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February 01, 2025
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February 01, 2025
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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba answers questions during a Lower House budget committee meeting on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
LDP gets a taste of life with an opposition-led budget committee
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
A move to summon a former LDP faction accountant risks upsetting the party's parliamentary timetable and exposing it to criticism.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba answers questions during a Lower House budget committee meeting on Friday.
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.
According to the land ministry, damaged wastewater pipes caused 2,600 sinkholes in the year from April 2022, though most of them were less than 50 centimeters deep.
JAPAN / Society
Aging sewer systems could create sinkholes anywhere in Japan, experts warn
By Tomoko Otake
Damaged wastewater pipes caused 2,600 sinkholes in the nation in fiscal 2022.
Fuji TV executives take questions during a news conference on Monday in Tokyo in which some participants became unruly.
BUSINESS / Companies
Fuji TV’s go-big PR strategy wins grudging praise globally
By Elizabeth Beattie
Fuji TV held a marathon 10-hour news conference on Monday to address allegations of sexual misconduct by Masahiro Nakai, a celebrity and former presenter for the broadcaster.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s reluctance to engage with newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump while strengthening ties with China raises concerns about Japan’s strategic priorities.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Ishiba nudges his ‘little Japan’ closer to China
Gearoid Reidy
Prime Minister Ishiba’s reluctance to engage with Trump while strengthening ties with China raises concerns about Japan’s strategic priorities and its alliance with the U.S.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s reluctance to engage with newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump while strengthening ties with China raises concerns about Japan’s strategic priorities.

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.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during an Upper House plenary session in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Ishiba aims to get assurances from Trump over Senkaku Islands
By Eric Johnston
Ishiba also said he intends to seek assistance from Trump in resolving the issue of Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korea decades ago.
Lower House speaker wants early conclusion on imperial family talks
Japan scrambles jets as Russian bombers fly over high seas
Tokyo area's net population inflow accelerates in 2024
Japan weighs Alaska LNG pipeline pledge to win Trump's favor
By Tim Kelly, Yukiko Toyoda and John Geddie

BUSINESS

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.
Fuji TV President Kenji Shimizu speaks to reporters at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday following a board meeting.
Fuji TV expects ¥23 billion dent in revenue over Nakai scandal
The broadcaster, projecting its ad revenue to total ¥125.2 billion in the year through March, expects to fall into the red.
AstraZeneca and Daiichi’s breast cancer drug gets EU backing
Japan's spring wage talks begin with labor-management forum
Honda and Nissan to unveil integration outline in mid-February
BOJ's Ueda voices confidence conveying rate hike message to market
By Yoshiaki Nohara

WORLD

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a briefing on Thursday about the midair crash in Washington.
From anguish to aggression: Trump goes on offense after midair collision
By Peter Baker
In the wake of this week’s midair collision near Washington, Trump was more than happy to jump to conclusions and pull the United States apart rather than together.
Debris at the site of a deadly plane crash in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday.
Investigators seek to salvage aircraft after deadly Washington crash
Authorities have recovered black boxes but have not yet pinpointed a reason for the collision between the regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter.
Near-misses at Washington airport worried pilots well before crash
By Allison Lampert, Rajesh Kumar Singh and Dan Catchpole
Misery continues for Myanmar exiles four years on from coup
North Korean troops no longer seen on front lines fighting Ukraine
By Michael Schwirtz and Julian E. Barnes
Israel releases 110 Palestinian prisoners and Hamas frees 8 hostages
By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Emily Rose, Maayan Lubell and Ali Sawafta

Sports

Hoshoryu (center), sumo's newest yokozuna, performs the ring-entrance ceremony at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on Friday.
Tokyo crowd welcome sumo's newest grand champion in ancient ceremony
By Andrew MCKIRDY
Mongolian-born Hoshoryu became the 74th yokozuna in sumo history this week after winning the second tournament of his career.
Australia lines up test against Eddie Jones and Japan in Tokyo
UFC President Dana White condemns fighter's comments about Hitler
Manchester United manager pushes players to target Europa League crown
Former Spanish soccer chief goes on trial over forced kiss at World Cup

Opinion

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s reluctance to engage with newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump while strengthening ties with China raises concerns about Japan’s strategic priorities.
Ishiba nudges his ‘little Japan’ closer to China
Gearoid Reidy
Prime Minister Ishiba’s reluctance to engage with Trump while strengthening ties with China raises concerns about Japan’s strategic priorities and its alliance with the U.S.
The Trump test begins: Tariffs, power plays and economic risk
Why Chinese tech keeps surprising the West
By Catherine Thorbecke
Adjusting to the new normal in Japanese politics
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
Trump’s bigger China cyber threat isn’t TikTok
By Catherine Thorbecke

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.
Mind the gap — and the shoulder checking: Dealing with pushy people in Japan's crowded spaces
By Yuko Tamura
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

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

CULTURE
Two decades of unparalleled access into the world of Hayao Miyazaki
By Erik Augustin Palm
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.”
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.

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

WORLD
Investigators seek to salvage aircraft after deadly Washington crash
Debris at the site of a deadly plane crash in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday.
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.
WORLD
North Korean troops no longer seen on front lines fighting Ukraine
By Michael Schwirtz and Julian E. Barnes
Ukrainian military vehicles close to the border with Russia’s Kursk region, in Ukraine on Jan. 9.
JAPAN
74-year-old truck driver trapped in Saitama sinkhole for third day
By Jessica Speed
Efforts continued Thursday to rescue a 74-year-old truck driver trapped in a massive sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture.