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August 11, 2026
 

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TAXES

The National Tax Agency in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2026
Tax official dismissed over fraud and dodging tax on gambling winnings
Authorities have referred the official to prosecutors on suspicion of fraud and filed a criminal complaint for violating the income tax law.
Despite months of debate, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi failed to gain consensus within the Liberal Democratic Party on a two-year reduction of the consumption tax.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 7, 2026
Will Takaichi¡¯s consumption tax cut break the LDP?
Debate on the consumption tax debate has become a test of party cohesion for the LDP under the prime minister¡¯s leadership.
A restaurant in Tokyo in August 2024. Restaurant operators are poised to expand take-home meals to cope with a wider tax gap between eat-in meals and takeout foods.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2026
Japanese businesses brace for tax cut
Restaurant operators are poised to expand take-home meals, such as bento boxed meals and other precooked dishes, to cope with a wider tax gap between eat-in meals and takeout.
The effort to cut consumption tax on food has created a rift between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and several senior members of her own party who are openly critical of the plan.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 5, 2026
Takaichi¡¯s Cabinet approves consumption tax cut on food
While the majority of the Liberal Democratic Party endorsed the cut, some party veterans opposed lowering the tax rate, fearing it will lead to economic and political chaos.
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.
Members of the Liberal Democratic Party's tax and social security panels hold a meeting on Monday to discuss a consumption tax cut.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 3, 2026
LDP members worry about two-year tax cut¡¯s impact on 2028 poll
Under the plan, the consumption tax rate on food will be lowered to 1% for two years from next April.
Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the opposition Democratic Party for the People, speaks at a meeting with supporters in the city of Wakayama on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 3, 2026
Opposition DPP not to join ruling bloc for now, citing consumption tax cut
Some in the LDP sought to realize the DPP¡¯s participation before an extraordinary session of parliament is convened possibly this autumn.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announces a plan to lower the consumption tax rate on food items at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on July 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 2, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ politically sensitive consumption tax faces first-ever cut
Takaichi has championed a proposal to lower the tax rate on food purchased at stores, which would mark the first cut to the rate since it was implemented in 1989.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a meeting with Liberal Democratic Party executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 30, 2026
Takaichi announces plan to lower consumption tax rate on food to 1%
The decision comes despite opposition party criticism and concerns among fellow LDP members about how lost revenue ¡ª ?5 trillion annually ¡ª from the reduction would be covered.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Itsunori Onodera, who chairs the National Council, speaks in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 29, 2026
Takaichi finalizing plan to cut consumption tax rate on food products
The prime minister is expected to make a formal decision on the matter as early as Thursday.
A reduction of the sales tax on food has made slow progress as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi opted for multiparty talks that failed to reach a consensus.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 28, 2026
Takaichi¡¯s long-term vision may fail to dispel inflation angst
The one issue on which voters sought quick and clear action ¡ª a reduction of the sales tax on food ¡ª has made slow progress.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a budget committee session at the Lower House in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 27, 2026
After a legislative sweep, Takaichi faces public confidence test
A recent poll shows 71% of respondents disapproved of the government¡¯s response to rising living costs as talks remain stalled over a reduction of the consumption tax for food.
The 55-year-old former president of New Look, who goes by the name Shigenori Kanemoto, is suspected of evading some ?367 million in income tax by concealing about ?2.276 billion in income in 2023.
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2026
Former head of Japanese barbecue chain arrested over tax evasion
The 55-year-old former president of New Look is suspected of evading some ?367 million in income tax by concealing about ?2.276 billion in income in 2023.
LDP lawmaker Itsunori Onodera (right), who chairs the National Council on Social Security, in Tokyo on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 16, 2026
Parties agree on new benefit program but stay divided over consumption tax on food
While there is agreement to a refundable tax credit for certain workers, debate on cutting the consumption tax on food is expected to intensify.
Reika Kuroki and an advertising agency where she serves as president were charged with evading corporate and other taxes totaling ?157 million in the year through January 2021 and the two years through January 2024.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 15, 2026
Japanese social media influencer given suspended sentence over tax evasion
The Tokyo District Court also imposed a fine of ?40 million on an advertising agency for which influencer Reika Kuroki serves as president.
Neyagawa Mayor Keisuke Hirose speaks to reporters in the city in Osaka Prefecture on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2026
City in Osaka Prefecture to tax vacant houses from fiscal 2029
Annual revenue from the tax is estimated to reach ?139 million, which will be used for measures against crimes and natural disasters.
Britain¡¯s King Charles III inspects a guard of honor during a ceremony at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on June 23.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2026
King Charles just got a lot more treasure
Charles¡¯ mother Queen Elizabeth II began paying tax only after a public outcry at the government¡¯s decision to pay for expensive repairs to Windsor Castle after a fire in 1992.
Record growth in tax revenues reflects higher wages and corporate earnings, as well as a rise in the value of consumption amid inflation.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2026
Japan tax revenues hit record ?84 trillion in fiscal 2025
The growth reflected higher wages and corporate earnings, as well as a rise in the value of consumption amid inflation.
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ?3,000 from ?1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2026
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Previously set at ?1,000, the tax has risen to ?3,000 for all travelers departing Japan, regardless of nationality.
The Hakuba Cross-Country Course in the village of Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture, in February. For a third year in a row, roadside land prices in the village have increased at the highest rate across Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2026
Roadside land prices rise in popular Japanese tourist sites
Across the board, the prices of land facing major roads in Japan as of Jan. 1 went up by 2.9%, marking a fifth consecutive year of increases.
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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