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September 05, 2025
 

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT

JAPAN
May 9, 2020
Japan's hotels in a bind as mild and asymptomatic coronavirus patients opt to heal at home instead
Despite legislative attempts to persuade mild and asymptomatic patients to isolate in hotels, most cooperating facilities are nearly empty.
BUSINESS
May 5, 2020
Japan to launch model project for land banks to manage plots left unused
The land ministry will begin a model project for so-called land banks this fiscal year, aiming to appropriately manage land plots that are left unused and find new ways to utilize them through regional cooperation.
JAPAN
May 4, 2020
Abe extends Japan's nationwide state of emergency, but prepares to relax some restrictions
The prime minister strikes a cautiously optimistic note, but adds that the situation remains grim for the country's strained health care system.
JAPAN
May 4, 2020
Governor moves to get Osaka back in business by mid-May despite pandemic
Despite the state of emergency, the governor appears eager to get businesses reopened before the government's expected extension ends.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
May 1, 2020
Cities in Japan flush bad image with upgraded public toilets
Municipalities are teaming up with corporations when carrying out renovations aimed at improving experience for tourists and families.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2020
More prefectures in Japan extend school closures amid virus uncertainty
Caution is the watch word for now when it comes to students and teachers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2020
Defiant pachinko parlors show limits of Japan’s shutdown request
As pachinko parlors continue to operate, disregarding appeals to shutter amid the coronavirus pandemic, local governments look to shame them into cooperation.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 17, 2020
Coronavirus and LDP politics loom large over Shizuoka by-election
A Lower House by-election in Shizuoka Prefecture, the race for which officially kicked off Tuesday, is gaining attention nationwide, and not only for its possible national political impact.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 16, 2020
Japan's governors under the spotlight as coronavirus pandemic rages
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted the national government to declare an emergency in seven prefectures. This, in turn, has put the spotlight on the powers and responsibilities of prefectural governors. Though often compared to state governors elsewhere, there are key differences.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 7, 2020
Local officials and residents fear influx from Japan's virus hot spots
With the number of novel coronavirus infections rising in Tokyo and other major urban centers, some concerned residents are fleeing to nearby prefectures where the number of cases is minimal.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2020
Cardboard and plastic: Tottori Prefecture goes low-tech to protect officials from COVID-19
In a nation famed for its cutting-edge robots and toilets, one prefecture is going defiantly low-tech in its effort to defend its officials against COVID-19.
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2020
Japan local governments' hotel tax plans delayed by spread of COVID-19
An increasing number of local governments in Japan are moving to delay discussions on whether to introduce an accommodation tax, as the hotel industry has been hit by the spread of the new coronavirus.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 11, 2020
Spreading clusters of coronavirus cases worry Japan's local governments
While the national government drive forward legal revisions to allow the declaration of a national emergency over the COVID-19 virus as early as this week, local governments are growing increasingly concerned about the spread of the novel coronavirus in so-called clusters.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 6, 2020
Women in Japanese politics: Why so few after so very long?
To mark International Women's Day on March 8, there will be worldwide marches, parades, protests and public awareness activities on the contributions of women and the barriers and discrimination they still face.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2020
Tohoku communities scaling down 3/11 memorial events due to coronavirus
Some municipalities have already postponed or canceled their own events.
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2020
How far can Japan go to curb the coronavirus outbreak? Not as far as you may think
What some critics slam as Japan's lax initial response has highlighted the more draconian steps countries other than China are taking to contain the crisis.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 17, 2020
Osaka referendum: Merger gets second chance, but are voters on board?
Five years after voters in the city of Osaka narrowly voted down a referendum on consolidating its 24 wards into five with more autonomy and eliminating the municipal assembly and mayor, another referendum is set for later this year.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2020
Japan's cities and prefectures split on whether to disclose travel details of coronavirus patients
When a tour bus driver became Japan's first case in the outbreak, it sparked a nationwide debate on how closely patients' privacy should be protected.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Feb 6, 2020
Yogendra 'Yogi' Puranik: The first Indian voice in Tokyo politics
After seeing miscommunication and bullying firsthand, Yogendra 'Yogi' Puranik decided to stand up and do something about it. Now, as a politician, he hopes to be a bridge between two communities.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 31, 2020
Could growing tourism troubles unseat Kyoto's long-time mayor?
Kyoto voters head to the polls Sunday to cast their ballots in a mayoral election that will have an impact on the city's future policies for domestic and international tourism, at a time when voter concerns about the problems of too many tourists are paramount.
Surrounded by Chinese bases, a tiny Philippine island stands firm
A Philippine Navy sailor looks at a China Coast Guard vessel just off the coast of Pag-asa Island in the disputed South China Sea last month.
Anger in Japan after Instagrammer drinks burial site offering
Foreign tourists visit a park near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in August.
Tamagotchi hatches 100 million shipments worldwide thanks to ’90s nostalgia
The latest version of Tamagotchi, called Tamagotchi Paradise, is awarded the best digital toy at Tokyo Toy Show on Aug. 28.
Musk voices support for anti-immigration rally in Japan
Elon Musk has voiced support for anti-immigration protest in Japan, where a "Japanese First" party saw gains in recent elections.
Japan Post ordered to suspend delivery vans at 100 post offices
Japan Post has been under investigation by the transport ministry since it was revealed that improper alcohol and health checks were widespread across the company.
Xi — joined by Kim and Putin — delivers stark warning at military parade
Chinese leader Xi Jinping walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing on Wednesday.
Tamagotchi hatches 100 million shipments worldwide thanks to ’90s nostalgia
The latest version of Tamagotchi, called Tamagotchi Paradise, is awarded the best digital toy at Tokyo Toy Show on Aug. 28.
Why Stalin didn’t invade Hokkaido still largely unknown, 80 years after WWII
During a survey to collect the remains of victims from the Taito Maru, one of the vessels involved in the Three Ships Incident, a metal helmet was found near the stern of the vessel on Aug. 5, 1984, at Rumoi Port. No human remains were discovered.
More sweltering days forecast for September after hottest summer on record
By the end of August, 8,341 people had been transported by ambulance for heatstroke in Tokyo alone.
Surrounded by Chinese bases, a tiny Philippine island stands firm
A Philippine Navy sailor looks at a China Coast Guard vessel just off the coast of Pag-asa Island in the disputed South China Sea last month.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

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