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August 12, 2026
 

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BUZZWORDS

A sign in the woods uses the kanji for "bear" to warn hikers of their presence in the area.
LIFE / Language / 2025 IN REVIEW
Dec 14, 2025
The ¡®bear¡¯ defined kanji in 2025. The internet defined almost everything else.
Â鶹´«Ã½ kanji and buzzwords of 2025 reveal a split: old-media traditions colliding with the chaotic, meme-driven language of new media.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a ceremony Monday in Tokyo after her comment referring to her determination to work hard as president of the Liberal Democratic Party was awarded buzzword of the year for 2025.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 1, 2025
Takaichi¡¯s work ethic sound bite wins Â鶹´«Ã½ buzzword of the year
¡°Work, work, work, work and work¡± was named 2025¡¯s buzzword of the year.
Women hold toys depicting Myaku-Myaku, the official character for the 2025 Osaka Expo, during a media day ahead of the event's public opening day in Osaka in April.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2025
ChatGPT nickname and Trump tariffs nominated for Â鶹´«Ã½ buzzword of 2025
Words and phrases related to the election of Â鶹´«Ã½ first female prime minister and the country¡¯s bear problem also made the list of nominations.
Actor Sadao Abe accepts the 2024 U-Can New Word and Popular Phrase Award for ¤Õ¤Æ¤Û¤É (futehodo), the abbreviated title for his series, ¡°Futekisetsu nimo Hodo ga Aru!¡± (¡°Extremely Inappropriate!¡±).
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 12, 2024
How often do Â鶹´«Ã½ buzzwords make it into the vernacular?
We crown a new one every year, but trendy terms tend to disappear from public consciousness if they¡¯re related to pop culture.
Sadao Abe, who played the role of a time-traveling Showa Era teacher transported to present day in a popular TV drama, receives the 2024 buzzword of the year award for the word "futehodo," the nickname of the series.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 2, 2024
Â鶹´«Ã½ 2024 buzzword of the year urges a reevaluation of past norms
¡°¹ó³Ü³Ù±ð³ó´Ç»å´Ç¡± ¡ª a nickname for a TV drama that depicts the generational gap between the Showa and Reiwa eras ¡ª has been crowned the most trending word of 2024.
The topics nominated for this year¡¯s buzzwords of the year ranged from new banknotes and Olympian quips to political scandals and rice shortages.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2024
From cat memes to Olympians with too much rizz, these are Â鶹´«Ã½ 2024 buzzword nominations
The buzzword of the year, along with the top 10 picks, will be decided from the 30 nominated terms on Dec. 2.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 15, 2023
Despite a taxing year, 2023¡¯s top kanji still draws questions
In a year of major crises around the world, Japanese voters pick the kanji for ¡°zei,¡± meaning ¡°tax,¡± based on a plan yet to be implemented.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 1, 2023
Â鶹´«Ã½ 2023 buzzword of the year is all about winning
A.R.E ¡ª based on the Japanese word ¡°are¡± (¡°that¡±) ¡ª took the top spot, after the Hanshin Tigers popularized the term as an indirect reference to victory.
The words of encouragement that star player Shohei Ohtani gave his teammates before their final game against the United States during the World Baseball Classic in March were among those nominated on Thursday to be the buzzwords of the year.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2023
Â鶹´«Ã½ 2023 buzzwords reflect light and dark sides of the year
From the year¡¯s scandals to its champions, the annual list of buzzword candidates highlights the nation¡¯s hope, fears and diversions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 16, 2022
If you thought 2022 was a battle, this year¡¯s top kanji pick shows you weren¡¯t alone
The kanji of the year for 2022 is used for wars and struggles, while this year¡¯s buzzwords referenced sports lingo and a Norwegian pop tune.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / Vocabulary Boost
Dec 16, 2022
Merriam-Webster¡¯s word of the year is ¡®gaslighting,¡¯ and don¡¯t try to tell us there isn¡¯t a Japanese equivalent
Merriam-Webster saw a huge spike in people looking up the word ¡°gaslighting¡± in 2022, and Japan is also no stranger to the concept.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 10, 2021
Sports, silent meals and ¡®Shut Up!¡¯: What Japan was talking about in 2021
The year¡¯s top buzzwords were announced to great fanfare, but the real word on everyone¡¯s lip last week was ¡®omicron.¡¯
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Dec 10, 2021
How do this year¡¯s English buzzwords translate into Japanese?
Collins Dictionary announced its ¡®Word of the Year¡¯ and technology-related terms came out on top.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2021
Buzzwords in Japan 2021: Ohtani and Tokyo Olympics loomed large
The language of the pandemic, while still present, took a back seat to phrases and words inspired by Shohei Ohtani, Thomas Bach, Yoshiro Mori and other sports-related figures.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 8, 2020
Â鶹´«Ã½ 2020 buzzwords still contain a sense of whimsy in spite of trying times
At the start of the year it was expected that 2020¡¯s buzzwords would all be related to the Olympics. Oh, how quickly that can change.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2020
Viral hit: ¡®Sanmitsu¡¯ ¡ª the ¡®Three Cs¡¯ ¡ª declared Â鶹´«Ã½ buzzword of 2020
The ¡®Three Cs¡± approach to the pandemic, popularized by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, refers to avoiding closed spaces, crowds and close-contact situations.
CULTURE
Dec 1, 2020
Amabie: Folklore apparition generated a big buzz in 2020
The long-haired, beak-faced amabie, which forecasts bountiful harvests and killer epidemics, has found itself in Â鶹´«Ã½ spotlight in recent months.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2019
Japanese rugby¡¯s ¡®One Team¡¯ motto declared buzzword of 2019
¡°One Team,¡± Â鶹´«Ã½ slogan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, was picked as buzzword of the year on Monday after the Brave Blossoms thrilled fans with their historic advance to the top eight.
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2019
Â鶹´«Ã½ rugby, disasters and social change generate buzzwords in 2019
The 2019 Rugby World Cup, natural disasters and cashless payment inspired a large portion of the nominations for the annual buzzword of the year awards.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2018
¡¯³§´Ç»å²¹²Ô¨¥¡¯: Japan uses top buzzword of 2018 to end year on a high note
After months of scandals in sports, politics ¡ª and society as a whole ¡ª the top buzzword of 2018, announced Monday, struck a strikingly positive tone as the year winds down.
¡®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.
Strong wind and heavy rain forecast as tropical storm approaches Japan
Tropical Storm Chan-hom is expected to make landfall in northern Kanto between late Tuesday and early Wednesday.
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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