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August 11, 2026
 

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IMPERIAL FAMILY

Prince Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, lays flowers at a cenotaph for atomic bomb victims at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2026
Prince Hisahito offers flowers for Hiroshima A-bomb victims
This is the first time the prince has undertaken official duties outside Tokyo without being accompanied by other members of the Imperial Family.
Princess Aiko observes a traditional rite for the reconstruction of the Grand Shrines of Ise in Mie Prefecture on Saturday
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2026
Princess Aiko observes traditional rites at Mie¡¯s Grand Shrines of Ise
Princess Aiko visited a facility where specially designated timber for the next reconstruction, set for 2033, is processed.
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and other royal family members attend the spring garden party at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo in April 2025.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 22, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ imperial succession and the invention of tradition
The historical record is clear: The absolute prohibition on female monarchs is not timeless. It is a surprisingly modern invention.
Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko will visit Paraguay to mark 90th anniversary of Japanese migration to the South American country.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2026
Japan crown prince and crown princess to visit Paraguay in August
The couple plan to meet with the Paraguayan president as well as Japanese immigrants living in the country and their descendants.
Crown Princess Kiko attends a charity concert supporting patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, a government-designated intractable disease, and their families in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2026
Crown Princess Kiko attends charity concert
The concert was hosted by an association of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients, partly to help people deepen understanding of the disease.
Imperial family members attend the spring garden party in April. Under the revised imperial house law, female members of the imperial family will be able to remain within the institution after marriage.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 19, 2026
After years, Takaichi achieves Imperial House Law revision by force of numbers
The common male ancestor of the former 11 imperial family branches and the current emperor goes back about 600 years.
Emperor Naruhito (top third right) appears with Empress Masako (second right), their daughter Princess Aiko (right), Crown Prince Akishino (third left, Crown Princess Kiko (seconf left) and their daughter Princess Kako (left) on the balcony of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2026
U.N. hails women¡¯s rights in response to Â鶹´«Ã½ revision of Imperial House Law
The revised law maintains the rule limiting the right of succession to the throne to male members in the male line.
A package of bills on the imperial family clears the Upper House plenary session on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2026
Bills to preserve imperial family clear Upper House
They pave the way for the first major revision of the Imperial House Law since its establishment in 1947.
Emperor Naruhito and other members of the imperial family wave to well-wishers at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in February.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2026
39% support imperial succession by sons of adoptees: poll
Meanwhile, 26.9% voiced opposition to the proposal, while 33.6% said neither or that they are undecided.
Centrist Reform Alliance leader Junya Ogawa says a difference of opinion on the royals bill among three opposition parties won't have a large impact on ongoing merger talks between them.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2026
CDP and CRA¡¯s opposing stances on imperial family bills cloud prospect for merger
The CDP opposes a clause that allows future male offspring of newly reinstated members of the imperial family to become heirs.
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.
Members of Japan's imperial family during a public appearance for New Year celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Jan. 2
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2026
Imperial family bill may clear Lower House as early as Friday
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party said it would agree to hold intensive discussions at the Budget Committee of the Diet¡¯s lower chamber, with the prime minister in attendance.
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to ¡°spend a long time together¡± with her parents.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 3, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ princesses face life-altering legal revisions
After decades of discussion over their future, the princesses may soon have the option to either leave or remain in the imperial family.
Newly enthroned Emperor Naruhito takes part in a ritual at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in May 2019, in which imperial envoys are dispatched to the Ise Grand Shrine and imperial mausoleums.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 3, 2026
Tradition vs. change: Â鶹´«Ã½ imperial succession debate intensifies
For decades, the government has postponed action. This week, however, Prime Minister Takaichi¡¯s administration submitted a bill to the Diet to revise the Imperial House Law.
LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki before a meeting with the Centrist Reform Alliance on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2026
LDP to halt debate on JIP priorities to focus on imperial family bill
The LDP is ready to halt debate on controversial bills while discussions on proposed Imperial House Law revisions are underway, LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki has said.
Asahiro Kuni, a member of a former branch of the imperial family, says no one should be forced to be adopted into the imperial family.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2026
Former imperial family member views Â鶹´«Ã½ adoption plan as ¡®unrealistic¡¯
The 81-year-old cousin of Emperor Emeritus Akihito said he believes no one should be ¡°forced¡± to be adopted and that he hopes the system will ¡°respect the wishes of individuals.¡±
Revisions to the laws meant to tackle the imperial family's dwindling numbers included clauses that throw succession rules into question.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Law revisions regarding imperial family invite controversy about succession
Revisions to the laws meant to tackle the imperial family¡¯s dwindling numbers included clauses that throw succession rules into question.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, seen with other imperial family members, walk down a hill to greet guests during a spring garden party at the Akasaka Palace's imperial garden in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2026
Japan adopts bill to revise Imperial House Law
The government aims to enact the bill during the ongoing Diet session, currently scheduled to end on July 17.
The ruling party lawmaker Hirofumi Nakasone said on Sunday that no one would marry Princess Aiko if she ascended the imperial throne while unmarried, prompting criticism.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2026
LDP¡¯s Hirofumi Nakasone regrets remark about Princess Aiko
In a speech in Toyama Prefecture on Sunday, the lawmaker added that no one would marry the princess if she were to succeed to the throne while unmarried.
Emperor Naruhito visits KU Leuven's library with Belgian King Philippe in the city of Leuven on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2026
Emperor thanks Netherlands and Belgium for warm welcome
The imperial couple¡¯s visit included trips to a monument to the war dead in Amsterdam and a semiconductor research center in Belgium.
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

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