Tag - osaka

 
 

OSAKA

Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura addresses a meeting of Osaka Ishin no Kai on July 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 13, 2025
Osaka governor eager to make another bid for metropolis plan
The plan, which has been rejected twice in referendums, would scrap the city of Osaka and reorganize it into special administrative districts under Osaka Prefecture.
Metal-meets-idol trio Babymetal is sure to bring spectacle to this weekend's Summer Sonic.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 13, 2025
The early bird gets the bangers at this year’s Summer Sonic
This year’s festival makes its biggest moves before noon, with Japan’s top acts and K-pop stars commanding early slots.
Visitors to the Osaka Expo line up for pavilions on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2025
Osaka Expo ticket sales exceed break-even point
Before the opening, ticket sales were sluggish and there were concerns that the Expo would end in the red.
People huddle near a large fan blowing icy-cold mist at the Osaka Expo on July 12. Amid Japan's relentless summer heat, organizes have put myriad measures in place in order to keep guests safe.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Aug 10, 2025
Osaka Expo highlights the challenge of holding events in Japan's scorching summer
Giant umbrellas, mist fans and human-sized ice boxes are some of the many ways organizers are offering respite to visitors.
Nippon Ishin no Kai leaders Seiji Maehara (left), Hirofumi Yoshimura (center) and Ryohei Iwatani in the city of Osaka at night of the July 20 Upper House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 5, 2025
Maehara steps down as Nippon Ishin co-leader along with three others
The four resigned to take responsibility for Nippon Ishin’s poor showing in the July 20 Upper House election, creating uncertainties for the party.
Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Seiji Maehara speaks at a party plenary meeting in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 4, 2025
Nippon Ishin no Kai could join ruling coalition, if the conditions are right
The party might be open to joining if there is a new prime minister and Osaka is designated as Japan's backup capital, its leaders say.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Chairman Yoshihito Ota speaks during an interview in Osaka last month.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2025
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical chairman vows corporate culture reform
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical achieved net profit growth for over 20 years from its stock market listing until the beni kо̄ji scandal emerged last year.
Ottawa Senators defenseman Jordan Spence helps lead the Dreamskate Japan hockey camp in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, on July 5.
MORE SPORTS / Ice Hockey
Aug 3, 2025
From Osaka to the NHL: Jordan Spence hopes to inspire young Japanese hockey players
The Ottawa Senators defenseman briefly returned to Japan last month to help run a hockey camp in Hokkaido.
A staff inspects a distillation pot still at Suntory's new Osaka Spirits & Liqueurs Craft Distillery, which will focus on gin production and help Suntory capture a bigger slice of the fast-growing gin market.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 3, 2025
With a new distillery, Suntory makes a spirited move on gin market
Currently in operation, the high-tech facility in Osaka will open to the public next year with a focus on its popular Roku gin variants.
A flying car produced by startup SkyDrive performs a demonstration flight for visitors at the World Exposition in the city of Osaka on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 1, 2025
SkyDrive demonstrates flying car at Osaka Expo
The Japanese startup will hold demonstration flights on a daily basis until Aug. 24.
A building in the city of Osaka that served as the Osaka Army Arsenal's chemical analysis laboratory during World War II
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2025
Researcher seeks to save Osaka Army Arsenal as 'negative legacy'
The military factory manufactured artillery for the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and employed up to around 66,000 people.
Located in Patina Osaka, P72 doesn't have a fixed menu, opting instead to rely on whatever is available from local suppliers and its on-site garden to create its innovative plant-based cuisine.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 25, 2025
P72 sows the seeds for a dynamic plant-based cuisine
With an ever-changing menu dictated by what's available from its garden and suppliers, the Osaka-based restaurant injects creativity and spontaneity into its green cuisine.
The Virtual Expo app lets users navigate a digital version of the 2025 Osaka Expo site by controlling avatars.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 24, 2025
Virtual access brings Osaka Expo to broader audience
The Japan Association for the 2025 World Expo hopes to bridge the "experience gap" for those who wish to visit but are unable to make the trip to the site.
Lawyers enter the Osaka High Court to file a lawsuit on Tuesday to nullify the results in six electoral districts, including Kyoto, Osaka and Hyogo, of Sunday's House of Councillors election, claiming that the election was unconstitutional in terms of vote-value disparities.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 22, 2025
Lawyers file lawsuit to nullify Upper House election
The lawyers argued that the apportionment provisions for Upper House seats did not meet the constitutional requirement of population-based proportional representation.
People with intellectual disabilities take part in a study session on the Upper House election in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture, on July 8.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 18, 2025
People with intellectual disabilities create election dictionary
The dictionary contains about 170 election-related terms, such as "the right to vote," "candidate" and "democracy."
Researchers at the University of Osaka Hospital last year became the first in Japan to conduct surgeries of reducing the number of fetuses in multiple pregnancy as part of clinical research.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 16, 2025
Researchers in Japan conduct multifetal pregnancy reduction surgeries
It is the first time that the procedure has been carried out as clinical research in Japan.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Nagatacho, Tokyo, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 15, 2025
Ishiba may meet top U.S. tariff negotiator Scott Bessent in Tokyo this week
The prime minister is understood to be aiming for a path to agreement in the ongoing bilateral tariff negotiations by meeting with the U.S. top negotiator in person.
An intricate and massive wooden ring encircles the 2025 World Expo site in Osaka on April 9.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2025
Visitors to Osaka Expo likely to exceed 10 million soon
The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition is working to reach its target of 22 million visitors, the Osaka Expo's break-even point in terms of operating costs.
Osaka Prefectural Police headquarters
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 12, 2025
Osaka police crack down on crime ring over underage prostitution
The group, made up of roughly 70 members, is suspected of recruiting about 130 underage girls for prostitution through social media.
People check out Mie Prefecture's exhibit inside the Kansai Pavilion at the Osaka Expo in May.
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2025
Local governments leverage Osaka Expo to attract tourists
Officials of local governments are feeling confident about their promotion activities, with some events to introduce local food and culture at the expo proving popular.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person