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October 05, 2025
 

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A Swedish snowboard instructor works at the Niseko ski resort area on Hokkaido, in Kutchan, in December 2022
JAPAN / Society
A Japanese ski resort town is roiled by a debate over immigration
Residents are protesting a planned housing facility for foreign workers, exposing the conflict between labor needs and worries over immigration.
JAPAN / Society
Ruling bloc and Nippon Ishin affirm foreigners' tuition-free ineligibility
Whether foreign students are eligible for the program will be decided on the basis of their respective residence status.
JAPAN / Society
Investigation finds poor infection controls at some animal cafes in Japan
Through microbial examinations, investigators found a type of pathogenic E. coli in four of the stores and a type of salmonella bacteria in two.
Costumed revelers stand next to police officers controlling crowds at the scramble crossing in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Oct. 31, 2022.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 3, 2025
Tokyo's Shibuya calls on foreign visitors not to have a ‘disruptive Halloween’
By Yukana Inoue
The ward, a hot spot for Halloween revelers, is taking a step back from its “don’t come” messaging of the recent past.
Atsuko Mori, founder and director of Kyoto-based tea salon Camellia Tea Ceremony, prepares matcha during a tea ceremony in Kyoto.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 2, 2025
Tea ceremony experts see matcha boom as a big opportunity
By Jessica Speed
Matcha’s sudden spike in popularity overseas has prompted debate in Japan about whether the global craze risks diluting tea’s cultural meaning.
The Tokyo government revised its flood prevention guidelines to implement preventive measures for underground spaces that are considered to be at the highest risk of flooding, such as subway stations.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 29, 2025
Tokyo revises flood guidelines amid recent years’ abnormal weather
By Yukana Inoue
The revision, the first since 2008, incorporates the use of artificial intelligence for risk assessments and updates flood prevention measures.
The city of Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, used a crowdfunding-style hometown donation program to help fund fireworks during the Matsue Suigosai festival held in August.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Sep 29, 2025
Crowdfunding-style hometown donations gain traction in Japan
Such initiatives set clear fundraising targets and deadlines to solicit contributions to address specific local challenges.
Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Sep 29, 2025
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
By Alex K.T. Martin
Soaring property costs, foreign investment and scarce supply are reshaping who can afford to live in central Tokyo.
The Cabinet Office is looking to survey private-sector initiatives aimed at preventing loneliness and isolation among seniors.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 23, 2025
Japan to study corporate efforts to prevent post-retirement loneliness
The government plans to collect and analyze how corporations support employees building relationships before retirement, then promote models that prove effective nationwide.
A street near the site where a Japanese boy was stabbed to death in Shenzhen in September last year.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 18, 2025
Safety concerns linger as year marked since stabbing of Japanese boy in China
Security measures have been increased around the school amid worries that anti-Japanese sentiment could rise in China around historical anniversaries.

Takaichi poised to become Japan's first female PM after winning LDP poll
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, holds a news conference after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo on Saturday.
A Japanese ski resort town is roiled by a debate over immigration
A Swedish snowboard instructor works at the Niseko ski resort area on Hokkaido, in Kutchan, in December 2022
Tokyo's newest stationery store sells 'a slower, more human rhythm'
Plotter's signature customizable leather binder is just one of many products contributing to the ongoing boom in the popularity of Japanese stationery.
One dead, one missing in Japan after bear attack
A bear warning sign. More and more wild bears have been spotted in Japan in recent years, even in residential areas, due to factors including a declining human population and climate change.
Japan’s jobless rate edges up to highest in over a year
August’s unemployment figures showed a slight tempering of Japan's job market, but the data still points to overall firmness amid an ongoing labor shortage.
The summer kabuki came roaring back
Kabuki has been trying for years to attract a new generation of fans. One way to do this has been to adapt manga and anime franchises, such as “Naruto,” for the stage. 
Tea ceremony experts see matcha boom as a big opportunity
Atsuko Mori, founder and director of Kyoto-based tea salon Camellia Tea Ceremony, prepares matcha during a tea ceremony in Kyoto.
Japan's far-right party courts Trump allies and vows not to get 'wacky'
Sanseito party leader Sohei Kamiya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Sept. 25.
How Ohtani has boosted Japan's soft power and made LA even more baseball-obsessed
Fans at Dodger Stadium pose in front of a mural highlighting the Dodgers' Japanese stars from past and present during a game earlier this year.
Japan faces fresh energy challenge as it seeks to expand power-hungry data centers
Data storage tapes at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center facility in Berkeley, California. Data centers consume massive amounts of electricity and water, and that will only rise as generative artificial intelligence takes off in earnest.

Podcast

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

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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