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People applaud during a campaign event in Tokyo on Thursday. Those running in the July 7 poll will be battling to govern the sixth-largest city in the world by population.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 20, 2024

Tokyo governor poll campaign kicks off with 56 candidates in running

Ideas on how to reverse the capital's declining birth rate and make spending transparent are topping the agenda.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike (left) and Renho, a member of the House of Councilors, both candidates in the gubernatorial election, attend a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in the capital on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 20, 2024

The battle to be Japan’s most powerful woman is on

The race to become governor of Tokyo has officially kicked off, and is set to determine who will control a region that makes up more than 20% of the nation’s economy.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has recently said that Japan was in the severest security environment since the end of World War II.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2024

Japan's Kawasaki Heavy to make ventilators for underground shelters

The announcement comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that included a mutual defense pledge.
Members of Onomichi High School's baseball team (back) have longer hair than members of teams that stick to traditional buzz cuts.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jul 1, 2024

High school baseball gets a makeover as buzz cut rules are no more

What was once seen as a symbol of fighting spirit is getting a rethink as coaches try to be mindful of students' mental states and preferences.
While MyDearest's games are understably digital, employees also joke that sometimes they known coworkers only by their avatars used during meetings.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Jun 21, 2024

Action drives VR, but Japan prizes anonymity and plot

A far cry from origins as a tech novelty, Japan's virtual reality industry is currently valued at $3.9 billion (about ¥615 billion).
An election poster board in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward on Friday. Incumbent Yuriko Koike and former Upper House lawmaker Renho may be stealing the spotlight for the July 7 Tokyo governor poll, but some other candidates highly unlikely to win are nonetheless running in the hope of gaining publicity during the campaign period.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 21, 2024

PR opportunity pushes Tokyo governor candidates to record number

The amount of publicity to be gained during the campaign period is a major draw, with the ¥3 million candidate deposit described as a bargain.
A test is conducted using a dummy to replicate an accident in which the leg of a child riding on the back seat of a bicycle strikes a pole.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 21, 2024

Accidents involving children in rear bicycle seats on the rise

They can easily injure themselves on utility poles or guard rails that they can’t see because of the adult sitting in front of them, Japan's consumer watchdog warns.
Nissan's Leaf electric vehicle, equipped with autonomous driving technology, during a test ride in the Yokohama Minato Mirai area in Yokohama in May
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 21, 2024

Japan focuses on smart cars as automakers fall behind U.S. and China

While driving assistance technology and map navigation features are installed in Japanese cars, they lack more advanced features.
Japan head coach Eddie Jones attends a training session in Tokyo on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jun 21, 2024

Wary England set for Eddie Jones reunion in steamy Japan Test

Temperatures are set to reach 30 degrees Celsius in the capital for Eddie Jones' first game since returning to the Japan job for a second stint.
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji temple in Tokyo. This year is expected to bring 33 million travelers to Japan, an unprecedented surge and a 30% increase from last year.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 21, 2024

How an arrival tax could stem the overtourism tide

How can Japan ensure that tourism benefits locals and travelers alike? There's no silver bullet but an arrival tax of around $40 could be a good starting point.
Renho announces her campaign pledges for the Tokyo gubernatorial election, in the capital on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 21, 2024

The campaigners that Tokyo hopeful Renho doesn't want you to know about

The candidate for governor has kept quiet about Japanese Communist Party activities in support of her — ties that could alienate some voters.
Professor Yasuhiro Kato of the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo (center right) and Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation (left), hold manganese nodules, a seafloor resource found in the waters surrounding Minamitorishima, Tokyo, on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 22, 2024

Over 200 million metric tons of rare metals found near remote Tokyo island

The sea-bottom mineral concentrations abundantly contain rare metals such as cobalt and nickel — both essential for lithium-ion batteries.
England's George Martin is tackled by Japan's Atsushi Sakate (right) and Tomoki Osada during England's win over Japan on Saturday in Tokyo.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jun 22, 2024

Marcus Smith stars as England thrashes Japan 52-17 in Tokyo

Late scores for Koga Nezuka and Takuya Yamasawa gave the scoreline a more respectable look for Japan
Japan head coach Eddie Jones said he saw promising signs on Saturday as he tries to instill a high-tempo playing style in his new team.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jun 23, 2024

Japan's Jones positive despite England defeat

An inexperienced Japan side featuring four debutants in the starting lineup conceded eight tries but scored two of its own in a stirring finish to the game.
Seaweed in the ocean off Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Local residents aim to restore seagrass and seaweed beds suffering from marine desertification, and their project has also been certified to receive "blue carbon" credits.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Jun 23, 2024

Japan looks to 'blue carbon' to cut emissions — and restore its coasts

The nation's net zero goal has driven interest in these ecosystems, but verifying the amount of carbon stored by seaweed presents a challenge.
PRESS
Jun 24, 2024

The Japan Times receives Honorable Mention at SOPA 2024 Awards for Editorial Excellence

A longform feature on Japan’s relationship to the act of sitting written by staff writer Thu-Huong Ha and published by The Japan Times, Ltd. (Chairperson, Publisher and President: Minako Suematsu) received an Excellence in Arts & Culture Reporting (Regional/Local), Honorable Mention award from The...
Seiji Izumisawa, president of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, says the firm is almost finished designing its next-generation nuclear reactor.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 24, 2024

Mitsubishi Heavy moving closer to building new reactor in Japan

The firm can start building the facility once a site for it is established and some late-stage tests are completed.
Japan's men's and women's gymnastics teams pose for photos during a news conference to announce the team's uniforms for the 2024 Games.
OLYMPICS / Gymnastics
Jun 24, 2024

Leotard vs. unitard debate in gymnastics still raging ahead of Paris Olympics

The German gymnastics team took a stand against sexualization in the sport in 2021, but heading into Paris, the leotard is still very much in vogue in Japan and abroad.
Burgundy snails at the Mie Escargots Development Laboratory farm in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, on May 16
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 30, 2024

Japan's escargot entrepreneur achieves the 'impossible'

Toshihide Takase has invested a small fortune and taught himself everything about Burgundy snails.
Kiyoshie Saruwaka, 74, a member of Ara Style Senior — Japan's only breakdancing club made up of older citizens — practices a move known as "chair freeze" in Tokyo on April 26.
OLYMPICS / Breakdancing
Jun 30, 2024

Inspired by Olympics debut, Japan's seniors blaze breakdancing trail

Ara Style Senior is Japan's only breaking club made up of older citizens.
For Japan, carbon credits are seen as important as the nation waits for its climate technology bets to pay off.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jun 24, 2024

Japan makes a late play on under-fire carbon credit trading

The government and Japanese companies see carbon offsets as important as they wait for their climate tech bets to pay off.
MUFG Bank and two joint ventures in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group have been penalized for violating client confidentiality rules.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 24, 2024

MUFG penalized by Japan’s financial regulator for client breach

The flagship bank and joint ventures allegedly inappropriately exchanged client information at least 26 times to win business, according to a market watchdog.
Renho left the CDP, Japan's largest opposition party, earlier this month to run in the Tokyo gubernatorial election as an independent candidate.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 24, 2024

Death threat sent to office of aspiring Tokyo governor Renho

The threat, made via fax, was also sent to a building that houses the headquarters of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which Renho left in early June.
Kyosuke Matsuyama (right) competes against France's Erwann Le Pechoux during the men's team foil semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021.
OLYMPICS
Jun 24, 2024

Japanese fencers heading to Paris Games with plenty of confidence

The men's national team is aiming to secure its first medal in three Olympics in the foil event, a category considered by many to be a Japanese specialty.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on June 12
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 24, 2024

Yen nears lows as Bank of Japan leans dovish

The BOJ has suggested in recent weeks that it might not hurry in tightening monetary policy, unsettling the market.
A wind farm in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture. For Japan's future energy roadmap to center on clean sources, the government should reform the institutions overseeing energy policy to avoid vested interests from slowing the transition down.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 24, 2024

It’s time for Japan to set up a climate change agency

The government is currently reviewing Japan's Strategic Energy Plan. But who's shaping this key document for the future? It's mostly older men with vested interests.
The Japanese national flag waves at the Bank of Japan building in Tokyo on March 18.
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2024

Moody's Japan analyst urges reform while BOJ takes time to raise rates

Christian de Guzman said he did not expect the budget-balancing target for fiscal 2025 to be met, but failure would not trigger a negative rating action.
Turbines at a wind farm in Suttsu, Hokkaido. A renewable energy initiative called on Japan to triple its capacity of clean electricity.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 25, 2024

Japan urged to triple renewables capacity by 2035

The world's fourth-largest economy is heavily reliant on fossil fuels
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference after being found guilty over hush-money charges, at Trump Tower in New York City on May 31.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 25, 2024

U.S. and allies race to ‘Trump-proof’ Biden security deals by year-end

Concerns are rising about a potential push to undo or restructure Biden-era agreements should the ex-president be returned to the White House.
Goods related to Eiichi Shibusawa are sold at the Michi no Eki Okabe roadside rest station in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2024

Sites linked to faces on new banknotes excited before release

The new ¥10,000, ¥5,000 and ¥1,000 notes will enter into circulation July 3 in what will be the country's first banknote redesigning in 20 years.

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