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July 24, 2026
 

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CHOCOLATE

MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and other lenders have agreed to extend the maturity of about ?75 billion ($463 million) in loans to Godiva Japan by nine months.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Godiva¡¯s Japan lenders agree on 9-month loan extension
The chocolate maker posted a net loss of about ?30 billion for the year ended December 2025.
A mother and daughter take part in a buffet of sweets and desserts ¡ª a perfect way for many to spend Valentine¡¯s Day this year.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 13, 2026
In Japan, Valentine¡¯s Day has become a personal luxury
Valentine¡¯s Day in Japan is shifting from obligation to indulgence, as people embrace life¡¯s small luxuries for themselves.
A heap of dried cocoa beans. High prices of cocoa beans are influencing consumers' purchases of chocolates for Valentine's Day gifts, a recent survey shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 12, 2026
Fewer women and girls to give Valentine¡¯s Day gifts amid high chocolate prices
The high price of cocoa beans, the basic ingredient for chocolate, have made many choose lower-priced items and reduce the number of gifts they purchase, a recent survey shows.
Sprinkle a little chili powder to your soy hot chocolate for a spicy touch.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Jan 7, 2026
Hot chocolate and soy sauce make perfect bedfellows in winter
The combination of the two ingredients creates a cozy cup brimming with umami.
Cocoa prices and cautious consumers are weighing on Mondelez International, the maker of Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2025
Oreo cookie maker trims outlook as cocoa prices take a bite out of margins
Mondelez International notes cautious consumers are also pulling back from snacks to focus on essential goods.
Cocoa beans are roasted at a chocolate factory in Paris.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 17, 2025
Europe¡¯s cocoa slowdown highlights global chocolate struggle
Cocoa futures have more than doubled in the past two years and touched a record in December.
A farmer cuts down cocoa pods from a tree on his farm in Azaguie, Cote d'Ivoire.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 17, 2025
High cocoa prices drive smuggling surge, alarming traders
Cote d¡¯Ivoire is the world¡¯s largest cocoa producer, but much higher prices in neighboring countries create an arbitrage that some can¡¯t resist exploiting.
Farmer Moises Schmidt shows a cocoa bean at the Schmidt Agricola plantation in Riachao das Neves, Bahia state, Brazil, on Nov. 19, 2024.
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2025
Brazil¡¯s would-be cocoa king aims to revolutionize industry with giant farm
The farmer¡¯s $300 million plan is the largest and the most innovative in the Brazilian state of Bahia, but not the only one.
A farmhand prunes trees on a 4-year-old cocoa plantation, replanted after swollen shoot disease, in Enchi, Ghana, on March 4.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 23, 2025
Cocoa crunch isn¡¯t over yet as top growers struggle with supply
Africa¡¯s cocoa heartland has long grappled with blight and aging trees, leaving farms vulnerable as severe weather hammered crops in recent years.
While Valentine¡¯s Day in the West is traditionally associated with men giving flowers to women, in Japan the day has typically involved women giving gifts of chocolate to men.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 14, 2025
A sweet Japanese Valentine¡¯s Day tradition is nearly dead
The custom of giri-choco, loosely meaning ¡°obligatory chocolate,¡± was once commonplace in offices around the country.
Giving out courtesy chocolates to coworkers on Valentine's Day is becoming obsolete.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Feb 10, 2025
How giving chocolates on Valentine¡¯s Day is evolving in Japan
One change is fewer people are handing out chocolates to others at work, which had?been a widespread practice?over the past few decades.
Takashimaya is doubling its range of baked goods with chocolate for Valentine's Day, with treats on offer including madeleines.
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2025
Japan¡¯s department stores look to unorthodox Valentine¡¯s Day treats
According to a pastry shop owner, the total costs for chocolate products, including those for packing materials, ¡°have doubled.¡±
Cocoa beans are pictured next to a warehouse at the village of Atroni, near Sunyani, Ghana, on April 11, 2019.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 25, 2024
How a hedge fund exodus reshaped global cocoa markets?
The impact of hedge funds¡¯ exit illustrates how reliant trading has become on these lightly regulated funds that increasingly shape financial markets.
An employee holds a chocolate bar at Chocovi, in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, on May 10.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 9, 2024
Could dark chocolate reduce your risk of diabetes?
While a new study links the food to a possible reduced risk, one researcher cautions that it is not a ¡°magic bullet.¡±
Cafe N¡ã_5's take on the Dubai chocolate craze that has been circulating on social media over the past few months is a mix of bitter and sweet.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 28, 2024
Tokyo¡¯s take on that viral chocolate from Dubai
Scarce and pricey, Dubai chocolate is winning over Japanese fans thanks to a few flavor modifications.
Official Kinoko no Yama earphones by Meiji (right) next to a counterfeit product
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 25, 2024
Meiji blocks import of counterfeit Kinoko no Yama earphones
The original mushroom-shaped wireless earphones, a quirky iteration of the famous sweet treat, debuted in March on a limited run and quickly sold out.
Ebenezer Agyarko tends to his cocoa plantation in Kwabeng, north of Accra, the capital of Ghana.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 22, 2024
Chocolate prices unlikely to decline even as African cocoa harvest improves
Issues that have long hobbled the industry remain, meaning bean prices aren¡¯t likely to fall back to previous levels.
Futures of robusta coffee beans have hit their highest price in over 40 years, while cocoa prices have more than doubled this year.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 9, 2024
Cocoa¡¯s dizzying volatility is spilling into the coffee market
Many major traders deal in both commodities, so soaring cocoa prices are squeezing market players for cash and forcing them out of coffee trading.
Customers look at chocolate bars at Cacao Store, a specialist chocolate store, in Tokyo. Japan is a large market for high-value confectionery and it sources about 75% of its cocoa imports from Ghana.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 30, 2024
Chocoholics in Japan set for sticker shock after cocoa price surge
Crop declines in top suppliers Ivory Coast and Ghana leave buyers struggling for beans and prices more than doubling since the start of the year.
Japanese chocolatier Yasushi Sasaki holds a box of chocolates in his workshop in the Brussels commune of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 27, 2024
A Japanese ¡®flavor wizard¡¯ conquers the homeland of chocolate
Yasushi Sasaki has been named Brussels¡¯ chocolatier of the year by the prestigious Gault & Millau food guide.
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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