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July 06, 2026
 

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Elizabeth Beattie
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jul 5, 2026
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara¡¯s latest work, ¡°Now and Then,¡± bridges a historical atrocity with the present-day treatment of asylum-seekers.
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 30, 2026
Life inside Japan¡¯s largest prison for women
Tochigi Prison, which houses 456 inmates, is a microcosm of what female prisons across the nation are facing, from a rising foreign population to mental health issues.
Romain TroublšŠ, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Jun 28, 2026
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
With research on microplastics and the health of coral reefs, the crew of the Tara are making a difference as the world¡¯s environmental issues mount.
Luup adopted a system that makes its electric scooters come to a halt automatically when users enter an area near the Kamo River in Kyoto where riding them is prohibited.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 24, 2026
Luup scooters introduces automatic stop function to avoid nuisance use in Kyoto
Luup scooters, a favored transportation source for tourists in Japan, will automatically halt when nearing prohibited areas in Kyoto.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Sakura Uchikoshi (right) and Kazuki Yuda of Touch Immigration Law Firm during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Monday
JAPAN / Society
Jun 8, 2026
Tighter immigration rules could tarnish Japan¡¯s image, opposition lawmaker says
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Sakura Uchikoshi cautions against a shift in Japan toward exclusionism and xenophobia.
Manish Kumar, who asked that his face not be shown, at his restaurant in Tsurugashima, Saitama Prefecture, on June 1.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 8, 2026
Fear and uncertainty for foreign business owners after Japan revises rules
The life that restaurateur Manish Kumar built in Japan for he and his family has been upended after Japan enacted stricter rules for the business manager visa.
James "Weston" Higginbotham was last seen in Kyoto on May 29.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 4, 2026
Kyoto police search for missing American tourist
James Higginbotham, who also goes by Weston, was last seen in the Kyoto area on Friday last week.
Takanawa Gateway City is the centerpiece of East Japan Railway¡¯s broader effort to redevelop what it calls the Greater Shinagawa Area into a major international business and transportation hub.
JAPAN / Greater Shinagawa Area
Jun 2, 2026
The rise of the managed city
Tokyo¡¯s newest megadevelopments aim to redesign urban life for an aging, increasingly diverse society
A humanoid robot is displayed at the Humanoids Summit in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 29, 2026
Labor shortage fuels ramp-up of humanoid robot development
Declining birth rates across the globe are driving an ¡°unprecedented wave of investment¡± in robots to sustain workforces.
Hands, a beloved DIY and lifestyle store, has announced that it will close its Shibuya location in November.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 26, 2026
DIY and lifestyle store Hands exits Shibuya after 48 years
Beloved for its selection of stationery and crafts, as well as woodworking and gardening supplies, retailer Hands announced it will close its Shibuya location after 48 years.
Toshifumi Suzuki, then-chairman and CEO of Seven & I Holdings, speaks during an interview at its headquarters in Tokyo in 2013.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2026
Toshifumi Suzuki, pioneer of Japanese convenience stores, dies at age 93
Suzuki, who is most well known for bringing 7-Eleven stores to Japan, had most recently served as an honorary adviser to the company.
Tokyo Central staff offer handroll sushi at its Emeryville outlet in California.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
May 25, 2026
Even at home, American shoppers are flocking to Japanese supermarkets
Aisles lined with signs written in kanji and hiragana transport shoppers doing their regular grocery shopping to Japan.
For one April Sunday each year, the otherwise working class city of Kawasaki becomes host to one of Japan's most unusual-looking festivals.
LIFE / Travel
May 23, 2026
At Kawasaki¡¯s ¡®penis festival,¡¯ phalluses are vessels of compassion
The event ¡®may look weird,¡¯ says a priestess of Kanayama Shrine, but its origins and purpose point to a deeper meaning.
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.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
May 20, 2026
Female death row inmate sues Japan government over 24/7 surveillance
A death-row inmate says she¡¯s been surveilled 24/7 for 24 years. Now, she¡¯s suing the Japanese government for a breach of human rights.
Swedish investment fund EQT said it will conduct a tender offer for Japan's Kakaku.com.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Sweden¡¯s EQT to acquire Japanese firm behind popular restaurant site Tabelog
The Swedish private equity firm has announced plans to acquire Tabelog¡¯s parent company, Kakaku.com, in a deal expected to be valued around ?590 billion.
Foreign tourists take selfies with a statue of Buddha in the Asakusa area of Tokyo on April 15.
JAPAN / Society
May 11, 2026
Moving to Japan a dream for many Americans, survey says
Japan is ranked sixth in preliminary searches by those looking to relocate, but practical factors, including language, bumped it down 10 places in a new report.
Japan moved up from 66th the previous year while the U.S. slid to 64th, down from 57th in 2025, the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom index showed.
JAPAN / Media
May 1, 2026
Japan overtakes U.S. in global press freedom index
The report found press freedom has sunk to a 25-year low, with 52% of the countries and territories being categorized as in ¡°difficult¡± or ¡°very serious¡± situations.
Organic food is less common in Japan than in the U.K., with about 70% of what is available in the country being imported.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 1, 2026
In Japan, strong state-led certification key to boosting organic food uptake
Japanese and U.K. researchers have found that having a transparent government-certified system may help encourage more people to buy organic food products.
An electronic board in Tokyo displays the Nikkei stock average on Monday.
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2026
Tokyo reenters Global Financial Centres Index¡¯s top 10
Other key cities in Asia are also ranked highly, while Osaka rose several spots.
A Doraemon & Friends tour exhibition in Bangkok last May. A single film cel of a Doraemon show is estimated to nab up to $2,500 during Christie¡¯s first anime auction.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2026
Christie¡¯s holds first anime-focused online auction
Movie posters, film cels and illustrations of iconic anime characters went under the hammer on Wednesday.
¡®My dream is broken¡¯: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Thailand gets serious about chasing high-spending tourists
Chinese tourists at Wat Arun Ratchawararam Rathawaramahawihan in Bangkok
Murakami says his novels are ¡®different¡¯ from AI literature
Haruki Murakami's first book in three years hit shelves in Japan on Friday.
Japan¡¯s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to ¡°spend a long time together¡± with her parents.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
Okinawa¡¯s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
¡®Defense,¡¯ not ¡®warfare,¡¯ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex¡¯s culture cred
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex. ?

Podcast

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

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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