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September 13, 2025
 

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SHIGA

The Saitama leader of a rebellion (Gackt, center) decides to unite the citizens of his home prefecture by creating a sea and beach for the area in “Fly Me to the Saitama II.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 16, 2023
‘Fly Me to the Saitama II’: Silliness abounds but the laughs do not
Hideki Takeuchi’s sequel to his award-winning hit comedy treads familiar and ridiculous ground, but it’s just not as funny as the first film.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2023
Japan's largest lake used to be a cesspool. Now it’s a vision of a sustainable future.
Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, has long been a center of flourishing agriculture and cultural progress, but it's also been at the center of countless environmental crises.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2022
Men from Shiga and women from Okayama top Japan life expectancy
At the other end of the rankings, Aomori Prefecture was at the bottom of the longevity list for both men and women, at 79.27 years and 86.33 years, respectively.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 12, 2022
Sower: Crafting rural Lake Biwa into a culinary destination
'Eating is one of the most intimate ways you can share ideas with someone,' says chef Coleman Griffin. 'More than music, more than visual arts.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Jan 17, 2022
Abuse of over-the-counter drugs surges among young people in Japan
As more people turn to addictive medications readily available at drugstores to ease their mental suffering, experts are sounding the alarm.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Dec 6, 2021
A dramatic shift: Subject teachers in Japan's grade schools
The plan may improve teacher effectiveness and ease students' transition to junior high, but some schools don't have the resources to pull it off.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 11, 2021
Panasonic pioneering hydrogen power to fuel factories worldwide
The Japanese firm intends to commercialize system used at its own fuel-cell plant, which will combine hydrogen energy with solar, by fiscal 2023.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jan 16, 2021
Kansai's 2030 vision is to think like a penguin
Kansai Economic Federation, which includes some of Kansai's largest and most influential firms, hopes to tap patrons with the spirit of a “first penguin” to revive the region's fortunes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 28, 2020
Craft brewer Sean Collett: 'If you chase two rabbits, you'll catch neither'
The founders of Two Rabbits Brewing Company have brought their corner of the craft beer market to Shiga Prefecture, a perfect place to burrow down.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Oct 23, 2020
Japanese schools struggle with sports days in the age of COVID-19
The need to maintain social distancing and enforce sanitizing measures has seen numerous changes to the traditional event.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2020
Lack of aid guarantees divides prefectures over emergency business closures
The possibility of closures has prompted concerns that without financial guarantees from the central government, the impact could devastate local economies.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 27, 2020
In Shiga nurse's murder conviction, her disability was never an issue
Mika Nishiyama made a false confession and served 12 years. Then she was diagnosed as having an intellectual disability, ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 25, 2020
What pushed this Shiga assistant nurse to falsely confess to murder?
Why did Mika Nishiyama, a former assistant nurse who served 12 years in prison for murdering a male patient in 2003, falsely confess to killing him?
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 22, 2020
Apparent false conviction brings Japan's justice system back into the spotlight
After already having served a 12-year prison sentence following her conviction for murdering a patient, former assistant nurse Mika Nishiyama, 40, is expected to finally be acquitted on March 31.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 8, 2020
Muddy waters: The battle to save Japan's ailing freshwater pearl industry
While Lake Biwa played a key role in the establishment of a domestic freshwater pearl industry, farmers are now facing a bleak future.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 13, 2019
Hive of activity: Tapping into the buzz of backyard beekeeping in Japan
The importance of bees to Japan's agricultural sector certainly isn't lost on domestic hobbyists.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 25, 2019
Fatal traffic mishaps put drivers in the media spotlight
"Heartbreaking accidents have continued to occur although measures have been taken," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said ruefully at a meeting of government officials on May 21.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2019
SDF draws fire for recruitment poster featuring female anime characters in skimpy costumes
A Self-Defense Forces recruitment office in Shiga Prefecture has caused a stir by releasing a poster that features female anime characters wearing super-short skirts, which expose what appear to be underwear. Some people have described the image as a form of sexual harassment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Feb 18, 2019
World's masterpieces cast in Shigaraki ceramic at museum in Shikoku
The Otsuka Museum of Art in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, drew a lot of attention last year when popular singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu held his first live TV performance there on Dec. 31 for NHK's year-end "Kohaku Uta Gassen" ("Red and White Song Battle") music contest.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Nov 5, 2018
Superrealistic face masks by Japan firm attract attention from facial-recognition system developers
Superrealistic plastic face masks produced by a firm in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, have recently attracted attention at home and abroad, from facial-recognition system developers to a Saudi Arabian royal family member.
Japan's cutting-edge railgun successfully strikes target vessel
The Defense Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) conducted a ship-board railgun shooting test from June to early July this year with the support of the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Thousands without power in Tokyo as heavy rain batters Kanto region
Heavy rain hit Tokyo and surrounding areas Thursday afternoon, causing thousands to lose power, prompting flood warnings, grounding flights and causing transportation issues.
People rush to make furusato nozei donations ahead of tighter rules
A booth from the town of Betsukai in Hokkaido at an Amazon Japan furusato nо̄zei promotion event, on Sept. 5 in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture
JAL reprimand over drunken pilots adds to airline’s woes
Japan Airlines President Mitsuko Tottori (right) bows in apology Wednesday in Tokyo over the company's pilots causing flight delays due to drinking alcohol.
‘Fairytale’ Shirakawago ranked one of the world’s most beautiful villages
Forbes and Unforgettable Travel Company have ranked Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture as Asia's most beautiful village.
Aging Japan’s centenarian population nears 100,000
Shigeko Kagawa, Japan's oldest person at 114, in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, on July 30
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.
Shizuoka farmers fight to preserve sustainable tea method that’s steeped in tradition
As of August 2024, the number of confirmed chagusaba farmers had fallen to 302, just over half the 582 reported in 2015, according to the Shizuoka Chagusaba Farming Method Promotion Council.

Podcast

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

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight
By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo
Foreign wrestlers have a long history in sumo

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