51³Ô¹ÏÍø

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July 24, 2026
 

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Yusuke Maekawa
A rickshaw puller drinks a bottle of barley tea in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture.
BUSINESS
Jul 22, 2026
Japan¡¯s electricity price hits highest in over three years on triple blow
With a triple whammy of blistering heat, yen weakness and escalating fuel costs, the nationwide day-ahead spot price surged to ?24.78 a kilowatt-hour on Wednesday.
Keisuke Yokoo, the incoming chairman of Tokyo Electric Power Co., said he is open to forming alliances with firms outside of Japan as the nation¡¯s largest utility seeks to restructure its operations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 2, 2026
Incoming Tepco chair open to alliance partners outside of Japan
Yokoo¡¯s remarks to reporters come as the utility pushes ahead with a business plan unveiled in January.
Kenichi Hori, CEO of Mitsui & Co., speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2026
Mitsui seeks LNG investments as data centers boost power demand
Companies seeking clean energy to power artificial intelligence infrastructure are creating ¡°big additional demand¡± for LNG, Mitsui CEO Kenichi Hori said.
A subsidiary of Itochu will take over the Japan sales operations of U.S. medical equipment maker SunMed Group Holdings, which does business in the country as AirLife.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2026
Itochu expands healthcare business with takeover of AirLife¡¯s sales
The move comes as Japan¡¯s trading houses cement healthcare as a key pillar of their businesses, placing it alongside traditional mainstays such as oil, gas and metals.
¡°Areas connected to southern China such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam will be potential regions that the company will look into,¡± said Sojitz Chief Financial Officer Makoto Shibuya.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Japan¡¯s Sojitz eyes Southeast Asia for new rare earths supply
The company will also consider India and other countries if suitable rare earths investment opportunities exist there.
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa said at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday that there is no restriction on oil from Japan's national reserves being sold overseas if the drawdown exceeds domestic demand.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 13, 2026
Japan to sell oil from national reserves at pre-51³Ô¹ÏÍø prices
The government ¡°expects refiners that purchase crude at low prices won¡¯t then sell their products at higher prices and pocket the profit.¡±
Workers at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 9, 2026
Japan¡¯s Fukushima cleanup offers a blueprint for nuclear recovery
The tsunami-devastated plant is taking a pioneering approach to the critical next phase of the world¡¯s most complex cleanup operation.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Chief Executive Officer Sultan Al Jaber at Adnoc headquarters in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 9
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 5, 2026
Adnoc boss and UAE minister Al Jaber meets Sanae Takaichi
¡°While your energy security continues to be our priority, we will not be able to do much if there is any distortion in the Strait of Hormuz,¡± Al Jaber said.
Workers prepare a bundle of steel reinforcing bar at a metal stock yard in Shanghai.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 20, 2026
Nippon Steel executive sees China-driven supply glut nearing end
Exporters in China were increasingly struggling to generate profits from overseas sales as the regional market had become oversupplied, Nippon Steel¡¯s CFO said.
The Chikyu, the deep sea drilling vessel operated by the Japan Agency for Marine Earth-Science and Technology, has been on a mission to pull metal-bearing mud from the seabed.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / FOCUS
Feb 12, 2026
Japan steps up deep-sea mining plan to cut rare-earth dependence
An ambitious initiative to accelerate a decade-old plan has been given extra impetus by the country¡¯s drive to cut reliance on Chinese supply.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant¡¯s central control room in the village of Kariwa in Niigata Prefecture on Jan. 21
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Feb 9, 2026
Japan¡¯s biggest nuclear plant restarts second time after hiccup
Tepco, the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant that suffered a meltdown accident in 2011, is facing public scrutiny to safely resume its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.
A JFE Steel plant in Kanagawa Prefecture. JFE will invest 157.5 billion rupees ($1.7 billion) in an equal joint venture with India¡¯s JSW Steel.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 4, 2025
JFE Steel to form $3.4 billion venture with India¡¯s JSW Steel
Demand for steel in the South Asian country is surging, led by a push for infrastructure projects by the government and growing real estate construction.
Takahiro Mori, vice chairman of Nippon Steel, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo in June. Mori said in a recent interview that the firm will shortlist two or three states for construction of a major new plant in the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 2, 2025
Nippon Steel to shortlist two or three states for new U.S. plant
Japan¡¯s largest steel producer is seeking a site capable of supporting a plant with 3 million tons of annual capacity.
Japan¡¯s major trading houses face a prolonged slump in iron ore and coking coal prices as Chinese steel exports flood Asia, limiting profits for at least six months.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 6, 2025
Japan¡¯s trading houses brace for more pain from China steel glut
Japan¡¯s major trading houses are facing a prolonged slump in iron ore and coking coal prices as Chinese steel exports flood into Asia and beyond.
Wind turbines along a beach in Happo, Akita Prefecture, in September 2024
BUSINESS
Oct 17, 2025
Akita urges quick resale of offshore wind sites after Mitsubishi pulls out
The fledgling offshore wind power industry is grappling with high interest rates and material costs, as well as a pushback against green policies in some countries.
Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Oct 6, 2025
Japan¡¯s new leader to make nuclear center of energy strategy
A pro-nuclear stance would continue the policies of previous administrations, which have pushed to build new units and restart reactors.
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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