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Yukana Inoue
A health ministry panel has approved Eli Lilly's donanemab drug for Alzheimer's patients.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 2, 2024
Japan's health ministry set to approve second Alzheimer's drug
Donanemab, developed by U.S. pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly, has been backed by a ministry panel.
Toyota Motor has been issued a correction order for the first time.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 31, 2024
Toyota Motor receives correction order from transport ministry
The ministry found indications of additional misconduct, such as falsifying test results.
As of March 2023, there were 86 medicines that had been approved in Europe or the United States but remained unavailable in Japan.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 30, 2024
Japan unveils plan to improve access to foreign drugs
The road map to address what is known as "drug loss" envisions that development of in-demand medicines will start by April 2026.
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 25, 2024
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of foreign residents in Japan rose by 329,535 from last year to 3,323,374.
One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 22, 2024
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’
Homeless influencers, fantasy boyfriends and bubble-era bars — Kabukicho seems to have it all.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 8, 2024
Koike eases to victory but Ishimaru's performance signals shift in Tokyo
Koike saw off a tougher challenge than in previous votes, with Ishimaru pointing to a path forward for lesser-known candidates.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike celebrates her win on Sunday evening. Koike has become the fifth governor in Tokyo’s history to secure a third term in office.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 7, 2024
Koike secures third term as Tokyo governor
Dark horse Shinji Ishimaru, the former mayor of the city of Akitakata in Hiroshima Prefecture, came in second behind Koike, with Renho in third.
The weak yen continues to attract visitors from abroad, while travelers from Japan are rethinking their plans amid rising costs.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 5, 2024
Weak yen slows overseas summer travel recovery
While the currency's weakness continues to attract visitors from abroad, travelers from Japan are rethinking their plans amid rising costs.
Nearly 90% of Japanese high schoolers who responded to a survey said their hobbies and interests had grown thanks to social media, with 55.9% also saying they now have a greater interest in society as well.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 3, 2024
Japanese high schoolers use social media mostly for hobbies, survey finds
Nearly 1 in 2 also make friends online, and many of them go on to meet up in person.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike gives a speech before the start of Toden Pro Wrestling, the first-ever pro wrestling event inside a streetcar of the Toden Arakawa Line, in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2024
Koike has small lead as Tokyo election campaign enters final week
The Meiji Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan and disaster resilience have emerged as key issues as the race enters the home stretch.
Tourists in front of the restaurant and shopping area of Mount Fuji's 5th Station, which leads to the popular Yoshida trail for hikers climbing the mountain, in Narusawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, on June 19.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 30, 2024
Mount Fuji begins charging entrance fees as overtourism prevention measure
The measure, which also includes capping the number of daily climbers at 4,000, marks the first time that climbing one of Japan's most enduring symbols will cost money.
Health ministry officials enter Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's plant in the city of Osaka on March 30.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 28, 2024
Dozens more deaths may be linked to Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's supplements
The ministry has instructed Kobayashi Pharmaceutical to create a plan to carry out a probe into the causal relationships between the deaths and their products.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks during an interview at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Tokyo on June 3.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 28, 2024
Koike’s governorship shaped by slogans and questions over follow-through
The Tokyo gubernatorial election is seen as hers to lose, but how did she become Japan's most famous female politician and what has she actually achieved?
Renho, who is running for Tokyo governor, delivers a campaign speech in the capital's Setagaya Ward on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 24, 2024
Koike and Renho adopt contrasting approaches to Tokyo election
Incumbent Yuriko Koike has visited villages and towns in the capital, while challenger Renho has focused on giving speeches in central Tokyo.
People applaud during a campaign event in Tokyo on Thursday. Those running in the July 7 poll will be battling to govern the sixth-largest city in the world by population.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 20, 2024
Tokyo governor poll campaign kicks off with 56 candidates in running
Ideas on how to reverse the capital's declining birth rate and make spending transparent are topping the agenda.
Renho (left) and incumbent Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike are both pushing for child care policies in their campaign pledges for the Tokyo gubernatorial election next month.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 18, 2024
Koike and Renho take aim at Tokyo's declining birth rate
In unveiling their campaign manifestos, both gubernatorial contenders have pledged to bolster child-rearing policies.
Renho speaks to reporters on Wednesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 13, 2024
Renho, the liberal politician who might dethrone Tokyo's Koike
Her candidacy in July's gubernatorial race presents voters in the capital with two choices: Change or stability.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks to reporters Wednesday before declaring her candidacy for the gubernatorial election in the afternoon.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 12, 2024
It’s official: Koike will seek reelection as Tokyo governor in July
The incumbent governor finally declared her candidacy on the last day of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly session.
Between November and May, five major incidents involving Japan Airlines aircraft were reported, prompting the transport ministry to issue the airline a stern warning and conduct an on-site inspection at its facilities late last month.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2024
JAL vows to raise crew safety awareness following emergency probe
The airline promised to implement measures to prevent a recurrence of recent months' safety lapses in order to regain the trust of passengers.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike attends the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on Wednesday. Koike, who is coming to the end of her second term as governor, did not formally announce her intent to run for July's gubernatorial election on Wednesday despite indications that she might.
JAPAN / Politics
May 29, 2024
Tokyo Gov. Koike keeps guessing game going on candidacy declaration
Despite indications that she might make a formal announcement on Wednesday, the 71-year-old incumbent made no mention of the July gubernatorial election.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?