Japan
‘Please do it at home’: Viral post challenges praise for Japanese World Cup fans
Japanese World Cup fans once again drew international praise this week after supporters were seen cleaning up stadium stands following matches. Within hours, a viral social media post challenged the…
Japan museum accused of whitewashing Nanjing Massacre
Advisers to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum have recommended replacing “Nanjing Massacre” with “Nanjing Incident” in a draft exhibit revision, drawing criticism over how one of Japan’s most prominent…
How Japan’s breakfast culture became part of chrononutrition science
In Japan, breakfast has long been treated as a proper meal: rice, soup, fish and fermented foods eaten before work or school. Researchers now say those routines may align closely with how the body…
The Japanese franchise behind ‘Power Rangers’ ends after 51 years
“Super Sentai,” the long-running Japanese franchise that became the backbone of “Power Rangers,” aired its latest season finale on Feb. 8. The episode ended “No.1 Sentai Gozyuger” and marked 51…
Shinzo Abe’s killer sentenced to life in prison
A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami to life in prison for the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, concluding a case that exposed deep ties between Japan’s…
South Korea and Japan leaders end Nara summit with K-pop drum performance
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi concluded a two-day bilateral summit in Nara on Jan. 14 with a closing moment few observers would have predicted. The…
Japan eyes tripling departure tax to combat overtourism
Japan is weighing a plan to triple its departure tax from 1,000 yen ($6.40) to 3,000 yen ($19.20) per person as record visitor numbers fuel growing concerns about overtourism’s toll on local…
Beijing unleashes economic pressure on Japan over escalating Taiwan dispute
Japan dispatched a senior diplomat to Beijing Monday to calm a deepening dispute after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that Tokyo might respond militarily to a Chinese attack on Taiwan.…
Shibutani siblings address leaked video of Alex berating Maia
Olympic ice dancers Alex and Maia Shibutani broke their silence in Osaka on Nov. 7 after a leaked video showed Alex swearing at his sister during training before the NHK Trophy Grand Prix event. The…
Japan’s sushi master Jiro Ono turns 100
Tokyo sushi chef Jiro Ono, founder of the world-renowned Sukiyabashi Jiro, turned 100 on Monday, marking a century of dedication to his craft. The celebrated Ginza restaurant, which became the first…
Accused assassin of Japan’s Shinzo Abe confesses
Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of assassinating Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, confessed to the killing as his murder trial began Tuesday in Nara, western Japan. The 45-year-old told…
Japan elects its 1st woman prime minister — but will it advance gender equality?
Sanae Takaichi has become Japan’s first woman prime minister since the country established its modern parliamentary system 140 years ago, yet her ultraconservative ideology has left questions whether…
Japan warns OpenAI over AI-generated anime rip-offs
The Japanese government has instructed OpenAI to prevent copyright violations after its Sora 2 video-generation tool produced clips imitating well-known anime. Minister of State for Intellectual…
Japanese scientist awarded Nobel Prize for immune tolerance discovery
Japanese immunologist Shimon Sakaguchi was named one of three laureates for the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday. He shares the recognition with U.S. scientists Mary Brunkow and…
Japan to confirm its 1st woman leader
Japan is set to appoint its first female prime minister after Sanae Takaichi won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership election in Tokyo over the weekend. The 64-year-old…
Japan says its recognition of Palestinian state a matter of ‘when’
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba conveyed this week that recognizing Palestine as a state is “not a matter of ‘if,’ but of ‘when,’” marking the strongest signal yet from Tokyo on Palestinian…
Racehorse who never won a race but won Japan’s heart dies at 29
Haru Urara, the Japanese racehorse who became a national symbol of endurance after finishing winless in all 113 of her races, died on Sept. 9 at age 29 at a farm in Chiba Prefecture. She completed…
Japan auto tariffs cut down to 15%
American consumers will see reduced costs for Japanese vehicles under a new trade agreement that cuts import tariffs from 27.5% to 15% on automobiles. An executive order signed by President Donald…
Japan’s Suntory CEO steps down amid THC supplement investigation
Takeshi Niinami resigned as CEO of Japanese beverage maker Suntory on Monday after police launched an investigation into his purchase of a supplement suspected of containing THC. The psychoactive…
Australia’s 1st Chinese comfort women statue languishes in garage out of public view
Australia’s first statue honoring Chinese women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II remains without a permanent home in Melbourne, where it has been mostly stored…
Japan sees largest population drop in history as births fall to record low
The world’s fourth-largest economy is facing its most severe demographic crisis yet. Japan’s population fell by more than 908,000 people in 2024, the largest annual decline since records began in…
Sixth-largest earthquake in world history caused whales to beach on Japanese coast
A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula early Wednesday, immediately triggering tsunami warnings for Japan and the U.S. The quake, one of the six largest ever…
Ichiro Suzuki makes history as the 1st Asian MLB Hall of Famer
Ichiro Suzuki was officially inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27, becoming the first Asian-born player ever to receive the sport’s highest honor. The 51-year-old Aichi native,…
Trump unveils major Asia trade deals as deadline approaches
President Donald Trump announced new trade agreements with Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia this week as the Trump-imposed August 1 tariff deadline approaches. Japan
Trump-inspired ‘Japanese First’ party gains ground in Japan
Sanseito, a Japanese populist party that draws inspiration from Donald Trump’s politics, is gaining support ahead of Sunday’s upper house elections, suggesting a notable shift in the country’s…
Trump warns ‘Mr Japan’ of steep tariffs ahead of July 9 deadline
President Donald Trump said he plans to send a letter to “Mr Japan” warning of renewed U.S. tariffs if no trade agreement is reached by July 9. Speaking to Fox News on July 1, Trump said: “I could…
Condom prank in Tokyo continues ‘sushi terrorism’ trend in Japan
A 16-year-old boy in Tokyo has been referred to prosecutors after allegedly posting a photo of an unwrapped condom placed in the plate collection slot of a Kura Sushi restaurant. The incident…
Japan, US commemorate Battle of Okinawa 80th anniversary
Japan recently marked 80 years since the end of the Battle of Okinawa, the final and bloodiest ground battle of World War II in the Pacific. A memorial ceremony was held on June 23 at Mabuni Hill in…
Japan bans flashy baby names like ‘Nike,’ ‘Pikachu’
Japan’s parliament passed legislation in late May establishing standards for children’s name pronunciations, addressing disputes over creative interpretations of traditional characters. What you need…
Nearly half of Japanese workforce engages in ‘quiet quitting’: survey
Around 45% of full-time employees in Japan are “quiet quitting,” a practice where workers do only what their roles require, without extra effort, according to a recent survey of 3,000 workers by…
Chinese man claims he defaced Tokyo shrine over Fukushima discharge
Jiang Zhuojun, a 29-year-old Chinese national living in Japan, pleaded guilty to charges of property damage and disrespecting a place of worship in Tokyo District Court on Friday. Jiang, who was…
Japanese American photographer dies weeks after unprovoked attack in New York
Yasuomi Hashimura, a renowned 79-year-old Japanese American photographer, tragically died on Nov. 11, succumbing to injuries sustained weeks earlier in an unprovoked attack. Hashimura was allegedly…
Bank employees in Japan sign 146-year-old ‘suicide pledge’ to deter theft
Employees at Shikoku Bank in Japan have signed a pledge vowing to “commit suicide” if they are found guilty of financial wrongdoing. The pledge, which dates back to 1878 when the bank was founded as…
Burger King Japan releases a very Japanese Whopper
Burger King Japan has released a Whopper with rice sandwiched between two rice-made buns. Dubbed the “Kyoto Whopper,” the burger contains the traditional Burger King patty, lettuce, onion and tomato.…
Japanese police obtain arrest warrant for Chinese teen accused of defacing controversial Tokyo shrine
Japanese police have obtained an arrest warrant on Thursday for a Chinese teenager accused of vandalizing a Tokyo shrine with graffiti, seemingly mimicking an act at the same site earlier this year.…
Japanese man runs marathon in honor of wife, 3 children who died in earthquake
A Japanese man is making headlines for running a marathon to honor his family who died in an earthquake earlier this year. Keisuke Oma, a 42-year-old police officer in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture,…
