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July 03, 2026
 

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NEW YEAR

The turbulence at the start of 2026 signals the opening of a third phase of the "Great Game," defined by intensifying U.S.-China rivalry, a weakening rules-based order and a growing need for smaller nations to shoulder more responsibility for their own security.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 16, 2026
The ¡®Great Game¡¯ enters uncharted territory
In its original sense, the ¡°Great Game¡± referred to the 19th- and early 20th-century strategic rivalry between the British and Russian Empires for dominance in Central Asia.
True improvement comes from a long-term strategy to change unhealthy habits. Don¡¯t worry if you slip from time to time, just keep up your initial efforts.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 15, 2026
Just because you broke your resolution doesn¡¯t mean you failed
Breaking a New Year¡¯s resolution doesn¡¯t equal failure. Japanese grammar offers a gentler way to rethink goals and progress.
A New Year's poetry ceremony is held at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2026
Prince Hisahito makes debut at imperial New Year¡¯s poetry ceremony
The prince submitted a poem, describing his delight in observing at close range a blue-patterned dragonfly.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi experiences a drill to jump from a tower about 11 meters high at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Narashino Training Area in Chiba Prefecture on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2026
Record 15 nations join GSDF¡¯s new year jump drill
The GSDF¡¯s 1st Airborne Brigade were joined for the first time by contingents from Belgium, Thailand and Turkey.
2026 is shaping up as a year of competing forces for Japan, with strong underlying momentum and reform potential outweighed by the risks from inflation, geopolitics and policy missteps if leadership does not act decisively.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 8, 2026
The top 10 surprises for the Year of the Fire Horse
For 2026, the only certainty is that this year of the Fire Horse will be shaped both by existing trends that evolve and genuine surprises.
Keidanren Chairman Yoshinobu Tsutsui (left), Ken Kobayashi (center), head of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Keizai Doyukai Chairman Akio Yamaguchi at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 7, 2026
Japanese business leaders positive about continuing wage hikes
One of the key challenges in upcoming negotiations is to extend the trend of significant wage increases beyond large companies.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference in Ise, Mie Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 5, 2026
Takaichi strikes optimistic tone as she looks ahead to Year of the Fire Horse
The prime minister has expressed hopes that 2026 will be a year of positive energy and vitality.
Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura, the operator of sushi chain Sushizanmai, shows off a bluefin tuna that he paid ?510.3 million ($3.2 million) for at an auction in Tokyo's Toyosu market on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 5, 2026
¡®Tuna King¡¯ pays record ?510.3 million for bluefin at Tokyo auction
Sushizanmai boss Kiyoshi Kimura paid the top price at the annual new year auction for a 243-kilogram fish caught off Japan¡¯s northern coast.
Pop trio Mrs. Green Apple was joined by tuxedo-clad dancers for its glee bomb of a track, ¡°Good Day,¡± toward the end of NHK¡¯s annual New Year¡¯s Eve music contest, ¡°Kohaku Uta Gassen.¡±
CULTURE / Music
Jan 5, 2026
NHK¡¯s 76th ¡®Kohaku¡¯ was over the top and oddly comforting
With pyrotechnics, celebrations for major milestones and a sea of dancers, the year-end music bonanza went all in on excess and reminded viewers why it still matters.
Spanish restaurant Miguel Juani serves five different types of paella.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 2, 2026
Start 2026 with familiar flavors of home
For foreign residents in Japan during the new year, homesickness can creep in. We show you where to go to feed your nostalgia.
Imperial family members greet well-wishers during a New Year¡¯s gathering at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2026
Imperial family members host New Year¡¯s gathering
In his speech, the emperor expressed concern for those still facing difficulties due to last year¡¯s major natural disasters.
Customers check out items at Sogo & Seibu's Sogo store in Yokohama on Friday.
BUSINESS
Jan 2, 2026
New Year¡¯s sales start at major department stores
Sogo & Seibu¡¯s Sogo store in Yokohama prepared about 30,000 lucky bags, including ?2,026 packages containing jackets for men.
With double fire in play, 2026 favors visibility, creativity and breakthroughs ¡ª but demands balance to avoid burnout.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Jan 2, 2026
Running hot in 2026: What¡¯s in store for the Year of the Fire Horse
2026¡¯s Fire Horse brings speed, passion and opportunity ¡ª but astrologers warn that without restraint, momentum can tip into burnout.
Whether it¡¯s working out or cheering on your favorite team, fitness and sports look like they¡¯ll play a large part in public life in 2026.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 2, 2026
What ¡ª and who ¡ª helps us stick to our New Year¡¯s goals
How emphasis, intention and social support shape the words we use when we promise ourselves we¡¯ll stick to our resolutions.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his daughter Kim Ju Ae (center) and wife, Ri Sol Ju, watch a New Year's celebration performance at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 1, 2026
North Korea¡¯s Kim hails ¡®invincible alliance¡¯ with Russia in New Year¡¯s letter
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has praised his troops fighting abroad as forging an ¡°invincible alliance¡± with Russia in a new year¡¯s message, state media said Thursday.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Sanae Takaichi speaks during a ceremony marking the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in the Japanese capital on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 1, 2026
Takaichi vows to press ahead with reforms in New Year¡¯s message
Noting that the new year marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of Japan¡¯s previous Showa Era, Takaichi touted the possibility of a better future.
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, converse while looking at traditional crafts featuring horses, the 2026 zodiac animal, on Dec. 23 at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2026
In New Year¡¯s message, emperor reflects anew on preciousness of peace
In the written message, Emperor Naruhito said it was ¡°deeply painful¡± to see so many lives lost in conflicts around the world.
A new book from Hideko Yamashita, the original creator of the 'danshari' method of decluttering popularize outside Japan by Marie Kondo, can help you start 2026 off on a tidier note.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 27, 2025
Japan¡¯s original decluttering queen cleans up your new year
Hideko Yamashita¡¯s first book to be published in English has already sold 3 million copies in Japan.
Turn a top-grade cut of beef into "temari-zushi" (ball-shaped sushi) for a fun "osechi" New Year's meal.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Dec 23, 2025
Ring in the New Year with beef sushi
Give your traditional year-end ¡°osechi ry¨­ri¡± feast a modern twist with these ball-shaped treats.
Kidsdoor head Yumiko Watanabe presents the results of a recent survey on Dec. 10 in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 23, 2025
Survey shows 98% of struggling families with children experiencing hardship
Asked about the impact of surging prices, respondents said they had become unable to save money, needed to reduce meals, and were limiting utility use.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ?3,000 from ?1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
¡®My dream is broken¡¯: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men¡¯s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan¡¯s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
Japan spent ?11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan¡¯s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan¡¯s largest prison for women
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.
Inside Japan¡¯s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

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