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May 09, 2026
 

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CONSTITUTION

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gives a speech in Hanoi on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 3, 2026
Article 9 in focus as Takaichi pushes for revision of Constitution
Without explicitly mentioning Article 9, Takaichi said the charter ¡ª unchanged since 1947 ¡ª must be updated to reflect today's international environment and security realities.
Prefectural governors attend a meeting of the National Governors' Association in December.
JAPAN / Politics
May 3, 2026
18 governors in Japan see need for constitutional revision
The governor of Okinawa disagreed, while 24 others, including leaders from Nagano, Hyogo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, gave noncommittal answers.
A ceremony is held at Misawa Air Base to mark the arrival of the first operational F-35A Lightning II to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force¡¯s 3rd Air Wing in February 2018. The SDF is already one of the world's best equipped militaries.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 28, 2026
Japan¡¯s constitutional theater: Revising Article 9 would be a mistake.
The distance between constitutional language and security practice is not a mistake that needs correcting.
A Type-88 missile is test-fired near Shinhidaka, Hokkaido, in June. Japan¡¯s easing of arms export restrictions is intended to strengthen security cooperation and defense capabilities while adapting to a more unstable global environment.
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2026
Japan¡¯s new arms export stance and changing security realities
This new policy responds to the new security reality, recognizing that dangers are mounting and every nation must do more.
Lower House Constitution Commission Chair Keiji Furuya (center) in a session on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 23, 2026
Panel on change to Constitution eyes ¡®emergency¡¯ clause to deliver breakthrough
Those favoring revision discuss streamlining policy shifts and extensions of lawmakers' terms, while others question if changes are necessary.
Japan Innovation Party head Hirofumi Yoshimura meets with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at parliament on March 17.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2026
LDP and JIP remain divided over revision of Constitution's Article 9
The Liberal Democratic Party is worried the Japan Innovation Party's hawkish approach to revising the pacifist clause won't sit well with the public.
Chairperson Hiroyuki Nagahama (center rear) and others attend a House of Councilors constitutional review committee hearing at the Diet building on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 17, 2026
Four things to understand in Japan¡¯s constitutional debate
91²Ö¿â legislature started debate on constitutional amendment as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to have a proposal ready in a year.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers a speech at the Liberal Democratic Party's annual convention in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 13, 2026
Takaichi seeks one-year timeline for constitutional amendment proposal
The prime minister also stressed the significance of her administration's fiscal policy.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 10, 2026
LDP's new vision says constitutional revision 'critically needed'
The new vision states that Japan must create a Constitution with its own hands and together with its people and show what kind of nation it aims to become.
The Commission on the Constitution in the House of Representatives holds its first debate of the current Diet session, on Thursday at the Diet building.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 10, 2026
Ruling bloc proposes constitutional amendment drafting panel
The plan to introduce an article on national emergencies "has reached a stage to hammer out a draft at long last," Yoshitaka Shindo of the LDP said.
The Iran war, like the Russia?Ukraine war, shows how low?cost unmanned weapons can overwhelm expensive defense systems.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 27, 2026
What Tokyo can learn from Kyiv¡¯s war experience
The Iran war, like the Russia?Ukraine war, shows low?cost unmanned weapons can overwhelm expensive defense systems.
Members of parliament and supporters participate in a rally organized by Marriage For All Japan in Tokyo in December.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 26, 2026
Japan top court to issue unified ruling on same-sex marriage
The Grand Bench, consisting of the Supreme Court's 15 justices, is expected to give its ruling as early as next year.
Japan¡¯s pacifist identity, rooted in Article 9 of the Constitution, has hardened into a reflex that avoids confronting modern security realities facing the world.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 22, 2026
Repeating Article 9 like a mantra isn¡¯t a foreign policy
Any serious defense debate becomes, by rhetorical sleight of hand, a warning of imperial revival.
Plaintiffs at a news conference on Tuesday after a ruling on voluntary sterilization was handed down by the Tokyo District Court
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 17, 2026
Tokyo court rules against women¡¯s right to voluntary sterilization
Under Japanese law, sterilization surgery for women can be performed only when specific health risks are present.
Ghost Robotics Vision 60 takes part in an annual New Year's military drill by the Ground Self-Defense Force's 1st Airborne Brigade at Narashino exercise field in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, on Jan. 11.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 22, 2026
With fresh mandate, Japan¡¯s Takaichi sets sights on divisive security goals
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s election victory has empowered her to push forward with security and defense goals that, just a decade ago, would have been all but unattainable.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 19, 2026
Most hope constitutional revision debate will advance, poll finds
More than half of respondents expect momentum in parliamentary debate over constitutional revision after the LDP¡¯s recent election victory.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 10, 2026
After stunning win, Takaichi looks to suspend food tax and revise Constitution
Suspending the consumption tax on food items and revising the Constitution will take time, which may prove challenging for a prime minister who often speaks of moving with urgency.
Posts referring to constitutional revision rose more than tenfold, from about 16,000 on Jan. 27 ¡ª the day the campaign officially began ¡ª to roughly 182,000 on the final day on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 10, 2026
Social media posts on Constitution and national security surged ahead of election
Debate on those policies intensified following media polls¡¯ prediction of a strong win for the LDP-JIP coalition.
The original promulgation copy of the Constitution of Japan, at the National Archives of Japan in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward in 2017
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2026
Road to constitutional revision emerging as key topic
The LDP lists four desired constitutional revisions in its campaign pledges, including specifying the role of the Self-Defense Forces and establishing a state of emergency system.
Defense lawyers of a 1952 murder case seeking a retrial hold signs reading "unjust decision" on Wednesday in the city of Kumamoto.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 28, 2026
Court rejects retrial request for executed man believed to have had leprosy
It was a rare case in which a retrial was sought for a defendant who had already been executed.
The weight of not knowing: Japan¡¯s long-missing children
A signboard urging people to call the police if they have information on the whereabouts of Kaori Nomura, who went missing in 1991 at the age of 8, is seen in Yokohama in early April.
South Korean judge who hiked ex-first lady's jail sentence found dead
South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee, wife of impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol, arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review her arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors at the Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul on Aug. 12, 2025.
Health officials downplay pandemic risk from cruise hantavirus outbreak
Hantavirus is a rare infection typically spread through contact with infected rodent droppings or inhaling contaminated dust. Symptoms can take weeks to appear, and severe cases can progress rapidly to respiratory failure.
New Zealand eyes Japan and U.K. warships as frigate replacements
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Mogami-class stealth frigate JS Mikuma at Yokosuka naval base
Water meter thefts spread across Japan as copper prices rise
With copper prices rising in recent years, a single water meter is believed to fetch roughly ?1,800 ($11.50) to ?2,000 when resold.
Path to glory opens for Hoshoryu after injuries to rivals Onosato and Aonishiki
Yokozuna Hoshoryu will be in the spotlight as the favorite during the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
When it comes to their kids, Japanese mothers look beyond pink and blue
Sun hats, hoodies with built-in UV protection and parasols are on the must-have lists of Japanese moms this summer.
Poison Girl Friend was early. Now it makes sense.
Noriko Sekiguchi launched Poison Girl Friend in the late 1980s, crafting melancholy, club-influenced pop with multilingual lyrics. Her music is now being rediscovered by younger listeners through streaming services and a renewed interest in ¡¯90s trip hop.
The weight of not knowing: Japan¡¯s long-missing children
A signboard urging people to call the police if they have information on the whereabouts of Kaori Nomura, who went missing in 1991 at the age of 8, is seen in Yokohama in early April.
Charting Japan¡¯s emerging wine scene
Unable to find much information on Japanese wine tourism in English, Nick Rowan decided to put together a guide to the country's wine regions.

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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