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July 24, 2026
 

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UNESCO

Cafe owner Takahiro Yamazaki hopes an expected registration of the Asuka-Fujiwara ancient capitals in Nara Prefecture as a UNESCO World Heritage site will give more people a chance to think about Japan's ancient times.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Jul 20, 2026
Nara cafe owner hopeful about ancient capitals¡¯ World Heritage listing
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee¡¯ is deliberating in Busan, South Korea, whether to add the Asuka-Fujiwara ancient capitals to its list of World Heritage sites.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea, on Sunday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 20, 2026
U.N. to list more sites as ¡®in danger¡¯ from conflict or climate change
Among them are a biblical site, Lebanese castles, an antelope migration path and the world¡¯s deepest lake.
The Sado Island Gold Mines in Niigata Prefecture were registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2024.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 16, 2026
UNESCO panel to urge Japan to reform exhibits at gold mines on Sado Island
The draft was compiled based on South Korea¡¯s argument that people from the Korean Peninsula were forced to provide labor at the mining complex during World War II.
Transcarpathia is a western Ukrainian region and one of the country's most ethnically diverse areas, populated by groups including Hutsuls, seen here in Yasynya, as well as Hungarians, Romanians, Slovaks and Ukrainians.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2026
Language, power and the price of entry
The same logic that protects Hungarians in Ukraine leaves Russian in the cold. Language policy, it turns out, has a foreign policy.
The Asuka-Fujiwara archaeological sites in western Japan have been recommended to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 6, 2026
Asuka-Fujiwara ancient capitals to join World Heritage list
A UNESCO advisory panel has recommended adding the archaeological sites in western Japan to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.
Mine-Akiyoshidai, a karst plateau in Yamaguchi Prefecture, has been named Japan¡¯s 11th UNESCO Global Geopark.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 24, 2026
Karst plateau in western Japan named UNESCO Global Geopark
Mine-Akiyoshidai, in the city of Mine in Yamaguchi Prefecture, is the 11th UNESCO Global Geopark in Japan.
A craftsman weaves fabric on a traditional hand loom inside a workshop in Tangail, Bangladesh, on March 2.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 12, 2026
Bangladesh sari weaving tradition hangs by a thread
A shift to automated looms, evolving fashion choices, unstable yarn prices and a lack of government support have squeezed weavers of the UNESCO-recognized garments at every turn.
Documented evidence shows schools that implement smartphone-free policies see measurable improvements in academic performance and student well-being, even within a single semester.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 19, 2025
It¡¯s time for Japan to ban smartphones in schools
Excessive screen time creates addiction comparable to substance abuse, but it is more nefarious in that it impacts people in unseen ways, unlike tobacco or alcohol.
The Murakami Festival, held in the city of Murakami, Niigata Prefecture, has been added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list along with five other items from Japan.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Dec 12, 2025
Six Japanese items added to UNESCO intangible heritage list
Four of the six new items will be registered under the category of ¡°Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan.¡±
The open-air bath at Tsurunoyu Hot Springs in Nyuto Onsenkyo, in Semboku, Akita Prefecture
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Nov 29, 2025
Kagura and onsen culture to be recommended for UNESCO heritage
A government panel has chosen kagura, a Japanese traditional performing art, and onsen hot spring culture as candidates for UNESCO intangible cultural heritage designation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China, on Sept. 1. Xi unveiled a new diplomatic framework, the Global Governance Initiative, which Wang called ¡°a blueprint for humanity¡¯s shared future.¡±
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 28, 2025
Beijing¡¯s ¡®globalist¡¯ agenda under Trump 2.0
China is leveraging the Global Governance Initiative to expand its influence in the U.N. and Global South as U.S. retrenchment under Trump creates a leadership vacuum.
Autographed manuscripts from ¡°Fushikaden,¡± noh master Zeami¡¯s 15th-century treatise on the traditional Japanese theater performances
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Nov 25, 2025
Japan to push noh master Zeami¡¯s ¡®Fushikaden¡¯ for UNESCO listing
The Executive Board of the U.N. agency is expected to review the bid in spring 2027.
Beniya Mukayu, a traditional "ryokan" inn located in Ishikawa Prefecture, considers itself at "the heart of onsen towns, local residents, farmers, fishermen, sake brewers and artisans" ¡ª all of which need new, sustainable methods of serving visitors to survive into the future.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 16, 2025
In preserving Japanese hospitality, ¡®details are everything¡¯
As part of a new UNESCO initiative, the elite Relais & Chateau hospitality group will empower its Japan-based members to preserve the country¡¯s ¡°omotenashi¡± culture.
A Cambodian guide (left) gives an explanation about the exhibit as tourists look at portrait photos of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 13, 2025
Cambodia marks UNESCO recognition of Khmer Rouge sites as places of ¡®peace and reflection¡¯
The Khmer Rouge sites mark Cambodia¡¯s fifth World Heritage listing, and is the country¡¯s first modern-era nomination and among the first globally tied to recent conflict.
A public school teacher leads the class during the first day of in-person classes, at a school flooded due to high tide, in Macabebe, Pampanga province, Philippines, in August 2022.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Jul 10, 2025
Philippines struggling to ready underfunded schools for climate hazards
Teachers want the government to do more than tweak the school calendar, and also invest in infrastructure that will make schools resilient to heat and storms.
Critics of plans to build a condominium on a vacant lot in the Komachi area of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, argue that valuable relics may be buried beneath the site.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 6, 2025
Development project at historic Kamakura site raises concerns
Citizens and history researchers are urging authorities to halt construction, expressing concerns that valuable relics may be buried beneath the site.
UNESCO's executive board on Thursday added Buddhist scriptures kept at Tokyo's Zojoji Temple to its Memory of the World register.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 18, 2025
Zojoji Buddhist scriptures added to UNESCO Memory of the World
The scriptures were collected by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan¡¯s Edo era, and donated to the temple.
According to the Cultural Affairs Agency, shod¨­ is defined as the act of writing kanji and kana characters using traditional brushstrokes and techniques.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 4, 2025
Japan to again propose calligraphy for UNESCO heritage list
The government is expected to submit the fresh proposal to UNESCO by the end of the month.
Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Feb 16, 2025
Himeji Castle entrance fee to go up 2.5-fold for nonresidents
The city plans to use the resulting windfall for maintenance, online ticket sales, bag check services and guided tours for foreign visitors.
The koji room at Fukuwagura brewery in Mie Prefecture, where metals such as stainless steel, which are easy to manage for hygiene, are widely used
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / FOCUS
Jan 30, 2025
Japanese food makers step in to preserve sake breweries¡¯ legacy
The initiatives by food companies coincide with a growing recognition of traditional sake-making techniques.
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.
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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