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A new law to promote the development of artificial intelligence while addressing its risks passed at an Upper House plenary meeting on Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 28, 2025

Japan enacts bill to promote AI development and address its risks

The new law includes a provision to allow the government to disclose the names of malicious businesses in the event of crime using AI.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (second from left) chairs a meeting of the government's cybersecurity strategy panel in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 29, 2025

Government to formulate new cybersecurity strategy amid rising threats

The new strategy includes a change in cryptography systems to better protect the government's internal communications against cyberattacks from quantum computers.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba offers a flower during a ceremony to pay respects to unidentified war dead from World War II at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo on May 26.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 3, 2025

Ishiba faces political and diplomatic quandary ahead of WWII anniversary

There is fierce opposition among conservatives to any form of official reflection on the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
The number of "zombie companies" in Japan, which do not make enough to cover their interest payments, was estimated to have grown some 228,000 in fiscal 2023, one of the highest in a decade.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jun 3, 2025

'Zombie company' apocalypse might be the point of Japan's minimum wage push

Government efforts to accelerate the pace of pay increases could lead to poorly performing companies going out of business.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a National Resilience Promotion Headquarters gathering on Friday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 6, 2025

Japan adopts ¥20 trillion anti-disaster program

The program, starting next April, focuses on rebuilding aging infrastructure and stepping up preparations for huge disasters.
Ishiba also called for the promotion of talks on setting up regional offices of the agency to enhance support for developing antidisaster measures tailored to the specific circumstances of each region.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 6, 2025

Ishiba eager to submit disaster agency bill next year

Ishiba called for the promotion of talks to enhance support for developing antidisaster measures tailored to the specific circumstances of each region.
Former Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Edano speaks at a meeting of the party in the city of Miyazaki on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2025

DPP eager to discuss no-confidence motion with CDP

"I would like to hear the CDP's thoughts and strategy regarding whether it will or will not submit a no-confidence motion," Tamaki said at a news conference.
New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins speaks during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 31.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 9, 2025

New Zealand looking at new ways to grow security ties with Japan, defense chief says

The move is part of a reset in New Zealand’s foreign and defense policy as Wellington grows concerned over international security tensions.
Personal data leaks involving My Number personal identification numbers reported under the My Number law climbed to 2,052 cases from 334 in fiscal 2023, according to the Personal Information Protection Commission's report adopted by the Cabinet Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2025

Personal info leak cases hit record high in Japan in fiscal 2024

Personal data leaks involving My Number personal identification numbers reported under the My Number law climbed to 2,052 cases from 334 in fiscal 2023.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has no plans to dissolve the Lower House during the current session, which lasts through June 22.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 13, 2025

Upper House election set for July 20, media report says

Campaigning for the election is set to begin on July 3.
Young women are moving from rural regions to Tokyo due to the lack of opportunities for education and employment, as well as the prevalence of stereotypical gender roles in their hometowns, a survey by the Cabinet Office last December found.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2025

Citing lack of opportunities, young women in Japan are not returning to rural areas

The government also stressed in its 2025 white paper on gender equality the need to eliminate the "fixed sense of gender roles" in rural communities.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will be the first reigning emperor and empress to visit Mongolia.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025

Emperor and empress to visit Mongolia in July

They will be the first reigning emperor and empress to visit Mongolia. The emperor visited the country in 2007 when he was Crown Prince.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra arrives at the Government House in Bangkok ahead of a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 24, 2025

Thai party plans no confidence vote against embattled prime minister

Next week's planned motion will be the first parliamentary test for Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinwatra.
Voters in the Upper House election in July 2022
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 26, 2025

Upper House election date falling on a three-day weekend sparks debate

The July 20 election falls on a Sunday that is also the second day of a three-day holiday weekend, when many people are likely to plan for trips and outings.
Sanseito supporters applaud Saya, Sanseito candidate for the Upper House election from Tokyo, and Manabu Matsuda, a candidate from proportional representation, at a public rally at Tsukiji Market on June 28.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 1, 2025

Sanseito touts 'Japanese First' rhetoric to gain support

Some observers say conservative voters who left the Democratic Party for the People are turning to the fledgling opposition party by default.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday. Trump's latest comments suggest he is running out of patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin after having openly expressed admiration for him in the past.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 9, 2025

Trump slams Putin again as he backs more weapons for Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump said he’s also looking "very strongly” at a bill introduced in the Senate that would impose severe sanctions on Russia.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (center) during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Tuesday. Bondi had assured Fox News she had a client list of financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on her desk in remarks endorsed by the White House.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 9, 2025

Trump faces MAGA meltdown over Epstein reversal

The shutting down of conspiracy theories surrounding a purported client list of the notorious sex offender has sparked backlash from the U.S. president's support base.
Orders from the automobile and auto parts industries decreased 7.1% in May after a 20.3% drop the previous month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 14, 2025

Japan core machinery orders down 0.6% in May

The government kept its basic assessment unchanged, saying that machinery orders are showing signs of picking up.
Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, chief of staff of the Air Self-Defense Force, attends a meeting at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, in April 2023.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 15, 2025

Japan taps ASDF chief as new top uniformed officer

The government has appointed current ASDF head, Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, as the next chief of staff of the Defense Ministry's Joint Staff.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Nagatacho, Tokyo, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 15, 2025

Ishiba may meet top U.S. tariff negotiator Scott Bessent in Tokyo this week

The prime minister is understood to be aiming for a path to agreement in the ongoing bilateral tariff negotiations by meeting with the U.S. top negotiator in person.
Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Gaza on Monday
WORLD
Jul 15, 2025

Amid heated debate, no real plan for Israel's 'humanitarian city' in Gaza

Planning was in a very initial phase only, one source said, and the goal was to help Palestinians who do not want to live under Hamas rule.
The Liberal Democratic Party’s historic Upper House defeat leaves the party fragmented and searching for a capable leader who can reunite conservatives, modernize its appeal, deliver real policies and rebuild its internal power structure.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 25, 2025

Who will save the Liberal Democratic Party?

The LDP is now faced with two fundamental questions: what tasks must it accomplish to restore its political dominance and who is actually capable of accomplishing them?
Japan’s ruling coalition is weakening as rising populist parties like Sanseito gain support, raising concerns that Japan could shift toward unstable multiparty coalition politics similar to Israel’s fragmented Knesset.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 25, 2025

Is Japan drifting toward fragmented and ineffective politics?

In a system with many small parties, even minor players can hold the balance of power in forming coalitions.
Members of the Sudanese army walk past a destroyed military vehicle and bombed buildings in the state of Khartoum on March 26.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 25, 2025

Sudan's Islamists plot postwar comeback by supporting army

The Islamist movement was toppled in Sudan's uprising in 2019.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving at Prestwick Airport, near Glasgow, Scotland, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 26, 2025

Trump's distraction methods fall flat against Epstein uproar

The Republican's well-worn methods of changing the subject when a tough topic stings politically are not working.
The government has approves expanded disaster relief to better support the elderly and people with disabilities during emergencies, including armed attacks.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 29, 2025

Japan expands aid for the elderly and people with disabilities in emergencies

There have been concerns about some evacuees dying due to their health deteriorating after evacuation, and the need to strengthen protections in the event of armed attacks.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about recognizing Palestinian statehood at a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 31, 2025

Canada plans to recognize Palestinian state, raising allies' pressure on Israel

"Canada condemns the fact that the Israeli government has allowed a catastrophe to unfold in Gaza," said Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Shizuoka Gov. Yasutomo Suzuki (left) hands a proposal to promote a multicultural society to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki on Wednesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2025

Japan prefectural chiefs seek to promote multicultural society

The project team of the National Governors' Association asked the central government to help the country accept more foreigners to address labor shortages in regional areas.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to the press at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 5, 2025

Ishiba open to delivering message to mark 80th anniversary of WWII's end

His predecessors had issued official statements approved by the Cabinet during the 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries.
Einav Zangauker, mother of Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker, sits on the shoulders of Michel Illouz, father of deceased hostage Guy Illouz, as they attend a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday calling for the release of hostages.
WORLD
Aug 10, 2025

Thousands rally in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu’s new Gaza plan

A day earlier, Israeli officials had decided to seize Gaza City, expanding military operations in the devastated Palestinian territory.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’