Â鶹´«Ã½

author

 
Â鶹´«Ã½
Search
 
August 11, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Kenji Yoshida
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.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 10, 2026
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
The announcement comes just before the anniversary of Â鶹´«Ã½ World War II surrender, when many traditionally pay a visit to the shrine.
An explosion at Aeon¡¯s shopping complex in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, caused part of the mall¡¯s second floor to collapse and sent debris flying across nearby areas.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2026
LPG suppliers asked to inspect equipment after fatal shopping mall blast
The industry ministry has reported that leaked gas was ¡°highly likely¡± to have caused the explosion that killed seven people following last week¡¯s powerful earthquake.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi concludes her speech during a ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park marking the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 6, 2026
Takaichi emphasizes Â鶹´«Ã½ commitment to nonnuclear principles on Hiroshima anniversary
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s first appearance at the ceremony as the nation¡¯s leader comes as the government prepares to revise key national security documents later this year.
Sanae Takaichi campaigns alongside Koichi Hagiuda ahead of the Lower House election, in Tokyo in October 2024.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 6, 2026
Senior LDP official points to Abe-era lessons for Takaichi
Party heavyweight Koichi Hagiuda says the prime minister¡¯s administration lacks the discipline that characterized her political mentor¡¯s approach.
A passerby walks with a sunshade beside debris from a major earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture last week, in the town of Hikawa on Tuesday.¡¡
JAPAN
Aug 4, 2026
One week on, disaster response in Kumamoto shifts to helping survivors
Uneven conditions at evacuation centers, where summer heat is compounding shortages of water and other essentials, are raising fears of heatstroke and blood clots among survivors.
Disaster relief workers search for car keys at the Kyuganji Temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Friday after the first floor of the temple's residential quarters collapsed following a major quake that struck the region on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2026
Kumamoto showing early signs of quake recovery as transportation routes resume
Shinkansen lines, flights and highways began resuming operations Friday, suggesting the damage to infrastructure was not as devastating as the 2016 temblor.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi discusses cybersecurity in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 31, 2026
Japan launches National Intelligence Bureau in bid to streamline intelligence
For Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has sought to modernize Â鶹´«Ã½ intelligence system, the upgrade represents a political win and the foundation for a broader overhaul.
Evacuees rest inside a gymnasium at a community center, which is serving as an evacuation shelter, in the city of Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Thursday following Tuesday's magnitude 7.1 earthquake.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2026
Kumamoto quake death toll rises to 34 as rescuers race against clock
The Kumamoto Prefectural Government on Thursday said five other people sustained serious injuries as a result of the disaster.
Debris is strewn at the damaged Aeon Mall shopping center, where an explosion occurred after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan's southern Kumamoto Prefecture, in Kashima Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2026
Rescuers race to find survivors following massive Kumamoto quake
At least three of the 13 deaths reported came at a major shopping mall, after an explosion ripped through the building, causing a large portion of it to collapse.
Liberal Democratic Party executives meet in Tokyo on July 13.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 28, 2026
LDP eyes new tools to counter foreign spies and disinformation
The ruling party¡¯s policy panel proposes new laws against illicit foreign interference, broader intelligence-gathering powers and an independent foreign intelligence agency.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a budget committee session at the Lower House in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 27, 2026
After a legislative sweep, Takaichi faces public confidence test
A recent poll shows 71% of respondents disapproved of the government¡¯s response to rising living costs as talks remain stalled over a reduction of the consumption tax for food.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 24, 2026
Defense Ministry questioned over intelligence gathering on domestic experts
A Ground Self-Defense Force unit made assessments about patriotism, beliefs and sexual preferences, news reports alleged.
Kozo Okamoto attends a ceremony organized by Palestinian militants to mark the 50th anniversary of the Lod Airport attack in Beirut on May 30, 2022.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Jul 24, 2026
Kozo Okamoto, last surviving participant of 1972 Lod Airport massacre, dies
The airport massacre in Israel turned a little-known, communist-espousing band of a Japanese militant squad into an internationally notorious movement.
An Upper House committee discusses a bill on the establishment of a secondary capital, in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 23, 2026
JIP¡¯s priorities take center stage even as household relief stalls
The Liberal Democratic Party no longer finds itself strictly needing the Japan Innovation Party¡¯s support, yet the latter¡¯s priorities continue to shape the parliamentary agenda.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to Democratic Party for the People head Yuichiro Tamaki in parliament in Tokyo on July 15.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 23, 2026
How Â鶹´«Ã½ would-be kingmakers lost their edge
The nationalist Sanseito and the centrist Democratic Party for the People are struggling to maintain the momentum ¡ª and distinct political identities ¡ª that powered their rise.
A fan holds Japanese flags at a public viewing in Tokyo for a 2026 World Cup match in June.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2026
Upper House passes flag-desecration bill despite constitutional concerns
The law, to take effect in August, will punish anyone who publicly damages, removes or defaces the flag in a way deemed likely to cause ¡°extreme discomfort or disgust to others.¡±
LDP lawmaker Itsunori Onodera (right), who chairs the National Council on Social Security, in Tokyo on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 16, 2026
Parties agree on new benefit program but stay divided over consumption tax on food
While there is agreement to a refundable tax credit for certain workers, debate on cutting the consumption tax on food is expected to intensify.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Rome on June 15. The prime minister is entering the finals days of the current parliamentary session without a serious dent in her approval.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 14, 2026
Takaichi Cabinet retains high approval ratings despite challenges
Latest polls from NHK and JNN show support declining just 1 and 5.9 percentage points, respectively, compared to polls from March.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the conclusion of the Group of Seven summit in Evian, France, on June 17.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 13, 2026
Takaichi¡¯s first economic policy blueprint puts defense industry revival in focus
The government seeks to ¡°transform Â鶹´«Ã½ defense posture within five years¡± to achieve highly autonomous and resilient operational capabilities.
The Lower House plenary session, which passed legislation on the dwindling number of imperial family members on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 10, 2026
Bills on preservation of imperial family pass Lower House
The pieces of legislation will now be deliberated in the Upper House, which is expected to clear them by the end of the current session of parliament.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
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.
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.
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.
¡®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.
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.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.
How Â鶹´«Ã½ racehorses find second careers away from the track
TCC Therapy Park is supported financially by racing organizations as well as donations from members of the public.

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER