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October 06, 2025
 

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VISAS

The Justice Ministry's figures show the number of specified skilled worker visa holders hit a record high as of the end of June.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2025
Skilled worker visa holders hit record high ahead of new visa program
The Justice Ministry stated that the goal for a new program set to be rolled out in 2027 is to make Japan a "country of choice" for foreign workers amid a labor shortage.
The Trump administration’s new fees and proposed changes to the H-1B visa system risk undermining the country’s college-to-work pipeline for foreign STEM graduates, potentially damaging American competitiveness.  
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2025
The H-1B visa reset will crush America’s college pipeline
The Department of Homeland Security says it’s moving to a weighted selection process that would "favor the allocation of H-1B visas to higher skilled and higher paid aliens.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media at the White House on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 21, 2025
Trump shapes immigration gilded age with $100,000 H-1B fee
The U.S. president also unveiled a "Gold Card” visa program — where for the price of $1 million, individuals could get U.S. residency.
South Korea's LG Energy Solution was using workarounds to U.S. visa restrictions well before Donald Trump returned as U.S. president.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2025
LG Energy was using U.S. visa workarounds before Trump, documents show
South Korean companies say they face long-running problems in getting short-term visas for specialists they need for their high-tech plants in the U.S.
Activists holding signs that reads "No one is illegal!" protest against a huge immigration raid last week in the U.S. state of Georgia, in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Sep 9, 2025
Workers say corporate South Korea was warned about questionable U.S. visas before Hyundai raid
For years, South Korean companies have said they struggle to obtain short-term work visas for specialists needed in their high-tech plants in the United States.
The former main building of the Justice Ministry. The ministry is requesting ¥877.5 billion in overall funding, of which ¥22.9 billion would be used for measures linked to foreign workers.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 28, 2025
Budget requests from Justice Ministry focus on foreign nationals
Of the ¥877.5 billion requested, ¥22.9 billion would be set aside for measures linked to foreign workers and ¥18.3 billion for measures that respond to a rise in foreign tourists.
John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. U.S. President Donald Trump kicked off a wide-ranging immigration crackdown after taking office in January.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 28, 2025
Trump administration moves to tighten duration of visas for students and media
The proposed regulation is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's broader crackdown on legal immigration.
The number of foreign residents with business management residency status had reached a record 41,615 as of the end of 2024.
BUSINESS
Aug 26, 2025
Japan aims to tighten rules for business manager visas from October
The move comes amid concerns that foreign nationals are using the visa as an easy loophole to settle in the country.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung meet ahead of a summit in Kananaskis, Canada, in June. The two leaders will meet again on Saturday.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2025
Japan and South Korea to expand working holiday program
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung are expected to agree on the matter when they meet in Tokyo on Saturday.
Workations were a burgeoning trend in the corporate world for years before the COVID-19 pandemic turbocharged it.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 19, 2025
Tokyo crowned No.1 'workation' spot
Japan’s capital topped the rankings for its “exceptional broadband speeds, transport infrastructure, safety, culture, and new digital nomad visa.”
Japanese passport holders have visa-free access to 190 destinations out of 227 globally.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2025
Japan ties with South Korea for second most powerful passport
Japan continues to hold the world’s second most powerful passport — tied with South Korea — according to a new global ranking.
People hold up signs during a rally in support of international students at the Harvard University campus in Boston on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
May 29, 2025
Halt of U.S. visa process puts Japanese students' futures in question
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo has confirmed that the embassy and U.S. consulate offices in Japan have suspended scheduling new interviews for student visa applicants.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio buttons his jacket at the start of a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in Washington on May 21.
WORLD / Politics
May 28, 2025
U.S. suspends student visa processing as Trump ramps up social media vetting
A U.S. diplomatic cable has ordered embassies and consulates not to allow "any additional student or exchange visa ... appointment capacity until further guidance is issued."
An LA 2028 sign is seen on the Los Angeles Coliseum on Sept. 13, 2017.
OLYMPICS
Apr 18, 2025
USOPC says White House gave reassurances about visas for Los Angeles Olympics
Officials from the USOPC said they met with legislators and members of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration last week.
Foreign residents who fail to renew their residential statuses before their expiry may find that they won’t be able to withdraw cash from their bank accounts.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 9, 2025
Banks freeze withdrawals for foreign nationals upon expiration of visas
The move is part of a government initiative to combat scams and fraud, the Financial Services Agency says.
Russians queue to apply for visas at the Japanese Embassy in Moscow on March 4.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2025
Cherry blossoms and free visas draw Russians to Japan
The number of Russians holidaying in Japan is set to double this year from around 100,000 in 2024, helped by a strengthening ruble.
Participants perform Kagami Biraki (the opening of the sake barrel) at an event promoting this year's World Exposition held at the Japanese Embassy in Brasilia on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2025
Japan embassy in Brazil holds Osaka Expo promotional event
The tourism promotion event comes as this year marks the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries being established.
Forbidden from seeing friends and forced to devote herself to housework, Reina (whose name has been changed), a 37-year-old Filipino national living in the city of Nagoya, became socially isolated.
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2025
Foreign single mothers struggle with language barriers and visas
Experts are urging the government to create a safer environment where these women can continue living in Japan without fear.
The government plans to allow foreign nationals to engage in home care services, a sector struggling with a labor shortage.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2025
Japan looks to allow foreign nationals to engage in home care services
Non-Japanese would be allowed to work in the sector if they meet certain conditions, such as receiving training.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone shake hands in the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2025
Japan and Laos agree to arrange vice ministerial security talks
The two countries also issued a joint statement calling for upgrading their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Takaichi poised to become Japan's first female PM after winning LDP poll
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, holds a news conference after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo on Saturday.
A Japanese ski resort town is roiled by a debate over immigration
A Swedish snowboard instructor works at the Niseko ski resort area on Hokkaido, in Kutchan, in December 2022
Retro-wrapped trains mark 100th anniversary of Tokyo's Yamanote Line
Trains decorated to resemble the 103 (left) and 205 series of trains that formerly ran on the Yamanote Line, in Tokyo on Saturday.
How Takaichi won the LDP’s leadership race
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, poses in the party leader's office after the LDP leadership election in Tokyo on Saturday.
North Korea says 'special assets' deployed against South
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the Defense Development 2025 military exhibition event ahead of the 80th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang in this picture released Sunday.
How a family-run landscaper turned the Osaka Expo green
The team at Ryokukou Garden consists primarily of a single family, including Toshiki Tanisaki (second from right), who led the company's efforts at the Osaka Expo, Chikako Tanisaki (fifth from right), who performs daily maintanence at the expo, and Takeshi Tanisaki (fourth from right), who added a nursery to the family farm more than 50 years ago.
Eat your balloons: The culinary theater of Grant Achatz comes to Tokyo
Avant-garde chef Grant Achatz and his team from Alinea are in Tokyo for a three-week residency.
Japan’s first foreign wine investor plants its roots in Hokkaido
Intrigued by Japanese wines, Burgundy winemaker Etienne de Montille decided to explore Hokkaido's wine scene, eventually setting up his outpost in Hakodate in 2017.
Tea ceremony experts see matcha boom as a big opportunity
Atsuko Mori, founder and director of Kyoto-based tea salon Camellia Tea Ceremony, prepares matcha during a tea ceremony in Kyoto.
The summer kabuki came roaring back
Kabuki has been trying for years to attract a new generation of fans. One way to do this has been to adapt manga and anime franchises, such as “Naruto,” for the stage. 

Podcast

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

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
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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