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The Meteorological Agency forecast the yellow sand to move away from eastern Honshu by 6 p.m. on Wednesday. But it will continue to cover parts of western Honshu and Shikoku until Thursday morning, it said.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 26, 2025

Yellow sand blankets cities across Japan

The Meteorological Agency says the phenomenon, which could reduce visibility in some regions to under 5 kilometers, is forecast to last through Thursday morning.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito bows during a news conference at the Hyogo prefectural government building in Kobe on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 26, 2025

Hyogo governor apologizes over harassment but denies breaking whistleblower law

Motohiko Saito denied the illegality of the actions to identify the whistleblower, saying that they were appropriate.
Students in South Korea sit the annual College Scholastic Ability Test. There is huge pressure on this exam, which determines young people's university choices and, in turn, their job and even marital prospects, leading to a heavy mental health burden.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 26, 2025

Entrance exam wars: A pressure cooker for South Korean youth

South Korea comes to a standstill on the day of the national university entrance exam. But so does students' possibility to determine their future paths beyond a mere test score.
Racing Bull's Yuki Tsunoda drives during the qualifying session of the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Mar 27, 2025

Tsunoda confirmed to replace Lawson at Red Bull from Japanese GP

Tsunoda started the season strongly and has shrugged off an early career reputation for being excitable and erratic.
U.S. President Donald Trump
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2025

China, Japan and South Korea to meet as Trump tariffs take shape

South Korea’s Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun will host the meeting with Japan’s Yoji Muto and China’s Wang Wentao.
Pedestrians in Omiya, Saitama Prefecture
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2025

More Japanese prefectures to introduce remote work allowance

Twelve of the 47 prefectures will introduce the allowance next month.
An election poster board in Tokyo in June displays candidates for last year's Tokyo gubernatorial election.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 28, 2025

Efforts to curb election chaos face uphill battle

A bill on campaign poster decency has been enacted after inappropriate posters were seen in Tokyo last year.
Shogo Yamaguchi shares his love of traditional Japanese culture with an audience of nearly 2 million YouTube subscribers.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Mar 29, 2025

Shogo Yamaguchi: ‘Traditional culture thrives in a peaceful society’

The Kyoto-based content creator shares travel tips and reminisces on the path that led him to where he is today.
Japan Times
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mar 28, 2025

The Japan Times Boarding & International School Day 2025 ~Elementary school to High School~

The Japan Times is excited to announce the second Boarding & International School Day, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Boarding and international schools in Japan have been carving out new educational paths for students in recent years. They can provide an internationally enriched environment from an early...
Three Japanese banks are teaming up to combat the enduring challenge of a dwindling population.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2025

Three Japanese banks form alliance to fight population slump

Shizuoka Bank, Hachijuni Bank and Yamanashi Chuo Bank will work together to draw outside talent and funding into central Japan.
Kazuki Morohashi showcases rice "kōji" at a Japanese sake fair held in Chongqing, China, in November.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2025

Data science helps sake break into wine-dominated market

To preserve the environment for sake production, some breweries are endeavoring to expand their sales channels overseas.
The packaging materials that Chateraise refused to receive from its subcontractor on Thursday in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 28, 2025

Japan FTC warns Chateraise over subcontract law breaches

The regulatory watchdog also urged the company, based in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, to take action to prevent a recurrence of such a problem.
BYD's Neta S is presented at the 2025 Bangkok International Motor Show on Monday. China, led by BYD, has become the global EV leader, while other countries, including Japan, struggle to keep up with the shift toward electric vehicles.
EDITORIALS
Mar 28, 2025

In the EV race, China's BYD is leading the pack

BYD’s strong performance reflects its dominance in China’s domestic auto market, the world’s largest and most competitive for electric vehicles.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s actions are rekindling long-simmering discussions about whether overseas governments will accelerate efforts to rely less on the dollar.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Mar 29, 2025

Trump is eroding the dollar’s dominance in world markets

The U.S. president's escalating fusillade of tariffs and bid to roll back decades of globalization is shaking confidence in the U.S. currency.
Fluffy, low-hanging clouds generally have a cooling influence. They are big and bright, blocking and bouncing back incoming sunlight.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Mar 30, 2025

Clouds changing as world warms, adding to climate uncertainty

Cloud behavior is notoriously complex to predict and remains a great unknown for scientists trying to accurately forecast future levels of climate change.
Chinese officials have shared articles on social media accusing Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing's (center) CK Hutchison Holdings of acting "in concert with U.S. hegemony” over its $22.8 billion sale of 43 ports around the world, including two in the Panama Canal.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2025

Xi showdown with Li Ka-shing threatens China’s pro-business push

Derailing the deal could give credence to claims that CK Hutchison is ultimately controlled by Beijing — a perception with implications for private Chinese firms worldwide.
A tank containing liquid hydrogen in Kobe, where a special shipping terminal has been built in order to import liquid hydrogen from Australia.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2025

Japan-Australia flagship hydrogen project stumbles

The blockbuster project is hanging in the balance over questions about its climate credentials.
A Buddhist monk walks past the damaged Mandalay Palace on Monday. The country's ruling military junta can repeat the mistakes of 17 years ago by blocking aid after Cyclone Nargis left 140,000 dead or allow urgent assistance to flow freely.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2025

The quake in Myanmar should force the junta’s hand

The ousted civilian administration initiated a two-week ceasefire in quake-hit areas to allow aid to reach victims. It doesn’t look like the junta will do the same.
A drone view shows a coffee plantation in Guaxupe, Brazil, on Feb. 17.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 1, 2025

Brazil's coffee farmers turn to costly irrigation to quench global demand for the brew

Most farms in the western part of Bahia — a new frontier for coffee growing in Brazil — are now irrigated.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan