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April 30, 2026
 

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JAPAN

Politics
Crime & Legal
Science & Health
Society
Explainer
History
A helicopter conducts firefighting operations as wildfires continue in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Iwate wildfire starting to be brought under control, authorities say
While the town lifted evacuation orders in most areas as the fire is being brought under control, there is still no clear timeline for full containment.
A tanker carrying U.S. crude oil sails in Tokyo Bay on Sunday.
JAPAN / Explainer
How the Iran crisis affects Japan
By Eric Johnston
With the Strait of Hormuz still closed, nearly a fifth of the world's oil exports are being kept from reaching their destinations.
Shoshi Maekawa speaks to reporters Tuesday in the city of Fukui after filing a compensation claim at the Fukui District Court over the time he spent under detention following his conviction over a 1986 murder. He was acquitted in a retrial in August 2025.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Man acquitted over 1986 murder seeks state compensation
Shoshi Maekawa, 60, was acquitted in a retrial in August 2025.
JAPAN
New Zealand officials reject statue remembering 91²Ö¿â comfort women
JAPAN
Atomic bombing exhibition opens at U.N. headquarters as NPT is under review
JAPAN
Some 15% of hospitals in Japan report sexual abuse
JAPAN
Japan considers making language programs a factor in residency screenings

Politics

Some are calling for the food tax rate to be set at 1% instead of fully shelving the tax, so that changes needed for cash register systems becomes easier and require less time.
Politics / FOCUS
Food tax rate of 1% pitched as industries push back on PM's campaign promise
Although the government aims to implement the two-year tax cut to 0% within fiscal 2026, it would take a year to make cash register systems compatible with such a rate.
Politics
Australia and Japan tighten regional energy security coordination amid Mideast crisis
By Gabriel Dominguez
Politics
South Korean ambassador calls on Seoul and Tokyo to enhance their security ties
Politics
Takaichi entrusts ex-PM Kishida with letter to Philippine president
Politics
Japan won't impose fuel-saving measures, Takaichi says
By Himari Semans
Politics / FOCUS
Okinawa Gov. Tamaki faces wavering support in bid for third term
Politics
Denny Tamaki will seek third term as Okinawa governor

Society

Volunteer firefighter Ryota Haga carries a fire hose to battle a wildfire in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on Sunday.
Society
Tsunami survivor battles wildfire to protect hometown in Iwate Prefecture
By Kentaro Okasaka and Tom Bateman
Volunteer firefighter Ryota Haga is working to contain a wildfire raging for a sixth ?day that is threatening his community 15 years after it was devastated by a tsunami.
Society / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Shimane farming districts face onslaught from rising monkey population
Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Confronting addiction: ¡®I knew I had to stop buying things¡¯
Society
Japan starts platform safety training for visually impaired
Society
Half of disadvantaged mothers in Japan lack child care products, survey finds
Society
Hit reality show helps rev up 91²Ö¿â delinquent youth subculture
By Tomohiro Osaki
Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Mie nurse aims to provide coffins to grieving mothers of stillborn babies

Crime & Legal

A bill to revise the immigration control and refugee recognition law is approved at a Lower House plenary meeting on Tuesday.
Crime & Legal
Japan to likely pass bill raising immigration fees
If the bill also clears the House of Councilors,?the new immigration fees would be implemented within this fiscal year, which ends next March.
Crime & Legal
Prosecutor who accused boss of rape to resign after request for probe rejected
Crime & Legal
99 accused in Japan in international crackdown on child sexual abuse material
Crime & Legal
Zoo employee admits to burning wife¡¯s body in incinerator
Crime & Legal
Man arrested over 2018 murder in Tokyo's Roppongi district
Crime & Legal
Kyoto police warn of misinformation in case of arrested father and dead boy
Crime & Legal
Mother arrested on suspicion of killing daughter in Fukuoka
By Jessica Speed

Science & Health

An experiment shows smoke being emitted by old lighting fixtures after fluorescent lamps were switched to LED lighting.
Science & Health
Replace fixtures too when switching to LED lighting, safety watchdog urges
Over 50 cases reported to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation in the 10 years until 2025 involved fires believed to have occurred due to aging fixtures.
Science & Health
Lower House approves bills to raise out-of-pocket costs for OTC-like drugs
Science & Health
Japan to tighten rules on OTC drug sales to curb misuse among youth
By Jessica Speed
Science & Health
Japan startup seeks approval of cat kidney disease treatment
Science & Health
91²Ö¿â health minister calls for measles vaccinations
Science & Health
91²Ö¿â space agency to launch H3 rocket on June 10
Science & Health
Japanese study links ADHD symptoms to severity of chronic pain
By Jessica Speed

Explainer

Sendai Station is crowded with people Monday after the Tohoku shinkansen line suspended operation following a powerful earthquake off the Sanriku coast.
Explainer
How to prepare when Japan is under an earthquake advisory
By Jessica Speed
Authorities in Japan are urging residents from Hokkaido to Chiba Prefecture to be ready in case a major earthquake strikes, following Monday's magnitude 7.7 jolt.
Explainer
The key points under discussion on policies affecting foreign nationals
By Himari Semans
Explainer
Takaichi¡¯s Taiwan tumult: A closer look at the Japanese leader¡¯s contentious remarks
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Explainer
What you need to know about the shift to My Number health insurance cards
By Jessica Speed
Explainer
As attacks surge, who can cull bears in Japan?
By Yukana Inoue
Explainer
What's the fuss over Ishiba's gift vouchers?
By Himari Semans and Gabriele Ninivaggi
Explainer
What we learned at Fuji TV's marathon Nakai scandal news conference
By Yukana Inoue

History

The news of Gen. Douglas MacArthur came as a surprise to the Japanese public and was covered from a variety of angles.
History / Japan Times Gone By
Japan Times 1951: Truman ousts Gen. MacArthur
U.S. President Harry Truman dismissed the key player in 91²Ö¿â postwar recovery 75 years ago this month.
History / The Living Past
An island tale of myth, desire and the wisdom of laughter
By Michael Hoffman
History / The Living Past
The long, humble history of the umbrella
By Michael Hoffman
History / Japan Times Gone By
Japan Times 1976: Bomb explosion in Sapporo claims 2 lives, injures 85
History / Japan Times Gone By
Japan Times 1976: Lockheed paid Kodama $7 million to win deal
History / Longform
When Einstein came to Hiroshima
By Patrick Parr
History / The Living Past
How Tokugawa Japan learned to fear faith
By Michael Hoffman
Read more JAPAN stories
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.
Japan considers making language programs a factor in residency screenings
The government is considering creating a Japanese language program for foreign people that would be a factor in residency screenings.
'RikuRyu' signs off in emotional farewell
Figure skating pair Riku Miura (left) and Ryuichi Kihara pose for photos at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday. The pair have announced their retirement from competitive skating.
Zoo employee admits to burning wife¡¯s body in incinerator
The incinerator at the Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido on Sunday
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.
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.
Japanese developers worry over construction supply shortages amid Iran war
Paul Nikel, President of West Canada Homes, with an increasingly rare supply of plastic foam

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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