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April 13, 2026
 

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Michael MacArthur Bosack

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Michael MacArthur Bosack
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at the Lower House plenary session on Thursday as the bill to upgrade the nation¡¯s intelligence framework was put to debate.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 6, 2026
Japan¡¯s much-needed intel debate could cost Takaichi political points
While the Liberal Democratic Party will not likely face major obstacles in the intelligence debate, it still could weigh down Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration.
Japan¡¯s tonal shift about China is likely less a dramatic shift in Tokyo¡¯s approach to Beijing, and more of a reflection of both long-standing policy trends and a response to recent flare-ups.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 26, 2026
Japan¡¯s change of China¡¯s description is not a 'significant shift'
Tokyo's adjusted phrasing is likely more a reflection of both long-standing policy trends and a response to recent flare-ups.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks with Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama during a plenary session of the House of Councilors in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 25, 2026
Takaichi prepares provisional budget as the nature of debate shifts
The development has provided ammunition for the opposition to accuse the Takaichi administration for political mismanagement.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi delivers a speech during the House of Representatives plenary session in Tokyo last month.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 18, 2026
Japan¡¯s push to mediate conflicts meets familiar limits
Tokyo's past efforts to broker peace have had mixed results, and questions remain about how Japan will handle the Iran war.
Tankers sail in the Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz in United Arab Emirates on March 11. Discussions in Tokyo about escorting Japanese vessels have centered on whether this would require parliamentary or Cabinet approval.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 17, 2026
How Tokyo politicians view the Iran war
While government officials deny the possibility of an immediate Self-Defense Forces deployment, U.S. calls for support mean discussions are sure to intensify.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in an Upper House Budget Committee on Monday. With the fiscal deadline approaching, the prime minister's government is facing pressure to secure enough support to pass the budget while avoiding accusations it is ramming legislation through parliament.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 16, 2026
LDP tries to move carefully but quickly as budget deadline looms
The budget cleared the Lower House, where the LDP's ruling bloc has a supermajority, but the path through the Upper House is much less certain.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers questions at the Lower House Budget Committee on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 10, 2026
Can the U.S. ask for Japan¡¯s help in the Iran war?
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says the Middle East conflict is not a ¡°survival-threatening situation¡± for Japan thus far.
A Self-Defense Forces transport plane departs for the Maldives at Komaki Air Base in Aichi Prefecture early Sunday.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Mar 9, 2026
In Iran conflict, Japan shows improved evacuation readiness
Japan¡¯s response underscores both Tokyo¡¯s growing security role overseas and the diplomatic balancing act between Washington and Gulf states hosting Japanese nationals.
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un cross the Military Demarcation Line that divides North and South Korea after Trump briefly stepped over to the northern side on June 30, 2019.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 1, 2026
Takaichi, Trump and Japan-North Korea relations
North Korea has given no space for engagement on the issues most relevant to Japan ¡ª that is, the abductee issue and denuclearization.
Claims by China that Japan is returning to militarism are misleading because legal and institutional constraints make such a shift unlikely and current defense reforms reflect practical responses to changing regional threats.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2026
Debunking the myth of Japanese militarism
It is necessary to be clear on this point: Japan in 2026 is not the Japan of 1936.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s landslide win gives her power but risks internal strife unless she builds alliances and new party structures to manage rivals within the Liberal Democratic Party¡¯s ranks.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 17, 2026
The trouble with winning big for Takaichi and the LDP
Landslide victories in Japanese politics can conceal fragility within the ruling party.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday. The party secured a fresh mandate and a supermajority in the Lower House in an election the same day.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 9, 2026
Five key takeaways from Takaichi¡¯s landslide victory
The LDP secured a supermajority on its own, giving Takaichi the golden opportunity to implement her policy agenda.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi joins Japan Innovation Party leaders Fumitake Fujita (right) and Hirofumi Yoshimura at an election event in Tokyo on Jan. 27, the first day of campaigning for the Feb. 8 snap election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 4, 2026
A cheat sheet to Takaichi¡¯s snap election
Parties with traditional vote-generating architectures in place before 91²Ö¿â snap election have a significant advantage.
Yoshihiko Noda (left) and Tetsuo Saito, co-chairs of the new Centrist Reform Alliance, shake hands at the party's founding convention in Tokyo on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 27, 2026
Japan¡¯s new ¡®Centrist Reform Alliance¡¯ is a misnomer
The Centrist Reform Alliance is asking voters to embrace a brand label rather than a fully formed policy platform and a partnership of convenience.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addresses a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday, where she explained her plans to dissolve parliament ahead of a snap election on Feb. 8.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 20, 2026
Prime Minister Takaichi¡¯s gambit: A test of leadership
Takaichi is seeking a fresh start, setting the conditions for her administration to lead the country effectively with a direct mandate from the people.
A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waits for his arrival for final arguments in his insurrection trial at a court in Seoul on Jan. 13.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2026
The cautionary tale of Yoon Suk Yeol and the ¡®abuse of power¡¯
South Koreans use the strength of their democracy to impose checks against executive overreach.
Liberal Democratic Party leader and the current prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, meets with Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of the Japan Innovation Party, at the national Diet building in Tokyo in late October.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2026
Why Takaichi would call a snap election
Takaichi may dissolving the Lower House of the parliament upon its mandatory convocation later this month, which would prompt a general election sometime in February.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a ceremony marking the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Dec. 30.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 7, 2026
Takaichi¡¯s political landscape for 2026
Unlike her predecessors who were consistently forced to address turmoil over the past two years, Prime Minister Takaichi will have time and capital to tackle real policy issues.
Keiji Minatoya, from Kitaakita, Akita Prefecture, reenacts the time he was attacked by a black bear in 2023. Japan¡¯s recent battle with bears has revealed issues that will continue to present challenges for the Japanese government going forward.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 26, 2025
Japan¡¯s growing bear crisis reveals deeper issues
Currently, there are only around 220,000 licensed hunters in Japan, substantially lower than the 532,265 registered in 1970.
A Chinese H6 nuclear-capable strategic bomber flies over the Miyako Strait on Dec. 9.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 23, 2025
China¡¯s recklessness risks a security crisis with Japan
China¡¯s normalization of reckless and bullying behavior presents major risks to peace and security.
Japanese researchers look at 800-year-old books and trees for signs of extreme solar events
A drawing of Fujiwara no Teika, known as a courtier, <i>waka</i> poet and scholar of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods
Debt-laden Japan should review spending on gender equality, survey finds
A woman holds a handheld fan bearing the image of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi&#039;s wedding photo, during an election campaign event in Tokyo on Feb. 7.
Jehovah's Witnesses followers sue Japanese government
According to court records, the plaintiffs include the Japanese branch of Jehovah&#039;s Witnesses in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Chinese payment apps raise questions in Japan
Alipay has been mentioned by legislators in discussions about the use of foreign payment apps in Japan.
At Ueno Station, ¡®Freedom¡¯ restored
¡°Freedom,¡± a mural in JR Ueno Station, created in 1951, has been repaired three times, most recently in 2025.
Where Tokyo goes to sweat and soak
As Tokyo&#039;s public bathhouses age, many are embracing more contemporary aesthetics to stay relevant for a younger class of customer.
At Ueno Station, ¡®Freedom¡¯ restored
¡°Freedom,¡± a mural in JR Ueno Station, created in 1951, has been repaired three times, most recently in 2025.
Inside Iizukatei, a 200-year-old home turned boutique hotel in Tochigi
Recognized as a tangible cultural property in 2003, the former residence of the Iizuka family is now a boutique hotel in Nakagawa, Tochigi Prefecture.
Tokyo¡¯s sake calendar is filled to the brim
The recently concluded Sake Park invited younger brewers to make sake more approachable for attendees in their 20s and 30s.
Japan¡¯s tighter immigration controls yielding results
An immigration control passport stamp issued in Japan. A surge in arrivals from overseas has coincided with a tightening of immigration controls under a government initiative aimed at reducing overstayers.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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