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July 24, 2026
 

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Hiroshi Hiyama
A Chinese coast guard ship sails in waters off the Senkaku Islands in this undated photo.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 7, 2026
Coast guard ships from Japan and China face off near Senkaku Islands
Japan¡¯s coast guard said it expelled two Chinese ships as they approached a Japanese fishing vessel sailing in the area of the Senkaku Islands.
Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa speaks during the firm's earnings report at Nissan headquarters in Yokohama on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Nissan expects return to profit after huge loss
Like other Japanese carmakers, Nissan is being squeezed by U.S. tariffs, the Middle East war and fierce competition from Chinese rivals, but it also has its own issues.
Dry-cleaning professional Masakazu Shimura brushes a soft toy at Cleaning Yonmarusan in Fuefuki, Yamanashi Prefecture, on April 27.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Japan cleaner goes viral with spa-like service for plushies
Videos of the meticulous care that cuddly toys receive at Cleaning Yonmarusan have mesmerized fans on social media, attracting customers from around the world.
Workers monitor the water at the Sea Water Desalination Plant in Fukuoka.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / FOCUS
Apr 9, 2026
Waste water to clean energy: Japanese engineers harness the power of osmosis
Engineers in the city of Fukuoka and their private partners have opened what is only the world¡¯s second osmotic power plant.
A supermarket employee arranges diaper products in Aira, Kagoshima Prefecture, in January.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Apr 1, 2026
Dirty diapers born again in Japan recycling breakthrough
The project hopes to ease bloated landfill sites and respond to a growing need for adult diapers in aging Japan.
A government building in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward housing the fisheries agency
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Feb 13, 2026
Japan seizes Chinese fishing vessel and arrests captain
The incident happened inside Japan¡¯s exclusive economic zone off Nagasaki Prefecture, 165 kilometers south-southwest of the island of Meshima.
Professor Yoshinori Iizuka cuts a slice from an ice core sample taken from a glacier in Tajikistan, at the Hokkaido University Institute of Low Temperature Science in Sapporo on Dec. 9.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 14, 2026
Scientists look toward ancient ice for clues on saving present-day glaciers
Researchers are studying ice cores extracted from Tajikistan, where glaciers have resisted the rapid melting seen almost everywhere else, to determine the cause of the anomaly.
Chef Kiyoshi Fujimoto seasons bear meat at his restaurant in Sapporo in December.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jan 8, 2026
From predator to plate: Japan¡¯s bear crisis sparks culinary craze
Although far from an everyday dish, bear has long been eaten in mountainous villages across Japan.
Even with Japan's first female prime minister, the Lower House's 73 women must share a single two-stall restroom near parliament's main plenary session hall, showing how politics remains male dominated in the nation.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Dec 31, 2025
Female lawmakers call for more toilets in Japan¡¯s parliament building
There is only one restroom containing two stalls for the Lower House¡¯s 73 women to use near parliament¡¯s main plenary session hall in central Tokyo.
Members of a Chinese tour group cross a road in the Ginza shopping district in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2025
Japan-China spat over Taiwan comments sinks tourism stocks
Asia¡¯s two top economies are closely entwined, with China the biggest source of tourists ¡ª almost 7.5 million visitors in the first nine months of 2025 ¡ª coming to Japan.
Prince Hisahito concludes his elaborate "kakan no gi" coming-of-age ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Saturday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Sep 6, 2025
Japan prince comes of age as succession crisis looms
The nephew of Emperor Naruhito, Prince Hisahito, on Saturday received a black silk and lacquer crown at the ceremony, which marks the beginning of his royal adult life.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force take part in an exercise at Camp Naha in Okinawa Prefecture.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Aug 31, 2025
Pacifist Japan struggles to boost troops as China anxiety grows
In 2023, the Self-Defense Forces aimed to hire almost 20,000 people, but recruited just half that number, according to the Defense Ministry.
Takemasa Kinjo, who was a high school student when his mother was killed by a U.S. Marine in 1974, looks on at the construction site of the new Henoko military base for U.S. forces near his residence in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, in June.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / FOCUS
Aug 25, 2025
Decades after WWII, Okinawa is a reluctant host for U.S. troops
A string of incidents over the years involving American troops and base personnel, including sexual assault cases, have angered residents.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on Friday
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 26, 2025
¡®#Ishiba don¡¯t quit¡¯: Unlikely support grows for embattled PM
Despite Ishiba insisting that he has not discussed his resignation with members of his Liberal Democratic Party, multiple reports say that it is just a matter of time.
Yukihiro Kaneko, a Panasonic research officer, shows a perovskite panel, through which the background can been seen, during an interview in Tokyo.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / FOCUS
Jul 20, 2025
Japan sees bright future for ultrathin and flexible solar panels
The government is offering generous incentives in order to reach Japan¡¯s target of having renewable energy cover up to 50% of electricity demand by 2040.
The Meteorological Agency said on Tuesday Japan experienced its hottest June on record.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 1, 2025
Japan had hottest June on record, says weather agency
With strong high-pressure systems in June staying in the region, the average monthly temperature was 2.34 degrees Celsius higher than the standard value.
Takuya Haraguchi, head of ReFruits, speaks while looking at the kiwifruit vine at his farm in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on April 24. A newcomer to farming, he hopes to revive the area by growing kiwifruits in this former no-go zone.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 6, 2025
¡®Moving forward¡¯: the Gen Z farmer growing Fukushima kiwifruits
Fukushima is renowned for its delicious fruit, from pears to peaches, but the nuclear disaster led many people in Japan to shun produce grown there.
Workers add clean topsoil to a rice field, part of a government pilot project to add fresh earth to recycled and removed soil taken from areas affected by the 2011 nuclear disaster, in the village of Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture, in April.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jun 1, 2025
Recycling contaminated soil from Fukushima: Japan¡¯s dilemma
Massive amounts of the soil ¡ª around 14 million cubic meters of it ¡ª remain in storage near the damaged plant.
Panasonic is targeting 10,000 job cuts worldwide as part of efforts to boost profitability.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 9, 2025
Panasonic targets 10,000 job cuts worldwide
The cuts will focus on positions at consolidated companies ¡ª 5,000 in Japan and 5,000 overseas.
New vehicles parked at a pier in Yokohama on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 2, 2025
¡®Give me a break¡¯: Trump tariffs threaten Japan auto sector
The 5.6 million people employed directly or indirectly in the auto sector are now fearful about their future.
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'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'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'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' 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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