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Yuko Obuchi (left), picked as the Liberal Democratic Party's new election campaign chief, poses for a photo with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other LDP executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / Notebook
Sep 13, 2023

What Kishida’s reshuffle says about female participation in politics

Political family ties of most of the female appointees speaks to the difficulty women face in entering the political arena.
Hokutofuji (right) grapples with Kirishima during Day 3 of the Autumn Basho at Ryogoku Kokugikan on Tuesday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 13, 2023

Hokutofuji shines early as sumo's English streaming era begins

The Day 2 presentation by YouTube channel Sumo Prime Time was a welcome development for international fans.
New Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa is seen in formal attire to attend an attestation ceremony after a Cabinet reshuffle in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2023

In Kishida's Cabinet reshuffle, two changes stand out

It will be the first time in 20 years that a woman has been foreign minister, while the new defense chief arrives amid dramatic shifts in defense posture.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at a news conference during the trilateral summit at Camp David, Maryland, on Aug. 18.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2023

South Korea’s political bifurcation will stifle any trilateral agreement

The South Korean left, which is currently out of power, has a foreign policy agenda that is incompatible with the Camp David Principles.
With more and more young people entering the workforce, terms that were once popular in the so-called bubble era are falling out of fashion.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 15, 2023

Outdated business jargon strikes out with Japan's Gen Z

Around 70% of survey respondents say jargon leads to misunderstandings that end up wasting time.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with a payload of 21 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Feb. 27.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 21, 2023

Satellite constellations taking on greater role in Japan's security

As Japan fine-tunes its national security strategy, the importance and future of satellite constellations is being examined.
History recorded the thoughts and actions of rulers and warlords, but what did the average folk think in that time? Were their days filled with angst, passion or poignancy?
JAPAN / History
Sep 17, 2023

Writers find a new muse in the 20th century: the ordinary person

The past at its very best spread its benefits thinly, leaving the masses to make the best of things beyond the reach of civilization’s light.
Japan's Asaeli Ai Valu (left) and Atsushi Sakate celebrate with a Japanese flag after defeating Chile in their opening game of the Rugby World Cup in Toulouse, France, on Sept. 10.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 16, 2023

Giant-slaying Japan turns attention to England at Rugby World Cup

Japan will have another chance to take down a rugby powerhouse when it meets England at the World Cup.
Robots carry items around Amazon Japan's logistics base in Chiba.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 17, 2023

Logistics robots coming into wider use in Japan

Companies are looking to logistics robots in response to the popularity of e-commerce, as well as present and potential labor shortages.
Plaintiffs and supporters opposed to the expansion of a coal-fired power plant in Kobe protest after the Kobe District Court dismissed their civil case in March.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 17, 2023

Climate litigation remains a tough sell in Japan despite wins overseas

So far, Japan has seen just four climate lawsuits, all concerning the construction and operation of coal-fired power plants.
England's Ellis Genge (center) is tackled by Japan's Craig Millar (left) and Tomoki Osada during their match at the Rugby World Cup in Nice, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 18, 2023

Japan fails to keep up with England at Rugby World Cup

Japan fell to its first loss of the 2023 Rugby World Cup on Sunday, going down 34-12 to England in Pool D in front of 30,500 at Stade de Nice.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa during a news conference at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2023

Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa's diplomatic chops to be tested at U.N.

The visit to New York marks the top diplomat's first overseas trip since she became foreign minister in last week's Cabinet reshuffle.
October's by-elections will be the first national elections since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reshuffled his Cabinet last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 19, 2023

October by-elections to be first test for Kishida's new government

The results of the by-elections are expected to influence Kishida's strategy for dissolving the Lower House for a general election.
Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the Democratic Party for the People, holds a news conference in the parliament last week.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 19, 2023

CDP and DPP face growing rift three years after merger failure

While the DPP has taken a cooperative line with the LDP-Komeito ruling coalition, the CDP has taken a confrontational stance toward the LDP.
Japan needs to win its remaining two Pool D games in order to progress to the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 19, 2023

Error-strewn loss to England leaves Japan facing uphill battle

The kick-heavy encounter in Nice left discouraged Brave Blossoms fans knowing their team will need a major turnaround to match its 2019 quarterfinal run.
The Bank of Japan's headquarters in Tokyo
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 19, 2023

The Bank of Japan faces a monetary policy conundrum

The BOJ may need to interpret the 2% price stability target more flexibly.
Yoshikazu Higashitani, known as GaaSyy, at Narita Airport in June
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 19, 2023

In first court hearing, ex-lawmaker GaaSyy apologizes for defamation

Yoshikazu Higashitani admitted in court Tuesday to making defamatory remarks toward celebrities in videos he posted on social media.
Urawa's notoriously fervent supporters are known for packing stands, as well as for repeated off-the-pitch incidents that have impacted the club's reputation.
SOCCER / J. League / From the Spot
Sep 20, 2023

Urawa pays price for hooliganism after years of looking the other way

The J. League club has been banned from playing in Japan's top club tournament after more than a hundred supporters took part in an August pitch invasion.
Many of the wealthy in Japan are becoming more keen to park their cash in private assets like equity, credit and real estate that aren't traded in public markets.
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2023

Brokers tap demand for private assets among Japan's wealthy

Private assets are booming globally after decades-high inflation and rapid interest-rate hikes weighed on both shares and bonds.
A cross-section illustration of the second Seikan Tunnel proposed by the Japan Project-Industry Council
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Sep 25, 2023

Is the plan to build a second Seikan Tunnel realistic?

Advocates suggest shorter travel times and revitalized communities, while critics worry about the price tag.
The decision by Johnny & Associates during a news conference on Sept. 7 to retain the company name — despite its association with an alleged sexual predator — drew a lot of public criticism.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 20, 2023

Johnny & Associates considers changing name as criticism mounts

On its website, the agency said it was “discussing the future of the company, taking into consideration opinions and criticisms.”
BYD's Dolphin electric car during a test drive in Yokohama
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 20, 2023

BYD takes aim at Japan's EV market with new Dolphin hatchback

The base model Dolphin starts from ¥3.63 million and is equipped with a 70 kilowatt hour battery that offers 400 kilometers of range.
Group of Seven leaders, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center), lay floral wreaths at the Cenotaph for Atomic Bomb Victims in the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on May 19.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Sep 20, 2023

Kishida eyes return to stalled fissile treaty. That may be a nonstarter.

Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Kishida said Japan will work to facilitate discussions between nuclear and nonnuclear weapon states.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 20, 2023

In speech, Kishida seeks to maintain momentum for U.N. reform

Kishida stressed the importance of human security and alluded to the increasing dysfunction of the U.N. Security Council caused by Moscow's vetoing power.
A surgical center designed by Shigeru Ban Architects for a hospital in Lviv, Ukraine
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023

Shigeru Ban’s humanitarian architecture reaches Ukraine

Architect Shigeru Ban is working with the mayor of Lviv, in Ukraine, to expand a hospital and serve the growing number of people displaced by the war.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki speaks at a news conference in Naha on Sept. 4. Tamaki has raised issue with Japan's ongoing military building and its effect on Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2023

Rapid military buildup a worry for Okinawans, governor says

"We must never allow people in Okinawa to go through the same horrible experience that we went through" in World War Two, said Denny Tamaki.
A liquefied natural gas tanker is tugged toward a thermal power station in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture, in November 2017
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2023

Japan’s dwindling LNG inventories could prompt new purchases

Storage held by Japan’s power suppliers fell to 1.62 million tons as of Sept. 17, according to data compiled by the trade ministry.
A worker is seen in front of one of the pavilions at the construction site of the 2025 Osaka Expo during a government-sponsored tour of the area on Yumeshima island, Osaka, on Sept. 14.
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2023

Osaka Expo venue construction cost likely to soar

The figure is expected to rise above the current ¥185 billion to exceed ¥200 billion, sources have said.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly meets with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo in October.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2023

It's time for Canada to implement a foreign policy reset

Canada should strengthen partnerships with like-minded democratic allies such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Singapore.
Sogo & Seibu’s flagship store in Ikebukuro is closed due to a strike on Aug. 31. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 19, 2023

As goes the Sogo department store, so goes Japan

The number of department stores located outside Japan's 10 biggest cities has dropped by 30% in the past decade.

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