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May 21, 2026
 

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Tomoko Otake

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Tomoko Otake
Tomoko Otake is a senior writer with a strong interest in health, medical and social issues. A native of Nara Prefecture, she obtained an M.A. in journalism from The University of Montana.
Japan is a leading and growing market for HTPs, also known as heat-not-burn products. They use electronic devices to heat tobacco and create a nicotine-containing aerosol without burning it.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 21, 2026
Heated tobacco products may be more harmful than cigarettes, Japan panel review says
The literature review found that heated tobacco products may produce greater amounts of cancer-causing substances than regular cigarettes.
A team of Japanese researchers has found that people who have suffered from heatstroke were twice as likely to develop cataracts.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 13, 2026
Heatstroke doubles risks for cataracts, Japanese study finds
The study by researchers at the Nagoya Institute of Technology is the largest one to show a possible link between a rise in body temperature and the condition.
The surge in bankruptcies among medical and nursing care operators is mostly attributed to staff shortages and rising costs.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 4, 2026
Bankruptcies among Japan¡¯s medical and nursing care providers surge
A total of 478 bankruptcies were recorded in fiscal 2025, the highest level since 1988.
A Maholo humanoid robot carries out a series of tasks at the Institute of Science Tokyo's Robotics Innovation Center, during the center's opening last month.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
May 4, 2026
Japanese scientists push for AI use in medical research and diagnoses
The technology has the potential to free staff from time-consuming, repetitive lab work and reduce human error.
An agrivoltaic crop, in which solar panels are raised about 3 meters off the ground so that agricultural machinery can freely operate on the crops underneath, in Sosa, Chiba Prefecture.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
May 3, 2026
As Iran war sends oil prices soaring, some see fresh potential for solar in Japan
While megasolar projects are facing headwinds at the government level, some see renewed potential for solar sharing and smaller-scale, off-grid systems.
Toru Yamada¡¯s documentary ¡°At the Triangle Intersection,¡± which delves into the lingering impact of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, follows Tetsu (center), the matriarch of the Watanabe family, her son, Takemasa (right) and her daughter-in-law, Shigeko.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 30, 2026
Documentary captures the long echo of Fukushima¡¯s nuclear disaster
Without narration or music, Toru Yamada's intimate documentary "At the Triangle Intersection" follows the silences, routines and unresolved tensions of post-disaster life.
An electronic board displays a subsequent earthquake advisory in Iwate Prefecture on Tuesday, a day after a magnitude 7.7 temblor struck off the Tohoku coast.
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Apr 21, 2026
Why did a big earthquake strike the Tohoku region again?
Monday's temblor struck off the coast of the Tohoku region, which experienced the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
A drawing of Fujiwara no Teika, known as a courtier, <i>waka</i> poet and scholar of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2026
Japanese researchers look at 800-year-old books and trees for signs of extreme solar events
Japan has a wealth of old literature that provides scientists with clues on past climate events.
Lecanemab and donanemab aim to slow the progression of the neurodegenerative disease by removing a protein called amyloid-beta from the brain, whose buildup is believed to contribute to the death of brain cells.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 8, 2026
Less than 20% of patients in Japan interested in new Alzheimer¡¯s drugs received one
Many were ineligible or decided against taking the medications due to potential side effects and the high cost, a study has found.
Health deputy minister Hirobumi Niki (center left) receives a petition from patient groups in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 2, 2026
Patients in Japan seek stable supply of medical goods as war concerns loom
Shortages of naphtha ¡ª used in plastic ¡ª has patients worried about access to life-saving equipment as the Iran war continues to disrupt supply chains.
Concerta, an ADHD drug marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutical, is in short supply in Japan as demand has climbed recently.
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Mar 30, 2026
ADHD medication in short supply in Japan as demand soars
Some clinics have stopped prescribing stimulant Concerta to new patients or limiting doses for longtime patients due to limited stock.
The health ministry in Tokyo¡¯s Chiyoda Ward. Japan has seen a total of 100 confirmed measles cases so far this year.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 18, 2026
Japan raises alarm over recent measles outbreaks in Tokyo and other cities
Tokyo announced Tuesday that a total of nine people, all males in their 20s working for the same eating and drinking venue, had been infected.
People in Japan get among the fewest hours of sleep in the world, with the OECD data showing that the average amount is 7 hours and 22 minutes ¡ª far shorter than the global average of 8 hours and 28 minutes.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 17, 2026
Japan¡¯s health ministry to allow clinics to add sleep disorders as their specialties
The move aims to make it easier for people to find doctors who can treat insomnia and other sleep-related health issues.
Yoshiko Sato, visiting Minato Park in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, with her two sons, says the park carries a special meaning for her.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Mar 11, 2026
A Japanese city looks to pick up the pieces yet again
Fourteen years after the city of Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture was struck by the Great East Japan Earthquake, it experienced the nation¡¯s worst wildfire in 60 years.
Lesoeru 72, which is priced at ?6,930 per tablet, must be taken within 72 hours of intercourse.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 10, 2026
Second morning-after pill now available over the counter in Japan
Lesoeru 72, which went on sale on Monday, joins NorLevo as the country¡¯s only two emergency contraceptive medications that do not need a doctor¡¯s prescription.
An iPS cell-derived heart muscle sheet developed by Cuorips
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Feb 20, 2026
iPS cell-based products win conditional approval from health ministry panel
The endorsement was based on small-scale clinical studies that confirmed only their safety and ¡°presumed¡± their efficacy.
Alejandro M. Lopez brings his Altadena wildfire experience to Tokyo, where his exhibition explores trauma, renewal and climate change.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 19, 2026
A California wildfire survivor turns devastation into art with a message on the climate crisis
Alejandro M. Lopez channels the Altadena blaze into paintings that trace trauma, melancholy and renewal in Tokyo.
The biennial comprehensive fee review is a major policy tool for the government, showing the direction of the nation¡¯s health care as the population ages and medical needs surge and diversify.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 13, 2026
Japan health panel adopts medical fee changes to raise wages and cope with inflation
By tweaking fees here and there, the government seeks to keep health care costs relatively low while meeting new medical needs.
Some AI-generated content is easy to spot as fake and is marked as such, but others are convincing enough that anyone scrolling through social media could easily be misled.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 7, 2026
In Japan, generative AI takes fake election news to new levels
Leaders of a new Japanese political party unveil a logo that features China, a candidate campaigns in freezing weather wearing tank tops and grannies vent in public ¡ª or do they?
Passengers walk in the thermal scanner area at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Tangerang near Jakarta on Jan. 30, following the implementation of health screening for arriving passengers, after India confirmed two cases of the deadly Nipah virus.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 6, 2026
Low risk of Nipah virus outbreak in Japan, health ministry says
No case has been reported in the country so far.
Female death row inmate sues Japan government over 24/7 surveillance
Tokyo Detention House guidelines dictate that CCTV surveillance can be used when detainees are at risk of suicide or self-harm, or when there is concern they may try to escape.
Almost half of foreign residents have experienced discrimination: government survey
Japan¡¯s foreign resident population rose 9.5% to a record 4.12 million at the end of 2025, topping 4 million for the first time, according to data from the Immigration Services Agency.
¡®There was no village¡¯: Japan¡¯s troubling pattern of family murder-suicides
Akiko Hashiguchi is one of the few people in Japan to publicly share her personal experience with muri shinj¨± under her own name. She has since been involved in parents¡¯ support work and advocacy around developmental disorders.
Japan arrests Americans over stunt at baby monkey Punch¡¯s zoo
Visitors gather in the rain to catch a glimpse of Punch the monkey at Ichikawa City Zoo in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, in April.
Visitors to Japan down 5.5% in April
Japan Tourism Agency chief Shigeki Murata has emphasized that the government will work on implementing "strategic promotions to attract visitors from more countries and regions."
Female death row inmate sues Japan government over 24/7 surveillance
Tokyo Detention House guidelines dictate that CCTV surveillance can be used when detainees are at risk of suicide or self-harm, or when there is concern they may try to escape.
Installation delays and price hikes hit air conditioners just before summer
Naphtha shortages and a shrinking labor force mean those buying a new air conditioning unit may pay more than last year and then be forced to wait up to a month to have it installed.
¡®There was no village¡¯: Japan¡¯s troubling pattern of family murder-suicides
Akiko Hashiguchi is one of the few people in Japan to publicly share her personal experience with muri shinj¨± under her own name. She has since been involved in parents¡¯ support work and advocacy around developmental disorders.
Before city pop went global, there was Anri
Anri says younger overseas listeners first surprised her during a 2023 performance in Los Angeles, where most of the audience was in their 20s. Nearly five decades after her debut, songs such as ¡°Last Summer Whisper¡± and ¡°I Can¡¯t Stop the Loneliness¡± continue finding new fans.
Trump says ¡®nothing¡¯s changed¡¯ on Taiwan. But his words belie a big shift.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press aboard Air Force One en route to the U.S. following his official visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, on Friday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Anri says younger overseas listeners first surprised her during a 2023 performance in Los Angeles, where most of the audience was in their 20s. Nearly five decades after her debut, songs such as ¡°Last Summer Whisper¡± and ¡°I Can¡¯t Stop the Loneliness¡± continue finding new fans.
Before city pop went global, there was Anri
By Patrick St. Michel

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