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April 03, 2025
 

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Eric Johnston
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2023
South Korea aims to finalize 'solution' to wartime labor dispute with Japan, report says
In what experts say is an unusual move, reports indicated that a written agreement between the countries will not be required.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 6, 2023
Kishida again puts LDP-DPP tie-up in spotlight with labor union appearance
The DPP is strongly backed by members of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, and the labor group's leader has moved the organization closer to the LDP.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2023
Wage hikes and steps toward a nuke-free world top Kishida’s 2023 goals
Speaking at a news conference in Mie Prefecture, the prime minister also mentioned the possibility of a general election before a defense-related tax hike goes into effect.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2023
Growing pains: Niseko-area town of Kutchan faces questions over sustainable development
With tourism to Japan having fully resumed, developers are once again looking at the Niseko area as a place to invest and build. But can it be done sustainably?
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2022
Watchdog OKs new rules to allow Japan's nuclear plants to operate beyond 60 years
The move comes as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pushes continued use of older nuclear plants in the years ahead to meet national carbon reduction goals.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 16, 2022
Kishida punts on tax hikes for defense amid backlash from his own party
Kishida, who had been pushing for tax increases in stages, was forced to back off from a specific timetable as opponents press for alternate funding.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 14, 2022
Defense spending debate threatens to divide ruling Liberal Democratic Party
Rather than raising taxes, some LDP lawmakers want the prime minister to issue government bonds.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 12, 2022
Delayed pick for 2030 Winter Olympics host puts Sapporo in a bind
The IOC's announcement could further complicate the city's effort, as bid supporters and opponents face off next year — especially in April's local elections.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 9, 2022
Amid low ratings and scandals, Kishida scores a win with passage of key bills
In a parliamentary session rocked by Cabinet resignations and controversy over the Unification Church, the prime minister was able to eke out some political wins.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2022
Help wanted: Niseko facing labor crunch as ski season gets underway
Despite hope that winter tourists will return, some in Niseko's service industry may have to make do with limited staff.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2022
Hokkaido's COVID-19 infections rise, but serious cases remain low
While Hokkaido is facing a strain on total available hospital beds, the percentage of those being used for seriously ill patients is small.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 21, 2022
Kishida's decisiveness in question following resignation of three ministers
While praised for making quick and strong decisions early in his prime ministership, lately Kishida has been criticized for dragging his feet amid scandals.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 20, 2022
Kishida Cabinet loses third minister in less than one month
Terada's exit is likely to further damage the prime minister's public approval ratings and raise questions about his political future.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2022
Justice minister ousted over death row gaffe in fresh blow to Kishida Cabinet
The minister's departure marks the second Kishida Cabinet member to resign in less than three weeks.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2022
Justice minister’s death row gaffe marks another blow for Kishida
The minister made remarks widely interpreted as making light of his responsibility to authorize executions of death row inmates.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 1, 2022
Tokyo begins recognition of same-sex partnerships
However, same-sex marriage is prohibited nationwide, meaning various legal protections only afforded to married couples remain unavailable as well.
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2022
Japan asks homes and businesses to conserve electricity as tight supplies loom
The request to cut usage will be in place from Dec. 1 through March 31, but a specific target has not been set.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 30, 2022
Can LDP and Komeito hammer out differences over defense spending?
The coalition partners disagree on issues such as counterstrike capability as well as budget size and allocation.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2022
Shigeyuki Goto tapped as Japan's new economic revitalization minister
Daishiro Yamagiwa stepped down from the post over his ties with the controversial Unification Church, and the prime minister will be hoping the change eases criticism over the issue.
JAPAN / Explainer
Oct 21, 2022
Tokyo Olympics bribery scandal: Investigation ensnares stuffed-toy maker and ad firms
The case has grown to encompass ADK Holdings — Japan's third-largest advertising firm — and stuffed-toy maker Sun Arrow, among others.
As ‘Buy Canadian’ grows, more U.S. firms say retailers turning away products
Empty shelves with "Buy Canadian Instead" signs are seen in the American Whiskey section of the BC Liquor in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 10.
Trump unveils 10% global tariff, with Japan levy set at 24%
Trump tosses a MAGA hat to the crowd during an event in which he unveiled new tariffs in the White House on Wednesday.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
Japan, South Korea and China vow to strengthen trade ties amid looming U.S. tariffs
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto (left), South Korean Trade Industry and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun (center) and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao during a trilateral meeting in Seoul on Sunday
Haruki Murakami TV adaptation revisits 30 years of watershed moments
Though Haruki Murakami's trademark whiff of offbeat existentialism is threaded throughout NHK's "After the Quake," the final episode — conceived as a sequel to the story "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" — is the most stylized, featuring an anthropomorphic talking frog (voiced by Non) and his erstwhile associate Katagiri (Koichi Sato).
A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar gather at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud center on the country's border with Thailand, after a multinational crackdown in February.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
On defense, Japan may avoid Trump's worst impulses — for now
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth chat after reviewing an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sunday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
By Johan Brooks

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