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August 11, 2026
 

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MINORU KIHARA

A building damaged by the earthquake in the town of Hikawa, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 28
JAPAN
Aug 4, 2026
Donations to quake-hit Kumamoto via hometown tax system reach ?730 million
The figure represents the total amount of donations made through four major furusato n¨­zei portal websites, according to the top government spokesperson.
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.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks at a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2026
Japan closely watching U.S. campaign against ICC
Japan has ¡°consistently supported the ICC¡± from the standpoint of upholding the rule of law, the top government spokesperson said.
Minoru Kihara
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2026
Japan calls China Coast Guard moves in its EEZ near Yonaguni ¡®unacceptable¡¯
The unusual moves follow an agreement between Japan and the Philippines last month to launch maritime border delimitation talks, which overlap with areas claimed by Beijing.
In a post on social media platform X, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she welcomes a U.S.-Iran peace deal as a major step toward bringing the situation in the Middle East to a close.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 15, 2026
Japan welcomes U.S.-Iran peace deal
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed hopes for a final agreement on outstanding matters, including on Iran¡¯s nuclear issue, to be reached as soon as possible.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara says Japan plans to use what are known as bridging bonds to help finance Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s investment plans.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 28, 2026
Japan plans ¡®bridging bonds¡¯ to fund investment initiatives
Bridging bonds are designed to cover temporary funding shortfalls on the premise that future funding resources can be secured.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 11, 2026
Japan does not expect immediate impact from hantavirus
¡°We will make every effort to take necessary infection control measures while monitoring the situation,¡± the top government spokesman said at a news conference.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi enters the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 21, 2026
Takaichi marks six months in office as prime minister
The leader¡¯s administration will now face issues that could cause controversy, such as the criminalizing of acts to damage the national flag.
Work is underway to reinforce the soft seabed off the Henoko coast in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, in January 2025.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 13, 2026
Futenma base site not yet returned to Japan, 30 years on
Tokyo and Washington initially said that the return of the site in the Okinawa city of Ginowan would be realized within five to seven years of the agreement.
A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman¡¯s Musandam province, on Sunday
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 13, 2026
Japan ¡®closely monitoring¡¯ U.S. plans to blockade Strait of Hormuz
U.S. President Donald Trump again assailed Tokyo and other U.S. allies for not helping secure the strait, saying that the lack of aid ¡°amazes¡± him.
U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2026
Japan takes U.S. Futenma base¡¯s delayed relocation ¡®seriously¡¯
The relocation of the U.S. Futenma base, now in a congested area in Ginowan in Okinawa Prefecture, is ¡°the only viable solution,¡± the top government spokesman said.
Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2026
Japan to evacuate citizens from Middle East on charted flights Sunday
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, meanwhile, told a news conference Friday that a Self-Defense Forces transport aircraft will be on standby in the Maldives.
The government¡¯s top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, told a news conference Monday that it is necessary to update the country's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy" to better respond to "the changing times.¡±
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2026
Japan to strengthen Indo-Pacific strategy amid ¡®new challenges¡¯
Updates to the FOIP strategy will include sections focused on bolstering economic security and working on emerging technologies with ¡°like-minded¡± partners.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a news conference on Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2026
Japan eyes development of national intelligence strategy
If compiled, it would be the first Japanese national strategy dedicated to intelligence.
Sakie Yokota (fourth from left) and former classmates of her daughter, Megumi, hand a list of signatures to Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (third from right) at the Prime Minister's Office on Jan. 19.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2026
90-year-old mother of abductee laments lack of progress on securing return
Sakie Yokota has not seen her daughter, Megumi, since her 1977 abduction at the age of 13 in the city of Niigata on her way home from junior high school.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (third from right) receives signatures and a message from Masaki Ikeda (fourth from right), who heads a group of former classmates of Megumi Yokota, at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday. Fourth from left is Megumi's mother, Sakie Yokota,
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 20, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ top government spokesman meets Sakie Yokota, mother of abductee Megumi
In the meeting, Sakie said she hopes there will be some progress this year on the issue of repatriating Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks to reporters Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 8, 2026
Japan protests China¡¯s gas drilling vessel in East China Sea
In 2008 Japan and China had reached an agreement to jointly develop gas fields in the East China Sea, but talks stalled since then.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a news conference on Wednesday at the Prime Minister¡¯s Office.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 7, 2026
Government spokesperson warns of fake video misusing his image
The fake video of Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara had solicited investments for a fictitious project.
South Korea¡¯s National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac spoke with Â鶹´«Ã½ Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in two separate meetings in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 23, 2025
South Korea¡¯s security adviser affirms good Japan ties ahead of leader¡¯s visit
A meeting between the leaders in January would come as relations between Tokyo and Seoul remain stable after a warming of ties in 2023.
Queried about the comments by a senior Japanese government official that Tokyo should acquire nuclear weapons, a U.S. State Department spokesperson did not directly address the remarks, but praised Japan for its stance on nuclear nonproliferation.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 20, 2025
U.S. appears to pour cold water on idea of Japan acquiring nukes
The State Department called Japan ¡°a global leader¡± and ¡°valuable partner¡± on nuclear nonproliferation and advancing nuclear arms control.
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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