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March 07, 2025
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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump arrive for a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 7.
JAPAN / Politics
Tokyo responds to Trump remarks on 'interesting' Japan-U.S. security pact
By Eric Johnston
Japan's top government spokesperson underlined the agreement's cooperative element after the U.S. president complained the deal was one-sided.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump arrive for a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 7.
Following the Nagoya High Court ruling on the same-sex marriage lawsuit, lawyers and others raise banners and boards that read "unconstitutional" and similar statements on Friday in Naka Ward, Nagoya.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nagoya High Court rules not recognizing same-sex marriage unconstitutional
By Karin Kaneko
It is the fourth high court ruling in Japan on same-sex marriage, following decisions in Sapporo, Tokyo and Fukuoka.
The illuminated advertising board of a host club in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district. The bill approved by the government on Friday aims to ban hosts from emotionally manipulating customers into making excessive purchases — a common tactic in the industry.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Japan looks to crack down on host club exploitation with tighter regulations
By Jessica Speed
Police received 2,776 consultations nationwide related to host clubs last year, with many involving women coerced into sex work to cover unpaid bills.
Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Seiji Maehara (left) greets Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after the budget was passed at the Lower House — with the support of the opposition party — on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Is Nippon Ishin the ruling LDP-Komeito coalition's friend or foe?
By Eric Johnston
The party is juggling between supporting the ruling coalition in return for some of its policies being realized, and opposing them to win votes.
Wealthier women in the prewar era had been the targets of various media-related health campaigns that mistakenly encouraged them to avoid everything from riding bicycles to reading novels when their monthly cycles came around.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Menstruation in Japan: Breaking the silence, slowly
By Tomoko Otake
Despite longstanding taboos, evolving attitudes toward women's health highlight shifting cultural norms.
Wealthier women in the prewar era had been the targets of various media-related health campaigns that mistakenly encouraged them to avoid everything from riding bicycles to reading novels when their monthly cycles came around.

JAPAN

Shizuko Nishio — who will turn 86 on March 10, when Japan will commemorate 80 years after the bombing of Tokyo — gives an explanation in February in front of a map showing the areas that were burned in the air raids.
'Eerie' sky, charred bodies: 80 years since Tokyo's World War II firestorm
By Kyoko Hasegawa and Atish Patel
Because of the atomic bombings and Japan's surrender a month later, the firebombing of Tokyo is often overlooked in history.
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.
Foreign single mothers struggle with language barriers and visas
By Masako Watanabe
Experts are urging the government to create a safer environment where these women can continue living in Japan without fear.
Japan partially lifts wildfire evacuation orders
Japan's share of female lawmakers lowest among G7 members
Three construction workers die inside manhole in Akita Prefecture
By Jessica Speed
Retrial ruling set for July 18 over 1986 murder in Fukui

BUSINESS

Couche-Tard has made clear that it wants to learn from Seven & I Holdings to improve its North America operation, and has ruled out going hostile in takeover talks.
Couche-Tard holds talks for sale of U.S. shops in Seven & I deal
By Mathieu Dion
The retailer last year proposed to purchase Seven & I Holdings for $18.19 per share, but so far hasn’t been able to enter negotiations with the firm.
U.S. President Donald Trump is exempting automakers from newly imposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada for one month, the White House said Wednesday, as a temporary reprieve following pleas from industry leaders.
Trump’s tariff pause cheered globally and watched closely in Tokyo
By Kazuaki Nagata
The U.S. president is delaying 25% tariffs on cars from Mexico and Canada and might consider carve-outs for agricultural imports from those countries.
Bank of America CEO willing to hire in Japan amid revival
By Lisa Du and Shery Ahn
Nintendo shares plunge on tariff fears as foreign investors retreat
By Hideyuki Sano and Toshiro Hasegawa
'Psychodrama' tariff negotiations frustrate Mexico and Canada
By Emily Green, Jarrett Renshaw and David Ljunggren
SpaceX's Starship explodes in space and rains debris over Caribbean
By Joey Roulette and David Shepardson

WORLD

Palestinian fighters and crowds gather to watch a hostage release in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 15.
U.S.-Hamas talks complicate Gaza truce efforts, analysts say
By Callum Paton
The direct contact is "a sign of a breakdown in mediation for a wider ceasefire," one expert said.
Antonio Costa, president of the European Council (left), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, arrive for a special European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
EU leaders agree on defense surge, support Zelenskyy after U.S. aid freeze
By Lili Bayer, Andrew Gray and Michel Rose
The European Union's defense summit in Brussels took place amid fears that Russia, emboldened by its war in Ukraine, may attack an EU country next.
South Korean court says Yoon can leave jail
Mandarin lessons in Saudi schools show growing ties with China
By Haitham EL-TABEI
As Trump hails taking back of Panama Canal, Hong Kong Inc. walks tightrope
By Clare Jim, James Pomfret and Anne Marie Roantree
How realistic is France's offer to extend its nuclear umbrella?
By John Irish

Sports

Hoshoryu will make his debut at yokozuna during the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament, which begins in Osaka on Sunday.
New yokozuna Hoshoryu and rising star Onosato enter Spring Basho as favorites
By John Gunning
Hoshoryu already has a pair of titles to his name, and is coming off perhaps the most impressive eight-bout stretch of his career to date.
England and Wales Cricket Board apologizes for 'ill-judged' post about pope
IPC chief tasks sports with setting own rules for transgender athletes
Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca delivers in Indian Wells debut
Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho denies racism allegations

Opinion

Japan is grappling with a budget shortfall, and while raising the tax-free threshold has sparked political debate, the country's booming tourism industry presents an untapped revenue source.
Japan has a revenue hole. Plug it with tourists
Gearoid Reidy
More than 35 years after sales tax was first introduced, it remains incredibly unpopular and reducing it is a regular promise of opposition parties.
Europe braces for a post-American world. Is Japan ready?
Without women behind the camera, equality stays out of the frame
By Andrijana Cvetkovikj
Breaking down Ukraine’s true value
By Anastassia Fedyk and Emilia Marshall
Trump's speech was more campaign rhetoric than leadership
By Kuni Miyake

ENVIRONMENT

A monarch butterfly is seen at an enclosure at Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, in August 2019.
Butterfly populations plummet by 22% in U.S. since turn of century
By Will Dunham
Studies in some other countries have documented declines at roughly the same rate as in the U.S. data.
Japan actress Mana Ashida named UNDP goodwill ambassador
Europe’s defense budget rips through its climate-crisis buffer
By Gautam Naik
Sheep grazing under solar panels help U.S. farmers to survive crop-price slump
By P.J. Huffstutter
Japan’s climate heroes show potential and limits of local initiatives
By Tomoko Otake

CULTURE

Netflix reality show “K-foodie meets J-foodie” follows South Korean YouTuber Sung Si-kyung and Japanese actor Yutaka Matsushige as they share meals in their respective countries.
Can a meal make you besties? ‘K-foodie meets J-foodie’ says yes.
By Patrick St. Michel
The new Netflix show pairs a Korean crooner and a Japanese food icon for a cross-cultural food rally.
‘The Gesuidouz’ flips the bird at viewers
By James Hadfield
Crowds shouldn’t stop you from seeing the hit Ryuichi Sakamoto exhibit
By Thu-Huong Ha
‘Reveal’: Kumi Takiuchi’s performance stuns in one-woman film
By Mark Schilling
Small-budget sex worker romp 'Anora' triumphs at Oscars
By Huw Griffith

LIFE

While you need to pass over cash for taxes, don't fall for scams that trick you into paying what you don't owe.
Scams, taxes and tariffs: It's that time of year.
By Yuko Tamura
Financial scams abound in Japan and a new one uses tax-related terminology.
Stories from behind the bar at Shinjuku's Golden Gai
By Mika Inoue
Toyama’s finest seafood underpins Ebitei Bekkan’s return to greatness
By Robbie Swinnerton
A French shepherd’s pie that's Japanese on the inside
By Simon Daly
Aboard Japan’s most luxurious train, the journey is the destination
By Erik Augustin Palm

COMMUNITY

Hiromi Okuda’s study abroad experience at the University of Mumbai inspired her to build a career at the intersection of social welfare and IT.
Hiromi Okuda: 'Humans and emerging tech should exist symbiotically'
By Jessica Kozuka
For the past 30 years, Hiromi Okuda has forged a career at the intersection of social welfare and technology.
How a Canadian missionary found spiritual transformation in Shikoku
By Suzanne Kamata
Mike Sunda: ‘Creative production comes with a bigger responsibility than ever before’
By Mike Fu
Black History Month in 2025: The boundaries between 'us' and 'them'
By Baye McNeil
John Davis: ‘At its core, indie is about creative freedom’
By Gendel Gento

Editors' Picks

LIFE
‘Granny hobbies’ are the new self-care
By Yuko Tamura
Yarn shortages are a sign that hobbies like knitting and crochet are gaining in popularity.
COMMENTARY
Can Shiori Ito’s documentary open Japan’s black box?
By Atsushi Funahashi and Chelsea Szendi Schieder
Shiori Ito is the first Japanese director to have been nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary feature film. "Black Box Diaries," which tells the story of her quest for justice following her rape in 2015, hasn't been released in Japan.
BUSINESS
Japanese stocks stalled at 1989 levels as investors weigh tariffs and rates
By Kazuaki Nagata
An electronic sign displays the benchmark Nikkei stock average on a street in Tokyo. The stock average has been range-bound between about 38,000 and 40,000 since hitting a new all-time high in July last year.
COMMUNITY
Redevelopment and resistance in historic Nishiogikubo
By Aviraj Gokool
Tsuyoshi Mizukoshi, owner of a pub in Nishiogi’s commercial area, is a community organizer who is rallying local residents against the road development plan.
JAPAN
Why the latest Iwate wildfire is so difficult to extinguish
By Yukana Inoue
Firefighters work to extinguish the forest fire in the city of Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, in this screenshot of a video footage from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency on Friday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Wealthier women in the prewar era had been the targets of various media-related health campaigns that mistakenly encouraged them to avoid everything from riding bicycles to reading novels when their monthly cycles came around.
Menstruation in Japan: Breaking the silence, slowly
By Tomoko Otake

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Challenging spirit and teamwork keep ANA flying high

WHAT’S TRENDING

WORLD
Trump to order U.S. Education Department abolished, WSJ reports
People walk past the Department of Education building in Washington on Feb. 4.
BUSINESS
Trump, claiming Japan guiding yen lower, hints at fresh tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that if Japan and China try to weaken their currencies and put the United States "at a very unfair disadvantage," he could impose fresh tariffs on them.
BUSINESS
U.S. Steel seen as key to Nippon Steel's global strategy
By Kazuaki Nagata
Nippon Steel is trying to build its business globally with U.S. Steel as a key component.
LIFE
Not even Japan is safe from counterfeit luxury goods
By Carol R.H. Malasig
While Japan's luxury goods market remains strong, its seconhand resale market is proving just as much a draw for tourists searching for great bargains — as long as they can manage to get their hands on the real deal.
JAPAN
Prince Hisahito's coming-of-age ceremony set for Sept. 6
Prince Hisahito in the city of Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, on Feb. 12