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July 24, 2026
 

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Kyoko Hasegawa
Yasuo Yamazaki, 69, stands next to a protest flag reading, 'Do Not Push Forward with the Data Center Construction!', in the city of Hino, Tokyo, on June 30.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Jul 18, 2026
Opposition to data centers grows in cramped urban Japan
The explosion in resource-hungry data centers ¡ª housing the hardware ¡°brains¡± of artificial intelligence ¡ª is fueling unease worldwide.
Buyers look at carts of stuffed toys as they wait to bid on them at the Hamaya wholesale auction site in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama Prefecture, on May 14.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 8, 2026
Demand for used goods from Japan grows overseas
In Japan, the thriving secondhand goods market has doubled in value since 2010, according to market researchers, and multiple Japanese reuse companies are expanding across Asia.
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 1, 2026
¡®My dream is broken¡¯: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
¡°I always wanted to become a bridge between Japan and Nepal ... but my dream is broken,¡± Budhathoki Samjhana said.
Visitors in the Dotonbori area of Osaka
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 18, 2026
Chinese tourists ditch Japan for third month running
Previously Chinese travelers were the biggest source of tourists to Japan, with South Korean visitors now taking their place.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), speaks during an election campaign event ahead of the Feb. 8 snap election, in Tokyo, on Saturday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Feb 7, 2026
Takaichi talks tough on immigration on eve of vote
In a final appeal to voters, the prime minister pledged to make Japan ¡°more prosperous and safer,¡± including through tougher immigration screening.
An election notice board displaying posters of candidates in Tokyo on Tuesday
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jan 28, 2026
Few women on Japan¡¯s election ballot
The proportion of female candidates within Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s ruling LDP is just 12.8%, according to Jiji Press.
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.
Hajime Sasaki displays a decorative item made of ivory and designed in the shape of vegetables at his shop in Tokyo on Dec. 4.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Dec 10, 2025
Japanese ivory trade attracts fresh global scrutiny
The country hosts one of the world¡¯s largest remaining legal domestic markets for elephant ivory, the international trade of which is illegal.
A bear warning sign is displayed in Shirakawa-go, a popular tourist spot in Gifu Prefecture. A town in Miyagi Prefecture has retracted its social media post warning of a bear sighting after discovering an image submitted to it had been generated using artificial intelligence.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Nov 27, 2025
Japan town retracts bear sighting warning sparked by AI image
The town of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture issued the warning after receiving the image of a bear in a residential area, but later discovered it was generated using AI.
Tourists board a bus after sightseeing in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 22, 2025
Japan businesses brush off worries over China tourists
With less Chinese customers, ¡°it¡¯s become a bit easier for Japanese shoppers to visit, so our sales haven¡¯t really dropped,¡± a shop manager said.
Toyota's Chief Financial Officer Kenta Kon (right) speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 5, 2025
Toyota hikes profit forecasts ¡®despite the impact of U.S. tariffs¡¯
The firm¡¯s share price fell by as much as 5% in Tokyo, however, as the new guidance fell short of market estimates.
Past visits by top Japanese leaders to Yasukuni Shrine, which also honors convicted war criminals, have infuriated China and South Korea, and no prime minister has visited since 2013.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Oct 17, 2025
Takaichi sends offering to Yasukuni Shrine but will not visit
Top Japanese leaders visiting the shrine also honoring convicted war criminals have infuriated China and South Korea in the past, and no prime minister has visited since 2013.
A member of staff works on a production line that manufactures small metal coils at Mitsuwa Electric in Tokyo on July 11.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 18, 2025
Japan¡¯s smaller firms say they are ready to adapt to Trump tariffs
Millions of small- and medium-sized firms that make up 99.7% of Japan¡¯s companies are world-class in their specialist niche, giving rise to confidence about weathering tariffs.
A tank containing liquid hydrogen in Kobe, where a special shipping terminal has been built in order to import liquid hydrogen from Australia.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 1, 2025
Japan-Australia flagship hydrogen project stumbles
The blockbuster project is hanging in the balance over questions about its climate credentials.
Shizuko Nishio ¡ª who will turn 86 on March 10, when Japan will commemorate 80 years after the bombing of Tokyo ¡ª gives an explanation in February in front of a map showing the areas that were burned in the air raids.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 7, 2025
¡®Eerie¡¯ sky, charred bodies: 80 years since Tokyo¡¯s World War II firestorm
Because of the atomic bombings and Japan¡¯s surrender a month later, the firebombing of Tokyo is often overlooked in history.
Ground Self-Defense Force helicopters return after dropping water as they fight a wildfire around Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, on Sunday. Firefighters were still battling Japan's biggest forest fire in half a century on Tuesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 4, 2025
Japan¡¯s worst wildfire in half a century spreads
White smoke billowed from a forested area around the city of Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, six days after the blaze began amid record low rainfall.
The Kangei Maru, a 9,300-ton whaling mothership, was launched in May.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Sep 11, 2024
Japan shows first commercial fin whale catch in 48 years
The country this year added the fin whale to a catch list that already includes minke, Bryde¡¯s and sei whales.
Tomiji Suzuki (back) attends a workshop in Tokyo. The 89-year-old is now making apps for the fast-growing elderly demographic, using ChatGPT to fine-tune his skills.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 13, 2024
ChatGPT a mentor for 89-year-old app developer
So far, Tomiji Suzuki has developed 11 free iPhone apps to help Japan¡¯s aging population.
Former Self-Defense Forces member Rina Gonoi arrives Tuesday at the Fukushima District Court, which found three ex-soldiers guilty of sexually assaulting her.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Dec 12, 2023
Guilty verdicts in SDF sexual assault case
Rina Gonoi, 24, took to YouTube last year to share her account after an internal military probe was dropped for lack of evidence.
Honda raised its full-year net profit forecast to ?930 billion.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 9, 2023
Honda and Nissan hike full-year forecasts
The car giants, however, also pointed out that fierce price competition in China was posing a challenge for Japanese automakers.
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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