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January 31, 2025
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January 31, 2025
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Search and rescue teams work in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, as seen from Virginia, on Thursday.
WORLD
Investigators find black boxes after deadly Washington plane crash
Investigators said it was not yet clear why a regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter collided, killing 67 people.

More coverage

Trump blames diversity programs over midair collision
Near-misses at Washington airport worried pilots well before crash
Search and rescue teams work in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, as seen from Virginia, on Thursday.
A sinkhole at an intersection on a road in the city of Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Thursday morning
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Heavy machinery to be deployed in bid to save man trapped in Saitama sinkhole
By Jessica Speed
To stabilize the site and facilitate rescue efforts, crews are excavating a 4-meter-wide, 30-meter-long ramp to deploy heavy equipment and clear debris.
The Immigration Services Agency says it is unclear whether application fee price hikes will lead to shorter processing times, but would “continue its efforts to improve efficiency to minimize any inconvenience to applicants.”
JAPAN
Japan's immigration processing fees to rise starting April 1
By Francis Tang
The Immigration Services Agency has cited rising prices and personnel costs for its first price hikes — of as much as 50% — in over four decades.
Masayoshi Son's SoftBank Group is in talks to invest as much as $25 billion in OpenAI.
BUSINESS / Companies
SoftBank in talks to invest up to $25 billion in OpenAI
By Rachel Metz
SoftBank has already committed $15 billion to Project Stargate, a joint venture with OpenAI to build data centers and other AI infrastructure.
Documentary director Kaku Arakawa’s filming style — naturalistic, intimate and unobtrusive — proved essential to portraying anime powerhouse Hayao Miyazaki as a man as flawed and human as he is a visionary artist in “Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron.”
CULTURE / Film
Two decades of unparalleled access into the world of Hayao Miyazaki
By Erik Augustin Palm
Documentary director Kaku Arakawa has spent years filming the anime powerhouse to reveal the man beyond the myth.
Documentary director Kaku Arakawa’s filming style — naturalistic, intimate and unobtrusive — proved essential to portraying anime powerhouse Hayao Miyazaki as a man as flawed and human as he is a visionary artist in “Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron.”

JAPAN

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks to reporters at the parliamentary building on Friday.
Top U.S. and Japan defense officials agree to beef up military ties
By Alastair Gale
The newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, confirmed that the U.S.-Japan defense treaty covers the uninhabited Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
A Japanese class at a job placement company in Hanoi in 2022. The number of foreign workers in Japan hit a record high in 2024, with Vietnamese workers being the largest group in terms of nationality.
Number of foreign workers in Japan hits record high for 12th straight year
Vietnamese workers was the largest group with 570,708 people, up 10.1%, followed by Chinese workers who numbered 408,805, up 2.7%.
Tokyo area's net population inflow accelerates in 2024
Tokyo high court rules denying a passport to journalist is illegal
Fuji TV expects ¥23 billion dent in revenue over Nakai scandal
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss bringing Saudi Arabia into jet project
By Kosuke Takahashi

BUSINESS

Consumer prices excluding fresh food in Tokyo climbed 2.5% in January from a year earlier, the fastest pace since last February.
Tokyo inflation hits fastest pace in a year, supporting BOJ view
By Toru Fujioka and Yoshiaki Nohara
Consumer prices excluding fresh food in the capital climbed 2.5% in January from a year earlier.
YouTuber Kazuki Nakata looks at his indoor farm at his home in Kawasaki on Monday. The 37-year-old now has nearly 90,000 subscribers eager to learn how to stretch out store-bought vegetables and grow new ones amid soaring produce prices.
Japanese look for creative ways to fight soaring food prices
By Mariko Katsumura and Kaori Kaneko
As the price of agricultural products has risen, Japanese have also been eating less of them.
Prices of 1,656 food items to increase in Japan in February
AI’s electricity demand means new tech is coming to grids
By Akshat Rathi
Companies race to ship goods to the U.S. ahead of potential tariffs
By Arriana McLymore, Helen Reid and Emma Rumney
DeepSeek’s AI restricted by ‘hundreds’ of companies in days
By Julie Haoning Zhu and Debby Wu

WORLD

Ukrainian military vehicles close to the border with Russia’s Kursk region, in Ukraine on Jan. 9.
North Korean troops no longer seen on front lines fighting Ukraine
By Michael Schwirtz and Julian E. Barnes
The North Korean troops, sent to bolster Russian forces trying to push back a Ukrainian offensive inside Russia’s borders, have not been seen at the front line for about two weeks.
Palestinian militants hand over hostage Arbel Yehoud to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
Israel releases 110 Palestinian prisoners and Hamas frees 8 hostages
By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Emily Rose, Maayan Lubell and Ali Sawafta
Buses arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah carrying some of the 110 Palestinian prisoners to be freed as part of the phased agreement that halted more than 15 months of war.
Misery continues for Myanmar exiles four years on from coup
Rubio to take up Panama canal and migration in Latam visit
By Simon Lewis and Matt Spetalnick
Trump to hit Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs on Saturday
By Akayla Gardner and Josh Wingrove
Analysts are skeptical about U.S. and Russia's nuclear talks
By Mathieu RABECHAULT

Sports

A memorial for the Skating Club of Boston members killed in a midair collision between a passenger plane and a U.S. military helicopter on Wednesday is seen at Tenley E. Albright Performance Center, in Boston on Thursday.
Tight-knit U.S. figure skating community mourns skaters lost in plane crash
The athletes, coaches and family members on board the flight were returning from the National Development Camp in Kansas.
Manchester United manager pushes players to target Europa League crown
Former Spanish soccer chief goes on trial over forced kiss at World Cup
Sebastian Coe admits mistakes in handling of prize money issue at Olympics
U.S. figure skating great Dick Button dies at 95
By Richard Goldstein

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and members of the Liberal Democratic Party take a group photo at the party's headquarters in Tokyo during the Oct. 27 Lower House elections.
Adjusting to the new normal in Japanese politics
Michael MacArthur Bosack
The upheaval of the past year has forced a fundamental rethinking of how political watchers must observe things in Tokyo
Trump’s bigger China cyber threat isn’t TikTok
By Catherine Thorbecke
A pop-star sex scandal shows the death throes of old Japan
By Gearoid Reidy
How to secure Taiwan as drumbeats of a looming invasion grow louder
By Edo Naito
New era for U.S.-Japan depends on adapting to Trump’s America
By Joshua W. Walker

ENVIRONMENT

Though vegan restaurants have been on the upswing since 2017, Japanese vegans still lack a wide variety of options.
In meat- and fish-loving Japan, veganism is making a comeback
By Sachi Kitajima Mulkey and Joseph Winters
Tourism, climate goals and animal rights concerns are sparking a plant-based renaissance in a country famous for sushi and pork ramen.
The global climate order teeters under a second assault from Trump
By Akshat Rathi, Ewa Krukowska and Alfred Cang
Dead Sea an 'ecological disaster,' but no one can agree how to fix it
By Ruth EGLASH
Oceans are warming faster and faster as the Earth traps more energy
By Danielle Bochove
Rubbish roads: Nepal explores paving with plastic
By Paavan MATHEMA

CULTURE

Gensho Yasuda’s “Make a Girl” follows an inventor whose relationship with the robot girlfriend he builds becomes increasingly complicated as she develops an unexpected sense of independence.
Indie animator Gensho Yasuda paves his own way with a DIY spirit
By Matt Schley
With “Make a Girl,” the young Japanese creator takes the leap from short videos to full-length films.
'Cute and murderous': How the iconic killer doll in 'Squid Game' came to life
By Minwoo Park and Hyunsu Yim
‘The Rose of Versailles’ opts for empty opulence
By Matt Schley
‘Welcome to the Village’: Tradition takes a twisted turn in the countryside
By Mark Schilling
Mika Ninagawa transforms the Kyocera Museum into a vibrant dreamworld
By Erik Augustin Palm

LIFE

Yellowtail caught during the coldest period of the year is delicious enough — but paired with a classic method of marinade and pan-searing, it's divine.
For two weeks only, cold-water yellowtail can give you chills
By Elizabeth Andoh
According to Japan’s hyperseasonal calendar, January brings with it the chance for yellowtail at the peak of flavor.
How Tokyo taught a French architect the power of colors
By Ran Kawai
Of sake and spirits: Indulging in Yamanashi’s best
By Kimberly Hughes
Where to begin when it comes to Japanese wine
By Weiwen Lin
Japan’s love affair with Dragon Quest spreads worldwide
By Oliver Jia

COMMUNITY

Rodgers (right) was a longtime managing editor of Kyoto Journal and, alongside colleagues like Susan Pavloska (left) and John Einarsen (center), helped make it one of Japan’s leading English-language publications.
Ken Rodgers, a fixture of the Kyoto literary scene, dies at 72
By Eric Johnston
Hailing from Australia, Rodgers made a home and community for himself in Japan’s ancient capital across more than four decades.
Fanta-stic cuddler seeks new home
Kenny Colvin: ‘Work hard, drink hard, eat hard … relax hard’
By Mike Fu
Namnam reborn: A queer, anarchist space resettles in Tokyo's Koenji
By Aku Owaka-Haigh
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
By Justin Randall

Editors' Picks

LIFE
For two weeks only, cold-water yellowtail can give you chills
By Elizabeth Andoh
Yellowtail caught during the coldest period of the year is delicious enough — but paired with a classic method of marinade and pan-searing, it's divine.
ENVIRONMENT
In meat- and fish-loving Japan, veganism is making a comeback
By Sachi Kitajima Mulkey and Joseph Winters
Though vegan restaurants have been on the upswing since 2017, Japanese vegans still lack a wide variety of options.
JAPAN
Who are the key figures involved in the growing Fuji TV scandal?
By Yukana Inoue
Fuji TV adviser Hisashi Hieda in 2005
JAPAN
What we learned at Fuji TV's marathon Nakai scandal news conference
By Yukana Inoue
Members of the media raise their hands for questions as outgoing Fuji TV President Koichi Minato attends a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
MORE SPORTS
Kanoa Igarashi dreams big as surfing championship tour gets underway
By Jason Coskrey
Kanoa Igarashi surfs in the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach competition in Oahu, Hawaii, on Feb. 18.

Podcast

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

Longform

Ayumi Matsuki, a priestess at Yoshiwara Shrine, shows off some "o-mamori" charms. She says visitors to the shrine have increased since the NHK drama “Unbound” began airing this month.
Tracing Tsutaya Juzaburo, Edo’s media maverick
By Alex K.T. Martin

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WHAT’S TRENDING

BUSINESS
Japan begins feeling the pain of BOJ rate hikes more concretely
By Akemi Terukina and Erica Yokoyama
People were more concerned about the direct and specific impact of the Bank of Japan's latest rate hike on their personal lives, according to an artificial intelligence-driven analysis of various platforms, including social media.
SUMO
Sumo’s newest yokozuna is all smiles — but major challenges await
By John Gunning
Hoshoryu (front, second from left) celebrates after being promoted to yokozuna on Wednesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Japanese man ends his 6,000 kilometer Africa rickshaw trek in Cape Town
Yuji "Gump" Suzuki, the Japanese runner and social media sensation, runs with supporters while pushing his rickshaw as he nears his goal in Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday.
WORLD
Investigators find black boxes after deadly Washington plane crash
Search and rescue teams work in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, as seen from Virginia, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Cherry blossom season predicted to begin in Tokyo on March 21
By Jessica Speed
Tokyo is expected to lead the season with its first cherry blossoms on March 21, followed by Fukuoka, Kochi and Hiroshima prefectures as well as the city of Yokohama on March 22.