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Paris' Japan Expo, a gathering for fans of Japanese pop culture, says it attracts 250,000 attendees per day.
CULTURE
Jul 30, 2023

In France, Japonisme has turned into Japanmania

Through architecture, fashion, culinary arts and even sports, aspects of Japanese culture are attracting a large portion of France’s population.
Nadeshiko Japan defender Moeka Minami (left) sees Monday's 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup group-stage finale against Spain as a key test for her team ahead of the knockout stage.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Jul 30, 2023

Plenty of respect as Nadeshiko Japan prepares to face Spain

Japan and Spain have been two of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup's standout teams and both have already qualified for the last 16 out of Group C.
Customers visit a grilled eel store in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2023

People line up for grilled eel on the Day of the Ox in Japan

Japan has a tradition of eating nutritious grilled eels, believed to be good for restoring energy, on the midsummer Day of the Ox.
The education ministry plans to take steps toward reducing teacher workload, such as by asking schools to cut classroom hours.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2023

Japan eyes cutting back excess classroom hours

Some schools are also adding support staff for routine tasks or hiring private-sector employees to manage extracurricular activities.
A facility to dilute treated radioactive water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2023

Japan takes to anime to promote Fukushima water release safety

Four videos of one to two minutes in length have been uploaded on YouTube as the ministry is seeking to counter what it calls false information.
An inside page of The Japan Times from 1973 carried a story about the discovery of some old Japanese chess pieces.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Aug 1, 2023

Japan Times 1973: 8 'oldest' shogi pieces found in castle's ruins

An ancient discovery and moments that mark the atomic bombings fill past August pages of Japan Times.
Naha Airport in the Okinawan capital was closed Tuesday after the cancellation of all flights due to Typhoon Khanun.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2023

Thousands urged to evacuate in southern Japan ahead of typhoon

Typhoon Khanun was packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 180 kilometers per hour as it crossed the Pacific Ocean toward Okinawa Prefecture.
Foreign entertainers are now permitted to work in event venues with a capacity of more than 100 people — including standing-only establishments — that sell food and drinks.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 1, 2023

Japan loosens requirements for entertainer visas

Entertainers earning more than ¥500,000 or more per day are now able to stay for up to 30 days, an increase from 15 days.
Mariko Hayashi, head of the board at Nihon University, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on July 11.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 2, 2023

Football players at Japan university allegedly caught with cannabis

Club activities for the team have been suspended and the college has conducted interviews with coaches, club members and former club members.
The government may sell stakes in some major firms, including NTT, to fund its growing defense spending.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2023

Raising the stakes: Japan may sell shares to fund defense spending

Selling government stakes in some of Japan's biggest firms won't be straightforward, given the need for consensus and changes to laws.
Australian Ambassador to Japan Justin Hayhurst (center) walks beside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) during the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2023

Tokyo-Canberra ties key to Indo-Pacific’s future: Australian envoy

"We’ve never been more important to each other," says Justin Hayhurst, Australia’s new Ambassador to Japan.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in May.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 3, 2023

Japan's vision of nuke-free world in focus ahead of anniversaries

The tension between Tokyo's lofty goals and realpolitik necessities has made any move toward nuclear disarmament largely elusive.
Shinjiro Atae, a J-pop idol who came out publicly as gay during a recent fan event, with his stylist and makeup artist in the afternoon prior to his announcement, in Tokyo on July 25.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 3, 2023

In Japan, LGBTQ celebrities fuel impetus for change

Celebrities coming out as LGBTQ can have a big impact in Japan and fuel change. But such announcements are rarely made easily.
Seiichi Morimura at home in his study in April 2013
JAPAN
Aug 4, 2023

Seiichi Morimura, 90, who exposed Japan's wartime atrocities, dies

In a book, he detailed gruesome biological experiments on people at a secret Imperial Army site in occupied China before and during World War II.
Japan midfielder Hikaru Naomoto (right) and Spain's Aitana Bonmati compete for the ball during their Group C match at the Women's World Cup at Wellington Stadium on July 31.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 4, 2023

Nadeshiko Japan taking momentum into Women's World Cup knockout stage

Japan stormed through the group stage at the Women's World Cup with three dominant wins, and playmaker Yui Hasegawa says it is vital that it maintains that level of performance against Norway in Saturday's last 16 clash.
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau in Minato Ward
JAPAN / Society
Aug 4, 2023

Foreign minors born, raised in Japan to be eligible for residency

The move comes in response to a controversial revision to the asylum law that was passed earlier this year.
The Metropolitan Police Department is increasing vigilance against fake kidnapping scams targeting Chinese students in Japan.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 4, 2023

Chinese students in Japan coerced into staging own kidnappings

Believing that a Chinese fraud group is behind the scams, Japanese police are increasing vigilance while working together with the Chinese Embassy.
Ater Jimmie Husen
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 6, 2023

On plates, Sweden and Japan are a natural pair

Swedish and Japanese cuisine are not natural allies, but diners in Japan don’t seem to care when they taste this unique fusion for themselves.
People use umbrellas and parasols to seek relief from soaring temperatures while waiting to cross a street outside Tokyo's Shinjuku Station last week.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 5, 2023

Japan marks hottest day of year as mercury hits 40 C

The record temperature was marked in Date, Fukushima Prefecture, as a heat wave continues to scorch much of the country.
Nadeshiko Japan players celebrate Risa Shimizu's goal in their 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup round-of-16 game against Norway in Wellington on Saturday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup / From the Spot
Aug 6, 2023

Nadeshiko Japan is back, but is Japan paying attention?

The team’s lack of media exposure and name recognition is a symptom of the Japan Football Association’s failure to capitalize on its 2011 world title.
The newly created Children and Families Agency unveils its signboard last month.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 6, 2023

Japan to promote new certification tackling child abuse

Set to launch in April 2024, the move is in response to the rise in abuse consultation requests — hitting record highs 31 years in a row.
A farmer plants rice seedlings using a rice transplanter in a paddy field in Kobe in June.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2023

Japan's demand for rice falls 10 years in a row

As demand wanes, the agriculture ministry has begun urging farmers to switch to growing soybeans and wheat, as well as rice used for animal feed.
An Air Self-Defense Force Kawasaki C-2 military transport aircraft is put on display at the Dubai Air Show in November 2019.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2023

Japan mulls mounting long-range missiles on C-2 transporters

The missiles could be used for operations to attack enemy bases such as missile launch sites in counterstrike operations.
The Advanced Liquid Processing System, used for treating accumulated contaminated water, is seen during a media tour of the wrecked Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 21.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 7, 2023

Japan to start Fukushima water release as early as late August

The government will make a final decision on the matter following further internal deliberations and diplomatic discussions with its allies.
Masatoshi Akimoto at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 7, 2023

Scandal-hit ex-LDP member a major backer of renewable energy

Masatoshi Akimoto opposes building new nuclear reactors or replacing current ones, and has said that wind power in particular has much potential.
Even as some countries have moved to legalize or decriminalize marijuana, Japan has maintained a zero tolerance policy on the drug, prohibiting its possession or sale.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Aug 7, 2023

Navigating Japan's maze of cannabis-related laws

Japan has maintained a zero tolerance policy on cannabis, but the legality of other products on the market, including ones sold as CBD, is murkier.
A girl floats a lantern down the Motoyasu River in front of Hiroshima's Atomic Bomb Dome on Sunday, the 78th anniversary of the U.S. nuclear attack on the city.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2023

Nuke ban treaty still out of reach as Japan marks atomic bombings

Japan, which is positioned under the "nuclear umbrella" of the U.S., has refrained from joining the treaty, citing its own “tough security environment.”
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada speaks during a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in June.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2023

China hacked sensitive Japanese defense networks, report says

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Tuesday that Tokyo has not confirmed that top secret information was leaked.
The city of Kagoshima is hit by wind and torrential rain on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2023

Tropical Storm Khanun lashes southern Japan as second storm nears

As Khanun pounds the south, Tropical Storm Lan may threaten Tokyo just as thousands prepare to travel during a peak holiday season.
LNG Japan, a joint venture owned by Sumitomo and Sojitz, have inked a deal for a stake in a giant natural gas project off Australia.
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2023

LNG Japan inks ¥126 billion deal to join Australian gas project

The move will secure supply of a fossil fuel Japan expects will retain a key role in its energy mix.

Longform

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