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August 13, 2026
 

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PARENTHOOD

Afghan girls take their midterm exams at a primary school in Kabul on July 21. Fathers in Afghanistan choked up in despair describing the education ban that stops their daughters going beyond primary school.
WORLD / Society
Aug 11, 2026
Torment of Afghan fathers as daughters deprived of education
A U.N. poll found 90% of Afghan men wanted girls to go to secondary school, with nearly two thirds considering it ¡°pious¡± for fathers to support a daughter¡¯s education.
Tokyo¡¯s metropolitan government offers subsidies of up to ?100,000 for epidural childbirth at designated medical institutions.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 31, 2026
Tokyo¡¯s subsidies for pain relief during childbirth see strong demand
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government received 12,059 applications in the six months through March for its subsidy program ¡ª well above its projection of about 9,500.
A new incentive program is under consideration to certify small and midsize businesses in rural areas of Japan that provide child care support for local communities.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2026
Government to certify rural businesses that promote child care support
The new system will recognize efforts to develop products for raising children, establish nursing rooms and support operations of child-focused community cafeterias.
Miyako Kudo addresses an Osaka fertility clinic during a speaking engagement on understanding and supporting women without children.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 25, 2026
Out of the shadows: Japanese women building a life beyond motherhood
One woman is leading the charge to build a community where a life without children ¡ª whether by choice or circumstance ¡ª is an accepted social norm.
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 21, 2026
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
The financial strain is affecting parents¡¯ mental health, with 44% of survey respondents saying they always or often feel extremely depressed when thinking about summer vacation.
Shoko Kawata, the mayor of the city of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture, during an interview at city hall on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 20, 2026
Japanese mayor makes history with maternity leave that caused a stir
Shoko Kawata, the mayor of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture, ?became Â鶹´«Ã½ ?youngest female mayor in 2023 at the age of 33.
The number of elementary school children on waiting lists for after-school care facilities fell for the second straight year as the capacity of such facilities improved.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2026
Waitlist for after-school care down for second year in Japan
By prefecture, Tokyo had the largest number of children on waiting lists, followed by Saitama and Hyogo, while Fukui had no children on such waiting lists.
Some traditionally adults-only enclaves are being reimagined to focus on family experiences.
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2026
The family travel boom is reshaping the world¡¯s most romantic resorts
Some traditionally adults-only enclaves are being reimagined to focus on family experiences with the help of direct flights, larger accommodations and immersive activities.
Tujiko Noriko¡¯s album ¡°PON¡± is dedicated to Ponpon, her late cat, and includes field recordings of her family life in France.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 3, 2026
Tujiko Noriko¡¯s new album is a feline tour de force
On tour in Japan this month, the France-based artist talks about channeling her ¡°crazy cat woman¡± energy into musical creation and finding harmony in dissonance.
Hitoshi Kato (left), head of San-ikukai Hospital in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, speaks during a news conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 3, 2026
Tokyo hospital baby hatch accepts 20 newborns in first year
Seven of the babies were born under conditions of confidentiality, with only a few hospital workers knowing their mothers¡¯ identities.
One year after lifting its long-standing two-child limit, Vietnam is actively encouraging people to have more babies as the country risks getting old before it gets rich.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 2, 2026
Vietnam unveils ¡®baby bonus¡¯ after scrapping two-child policy
A new population law and regulations coming into effect extend maternity leave from six to seven months for mothers having a second child as well as offer financial help.
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
LGBTQ+ people in Japan face such limited fertility treatment options, they could ultimately be deprived of the right to safely start a family.
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 29, 2026
Inside Â鶹´«Ã½ rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
Beyond the paperwork and the language barrier, James Benstead says the hardest part about adopting in Japan was the waiting.
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn¡¯t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 28, 2026
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
Japan does not offer same-sex couples the same legal rights and benefits granted to married couples.
Â鶹´«Ã½ population decline continues to accelerate despite some modest positive signs, highlighting the need for broader social, economic and cultural changes to raise the birth rate.
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 2026
A bleak prognosis for Â鶹´«Ã½ demographic future
The most recent government statistics show fertility rates hitting record lows ¡ª again.
The Kyoto District Court in the city of Kyoto heard a complaint Wednesday from a man who says his estranged wife presented someone else's sperm as his and was able to undergo successful fertility treatment using it without his awareness.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 4, 2026
Man sues hospital after wife gives birth using someone else¡¯s sperm
The woman was sentenced in April 2025 for forging the man¡¯s consent form, but the hospital said it gave adequate explanation and that the man¡¯s claims are incorrect.
Expectant mothers who were exposed to severe heat during their 19th week of pregnancy faced a 16% higher risk of preterm birth than those who were not, a study found.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 4, 2026
Extreme heat raises risk of preterm births, research shows
Findings indicate that women are particularly susceptible to the effects of heat between the 16th and 22nd weeks of pregnancy.
Low income, difficulties meeting a partner and balancing work with raising a child are some of the factors playing a role in Japan's declining fertility rate, the Children and Families Agency said.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 3, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ births hit new low, but drop less severe than previous years
The 2.2% decrease in the number of births recorded in Japan was a relatively modest drop compared to the year-on-year 5% decline seen over the past several years.
Noninvasive prenatal testing has gained popularity as an alternative to conventional tests due to its lower stress levels for mothers.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2026
More pregnant women in Japan undergo prenatal checkups
Noninvasive prenatal testing has gained popularity as an alternative to conventional tests due to its lower stress levels for mothers.
China¡¯s one-child policy helped create weak domestic consumption, overwork, youth unemployment and demographic decline, fueling the rise of ¡°lying flat¡± culture ¡ª a threat to the country¡¯s long-term economic sustainability.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2026
Why have China¡¯s young people become so fed up?
Decades of misguided economic policymaking have left China in a demographic hole that it seems incapable of climbing out of.
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
¡®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.
She is Russia¡¯s richest woman. Her business empire is going up in flames.
Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of Wildberries, speaks about Ukrainian drone attacks on the company's warehouses in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unidentified location, in this still image from a handout video released on July 31.
Severe tropical storm Chan-hom makes landfall near Tokyo
Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom made landfall around Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Tuesday night.
What Â鶹´«Ã½ language rules for permanent residency should look like
Potential health care workers hoping to find work in Japan take Japanese language instruction in Jakarta. Not all applicants for permanent residency should be expected to reach this level of proficiency.
Ikarigata closer to emulating older brother Fujinokawa than many think
The future Fujinokawa (third from left) and Ikarigata (right) compete against each other at ages 5 and 3, respectively.
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.

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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