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August 11, 2026
 

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METI

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.
Pipelines at the Shirashima National Petroleum Stockpiling Base in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 28, 2026
Tokyo to boost financial support for overseas oil pipeline investments
The government will consider measures including risk-capital funding to promote Japanese firms¡¯ participation in such projects, a recently released document shows.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets with U.S. President Donald Trump meets at the White House in Washington in March. It's been a year since Japan reached a deal with the U.S. in tariff negotiations.
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2026
20% of Â鶹´«Ã½ pledged U.S. investments underway a year after tariff deal
The Japanese government has faced unrelenting criticism on the sheer size of the proposed investments and loans spent on a foreign country.
The industry ministry announced ?387.3 billion in funding to develop a domestic foundation model for physical AI that controls robots, aiming to strengthen the country's competitiveness against the United States and China.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Japan announces aid for domestic AI development project
The industry ministry aims to help the country catch up with the United States and China in AI technology.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a meeting on the Middle East conflict in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2026
Japan to draw up energy-related package by end of August
Industry minister Ryosei Akazawa has been tasked with drawing up an action plan to address the energy risks that became apparent amid the Middle East conflict.
Japan's industry ministry is considering abolishing Cool Japan Fund after its cumulative losses reached ?54 billion in fiscal 2025.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2026
Cool Japan Fund may be scrapped by industry ministry after posting high losses
The plan to end the Cool Japan Fund is being considered after its cumulative losses reached ?54 billion in fiscal 2025.
Japan and the International Atomic Energy Agency signed a memorandum in Tokyo on Tuesday to cooperate on the development of small modular reactors.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2026
Japan and IAEA team up to promote small modular reactors
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are smaller reactors with simpler systems and enhanced passive safety features.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, one of the world's largest nuclear facilities, stands along the seaside in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2026
Japan proposes rebuilding aging nuclear plants to meet power demand
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is a strong backer of nuclear power, seeking to ease the bill for imported coal, gas and oil.
A model of a Gazprom LNG carrier at an exhibition in St. Petersburg, Russia, in October.
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2026
Japan officials met metals and LNG firms in unusual Moscow talks
The talks underscored the importance Tokyo and Moscow place on keeping channels of communication open.
Russia's Ministry of Economic Development in Moscow
JAPAN
May 28, 2026
Japanese officials visit Russia to discuss business environment amid war
Economic cooperation between the two countries has significantly stalled since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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.
Ispace's Resilience lunar lander at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Tsukuba Space Center in Ibaraki Prefecture, in September 2024.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 1, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ space systems face growing cybersecurity threats
Space systems depend on data links between satellites and ground infrastructure, making them inherently tied to cybersecurity.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa holds a news conference after a Cabinet meeting at the Diet building on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2026
Sony to receive up to ?60 billion in state subsidies for image sensor plant
The state aid is intended to help ensure a stable supply of semiconductors, designated as a specified important item under the economic security promotion law.
Despite steady leadership from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during rising global risks, her tenure so far lacks decisive economic vision, raising questions about whether she can use the current narrow window to pursue structural reforms.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2026
Takaichi¡¯s path from crisis manager to ¡®champion¡¯ builder
Despite steady leadership amid global risks, Prime Minister Takaichi lacks decisive economic vision, leaving questions about whether she will seize the narrow window for reform.
Industry minister Ryosei Akazawa speaks during a news conference on parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2026
Oil bypassing Strait of Hormuz set to arrive in Japan from May
Over 90% of Â鶹´«Ã½ oil imports have come from the Middle East, and most of them have come via the strait.
Some utilities, for instance, tout that the utility costs will be cheaper under their plan without accounting for a variable fuel adjustment charge.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2026
Utility contract complaints persist nearly a decade after deregulation
Consumer officials are urging caution as complaints over electricity and gas contracts remain almost 10 years since Japan opened its utility markets.
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.
Tanks at an oil refinery in Yokohama in February. Japan said Monday it began to release strategic oil reserves.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 16, 2026
Japan begins its largest-ever oil release from strategic reserves
Crude oil prices have soared as the Strait of Hormuz, through which most Japan-bound oil passes, remains effectively closed.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Sunday after a two-day forum on energy security in the Indo-Pacific region.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 16, 2026
Japan and U.S. to work together to prevent critical mineral disruptions
The two countries will work to prevent supply disruptions for critical minerals resulting from possible export restrictions by resource-producing countries.
Industry minister Ryosei Akazawa addressed an Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum on Saturday, calling on regional leaders to diversify their energy supply.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2026
Akazawa implores Asian partners to diversify energy suppliers
The industry minister said that the region depends on imports for more than 80% of its energy compounding the damage caused by the conflict between U.S.-Israeli forces and Iran.
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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