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Nymphonella tapetis has become a pest for Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) farms in Tokyo Bay.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Aug 6, 2023

There are spiders in the sea surrounding Japan … sort of

Most sea spiders look like a tangle of legs, with little, if any, body to speak of. But they are not actually spiders.
A stock board at an intersection in Shanghai in October
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 6, 2023

China is losing out as global funds chase returns in Japan stocks

Foreign buying of Japanese equities has exceeded that of Chinese peers for the first time since 2017, according to a Goldman Sachs Group report.
As synonymous with summer as fireworks and sweltering temperatures, mosquitoes are ubiquitous in Japan. However, will rising temperatures lead more dangerous species of the bug to call Japan home?
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / Longform
Aug 7, 2023

The mosquito: Summer’s unwelcome little bloodsucker

An outbreak of dengue in Yoyogi Park nine years ago could be a sign of things to come if the wrong mosquito makes it into Japan.
Eisuke Sakakibara, former top finance official, says Japanese authorities are unlikely to intervene in foreign exchange markets to prop up the yen.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2023

Japan's 'Mr. Yen' Sakakibara expects no intervention

The yen has fallen around 14% since the Fed began rapidly raising rates to combat soaring inflation in March 2022.
Japan's Hinata Miyazawa leads the Women's World Cup scoring chart with five goals.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 7, 2023

Surprising Japan emerges as team to beat at Women's World Cup

Wins over Costa Rica and Zambia were expected, but it was the 4-0 thrashing of Spain that made the rest of the tournament sit up and take notice.
Sweden goalkeeper Zecira Musovic makes a save against the United States during their match at the Women's World Cup in Melbourne on Sunday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 7, 2023

Sweden's Zecira Musovic 'in the zone' ahead of clash with Japan

The Chelsea stopper exploded on the global stage with her breathtaking performance in the penalty shootout win against the defending champion U.S.
Riders dressed as samurai participate in an annual Soma Nomaoi festival in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 30. Two horses died from heatstroke in the event.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2023

Scores of horses suffer sunstroke at samurai festival

Organizers may move the annual event — featuring over 400 participants dressed as samurai on horseback — to a cooler time of year.
A recent report showed that the number of career bureaucrats leaving government to join startups had quadrupled over the two years through fiscal 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 8, 2023

Japan’s young civil servants are growing disillusioned

Big companies remain the most popular career option, attracting 34% of those who change jobs.
Some strategists think that foreign investors, who had helped drive one of the world’s biggest rallies so far this year, may pose risks for Japan’s stock market in the second half.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 9, 2023

Global funds that drove Topix rally may now threaten Japan gains

A lack of bold policy measures by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and China's economic slowdown are also seen as curbing the bullish trend.
Members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists walk a picket line outside of Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles. Hollywood actors and writers are currently on strike, effectively bringing the giant movie and television business to a halt in the first industry-wide walkout in 63 years.
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Aug 10, 2023

The Hollywood strike is a wake-up call to Japan's film industry

With Hollywood writers and actors on strike, what lessons can creatives in the Japanese film industry learn from the fray?
Japan's wholesale inflation slowed in July year-on-year due to softer energy costs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 10, 2023

Japan's wholesale inflation slowed in July for seventh month

The slowing pace of increases, due to softer energy utility costs, suggest pressures that drove up consumer prices are running their course.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura attends a ceremony marking the first minting of a commemorative coin for the expo with the event's mascot, Myaku-Myaku, in Osaka on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 10, 2023

Three hurdles stand between Osaka Expo and 2025 opening

Broadly speaking, the expo faces three high hurdles in its dash toward the finish line, and having everything ready for the April 13, 2025, opening.
Kiminoi Shuzo's brewery (pictured in 1904) has been a fixture of the community in Arai, Niigata Prefecture, since its 1894 founding.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 13, 2023

Struggling Niigata sake sees ‘a future in Japan’s past’

New challenges are forcing Niigata’s brewers to adapt their ancient craft to changing times, a balancing act that is often easier said than done.
Heavy rain and strong wind hit the city of Fukuoka on Thursday as Tropical Storm Khanun approached the Kyushu region.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 10, 2023

Strong storms likely to affect Bon holiday plans

Plans to travel or meet with friends or family may need a rethink as strong storms approach Japan.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) sits next to digital minister Taro Kono while speaking at a government review meeting on the My Number national identification cards.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 10, 2023

Why is modernizing Japan so darn tough?

Reporter Gabriele Ninivaggi joins us to break down how Japan’s digitalization hiccups risk exposing how backward things are.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Aug. 4.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2023

Kishida Cabinet approval drops to 26.6%: Jiji poll

The rate of disapproval grew 8.1 points to 47.4%, the highest since Kishida became prime minister in October 2021.
People offer silent prayers for the victims of the 1945 Nagasaki atomic bombing at the city's Peace Park on Wednesday to mark the 78th anniversary of the attack.
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 2023

Nuclear threats grow stronger and more immediate

In this world, unilateral disarmament and the hope that setting an example will inspire other nations to follow suit is fantasy.
Technical trainees from Vietnam work at a knitwear factory in the city of Mitsuke, Niigata Prefecture, in February 2019.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 6, 2023

Japan is bringing in more foreign nationals than you think

Japan isn’t an outlier when it comes to low fertility rates, merely a front-runner.
Sweden's Magdalena Eriksson celebrates her team's win over Japan as Aoba Fujino looks dejected, in Auckland on Friday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup / From the Spot
Aug 11, 2023

Nadeshiko's bright future undimmed by Sweden defeat

The flair, excitement and promise demonstrated by the team has shown that Japan can again lift the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy one day.
A promotional poster for the film "Barbie" in Tokyo earlier this month
CULTURE
Aug 12, 2023

Hollywood blockbuster 'Barbie' opens in Japan after controversy

Tickets sold fast in Japan as fans flocked to the theatrical release, timed to coincide with the start of the Bon holiday period.
Fans at Tokyo's Ariake Arena watch Yuto Horigome compete in Street League Skateboarding's debut Japan event on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Skateboarding
Aug 13, 2023

Yuto Horigome thrills in Street League Skateboarding's Japan debut

The raucous crowd at Ariake Arena starkly contrasted with the empty skate park nearby where the 24-year-old captured his Olympic gold medal two years ago.
Annette and Peter O’Malley, joined by their daughter Katherine, welcome NPB great Shigeo Nagashima to their Los Angeles home on Dec. 1, 1974.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 13, 2023

Annette O'Malley helped forge connection between Dodgers and Japan

She traveled with her husband, former Dodgers president Peter O'Malley, to help grow the game internationally, including making over 25 visits to Japan.
Nadeshiko Japan head coach Futoshi Ikeda is all but certain to continue his role through the 2024 Paris Olympics and beyond.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 13, 2023

Futoshi Ikeda wants youngsters to grow as Nadeshiko heads home

The emergence of a crop of talented youngsters has reinvigorated a Nadeshiko side set to benefit from greater stability over the next four years.
Honda's electric vehicle e:NP2 is displayed at the Auto Shanghai show, in Shanghai in April. The recent weakening of the yen couldn't come at a better time for Japanese automakers, which are struggling in the Chinese market.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 14, 2023

Weak yen gives Japan automakers temporary relief from China pain

A weak yen has traditionally lifted profits for Japan's big exporters
Blackstone is working on more acquisitions in Japan with several bids out and properties like hotels and data centers in the pipeline.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 14, 2023

Blackstone eyes more Japan property after selling $4.5 billion

Real estate investments in Japan have been rosy compared to other countries, where rising costs have squeezed finances and workers have shunned offices.
Electric signs are turned off at Nagoya Station on Tuesday amid the suspension of shinkansen services between Nagoya and Okayama stations.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2023

Typhoon Lan brings damage and power outages to western Kansai

In the wake of the storm, the city of Tottori released water from the Saji River Dam late afternoon Tuesday due to fears that the dam would overflow.
Japan’s economy has expanded at a much faster pace than forecast, despite weak domestic consumption.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 15, 2023

Japan’s GDP grows at 6% on strong exports as consumption falters

Capital spending by businesses was flat, versus forecasts of a 0.4% increase, while private consumption unexpectedly declined by 0.5%.
Nadeshiko Japan reached the knockout stage at a fourth consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup before being eliminated in the quarterfinals on Friday by Sweden.
SOCCER / Women's World cup / From the Spot
Aug 15, 2023

Bold steps needed from JFA, WE League to maintain momentum after WWC

After Nadeshiko Japan's inspiring quarterfinal run in New Zealand, the country's soccer bodies must avoid the missteps of the post-2011 boom and bust.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 16, 2023

Yen option traders unfazed by risk of intervention from Japan

Option traders see little likelihood of intervention even if the yen weakens to ¥145.90 against the dollar.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
Aug 16, 2023

As yen enters intervention range, Japan's policymakers hold fire

With Japan now reaping some benefits from a weaker currency, intervention may not come as quickly as it did last year.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat