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July 24, 2026
 

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Mai Yoshikawa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jul 20, 2026
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Japan¡¯s small but growing ranks of digital nomads have embraced the opportunity to embed themselves in a Japanese life ¡ª and take advantage of a weak yen.
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 29, 2026
Inside Japan¡¯s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
Beyond the paperwork and the language barrier, James Benstead says the hardest part about adopting in Japan was the waiting.
Yoichi Miura (third from left) now divides his time between his import business and guiding international visitors across Japan.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / FOCUS
Jun 23, 2026
Stepping up, not aside: Japan¡¯s retirement-age tour guides
The older guides ¡ª some driven by financial need, others by civic goodwill ¡ª reflect a changing concept of what later life can look like in graying Japan.
Dipu Tamang from Nepal is among more than 400,000 international students in Japan.
COMMUNITY
Jun 11, 2026
In Japan, Nepalese students navigate a growing study-to-work pathway
A growing stream of young people see the country less as a traditional study destination and more as a structured route into work and long-term opportunity.
Californians Ben and Ariella Jacoby, who married with Mount Fuji as their backdrop, are part of a growing trend of inbound weddings in Japan.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Jun 8, 2026
Foreign couples are turning Japan into a wedding destination
Personal and cultural connections, as well as a weak yen, are driving more foreign couples to choose Japan to mark major life events.
Yawata Mayor Shoko Kawata recently announced that she will take maternity leave, making her the first sitting mayor in Japan to do so.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
May 29, 2026
Meet the Japanese mayor seeking to normalize maternity leave in public office
Shoko Kawata discusses balancing pregnancy with her duties ¡ª and the reaction that followed her announcing she would take leave before and after childbirth.
The Children and Families Agency says language should not be a barrier to calling the 189 hotline.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
May 27, 2026
Built for speed: Inside Japan¡¯s child protection system
In Japan, sources such as schools, neighbors, and the 189 hotline all feed into a child protection system designed to surface potential risks early, even when certainty is low.
A father carries a child on a <i>mamachari</i> bicycle in September 2018. Parents say the new ¡°blue ticket¡± system has made them more mindful of the rules, but has also heightened concerns about child-seat use and children starting to cycle on their own.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / FOCUS
May 22, 2026
How Japan¡¯s new ¡®blue tickets¡¯ are putting cycling parents on edge
Parents say the new system has made them more mindful of the rules, but has also heightened concerns about child-seat use and children starting to cycle on their own.
Middle-distance runner Sherry Drury will follow the example of a growing number of Japanese athletes by moving to the U.S. for college and competing under the NCAA system.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
May 21, 2026
Runner Sherry Drury looks to grow on and off track with move to U.S.
The teen says her decision to move aboard is about growth and broadening her horizons.
Akiko Hashiguchi is one of the few people in Japan to publicly share her personal experience with muri shinj¨± under her own name. She has since been involved in parents¡¯ support work and advocacy around developmental disorders.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / FOCUS
May 18, 2026
¡®There was no village¡¯: Japan¡¯s troubling pattern of family murder-suicides
In a society where asking for help is often difficult, many parents and caregivers are unsure where to turn. Sometimes, it leads to tragedy.
A signboard urging people to call the police if they have information on the whereabouts of Kaori Nomura, who went missing in 1991 at the age of 8, is seen in Yokohama in early April.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
May 6, 2026
The weight of not knowing: Japan¡¯s long-missing children
In recent years, the number of children under 10 reported missing in Japan has hovered between 1,000 and 1,200 annually.
Each winter, countless tourists flock to Japan&#039;s famous snow-covered mountains, but a lack of top-down regulation on the country&#039;s outdoor sports industry can make certain activities unnecessarily risky.
LIFE / Travel
May 2, 2026
For tourists in Japan¡¯s outdoor sports scene, safety is not guaranteed
Recent data suggests accidents involving foreign tourists are disproportionately represented in certain high-risk activities.
Sports dietitian Yuka Sanui works behind the scenes to ensure Blue Jays players get the most out of their bodies when they step on the field.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 27, 2026
The Japanese dietitian who keeps the Blue Jays¡¯ engines running
Japanese dietitian Yuka Sanui is responsible for helping to keep the Blue Jays players in peak condition before games.
Everett Hopkin, second from left, marches on the field with his Yamauchi Spirits teammates before a competition.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 3, 2026
Unifying power of Japanese baseball brings together people from all walks of life
In Japanese baseball, everyone belongs.
Tomoko Namba, founder and executive chair of DeNA, speaks during an interview at the company's headquarters in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in January.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 22, 2026
The Yokohama DeNA BayStars¡¯ No. 1 fan also happens to be the owner
Tomoko Namba, the only female owner of an NPB team and affectionately known as ¡°Namba Mama¡± to BayStars fans, has had a lifelong love affair with baseball.
Koto Kawaguchi, a Deaflympics medalist who works in auto parts logistics in Aichi Prefecture, recently made his acting debut in the Hollywood film ¡°Marty Supreme.¡±
CULTURE / Film / Longform
Mar 12, 2026
The unlikely Hollywood story of Deaflympics champion Koto Kawaguchi
The table tennis medalist discusses his unlikely turn in the Oscar-nominated ¡®Marty Supreme¡¯ and returning to life in Aichi Prefecture.
Ohtani on the field at Hanamaki Higashi High School on Sept. 18, 2012, the day he signed his application to turn pro.
BASEBALL
Mar 10, 2026
How one of Japan¡¯s deadliest disasters shaped Shohei Ohtani¡¯s life
A global baseball icon opens up about his upbringing in Iwate and how a cataclysmic disaster shaped both his youth and future.
The Mt. Fuji International Marathon gave Dennis Lui a perfect opportunity to finally visit Japan in 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Feb 27, 2026
Why foreign runners are flocking to Japan¡¯s top marathons
A look at the major marathon races coming to Japan from March onward.
Viewers in Japan are temporarily adjusting their schedules to watch athletes like Kaori Sakamoto during the Milano Cortina Games despite an eight-hour time difference.
OLYMPICS
Feb 16, 2026
Why we love the Olympics ¡ª even if we¡¯re not sports fans
Even in Japan ¡ª where baseball, soccer and sumo command loyal followings ¡ª the Games pull in everyone: the casually interested, the indifferent, even the self-declared non-fan.
Freestyle skier Kokone Kondo skis during a training session in Livigno, Italy, on Feb. 4.
OLYMPICS
Feb 13, 2026
Japanese skier hits back at trolls and brings attention to online abuse at Olympics
For Kokone Kondo, cyber bullying has only deepened the heartbreak of being unable to compete in back-to-back Winter Games due to injury.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse&#039;s brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo&#039;s Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
Intervention is the word after yen moves beyond ?163 and sits there
The government could prop up the yen at any moment, though its signaling is hard to read.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan&#039;s relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces&#039; Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.
Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights
Amid the heat and humidity in Japan, a good night¡¯s sleep is growing increasingly elusive without the heavy use of air conditioning.
Maya Ongaku¡¯s DIY dream is getting bigger
The members of Maya Ongaku ¡ª (from left) Tsutomu Sonoda, Shoei Ikeda and Ryota Takano ¡ª grew up on the Shonan Coast south of Tokyo and have been friends since their school days.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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