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August 13, 2026
 

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TOYS

Buyers look at carts of stuffed toys as they wait to bid on them at the Hamaya wholesale auction site in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama Prefecture, on May 14.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2026
Demand for used goods from Japan grows overseas
In Japan, the thriving secondhand goods market has doubled in value since 2010, according to market researchers, and multiple Japanese reuse companies are expanding across Asia.
Dry-cleaning professional Masakazu Shimura brushes a soft toy at Cleaning Yonmarusan in Fuefuki, Yamanashi Prefecture, on April 27.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Japan cleaner goes viral with spa-like service for plushies
Videos of the meticulous care that cuddly toys receive at Cleaning Yonmarusan have mesmerized fans on social media, attracting customers from around the world.
Online searches for "toys for girls" overwhelmingly return pink-themed products like beads and makeup sets, surrounding girls with pink objects from an early age before they are even aware of gender expectations.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 31, 2026
Calls for more variety as girls still bombarded with gender-coded pink products
There are growing efforts in Japan to move away from color stereotypes, with products such as toy kitchen sets and dolls now more often offered in neutral tones.
Mini Labubu toys are displayed at a Pop Mart store in Beijing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 16, 2026
Pop Mart bets on post-Labubu future with new toys
The shift will test whether Pop Mart is a one-hit wonder or a durable hit factory capable of competing long term with the likes of Walt Disney and Hello Kitty owner Sanrio.
With Mirumi, a fluffy-furred robot bag charm, robotics firm Yukai Engineering hopes to replicate the Labubu craze in Western countries.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 24, 2026
A fluffy pink robot may be Â鶹´«Ã½ answer to Labubu
Mirumi, whose goal is to ¡°steal your heart,¡± arrives as the ¡°kidult¡± market is projected to climb.
A collection of wooden toy cars is displayed at the family home of Koshiro Kido, a boy who died from childhood cancer at the age of 13 in 2021.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Feb 9, 2026
Campaign aims to raise funds in memory of boy who loved woodcraft
Yasunobu Tsuruta crafted wooden toys with Koshiro Kido, who later died of pediatric cancer at the age of 13.
Crying horse plush toys sit on display ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, at Yiwu International Trade City in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, China, on Jan. 21.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 26, 2026
Accidental ¡®crying horse¡¯ toy wins hearts in China
A manufacturing mistake turned into a viral bestseller for a small shop in Yiwu.
Staff members of Stand-by Amusement Company stand by claw crane game machines during the Amusement Expo 2025 in Tokyo in November.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 23, 2026
Hooked on the claw: How crane games conquered Â鶹´«Ã½ arcades
¡°Crane games are keeping the sector afloat,¡± said Morihiro Shigihara, an industry expert and former arcade manager.
Labubu dolls by toy company Pop Market are displayed during a press preview at an AliExpress pop-up shop in London on Nov. 11.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 16, 2025
Pop Mart¡¯s Labubu risks Beanie Baby-style collapse, analyst says
The Labubu craze is about to peak, and doubts about the next sales driver for owner Pop Mart International Group?suggest its shares have limited upside, an analyst says.
Science-themed toy electronics kits for children from the brand MicroKits. When tariffs on Chinese imports spiked above 100% this spring, MicroKits¡¯ founder temporarily stopped importing and slowed down production.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 3, 2025
A toy-maker takes his case against Trump¡¯s tariffs to the Supreme Court
The U.S. president¡¯s tariffs have hit small- and medium-sized businesses particularly hard.
Children play with the AED-themed Toy Cocoro.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 7, 2025
Hokkaido company president develops defibrillator toy to promote awareness
The toy sold out soon after going on sale last autumn, but it will be available for purchase again next March.
The latest version of Tamagotchi, called Tamagotchi Paradise, is awarded the best digital toy at Tokyo Toy Show on Aug. 28.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 2, 2025
Tamagotchi hatches 100 million shipments worldwide thanks to ¡¯90s nostalgia
Fueled by nostalgia and ¡°kidults,¡± the Tamagotchi boom shows no sign of slowing.
A pop-up advertisement for the newly opened Chiikawa Park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro neighborhood demonstrates how the country is chockful of cute characters ¡ª to the detriment of trends like Labubu.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 23, 2025
Character-crazed Japan has little appetite for Labubu
The monster dolls may be driving fans wild elsewhere, but Japan has long had plenty of its own domestically produced characters that know exactly what consumers want.
A boy and his father walk through the toy section of Walmart in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 29, 2019.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 24, 2025
Toy makers nix batteries and other materials to save costs amid tariff war
The duties imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are particularly painful for companies like Hasbro and Mattel, as 80% of toys sold in the U.S. come from China.
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2025
From Hokusai¡¯s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
There is plenty of room for Lego to grow in Japan, but the low birth rate is undeniably a challenge.
"Handguns" sold over online shopping websites. The National Police Agency has issued a warning about toy pistols sold online that are capable of firing live ammunition.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 27, 2025
Police issue warning over toy pistols capable of firing live rounds
Possession of such products constitutes a violation of the firearms and swords control law, the National Police Agency said.
Tomy's time-honored Kurohige Kiki Ippatsu, or Pop-Up Pirate, is set to go through its first rule change in 30 years in July.
JAPAN / Society
May 19, 2025
Nostalgic games and toys spark renewed interest in Japan
Products from bygone decades have evoked nostalgic memories for adults of a certain age while piquing fresh interest among the younger generation.
Huntar Company CEO Jason Cheung adjusts some of the toys on display at his office in Union City, California, on May 8. His company manufactures toys in China for clients in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 13, 2025
Tariffs crippled U.S.-owned factory in China that made toys for Walmart
Huntar Company CEO Jason Cheung says his company would survive if tariffs come down quickly. If they don¡¯t, he¡¯d lose everything.
Kaz Shiomi is looking forward to the Osaka Expo this year, which will be held from April 13 to Oct. 13.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 10, 2025
Kaz Shiomi: ¡®I want to show people ¡­ how to color outside the lines¡¯
Producing toys under her kiko+ & gg* brand, the business owner hopes to encourage children to find their own unique paths in life.
Gifting secondhand used to have a bad rap, but it doesn¡¯t carry the taboo it once did.
BUSINESS
Dec 14, 2024
How to buy a secondhand gift someone might actually want
Gifting secondhand used to have a bad rap, but thanks to more environmentally conscious consumers, it doesn¡¯t carry the taboo it once did.
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.
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.
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.

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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