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July 04, 2025
 

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HISTORY

Those who lived in Japan’s Nara Period, which lasted from the year 710 to 794, by and large knew themselves to be blessed. It wasn’t just those in power who felt it, either. From nobles to commoners, the poets seemed to have democratized joy itself.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Jan 17, 2025
From Genji to 'hikikomori,' how we make peace with disappearing
Japan’s reverence for impermanence reveals a profound connection between beauty and loss, from poetic musings to spiritual retreats, echoing in modern expressions of solitude.
People load a bus heading to the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California, in this 1943 handout photo.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 19, 2024
Trump compares jailed Capitol rioters to WWII Japanese internment
The former U.S. president's comments were met with widespread criticism from Japanese American groups and others.
A tunnel inside the Sado Island Gold Mines in Sado, Niigata Prefecture
JAPAN / History
Jul 27, 2024
Japan's Sado gold mines added to World Heritage list
The site is associated with Korean wartime labor and was once the world's largest gold mine complex.
The stone pillar at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo that had "toilet" spray painted on it, on Monday after it was cleaned
JAPAN / Society
Jun 3, 2024
Police launch investigation over Yasukuni Shrine vandalism
In a video shared online, a man went to the shrine and urinated on a stone pillar before writing the word “toilet” in red spray paint.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2023
Japan, South Korea and China seek leaders' summit at 'earliest' time
The talks were seen as a steppingstone toward reviving the three-way summit, but progress on hammering out a specific date appeared elusive.
Actor Joaquin Phoenix (left), actress Vanessa Kirby and director Ridley Scott arrive for the U.K. premiere of the movie "Napoleon" in London on Nov. 16.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2023
Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ and our need for historical heroes
The new movie Napoleon' reignites the debate on the role of great individuals in history
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks in front of an intercontinental ballistic missile in this undated photo released in March 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 25, 2023
From 'Young General' to 'Supreme Leader': The evolution of Kim Jong Un
North Korea's thinking on its relations with the U.S. has undergone dramatic changes, and Kim Jong Un's past evolution offers indications of where the country might be headed.
The mushroom cloud caused by the Trinity nuclear test is seen on July 16, 1945. A new study, released on Thursday ahead of submission to a scientific journal for peer review, shows that the cloud and its fallout went farther than anyone in the Manhattan Project had imagined in 1945.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 22, 2023
Trinity nuclear test’s fallout reached 46 states, Canada and Mexico, study finds
The research shows that the first atomic bomb explosion’s effects had been underestimated, and could help more “downwinders” press for federal compensation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 25, 2023
South Korean president's office defends his viral Japan comments
South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol was in hot water after comments he made about former colonial power Japan not needing to 'kneel down' to improve ties.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 16, 2023
Iraq's ancient treasures sand-blasted by climate change
Sandstorms attributed to climate change have slowly begun to reverse years of work in Iraq to unearth archeological sites.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2022
South Korea says leaders' summit with Japan still on
Japan's conservative Sankei Shimbun daily reported late Saturday that Tokyo was working to postpone the meeting, citing multiple Japanese government officials.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2022
South Korean top court postpones decision on wartime labor asset liquidation
Japanese and South Korean government officials now have more time to resolve the issue, which has sent ties plunging to fresh lows.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 26, 2022
Japanese and South Korean leaders unlikely to meet during NATO summit
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. leader Joe Biden, however, will hold their first trilateral summit since September 2017.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 30, 2022
What does 'normalization' really mean for Japan-China ties?
A look at the history of relations between the two countries shows a delicate balance and coexistence set against recurring tensions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2022
Ukraine apologizes for linking Hirohito and Hitler in official tweet
An official Ukrainian government Twitter account apologized after showing a picture of Emperor Hirohito alongside Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in video about the defeat of fascism.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Apr 18, 2022
Saigo Takamori: The last ‘true’ samurai, defender of the Japanese spirit
Saigo Takamori's samurai rank was low, but that might account for his love for the land and disdain for wealth and power.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Mar 20, 2022
A narrative forms around the 'divine country'
The seeds of modern Japanese nationalism were sown by nativist scholar Motoori Norinaga, who lauded the concept of 'mono no aware.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Feb 25, 2022
Watanabe Kazan: One scholar’s equivocal rebellion
Watanabe Kazan discovered a talent for drawing early on and became a hack artist, painting on demand for pennies. It kept starvation at bay.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 4, 2021
Education ministry seeks to iron out wrinkles over school history syllabus
“Modern global history” is to be made a compulsory subject in senior high schools in Japan from 2022.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Nov 15, 2021
Japanese-Korean-Turkish language group traced to farmers in ancient China
Various descended languages and peoples are thought to have spread across an area of some 8,000 kilometers.
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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