduled through Sunday.
Students hoping to work in Japan attend a Japanese class at a job placement company in Hanoi in October 2022.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 28, 2025

Japan to start new residency system for foreign workers

The aim is to systematically develop foreign human resources and ensure they stay in Japanese workplaces for the long term.
At Meiji the Sutenai ("Don't throw things away") Factory in the city of Saitama, the company sells dairy products whose best-before dates are approaching.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2025

From power generation to discounts, companies in Japan work to reduce food waste

Meiji, for example, has a store in the city of Saitama that sells dairy products whose best-before dates are approaching at about 40% off the suggested retail prices.
A Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma, sentenced to three years and six months in prison for espionage in China, did not appeal the ruling by Monday's deadline, according to officials at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 29, 2025

Astellas employee makes no appeal against conviction in China

A Chinese court said he had been paid to provide information on China's politics and economy to intelligence agencies.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes