Search - japan

 
 
Kohei Saito, a philosophy professor at the University of Tokyo who appears regularly in Japanese media to discuss his ideas, at home in Tokyo on March 16.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 7, 2023

Can shrinking be good for Japan? A Marxist bestseller makes the case.

Saito has tapped into what he describes as a growing disillusionment in Japan with capitalism’s ability to solve the problems people see around them.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 7, 2023

Ex-LDP member and offshore wind advocate arrested over bribery

Masatoshi Akimoto is suspected of receiving ¥60 million from Masayuki Tsukawaki, then-president of Japan Wind Development.
A Meteorological Agency map shows the forecast track for Tropical Storm Yun-yeung as of Thursday afternoon.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2023

Tropical storm set to bring heavy rain to wide areas of Japan

Railway operators announced that service delays and suspensions could occur depending on the storm’s path and impacts.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 9, 2023

Japan top diplomat makes first visit to Ukraine since war's start

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi met with a number of high-ranking officials in Kyiv, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 10, 2023

Internal email sheds light on wind-power bribery scandal

Tokyo prosecutors have obtained an email as possible evidence of Akimoto having made statements before lawmakers at the request of Tsukawaki.
Japan Exchange Group only has a female board ratio of 13%, a level that’s less than half the average of global peers.
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2023

Japan stock exchange’s board diversity is among worst in world

Japan Exchange Group’s female board ratio remains far below global peers and its own listing rule goal.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 12, 2023

Japan steps up efforts to prevent suicides among children

The number of suicides among elementary, junior high and senior high school students has been on the rise, reaching 514 in 2022.
Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki speaks during an interview in his Tokyo office on September 7
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 12, 2023

Japan's opposition struggles to move beyond political fragmentation

The leadership race for the DPP has reignited debate over the state of the opposition, with calls for a united front clashing with divisions over policy.
Delivery trucks at a parking area along the highway in Chiba Prefecture in April
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2023

Japan set to expand visa framework to tackle driver shortage

The planned expansion of the visa framework is to attract foreign nationals to the logistics industries and to address the driver shortage problem.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 15, 2023

Flu season already in full swing in Japan

The season has begun earlier than usual, with a number of schools either suspending individual classes or closing entirely.
Kabul is diverse and culturally rich, like the rest of Afghanistan. Yet the country has struggled with political inclusivity.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 15, 2023

Japan can help pave the way for an inclusive Afghanistan

A new generation of Afghan leaders wants to be included in the country's future. Japan is well-positioned to facilitate dialogue with the Taliban.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Sep 16, 2023

Rugby turns 200: A history of the sport in Japan

As the sport of rugby turns 200, Japan hopes to celebrate its own success in a game that first arrived in the 1860s.
Ichiro Miyashita arrives at the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday after being named the new minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in a Cabinet reshuffle the same day.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 17, 2023

Japan aiming to diversify export markets to cut risks

New agriculture minister Ichiro Miyashita has expressed his intention to work on diversifying export destinations to reduce risks.
Minoru Kihara
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 17, 2023

New Japan defense chief 'very concerned' about Chinese military moves

Minoru Kihara called trilateral cooperation with South Korea and the U.S. “the cornerstone” of Tokyo’s response to the regional security concerns.
The Philippine military says it’s escalating maritime surveillance after detecting a "resurgence” of Chinese vessels around the West Philippine Sea.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2023

Philippines says Japan and Australia keen on joint naval patrols

The Philippine military says it’s escalating maritime surveillance after detecting a "resurgence” of Chinese vessels around the West Philippine Sea.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2023

Debate grows in Japan over proposed background checks for teachers

The Children and Families Agency is proposing to make screening for criminal convictions mandatory for people looking to work in schools or nurseries.
Nobody wishes for a medical emergency, but preparing for one while you're in a foreign country can only make things easier.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Sep 18, 2023

How to avoid medical purgatory when hospitalized in Japan

Much like a legal will, a visit to the hospital is the last thing for which you want to prepare — yet doing so will save you stress and worry.
A tanker used for shipping liquefied natural gas sits near the Yamal LNG plant, operated by Novatek, in Sabetta, Russia.
BUSINESS
Sep 19, 2023

Japan to ensure stable energy supply despite U.S. sanctions

The latest sanctions on the Arctic LNG 2 project are part of several economic measures the U.S., Europe and their allies have taken against Russia.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Monday in New York.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 19, 2023

Japan’s new top diplomat makes international debut

On the sidelines to the U.N. General Assembly sidelines, new Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa gets off to a quick start.
The U.S Navy's Ranger unmanned vessel docks at Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture. The ship is one of two U.S. Navy unmanned prototype vessels that were recently dispatched to Japan as part of a long-range deployment exercise.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 21, 2023

Unmanned U.S. Navy vessels make Japan debut

The U.S. Navy debuted the unmanned prototype vessels as it prepares to increase both the number and use of drones amid growing tensions with China.
A model of a new fighter jet of the Global Combat Air Programme led by Britain, Japan, and Italy, is seen at the DSEI defense event in London on Sept. 12.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2023

HQ for multilateral jet fighter project to be placed in U.K.

Japan and Britain will dominate design and manufacturing on the project.
The new invoice system, which goes into effect Oct. 1, is forcing many freelancers in Japan to choose between raising their prices or suffer a 10% loss in revenue.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Sep 25, 2023

Freelancers aren’t happy with Japan’s new invoice system

For many freelancers and small businesses, the result will amount to a 10% increase in taxes.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2023

Hokkaido seafood piles up in freezers following China ban

Scallops and other products are amassing in freezers at processing facilities in the prefecture, costing businesses more for storage.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 22, 2023

Is this the end for Japan’s iconic Studio Ghibli?

It’s tough to find an appropriate analogy for the Ghibli sale; the only one that comes close is Disney's purchase of Pixar for $7.4 billion in 2006.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 24, 2023

One month on, Chinese import ban hits Japanese food exports

Food exports to China plunged 41.2% in August from a year before — but the full effect of the ban after the Fukushima water release has yet to be felt.
Paternity leave has not taken root in Japan due to concerns over decreases in income and disruptions to the work side of life.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023

Japan local governments working to encourage paternity leave

From Saga to Yamanashi, local officials are trying a variety of policies to give their male employees a chance to better participate in family life.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 25, 2023

Syphilis cases in Japan top 10,000 for second year in 2023

It is unclear why new cases have shot up, reaching 10,000 two months earlier than last year.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 25, 2023

As Japan OKs Alzheimer's drug, issue of side effects comes into focus

There are big challenges ahead for the use of lecanemab, particularly on how to control side effects such as brain swelling and bleeding.
Ukrainian refugees arrive at Haneda airport in Tokyo on April 5, 2022.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2023

Japan to introduce new residency status for asylum-seekers

A program to offer a long-term residence status that will allow asylum-seekers to work in Japan will be introduced in December.
Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2023

Coalition party leader seeks China visit this year to mend ties

Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Komeito, abandoned a planned trip last month as friction worsened with Japan’s biggest trading partner.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.