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May 02, 2026
 

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Harumi Ozawa
A Yatsurugi Shrine worshipper (center) stands on the frozen surface of Lake Suwa, before measuring the ice, in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, on Jan. 29.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Feb 18, 2026
91²Ö¿â 'godless' lake warns of creeping climate change
Climate change is disrupting a phenomenon that can occur at Lake Suwa in Nagano Prefecture when the surface freezes, which is traditionally believed to show the presence of a god.
Cleaner Kazuyoshi Taguchi (bottom) and colleague Kazumi Minowa clean the right ear of the Ushiku Daibutsu giant Buddha statue in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2024
Celestial clean: Japanese duo spruce up world's tallest bronze Buddha
The 120-meter statue of Buddha is spruced up once a year.
A portrait taken on May 26, 1979, shows French actor Alain Delon during the filming of "Le toubib" directed by Pierre Granier Deferre, in Sissonne, central France.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 20, 2024
Alain Delon: A 'god' in Japan
The French actor, who died on Aug. 18, held special appeal for his Japanese fans, as he embodied a "thirst" that postwar youth could identify with.
Japan's new whaling mothership, the Kangei Maru, is seen during the ship's launch ceremony at a port in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 22, 2024
91²Ö¿â new 9,300-ton whaling vessel sets sail on first hunt
The departure of the Kangei Maru heralds a new era for an industry defended by the government as an integral part of Japanese culture.
A staff member works at the animation studio Shake Hands in Kyoto on Jan. 24. The studio aims to provide job training and confidence to people with autism.
JAPAN / Society
May 5, 2024
Anime studio draws on talent of autistic artists
The groundbreaking initiative aims to provide job training and confidence to people with autism.
The Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima remains an iconic symbol of the destruction of the atomic bomb on that city.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 12, 2024
Hiroshima grapples with 'Oppenheimer' Oscars success
While locals would have liked to see more Japanese representation in the film, they are at least happy that some discussion is taking place.
Masaki Sato, who owns an 85-year-old property in the Akasaki district of Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, walks in the district on Saturday after a major earthquake struck the Noto region on New Year's Day.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 8, 2024
Still standing: Unique houses survive quake in Japanese village
Despite a magnitude 7.6 quake only kilometers away, one small fishing village stood strong thanks to decades-old smart architecture.
Sake master Daisuke Suzuki (right) and a staff member sort rice at his brewery in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, on Sept. 1.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 8, 2023
Fukushima sake brewer warms shattered fishing community
A local sake maker has returned to Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, years after disaster wiped out its brewery there.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2023
'More than words': The Japanese men joining Ukraine's fight
A handful have joined Ukrainians battling the Russian invasion, defying their government's warnings and bucking a decadeslong national principle of pacifism.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2023
Fukushima aiming to woo tourists with promise of snow
Officials hope winter holidays will become popular as they market the region's snow resorts and try to shed the stigma that lingers more than a decade after the 2011 nuclear disaster.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2023
Hot springs block 91²Ö¿â geothermal potential
Geothermal is a renewable resource that harnesses heat from deep below the Earth's crust ¡ª a seemingly attractive option for energy resource-poor Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2023
New generation revives Okinawa's once-banned Indigenous body art
The traditionally hand-poked markings were once common on women of the Ryukyu, who lived throughout the southern islands of what is now Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2023
91²Ö¿â Indigenous peoples fight stigma to reclaim identities
Many people feel 91²Ö¿â government has not done enough to support the Ainu and Ryukyu groups.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2023
Tackling taboos: Japanese university club teaches Ainu traditions
Students at Sapporo University are able to learn the Ainu language, dance, and crafts, as well as about traditional food and hunting culture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2023
'Lucky tiger': Fukushima fishing industry pins hopes on blowfish
Tiger blowfish have brought local fisheries a lifeline through robust catches in recent months.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Explainer
Feb 15, 2023
The controversial plan to release Fukushima nuclear plant's wastewater
Tepco says the water has been filtered to remove most radioactive elements, and calls the release both safe and necessary, but there has been domestic and international opposition.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2022
Samurai spirit: Japan explodes with World Cup joy
Dressed in their team's blue jersey, the revelers mingled with commuters in suits on their way to work.
New Zealand officials reject statue remembering 91²Ö¿â comfort women
A statue symbolizing former South Korean comfort women in Seoul
Yen soars as Japan intervenes after issuing 'final' warning
Pedestrians walk past a stock quotation board showing the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen, outside a brokerage in Tokyo on Thursday.
Foreign business owners in Japan feeling the strain of tighter visa criteria
The streets of Ikuno Korea Town in the city of Osaka in December 2023
Yen, Japanese government bonds and Tokyo stocks decline as oil prices spike
The yen is trading at levels last seen in July 2024.
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ¡®kill web¡¯ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
Tennis trailblazer Kei Nishikori announces his retirement
Kei Nishikori, who has won 12 titles on the ATP Tour and climbed as high as No. 4 in the world rankings, on Thursday announced his retirement.
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ¡®kill web¡¯ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
The Japanese dietitian who keeps the Blue Jays¡¯ engines running
Sports dietitian Yuka Sanui works behind the scenes to ensure Blue Jays players get the most out of their bodies when they step on the field.
The American chef reconnecting with Japan through a Kyoto restaurant
SoNoMa chef partner Kyle Connaughton (right) and chef de cuisine Keita Tominaga both have ties to Sonoma County in Northern California, the restaurant¡¯s namesake. Connaughton rose to prominence there with SingleThread, while Tominaga¡¯s father ran a Japanese restaurant in the region.
Inkonbini: Slice-of-life, cozy gaming from Japan¡¯s convenience stores
Alongside the simplified management of a convenience store, Inkonbini asks players to help a small cast of regular shoppers with not only their shopping but problems in their personal lives.

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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