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August 11, 2026
 

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POVERTY

Naoto Takenaka (left) and Mugi Kadowaki star as a homeless man and social worker who team up to investigate the identity of a dead man in Chinese director Qi Wang¡¯s ¡°Ghost of Ueno.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Aug 7, 2026
¡®Ghost of Ueno¡¯: A human drama about the invisible among us
Chinese director Qi Wang¡¯s film examines the plight of the homeless and disenfranchised in Japan with a humanist lens.
A woman fetches drinking water from an unprotected well, as Zimbabwe is experiencing an El Nino-induced drought, in July 2024.
WORLD
Aug 5, 2026
Strong El Nino could push 49 million more into acute hunger, U.N. agency says
The U.N. agency said in a report that there was an 81% chance of a very ?strong ?El Nino event.
People shelter from the heat under umbrellas in Seoul on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 5, 2026
Heat wave divides rich and poor of upmarket Seoul
In the affluent district of Gangnam, access to air conditioning now defines the line between the haves and the have-nots.
A homeless person near Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. Authorities have warned the public to avoid unnecessary outings and advised people to stay in air-conditioned spaces, but for people who are homeless this is often not an option.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Aug 3, 2026
For Â鶹´«Ã½ aging homeless population, brutal summers are dangerously inescapable
At a time when temperatures are regularly reaching dangerous levels, people without homes are increasingly vulnerable to heatstroke.
Hitoshi Kikawada, minister for consumer affairs and food safety, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 28, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ consumer agency certifies food banks for first time
The certification program was rolled out in response to concerns over risks such as food poisoning and the resale of donated food items.
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.
The rate of elementary and junior high school students requiring financial aid for school expenses among all students attending public schools was 13.36% in fiscal 2024.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 8, 2026
Number of students receiving financial aid for school falls for 13th year
Â鶹´«Ã½ central government offers financial aid for school expenses to those living on welfare, while boards of education can offer assistance based on their own criteria.
Pallet Shelters stand inside a Tiny Home Village managed by Hope The Mission for interim homeless housing in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles on June 1.
WORLD / Society
Jun 8, 2026
Tiny homes see tiny boost for Los Angeles homeless as World Cup nears
Visitors are frequently struck by the staggering levels of homelessness in a city that also has pockets of astonishing wealth.
Children sing the national anthem at a school, under an overpass in Mumbai.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 7, 2026
India school under overpass offers lifeline to street children
Despite laws guaranteeing free schooling for children aged six to 14, poverty and migration continue to keep many out of classrooms.
A survey among junior high school students found that the delinquency rate was highest, at 12.2%, among respondents who had experienced parental violence and whose families are not financially comfortable.
JAPAN / Society
May 13, 2026
Children facing parental violence more likely to turn to delinquency
A group of researchers surveyed students at five junior high schools in the Kansai region between December 2024 and January 2025 for the study.
An orphaned Sudanese child eats a free meal at a camp in eastern Chad in November.
WORLD / Society
Apr 24, 2026
Ten countries are home to two-thirds of world¡¯s most hungry: U.N.-backed report
Improvements in some countries, such as Bangladesh and Syria, were ¡°almost fully offset by notable deteriorations¡± in Afghanistan, Congo, Myanmar and Zimbabwe, the report said.
Many mothers have difficulty preparing child care products for their babies as they cannot work as much as they want due to pregnancy or childbirth.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 24, 2026
Half of disadvantaged mothers in Japan lack child care products, survey finds
When asked about concerns, 88% of respondents said they could not work as much as they wanted to due to pregnancy or childbirth.
Under the program to support the so-called employment ice age generation, information on job changes that would lead to wage increases will be provided at Hello Work public job placement offices nationwide.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2026
Government adopts support program for ¡®Ice Age¡¯ generation
The term refers to people who had trouble finding jobs after graduating from school in the wake of the collapse of Â鶹´«Ã½ bubble economy in the early 1990s.
Lee Chang-wol walks to her church through the Guryong Village shantytown in the Gangnam district of Seoul on March 22.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 30, 2026
¡®Nowhere else to go¡¯: The squatters in the richest part of Seoul
Having lived in the Gangnam district¡¯s Guryong Village for nearly 40 years, many are resistant to take the city¡¯s offer to leave and may face eviction.
A Bangladeshi student seeking support from Food Bank Sendai shows the only money he has remaining, in Sendai in December.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Feb 16, 2026
Food bank sees surge in requests for support from foreign students
The organization says such students cannot depend on support from their family back home due to factors such as political instability.
People wade through floodwaters brought by Tropical Storm Penha in Iligan, Lanao del Norte province, Philippines, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 10, 2026
Climate risk threatens credit ratings for dozens of countries
Several countries, including the Bahamas, Jamaica and the Philippines, face among the highest physical risk pressure on credit by 2050, an analysis shows.
Wealth taxes are difficult to implement, risk reducing growth and capital and cannot solve the structural fiscal challenges facing aging societies and overpromising governments.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2026
Wealth taxes don¡¯t work no matter where they¡¯re imposed
Rich people, like all humans, respond to incentives ¡ª and there just aren¡¯t enough rich people to pay for everything.
Around 76% of young people saw an increase in their monthly food spending, with some reducing the number of meals they eat to cut costs.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 27, 2025
Many young people in Japan struggling with rising food costs, survey finds
Around 76% of young people saw an increase in their monthly food spending, with some reducing the number of meals they eat to cut costs.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders take part in the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour event in Bakersfield, California, in April.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2025
The risks of Democrats embracing eat-the-rich populism
Bashing the wealthy, especially when Trump surrounds himself with billionaires and trims the White House in Gilded-Age gold, is an easy layup.
Kidsdoor head Yumiko Watanabe presents the results of a recent survey on Dec. 10 in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 23, 2025
Survey shows 98% of struggling families with children experiencing hardship
Asked about the impact of surging prices, respondents said they had become unable to save money, needed to reduce meals, and were limiting utility use.
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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