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September 19, 2025
 

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MARRIAGE

Gloria Tsang, a 33-year-old speech therapist, and her wife Jaedyn Yu, a 35-year-old drum school owner, walk on a pedestrian overpass in Hong Kong on Sept. 12.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 17, 2025
Hong Kong newlyweds lament veto on same-sex rights bill as blow to city
The same-sex bill represented an opportunity to implement what would have been a rare liberal shift in Hong Kong's legal landscape.
Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce kisses partner — now finacee — Taylor Swift as they celebrate after his team won Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 10, 2025
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s announcement hits all the right notes in Japan
Japanese culture is in the depths of a nostalgia wave, and the engagement announcement for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce fits in with it nicely.
Hindu brides participate in a mass wedding ceremony in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India, in December 2009. Despite being outlawed more than 60 years ago, dowry remains deeply entrenched in India’s patriarchal society, fueling violence that kills around 20 women every day.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2025
Dowry-related violence continues to claim the lives of India's daughters
An average of 20 women die every day from dowry-related violence in the country, according to official statistics.
The annual number of babies in Japan has been on a downward trend since around 1975, falling below 1 million in 2016, 900,000 in 2019 and 800,000 in 2022.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 29, 2025
Japan births hit fresh low in first half of 2025
The January-June figure, including babies born to foreign nationals living in Japan and Japanese nationals living overseas, stood below 400,000 for the fourth consecutive year.
People listen to stump speeches earlier this month in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, ahead of the Upper House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 11, 2025
Dual surnames for married couples in focus ahead of Japan poll
The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has urged the Japanese government to introduce the system four times.
Pro-democracy activist Jimmy Sham speaks at a League of Social Democrats news conference at their headquarters in Hong Kong on June 29.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 3, 2025
Hong Kong proposes limited recognition of same-sex couples' rights
The move comes as the Hong Kong government seeks to comply with a landmark court ruling from September 2023.
A person holding U.S. and LGBTQ+ flags stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial, ahead of the presidential inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, in Washington on Jan. 18.
WORLD
Jun 23, 2025
Pride and prejudice: Trump casts shadow on 10 years of gay marriage
At least two sitting Supreme Court justices have indicated they want to revisit Obergefell, which legalized same-sex marriage in the U.S., among other cases.
The total number of births dropped to about 686,000, marking the first time the figure has fallen below 700,000, according to a health ministry release on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2025
Japan’s fertility rate hits record low despite government push
The new low underscores the immense challenge facing the government as it attempts to reverse the trend in one of the world’s most aged societies.
Imperial family members attend a spring garden party at the Akasaka Palace imperial garden in Tokyo on April 22.
JAPAN
May 23, 2025
Support for female imperial family members keeping status at 64.9%: poll
While many respondents backed the idea, 10.7% opposed it and a total of 24.3% had no opinion or were not sure.
Nipppon Ishin no Kai members submit to the Lower House on Monday a bill to give legal validity to maiden names.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2025
Nippon Ishin submits bill to give legal validity to maiden names
The DPP is preparing its own bill and Komeito plans to wait for the LDP to consolidate party opinion on the issue.
A Mynavi survey has found that even dual-income households are facing financial strain in Japan.
JAPAN / Society
May 16, 2025
Finances are tight for dual-income households too, survey finds
Nearly half of full-time workers whose spouses also work say they are struggling financially.
Since the LDP resumed discussions on the issue in February, members against introducing a selective dual surname system have been gaining momentum, calling for expanding the use of maiden names.
JAPAN
May 12, 2025
LDP to forgo compiling bill on dual surname system
The LDP concluded that it would be unwise to create divisions within the party ahead of this summer's election for the House of Councilors.
A survey by a private group found that 30% of people in de facto marriages in Japan have not filed for marriage registration because they or their partners do not want to change their surnames.
JAPAN
May 6, 2025
About 30% of those in de facto marriages refuse to marry over surname change
Nearly half of such people are willing to file if a system allowing married spouses to use different surnames is introduced.
Takaaki Nezu, executive director of Maruto Group Holdings, says it is the company’s social responsibility to help tackle the falling birth rate.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
May 5, 2025
Fukushima firms seek ways to encourage marriages
One supermarket chain has said such moves reflect a corporate responsibility to tackle the nation’s chronically low birth rate.
Hoshuji temple displays a banner welcoming people to "marriage-hunting at the temple," an event for those who want to register as members of the nationwide Kichienkai matchmaking organization, on Jan. 26 in Chikusa Ward, Nagoya.
JAPAN / Society
May 4, 2025
Temple master takes unconventional approach to matchmaking
"It's better to find happiness with the partner you meet than to search for a partner you think will make you happy," says Buddhist monk Koshi Kimiya.
Plaintiffs celebrate the Tokyo High Court's ruling in a same-sex marriage lawsuit in Tokyo on Oct. 30.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 2, 2025
Signs of change emerge in constitutional interpretation of same-sex marriage
In a country often seen as a laggard on the rights of sexual minorities, five high courts all ruled against the ongoing ban on same-sex marriage just in the last year.
Tapple, one of Japan's most popular dating apps, has launched the nation's first feature to verify a user's single status via their My Number card.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2025
Single, or not? Japanese dating app launches relationship verification system
With Tapple boasting over 20 million users, worries about dishonest relationship statuses were common.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers speak to reporters in parliament on Wednesday after submitting a bill in the Lower House to allow married couples to retain different surnames.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 30, 2025
CDP submits bill proposal on separate surnames, but challenges remain
Japan remains the only country in the world that forces couples to use one surname after marriage.
Marriage proposals in Japan look a lot like those in other countries, but there are traditions that are specific to the country that some people still adhere to.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 18, 2025
Voicing intentions and a peek into a traditional Japanese engagement ceremony
While the basics of a marriage proposal are similar to what happens in most countries, an extra ceremony requires specific gifts.
Declining birth rates in China are driven by a myriad of causes, such as a shrinking childbearing-age population, lifestyle changes, the one-child policy’s lasting effects, an oversupply of men and high youth unemployment.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2025
Why China’s marriage crisis matters
According to China’s 2020 census, 61% of babies are born to women aged 20 to 30. But the number of women in this cohort dropped from 111 million in 2012 to 73 million in 2024.
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japan dispatches five language education 'partners' to India
Five members of the Japan Foundation's Nihongo Partners program (front) gather at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Monday.
End of U.S. de minimis exemption causes headaches for some businesses in Japan
Proxy-shopping services — companies that ship Japanese products ranging from cosmetics and snacks to limited-edition stationery on behalf of customers abroad — are already feeling the impact of the U.S. suspending de minimis exemptions.
Over 90% of low-income families in Japan struggling to feed children
Save the Children Japan domestic program chief Sonoko Kawakami speaks at a news conference in Tokyo in July. A survey conducted by the group in June has found that over 90% of low-income households with children face food insecurity.
Struggling train firm in Chiba Prefecture turns to self-deprecating humor
"Laughter is important when you're in a difficult situation," said Katsunori Takemoto, president of Choshi Electric Railway, on Aug. 5 in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.
Japan’s front-line researchers see bright path ahead for dementia treatment
A scientist looks at scans of grains at the Memory Centre at the Department of Readaptation and Geriatrics of the University Hospital (HUG) in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 6, 2023.
Still plenty to fight for, says Japan’s team leader at worlds
Race walker Hayato Katsuki earned bronze for Japan on the opening day of the World Athletics Championships on Saturday.
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japanese athletes inspired by raucous home fans at World Athletics Championships
Fans cheer on the home favorites during the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.

Podcast

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

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’
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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