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June 25, 2026
 

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HUMAN RIGHTS

Health minister Kenichiro Ueno lays flowers during a ceremony held in Tokyo Monday to restore the honor of leprosy patients in Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 22, 2026
Japan commemorates victims of discriminatory leprosy policy
A ceremony was held in Tokyo to restore the honor of leprosy patients in Japan, who had suffered severe discrimination based on a policy of forced isolation.
Koji Sakahara (center), the eldest son of Hiromu Sakahara, and others attend a news conference at the Shiga Prefectural Government building on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 19, 2026
Man given life sentence likely to be acquitted posthumously
Hiromu Sakahara was convicted of robbery-murder after a liquor shop owner was killed and her safe was stolen in the town of Hino, Shiga Prefecture. He died in 2011.
Hong Kong's chief executive officer, John Lee, speaks at a news conference in Beijing in December.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2026
The sudden death of judicial reviews in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee can now certify anything as ¡°endangering national security¡± and thus restrict freedom of expression.
A lawyer representing the mother (left, blurred for privacy reasons) of a girl who died after being detained speaks during a news conference in Kobe on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 19, 2026
Japanese mother sues state over teen¡¯s ¡®hostage justice¡¯ death
The mother of a girl who died from emaciation following detention and alleged interrogations by authorities is seeking compensation, in the latest case of ¡°hostage justice.¡±
Children stand near a damaged car, which Palestinians say was burned by Israeli settlers, in Halhul near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on May 20.
WORLD
Jun 18, 2026
U.N. warns Israeli settlers could join blacklist for violations against children
A United Nations report says it has verified the killing of 2,668 Palestinian children in Gaza and 57 in the West Bank in 2025.
Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki speaks during a news conference at the Diet building in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2026
Japan set to enact bill criminalizing vandalism of the national flag
Backing from the opposition Democratic Party for the People paves the way for the bill¡¯s passage through the Upper House, where the ruling bloc is a minority force.
Taliban fighters celebrate the first anniversary of the fall of Kabul in the Afghan capital on Aug. 15, 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2026
The toll on Afghanistan of five years of Taliban rule
Afghans are asking the world: How long and to what extent must the Taliban continue internal repression and support for terrorism before the world recognizes the threat?
A new plan calls for collecting information on LGBTQ+-related initiatives, developing educational materials, and training counselors and local government officials.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2026
Japanese government OKs basic plan to raise LGBTQ+ awareness
The plan calls for awareness-raising training programs and improved consultation systems, stating that unjust discrimination must not be tolerated.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a news conference after a meeting at Trump¡¯s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, in December.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 12, 2026
The U.S. and Israel can¡¯t hide their differences on Iran
The cause of their dispute is, on the surface, simple. Israel says the April ceasefire between Tehran and Washington did not cover Lebanon.
A man salvages construction materials from a collapsed building to resell, as Cuba's state-run economy has descended into a full-blown crisis after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump hardened sanctions and cut off the Caribbean nation's oil supply, in Havana on May 6.
WORLD
Jun 11, 2026
White House defends Cuba sanctions as U.N. warns of harm
U.N. ?High Commissioner for ?Human Rights Volker Turk said the measures were affecting the Cuban population¡¯s human rights, especially ?access to ?essential supplies and services.
Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, attends a party general council meeting at the Diet building on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 10, 2026
LDP and DPP to discuss bill to criminalize national flag vandalism
The Democratic Party for the People aims ¡°to clarify what constitutes a crime¡±
Hideko Hakamata attends a parliamentary session on May 27 to observe deliberations on a Criminal Procedure Code revision bill.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 9, 2026
Sister of ex-death row inmate calls for full disclosure of evidence by prosecutors amid retrial system review
A bill under consideration would limit the scope of evidence disclosure and mandate that the defense not be provided with a list of evidence.
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.
Participants in the Tokyo Rainbow Pride march through the streets on Sunday.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 7, 2026
Tokyo Pride draws thousands to spotlight important year for LGBTQ rights
Japan remains the only Group of Seven nation that does not recognize same-sex marriage, even as public support for marriage equality has reached about 67%.
A cotton farm worker in the Xinjiang region of China. Trade and human rights experts said U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariff threats would do little to solve widespread issues of abusive employment practices in the global supply chain.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 6, 2026
Trump¡¯s latest tariff salvo no fix for global issue of forced labor
Experts, business groups and some human rights groups say the move could actually make things worse.
A push by Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party to criminalize the desecration of the national flag is reviving a long-running debate over the limits of political expression.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 5, 2026
LDP¡¯s flag desecration bill rekindles debate over limits of expression
Advocates say the measure is meant to address a legal gap but critics argue the bill¡¯s language is ¡°extremely vague.¡±
A government draft calls for raising awareness of gender and sexual diversity in schools, local communities, households and workplaces.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 2, 2026
Japan eyes multilayered approach to promote LGBTQ+ awareness
The government presented the draft program to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which approved it the same day.
Cases in Britain, the United States and Norway highlight growing concerns over alleged Chinese transnational repression and espionage operations targeting dissidents, activists and sensitive infrastructure across democratic countries.
COMMENTARY / World
May 27, 2026
In a single day, three democracies pushed back against Chinese transnational repression
That three liberal democracies acted against Beijing¡¯s long arm on a single day was not coordinated šC but perhaps it should have been.
People visit an Alibaba booth during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 26, 2025.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 27, 2026
China expands travel curbs to top AI talent at private firms
Government agencies have begun imposing restrictions on individuals involved in advanced AI work and considered strategically important to the country.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions about the criminal procedure law in parliament on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 26, 2026
Takaichi stresses ¡®great significance¡¯ of retrial system reform
The government bill prohibits in principle public prosecutors from filing appeals against court decisions to start retrials.
Japanese companies get serious about workplace DEI
People working in human resources departments participate in a workshop in Tokyo in January. The participants played a card game in which they took on roles of people with various disabilities.
Consumer affairs watchdog raises alarm over air conditioner repair scams
The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan has issued a warning over a rise in air conditioner repair scams.
China accuses Japan of ¡®harassment¡¯ during far-seas aircraft carrier training
China's Liaoning aircraft carrier takes part in a military drill in the western Pacific in April 2018.
Japan top court upholds order to dissolve Unification Church
Japan's Supreme Court has upheld lower court rulings ordering the dissolution of the controversial religious group known as the Unification Church.
Stepping up, not aside: Japan¡¯s retirement-age tour guides
Yoichi Miura (third from left) now divides his time between his import business and guiding international visitors across Japan.
Japan-South Korea detente persists ¡ª but breakthrough remains elusive
While Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have kept relations from sliding backward, experts say they have struggled to turn stability into concrete steps forward.
Japan¡¯s AI goldrush faces backlash as data centers sprout up in urban areas
Erin and Munekazu Tanikawa look out from their balcony at the construction site of a planned 52-meter-tall data center that would dominate their surroundings, in the city of Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, last month.
Distracted walkers in Japan are a real safety risk. My mother knows firsthand.
In Tokyo and other major Japanese cities, <i>aruki-sumaho</i> ¡ª walking while using a smartphone ¡ª has become a persistent safety concern as commuters navigate crowded stations and sidewalks while focused on their devices.
Can automation offset Japan¡¯s military workforce shortage?
A Ground Self-Defense Force uncrewed ground vehicle takes part in a live-fire military exercise at the Higashi Fuji Training Field in Shizuoka Prefecture on May 7.

Podcast

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

Longform

Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity
By Tomoko Otake

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