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A reader for My Number cards doubling as health insurance cards is set up at a clinic in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, this month.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 25, 2023

Linkage of My Number and insurance cards faces delays

A survey found that the linkage work was incomplete for 770,000 people across the country for whom the process was underway.
Walter F. Hatch sheds light on how Japan's actions during World War II continue to haunt the country in "Ghosts in the Neighborhood."
CULTURE / Books
Aug 27, 2023

‘Ghosts in the Neighborhood’ illuminates a path to reconciliation

Asian politics expert Walter F. Hatch sheds light on the role multilateral institutions can play in Japan coming to terms with its World War II past.
A Japanese doctor helps a non-Japanese patient check in at the front desk of a hospital.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 25, 2023

Let’s get clinical: Navigating a trip to a Japanese hospital

You don't need to be stressed out about your linguistic ability when you check into a Japanese hospital, so brush up on some terms beforehand.
Designed by Sadamaranai Obake, Kumomonaka is a wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery) kit that encourages those in mourning to talk about the past while creating sweets in colors that remind them of their deceased loved ones.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 26, 2023

Japan-made novelties with deeper purpose

The easiest way to understand Japanese cultural concepts might be through these smartly designed products.
Yuko Obuchi, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and the House of Representatives, speaks during the party's annual convention in Tokyo in February.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 27, 2023

Future female PM candidates in spotlight as Cabinet reshuffle looms

At present, women account for only about 10% of the lawmakers in the Lower House, while the proportion stands at some 27% in the upper chamber.
Materials derived from cabbage (left), iyokan (center) and onion by Tokyo-based startup Fabula, which is working to develop new materials that can replace concrete.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Aug 27, 2023

Japan’s scrap-and-rebuild culture faces an environmental reckoning

The nation's tendency toward new construction — rather than renovation — is coming under renewed scrutiny amid concerns over sustainability.
Members of the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and U.S. armed forces carry national flags during the opening ceremony of joint military exercises in Taguig, Philippines, in October 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 27, 2023

How Japan can make the most of its latest diplomatic tool

Japan recently decided to establish a policy of Official Security Assistance. But how can it ensure its success?
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Kenta Izumi speaks to reporters in the Diet building earlier this month.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 27, 2023

Some CDP leaders may accept the restart of idled nuclear reactors

Opposition to nuclear power remains strong in the CDP, as it has been a key plank in the party's platform since the party was created.
Japan Times
PRESS
Aug 29, 2023

ジャパンタイムズ主催Sustainable Japan Award 2023 発表 最優秀賞:株式会社アシックス、優秀賞:真庭市(岡山県)

株式会社ジャパンタイムズキューブ(代表取締役:末松 弥奈子)は、「Sustainable Japan Award 2023」の受賞企業・団体を発表しました。
Japan's exports have been "picking up recently," the government said in its latest monthly economic assessment, its first upward revision since May,
BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2023

Japan improves view on exports for first time in three months

The Cabinet Office report cited the boost to auto shipments from easing supply issues and the bottoming out of demand for semiconductor-related goods.
In its quake damage estimates updated last year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government expects that 4.53 million people will be unable to return home in the aftermath of a massive quake hitting the capital.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2023

Over-concentration in Tokyo raising risks from possible quake

The government estimate that up to 23,000 people would be killed if a massive quake hits the capital.
The Financial Services Agency said in its annual policy guidance that overseas real estate is among the credit risks to watch this year and that it will assess major banks' "situation of loans” made in this sector.
BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2023

Japan regulator to evaluate banks’ commercial property exposure

Commercial real estate has become one of the highest-profile asset classes hit by rapid rate hikes.
As China slips into deflation, one word is popping up more and more to describe the gloomy atmospherics: "Japanification."
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 30, 2023

'Japanification' for China? It should be so lucky.

China is not on the path to global dominance nor set for collapse, and observers should consider the various shades of gray in analyzing these countries.
The National Police Agency holds a ceremony to launch its National Cyber Unit in April last year.
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2023

National Police Agency to upgrade cyber unit to department

The National Cyber Unit was established in April last year.
Korean writer-director Kim Sung Hwan's "Iron Mask" took one of the two top awards at this year's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) in South Korea.
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Aug 30, 2023

Does South Korea now have the edge over Japan when it comes to film?

While Korean cinema tackles universal topics, Japanese studios are content to navel-gaze.
A Toyota factory in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, in 2015. A computer system processing orders for vehicle parts for the company broke down Tuesday, forcing the closure of 14 assembly plants in Japan.
BUSINESS / EXPLAINER
Aug 30, 2023

What happened to shut down Toyota's production in Japan?

Disruption shut down a system at the core of Toyota's lean manufacturing process.
A monitor displays a news report about the death of Johnny Kitagawa in July 2019.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 30, 2023

Media respond to report on sexual abuse at Johnny and Associates

The committee said Japan's mainstream media chose to ignore Kitagawa’s sexual abuse in order to maintain access to Johnny & Associates' talent pool.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol hold a news conference during the trilateral summit at Camp David, Maryland, on Aug. 18.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 30, 2023

Camp David success depends on convincing the public

The Camp David statement is an important declaration of shared purpose and principles, and sets a path forward for substantive cooperation.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida eats fish from Fukushima Prefecture at a luncheon on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2023

Kishida eats 'safe and delicious' Fukushima fish

"This is very good," Kishida said as he chewed on a slice of flounder sashimi, calling on viewers to enjoy Japanese seafood.
Actively managed exchange-trade funds are set to debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange next week.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 31, 2023

Active ETFs cash in on corporate reform in Japan

Actively managed exchange-trade funds are set to launch in Tokyo next week.
Manufacturing machinery and electronic components were among the biggest drags on Japan's industrial output in July.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 31, 2023

Japan output drops in July as global slowdown reverberates

Factory output declined 2% from June, the industry ministry said Thursday.
According to a survey conducted by the Tokyo Stock Exchange, 20% of the 1,235 prime-listed companies have come up with specific measures.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 31, 2023

Most Japan firms yet to disclose plans for better capital efficiency

The TSE made a rare call in March for firms to disclose plans in the long run to improve capital efficiency, but nearly 70% have yet to do so.
A fire breaks out in the Yurakucho area of Tokyo after the Great Kanto Earthquake in September 1923.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2023

Century since Kanto quake, expert warns of 'blind faith' in disaster resilience

For many, grasping the potential devastation of a future major quake remains as elusive as it was 100 years ago.
Items from the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake are on display at the memorial museum in Yokoamicho Park in Tokyo. Here, a warped clock is frozen minutes after the quake struck at 11:58 a.m. on Sept. 1, 1923.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Aug 31, 2023

The Great Kanto Earthquake: A wall of fire, a picture of hell

On Sept. 1, 1923, a massive earthquake struck off the coast of Kanagawa Prefecture. It came to be defined by fire and vigilantism.
Yuta Watanabe celebrates Japan's comback win over Venenzula at the Okinawa Arena on Thursday.
BASKETBALL
Sep 1, 2023

With victory over Venezuela, Japan inches closer to Olympics

In a nail-biter, Japan erases a nine-point gap to triumph over Venezuela. They are now just one win away from securing their Olympic dreams.
Japanese companies raised spending on plants and equipment in the April-June quarter but the pace of annual gains slowed to the lowest in five quarters, reflecting global recession worries amid China's slowing growth.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 1, 2023

Japan firms cut capital spending over global growth concerns

The latest figures feed into a picture of Japan’s growth being overly reliant on overseas demand.
Tohoku University in Sendai
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2023

Tohoku University named as first recipient in state subsidy program

The education ministry says that a number of universities will be chosen for the program.
Fisheries minister Tetsuro Nomura apologizes at the ministry on Thursday after calling treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant "contaminated."
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 1, 2023

Fisheries minister under fire for ‘contaminated water’ gaffe

“Contaminated water” is the expression used by China, and Japan has been extremely critical of Beijing's labeling.
The price for regular gasoline is ¥192 per liter at a gas station in the city of Nagano on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Sep 1, 2023

Extended gasoline subsidy risks harming Japan's net-zero efforts

The politically tricky decision on ending the program could hamper the shift to EVs and efforts to reach climate change goals.
Japan's economic output ran above full capacity in April-June for the first time in nearly four years, a government estimate showed, suggesting that conditions for ending its policy of ultralow interest rates could be falling into place.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 2, 2023

Japan's economic output runs above capacity in signal for BOJ

The data suggests that conditions for Japan to end its policy of ultralow interest rates could be falling into place.

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