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July 24, 2026
 

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CATS

Tujiko Noriko¡¯s album ¡°PON¡± is dedicated to Ponpon, her late cat, and includes field recordings of her family life in France.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 3, 2026
Tujiko Noriko¡¯s new album is a feline tour de force
On tour in Japan this month, the France-based artist talks about channeling her ¡°crazy cat woman¡± energy into musical creation and finding harmony in dissonance.
A cat rubs its body against silver vine. Researchers have found that cats typically prefer silver vine over catnip.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 9, 2026
Japanese researchers find cats prefer silvervine over catnip
The team observed how cats would react to both silvervine and catnip when they were left to roam around freely.
Toru Miyazaki, president and director of the Institute for AIM Medicine, talks about a drug to treat kidney diseases in cats at his lab in Tokyo.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Science & Health
Jun 9, 2026
Cat renal disease drug nearing practical use in Japan
Many cat owners are waiting in anticipation for the drug to be put into practical use.
The Institute for AIM Medicine filed for approval a treatment for chronic kidney disease in cats with the agriculture ministry.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Science & Health
Apr 27, 2026
Japan startup seeks approval of cat kidney disease treatment
A trial showed the drug significantly extended the life of afflicted cats.
An Iwate University team said it has confirmed that cats' appetites wane once they get used to the smell of their food.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 8, 2026
Japan team discovers why cats leave meals unfinished
The introduction of the scent of a different type of food brought back cats¡¯ appetites, even though the cats were eating the same food throughout the experiment.
Passersby walk past a billboard atop a building featuring a giant 3D cat in 4K resolution in Tokyo's Shinjuku district.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 25, 2026
Hello, little kitty ¡ª Japan¡¯s $20 billion cat boom
In recent years, Cat Day has exploded, as companies embrace a growing market for felines.
In pet-loving Japan, the ways owners say goodbye to their dearly departed animals can mirror the ways they bid farewell to other humans.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 29, 2025
In Japan, beloved pets receive human-style farewells
Japan has the highest rate of cremation in the world, and increasingly, that applies to departed pets as well.
A dog looks through the bars of a cage at the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control as the shelter struggles with overcrowding caused by pets abandoned during recent immigration raids, in Downey, California, on July 29.
WORLD / Society
Aug 6, 2025
Trump¡¯s immigration raids in LA affecting pets too
Dogs and cats are finding themselves in Los Angeles County¡¯s care centers after their owners get detained or deported.
The Kumamoto Municipal Government building in the city of Kumamoto
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 4, 2025
Around 100 dead cats found at woman¡¯s home in Japan
City officials and animal rights volunteers inspected the house twice, before launching a full search and rescue mission.
A tricolored calico cat (left) and a tortoiseshell cat. A Japanese research team has discovered a gene that determines the fur color patterns of the two breeds of cats.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Science & Health
May 16, 2025
Japan team finds gene that determines calico cats¡¯ color patterns
Researchers led by Kyushu University professor Hiroyuki Sasaki found that the coloring was decided by the ARHGAP36 gene on the X chromosome.
Researchers from Anicom Specialty Medical Institute, the National Institute of Genetics and Kazusa DNA Research Institute decoded the genome of American Shorthair cats and published the results in an article last October.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Science & Health
Mar 18, 2025
Japanese researchers set Guinness record for cat genome
Researchers decoded the genome of American shorthair cats and published the results.
Cat-related sweets sold by 7-Eleven in Tokyo. Employees of 7-Eleven have helped develop 23 types of cat-related products this year, compared with just five last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 21, 2025
Japan¡¯s Cat Day sees companies capitalize on ¡®a-meow-zing¡¯ economic boon
This year, products and services related to cats are estimated to generate ?414.50 billion more than last year.
¡°Mornings Without Mii,¡± Mayumi Inaba¡¯s 1999 memoir, charts the course of the author¡¯s 20-year relationship with her calico cat, Mii.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 16, 2025
¡®Mornings Without Mii¡¯: A cozy cat memoir that gets down in the muck
Mayumi Inaba¡¯s 1999 memoir charts the course of the author¡¯s 20-year relationship with her calico cat, Mii.
Cats sit on steps at Grazing Plains Farm in Newton, Kansas, in May. Researchers are keeping a close eye on the mounting cases of bird flu infections in cats.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 28, 2024
New bird flu mutation discovered in U.S. as cat infections cause alarm
Several experts cautioned that it was too early to determine whether these changes would make the virus more transmissible or more severe in people.
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Dec 17, 2024
Curiosity didn¡¯t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
Cat memes continued to thrive and evolve in 2024. In Japan, they¡¯re not just for jokes ¡ª they¡¯re for storytelling, venting and a little therapy.
Masayo Ishimaru, the head of volunteer group Tanpopo no Sato, cuddles cats rescued from a pet hoarder, in the city of Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, in September.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Dec 4, 2024
Local governments tighten rules on pet ownership as hoarding persists
Municipalities are introducing mandatory reporting requirements for owners of large numbers of pets as well as fines for non-compliance.
In recent years, anglophone publishers have perked up to the potential of ¡°healing fiction,¡± driven by a healthy appetite for East Asian literature. Japan figures prominently in this literary landscape, and a fondness for felines in the "iyashikei" (healing type) genre has proven commercially viable abroad.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 2, 2024
Cat companions and the ¡®healing fiction¡¯ boom
Japan¡¯s ¡°iyashikei¡± (healing type) cultural products are gaining audiences, and non-Japanese readers are craving cozy feline literature in translation.
Kazuhiro Soda¡¯s ¡°The Cats of Gokogu Shrine¡± follows not only the felines that live on the grounds of the title shrine in Ushimado, Okayama Prefecture, but also the local community members, many of whom are of retirement age.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 25, 2024
¡®The Cats of Gokogu Shrine¡¯: Documentary paints intimate portrait of a community in decline
While stray cats that inhabit the grounds of a local shrine take center stage, the film also celebrates the aging humans doing their best to preserve their neighborhood.
¡°The Cats of Gokogu Shrine¡± centers on a local shrine in Ushimado¡¯s Honmachi district, which has become home to a colony of street cats.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2024
Kazuhiro Soda embraces the wisdom of street cats
The filmmaker turns his camera closer to home in his new documentary, ¡°The Cats of Gokogu Shrine,¡± and brings a community into focus.
A farmer in Fukuoka Prefecture has been referred to prosecutors for allegedly drowning six cats in a river.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Jun 25, 2024
Man referred to prosecutors for drowning cats in Fukuoka
Annoyed by damage caused by animals, the man told investigators that he had killed about 60 animals over two years until around March this year.
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.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
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.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
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.

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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