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August 12, 2026
 

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Shoko Oda
The government doesn't plan to ask businesses and households to save electricity this summer despite fuel shortages arising from the war in the Middle East.
JAPAN
May 20, 2026
Japan says it has enough power to meet scorching summer demand
Households and businesses won¡¯t be asked to conserve power, as all regions are expected to have ample supply, according to documents.
The 30-day moving average for coal generation across Â鶹´«Ã½ main islands was up 17% on Tuesday compared with the same period last year, and has been consistently higher since late March.
BUSINESS
May 13, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ coal power generation climbs as war makes LNG more expensive
The 30-day moving average for coal generation across Â鶹´«Ã½ main islands was up 17% on Tuesday compared with the same period last year.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki district
BUSINESS / Companies
May 10, 2026
Japan considers sending officials to Russia by end of May
However, the trade ministry said the current situation doesn¡¯t allow for pursuing new forms of cooperation with Russia.
Japan has cut dependence on the Middle East for its liquefied natural gas in recent years, but utilities remain exposed to the cost of importing fuel.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 1, 2026
Japanese utilities withhold earnings guidance amid fuel volatility
The war in the Middle East has driven a 70% increase in LNG prices in Asia, while the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.
Japan may see food and drink prices rise as early as this summer, as war-related disruptions to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz squeeze naphtha supply, driving up plastic packaging costs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 30, 2026
Food prices in Japan set to rise as war drives up cost of plastic packaging
Prolonged disruption to energy flows via the Strait of Hormuz has cut the availability of naphtha, a critical ingredient used in the production of plastic packaging.
Some 74% of those surveyed in a recent poll by Nikkei and TV Tokyo said energy-saving is needed.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2026
Japanese public wants energy-saving as Takaichi holds back
The war in Iran is putting pressure on Japan to consider energy-saving measures, a challenge for the prime minister as she seeks to calm public anxiety over potential shortages.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters Wednesday at the Prime Minister¡¯s Office following an online meeting with Southeast Asian leaders.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2026
Japan to provide $10 billion to Southeast Asia to secure oil
Sanae Takaichi added that Japan relies on Asian nations to secure medical supplies like surgery gloves.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says there will be no immediate disruption to supply of petroleum products for medical devices.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2026
Takaichi seeks to ease concerns over medical-product supplies
The prime minister acknowledged that crude-oil shortages in other Asian nations led to worries about the long-term supply of products manufactured elsewhere and shipped to Japan.
The Takasago Thermal Power Plant in Takasago, Hyogo Prefecture. Japan will increase the use of coal-fired power plants to strengthen energy supply amid the Middle East energy shock.
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2026
Japan to allow more coal-fired power to cope with energy shock
Japan is joining other nations that have shifted course to use the dirtiest fossil fuel more in the wake of of the war.
Interest in nuclear power is rising globally as governments and technology firms seek clean, stable energy to meet rising electricity use for artificial intelligence and the boom in data centers.
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2026
GE Vernova and Hitachi to explore Southeast Asia for small reactors
The companies will study possibilities for their joint venture to introduce their BWRX-300 SMR reactor to Southeast Asian countries.
Workers at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ 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.
Electricite de France, Europe¡¯s flagship builder, has struggled to deliver nuclear power projects on time and on budget.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 6, 2026
A global nuclear power renaissance isn¡¯t living up to the hype
In much of the world, lofty nuclear ambitions are at odds with the reality of an industry hollowed out by decades of stagnation.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Chief Executive Officer Sultan Al Jaber at Adnoc headquarters in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 9
JAPAN
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.
Nippon Steel says it has raised ?600 billion ($3.9 billion) from an upsize sale of convertible bonds to help repay loans taken out for its acquisition of United States Steel.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 25, 2026
Nippon Steel raises ?600 billion from bonds to repay U.S. Steel loans
Half of the bonds, which can be converted into stock, are set to mature in 2029, and the remainder, in 2031, according to a filing to the Finance Ministry.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant¡¯s central control room in the village of Kariwa in Niigata Prefecture on Jan. 21
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ 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.
Tokyo Gas storage tanks in Tokyo. The company decided not to attend the LNG 2026 conference in Doha due to safety concerns.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 3, 2026
Japanese LNG players skip Qatar conference on security fears
Several Japanese buyers opted not to take part in the LNG 2026 conference, including Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas and Saibu Gas Holdings.
Tokyo Gas President Shinichi Sasayama said the company is looking to deploy capital in assets like liquefaction plants, export terminals and the energy services sector.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 15, 2025
Tokyo Gas to invest in U.S. downstream assets to drive growth
The company is looking to deploy capital in assets like liquefaction plants, export terminals and the energy services sector.
Osaka Gas President Masataka Fujiwara says the company is looking to invest in more U.S. gas-fired power plants.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 27, 2025
Osaka Gas targets U.S. power plant investments on AI-driven demand
The company is eyeing existing assets as building new facilities can be challenging due to an ongoing global shortage of gas turbines.
Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi (right) inspects a drill held inside the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant's No. 6 reactor building in Niigata Prefecture on Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2025
Niigata governor to visit Fukushima ahead of nuclear plant decision
Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi is expected to soon make a decision on the possible restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa facility in his prefecture.
The Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power station in Niigata Prefecture
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2025
Niigata governor¡¯s visit to nuclear reactor raises restart hopes
Hideyo Hanazumi is scheduled to visit Tokyo Electric Power Co.¡¯s Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant and an associated training facility on Friday.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
Gut bacteria may be behind many of Â鶹´«Ã½ colorectal cancer cases
A Japanese research team found that a toxin produced by certain E. coli strains, colibactin, caused genetic mutations in nearly half of colorectal cancer cases studied
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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