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August 11, 2026
 

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BOOKS

Institutions should draw on unconventional concepts to challenge entrenched assumptions to help navigate complex issues that leave policymakers stumped.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 5, 2026
New words to live by, new worlds to occupy
Institutions and policymakers should draw on unconventional concepts from diverse traditions to challenge entrenched assumptions and navigate complex change more creatively.
Author Keigo Higashino's newest and last book is displayed at a Kinokuniya bookstore on Wednesday in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 5, 2026
Fans rush to buy copy of Keigo Higashino¡¯s final work
The release of ¡°Eternal Memory¡± comes after the acclaimed mystery author died of colorectal cancer last month.
Keigo Higashino's meticulously constructed mysteries and memorable characters earned him readers across languages and cultures.
CULTURE / Books
Jul 30, 2026
Keigo Higashino¡¯s ¡®global afterlife¡¯
As tributes pour in for the prolific author who died at age 68 last week, his English translators reflect on his legacy and impact abroad.
The entrance to the Have a Nice Stay bookstore on Wednesday
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 29, 2026
Hong Kong independent bookstores to close after police raid
Police searched the two bookshops this month and arrested five people on suspicion of displaying and selling ¡°items with seditious intent.¡±
A display featuring Keigo Higashino¡¯s work, with a range of his titles translated into multiple languages, at Books Kinokuniya Tokyo in the capital¡¯s Shinjuku Ward on Tuesday
CULTURE / Books
Jul 28, 2026
Japanese author Keigo Higashino, known for intricate mystery novels, dies at 68
Higashino, a prolific writer lauded for his creativity, died of cancer, his official X account said.
Haruki Murakami's first book in three years hit shelves in Japan on Friday.
CULTURE / Books
Jul 3, 2026
Murakami says his novels are ¡®different¡¯ from AI literature
When he is deeply focused on writing a story, characters suddenly show up, and ¡°that¡¯s not something that comes out from analogy,¡± he said, adding ¡°AI probably can¡¯t do that.¡±
Only 102 new bookstores were opened in Japan during fiscal year 2025, which began in April last year, while 499 shops closed.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 16, 2026
Number of bookstores in Japan drops below 10,000 for the first time
Japan had 9,993 bookstores as of the end of March 2026 ¡ª just over 40% of its peak in fiscal year 1998.
Tokyo native Noemi Minami founded Koen Book Club in 2021 with two friends. The club continues to meet monthly in public parks across Tokyo, weather permitting.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
May 18, 2026
Anglophone bookworms unite across Japan
Book clubs, book swaps and other reading events are providing a space for wholesome offline socializing in Tokyo and beyond.
Koji Suzuki
JAPAN
May 10, 2026
Koji Suzuki, author of horror novel ¡®Ring,¡¯ dies at 68
¡°Ring,¡± released in 1991, was adapted into movies in and outside Japan, becoming major hits.
Though mothers in Japan aren't expected to bear the entirety of the family's child-rearing burden as in decades past, author Lisa Katayama says the strain still falls largely on their shoulders.
CULTURE / Books
May 9, 2026
In Japan, ¡®moms pull weight in ways that are superhuman¡¯
In a new book, a mom raised in Tokyo but living abroad reflects on how Â鶹´«Ã½ conception of motherhood helps her raise her young daughters.
Traditional Japanese needlework has exploded in popularity, but a book from a third-generation artisan aims to bring more context to the craft's newfound popularity.
LIFE / Style & Design
May 2, 2026
¡®Sashiko¡¯ needlework artisan says craft is about ¡®the stories behind the stitching¡¯
In a new book, a third-generation craftsman explores how the origins of his art are at risk of being lost in an upswell of popularity.
A letter from Ryotaro Shiba sent to Takeshi Kaiko's wife, Yoko Maki
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2026
Letter by novelist Shiba praising fellow writer Kaiko found
Ryotaro Shiba sent the handwritten letter on two sheets of paper in December 1989, soon after Takeshi Kaiko¡¯s death, to the late writer¡¯s wife, poet Yoko Maki.
Haruki Murakami returns this summer with his new novel, "The Tale of Kaho," which is centered on a 26-year-old picture book author.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 24, 2026
Haruki Murakami to release first novel in three years with ¡®The Tale of Kaho¡¯
The beloved author¡¯s new work, set to be released July 3, marks his first female-led novel ¡ª and a return to the uncanny.
A shift is occurring in the translation industry both in Japan and across the globe, where using artificial intelligence in place of humans is increasingly becoming standard practice.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 16, 2026
As AI advances, translators forced to adapt to industry changes
Translators are having to grapple with lower pay and higher expectations, all while the future of the industry itself is in doubt.
The last two students at Yumoto Junior High School attend their graduation ceremony in Ten-ei Village, Fukushima Prefecture, in March 2023.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 19, 2026
We have to stop discussing Â鶹´«Ã½ birthrate like this
Declining Asian fertility is often framed negatively: a backlash against a crushing society. When it happens in the U.S., though, it¡¯s young women taking control over their lives.
Literary translation is one of humanity¡¯s most crucial tasks ¡ª one that should never be left to the machines.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2026
Lost in AI translation: What¡¯s at stake? Our humanity.
Literary translation is one of humanity¡¯s most crucial tasks ¡ª one that should never be left to the machines.
Do Van Tuan shows some of the Vietnamese books he took with him to the Sendai Detention House in Sendai in December.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Mar 9, 2026
The Vietnamese interpreter who sends his imprisoned countrymen books
Do Van Tuan, 45, hopes that through books, detainees might be able to make good use of their time while under detention to build a better future.
A page from Kenzaburo Oe's unpublished novel ¡°Trip From a Dark Room¡±
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2026
Two unpublished works by Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe found
The two short stories will appear in the April issue of Kodansha¡¯s literary magazine Gunzo.
Tokyo¡¯s Jimbocho neighborhood has all kinds of bookshops and cafes, but it is mainly known for its abundance of stores selling secondhand books.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 2, 2026
Inside a Japanese bookshop: Words you need to browse in Jimbocho
Decode shelving systems, publisher groupings and reader slang before making the most of Tokyo¡¯s famed literary district.
Famed Meiji-era novelist Natsume Soseki¡¯s belief that true expression transcends literal wording supports the argument that AI handling translation frees people to create rather than convert language.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 25, 2026
Sorry Soseki, I wish we had AI translation aeons ago
It should come as little surprise then that one of the jobs at risk of complete replacement by AI is that of translators.
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.
¡®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.

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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