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January 03, 2026

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January 03, 2026

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Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters after a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.

JAPAN / Politics

In call, Takaichi and Trump agree to work toward spring visit to U.S.

By Jesse Johnson

The Japanese leader avoided a clear answer to a question about whether China’s large-scale military exercises around Taiwan earlier this week had been broached during the talks.

U.S. urges China to halt military pressure on Taiwan, days after Japan and others

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters after a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.

Lawmakers in kimonos attend a session of the Lower House in Tokyo in January 2023. For nearly a half century, the chamber operated under a multiseat district system. But following revisions to the election law in 1994, the current model of single-seat districts and proportional representation seats was introduced. Now, there is a growing debate in parliament about returning the body's current electoral system to what it once was.

JAPAN / Politics

Debate grows on reforming Lower House electoral system

By Eric Johnston

Some argue the flaws in the current system could be fixed by returning to the old one. Others aren’t so sure.

Yu Ishikawa, Mercari’s head of cross-border business development, says the platform has an unmatched lineup of unique Japanese items.

BUSINESS / Companies

Mercari goes global with anime and manga leading the way

By Kazuaki Nagata

It wants to be the go-to marketplace for international customers seeking high-quality Japanese entertainment products.

Imperial family members greet well-wishers during a New Year’s gathering at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday.

JAPAN

Imperial family members host New Year’s gathering

In his speech, the emperor expressed concern for those still facing difficulties due to last year’s major natural disasters.

Spanish restaurant Miguel Juani serves five different types of paella.

LIFE / Food & Drink

Start 2026 with familiar flavors of home

By Shyam Bhardwa

For foreign residents in Japan during the new year, homesickness can creep in. We show you where to go to feed your nostalgia.

Spanish restaurant Miguel Juani serves five different types of paella.

An event to facilitate cooperation between local municipalities and colleges is held in Tokyo in November.

Rural municipalities working with students from urban areas on regional revitalization.

The project is aimed at securing human resources for community development and creating "related populations," or people who are continuously involved in regional communities.

The Unification Church’s headquarters in Seoul

Unification Church reportedly backed 290 LDP lawmakers in 2021 poll

The figure compares with the Liberal Democratic Party’s announcement in 2022 that 180 of its lawmakers had ties with the group.

Noto quake victims mourned on second anniversary

Japan Times 1926: Premier Kato is dead; victim to influenza after short illness

Takaichi vows to press ahead with reforms in New Year's message

In New Year’s message, emperor reflects anew on preciousness of peace

Customers check out items at Sogo & Seibu's Sogo store in Yokohama on Friday.

New Year's sales start at major department stores

Sogo & Seibu's Sogo store in Yokohama prepared about 30,000 lucky bags, including ?2,026 packages containing jackets for men.

After breaking 50,000 in 2025, the Nikkei 2025 is not seen hitting 60,000 in 2026.

No 60,000 Nikkei 225 likely in 2026, unless the AI bubble remains extra bubbly

By Francis Tang

Analysts are looking for the benchmark index to reach the mid-50,000 range.

Japan retailers racing to offer low-priced goods amid inflation

Delivery of the future begins in aspiring smart city Minami-Osawa

By Aiko Imaizumi

Japan CEOs halt annual trip to China for first time in 13 years

SoftBank lifts OpenAI stake to 11% with $41 billion investment

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday

How Russia and Ukraine are fighting to shape Trump’s view of the war

By Constant Meheut

Off the battlefield, each side is trying to influence Trump’s perception of the conflict as they look to negotiate a peace settlement.

Flowers are left on the sidewalk as an impromptu memorial to those killed in a fire at a bar in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Thursday.

Swiss investigators rush to identify victims of New Year’s fire

It is not yet clear what set off the blaze, in which around 40 people have died and at least 115 others have suffered injuries.

The lure of a rising Asian metropolis? No traffic.

By Sui-Lee Wee

Daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un makes first public visit to state mausoleum

Russia and Ukraine trade allegations of civilian attacks on New Year's Day

Maduro elusive on U.S. attack and says he is open to dialogue

Lions ace Tatsuya Imai throws during the NPB All-Star Series at Yokohama Stadium in July.

Astros reportedly reach deal with former Seibu ace Tatsuya Imai

The contract is a three-year deal with opt-outs that includes $54 million in ?guarantees and could be worth up ?to $63 million, ?per the report.

Heat top East-leading Pistons in fourth straight win

Venus Williams gets Australian Open wildcard aged 45

Unbeaten outdoors, Rangers hit Miami for Winter Classic versus Panthers

Premier League rings in New Year with goal drought as Man City loses ground

By Martyn Herman

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, meets with his North Korean and Russian counterparts, Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin, during the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing in September.??

Buckle up for a volatile year of Trump-Xi, Taiwan and Kim

Karishma Vaswani

Asia in 2026 is not on the brink of war. But the region will be more volatile than it has been in recent memory.

AI Is getting dangerously good at political persuasion

By Parmy Olson

How democracies learn to goose-step

By Kaushik Basu

Repeat after me: Never, ever underestimate China.

By Shuli Ren

Building infrastructure for the AI age

By Diane Coyle

Houses burned down by the Palisades Fire in Malibu, California. The widespread wildfires represented the most costly climate-linked disaster of 2025, in financial terms.

In 2025, climate policy was shoved aside even as extreme weather intensified

By Tomoko Otake

This year was not a good one for environmentalists or climate scientists as action against warming faced headwinds around the world.

How German engineers are building future-proof forests

By Joanna Gill

North Sea project promises to return carbon to exactly where it came from

Step aside fashion police, here comes fashion immigration

Hydrogen plays part in global warming, study says

Gianmarco Soresi is known online for his crowd work, asking audiences to dish out family drama, and sharing his love of musical theater.

Comedian Gianmarco counts on naughty 'Dragon Ball' words to help him in Tokyo

By Zoria Petkoska

The New York-based Gianmarco Soresi is hyped to see how his style of crowd work plays with audiences in Asia on his first tour to this side of the world.

NHK drama series returns to Sengoku-Period spectacle

By Alyssa I. Smith

A year of plenty: Endless art shows, subtle curation of themes

By Jennifer Pastore, Thu-Huong Ha and Zoria Petkoska

Brigitte Bardot, sex symbol turned animal activist, dies age 91

From trash to treasure: How anime became a museum staple

By Matt Schley

Since all 22 kilns in Suzu were destroyed in the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, many of the local potters came together for a joint firing in the municipal kiln.

Noto's Suzu ware reemerges from the earthquake rubble

By Jessica Kozuka

Two years after the 2024 earthquake and tsunami, Noto potters find purpose in carrying on their craft.

Running hot in 2026: What's in store for the Year of the Fire Horse

By Kathryn Wortley

The enduring charm of 91仓库 oldest Edo Period amusement park

By Aiko Imaizumi

Japan’s milestone birthdays: Why 60, 77, 80, 88 and 99 matter so much

By Yaeko Kabe

In 2025, Asia got tough on nuisance streamers. Japan did not.

By Owen Ziegler

Anton (right) came to Japan in 1975 and, through her participation in the community, formed long-lasting relationships with her neighbors.

Making a home in Japan with holiday meals and memories

By Karen Hill Anton

An American writer reflects on Christmas cake, New Year’s food and the communities she has found in Japan over the course of 50 years.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

With double fire in play, 2026 favors visibility, creativity and breakthroughs — but demands balance to avoid burnout.

Running hot in 2026: What's in store for the Year of the Fire Horse

By Kathryn Wortley

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