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June 25, 2026
 

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SAITAMA

Manish Kumar, who asked that his face not be shown, at his restaurant in Tsurugashima, Saitama Prefecture, on June 1.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 8, 2026
Fear and uncertainty for foreign business owners after Japan revises rules
The life that restaurateur Manish Kumar built in Japan for he and his family has been upended after Japan enacted stricter rules for the business manager visa.
Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a 43-year-old man for obstructing Hama-Sushi¡¯s business operations after a ¡°rage-bait¡± social media video he posted went viral.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 4, 2026
Man arrested over video of him allegedly pouring detergent-like liquid on sushi
Yuta Shinnishi, 43, has admitted to the allegation and was quoted as saying he ¡°wanted to get more views¡± on social media.
About 748 kilometers of sewer pipes in Japan, roughly 16% of those inspected, have been found to require countermeasures due to risks such as cave-ins, prompting the infrastructure ministry to call for immediate repairs.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2026
Hundreds of kilometers of Japan¡¯s sewers classified as needing action
The infrastructure ministry will ask 383 municipalities and organizations managing the sewer pipes to take immediate measures.
A makeshift bridge built over a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Wednesday as the road that collapsed in January 2025 was partially reopened to traffic
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2026
Saitama road affected by sinkhole partially restored
The January incident covered a six-way intersection and left a truck driver dead.
Kiyoshi Gonda (left), sixth-generation sakemaker of Gonda Shuzo in Saitama Prefecture, wants to make his sake from as many local ingredients as possible.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 27, 2026
A Saitama sake brewery embraces a little-known rice variety
Gonda Shuzo in Kumagaya is banking on Sake Musashi, a local cultivar, to define the terroir of the region¡¯s sake.
Nearly half of Japan¡¯s population suffers from hay fever, fueled by pollen from vast cedar and cypress plantations.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / Longform
Mar 23, 2026
The human-made roots of Japan¡¯s hay fever crisis
Efforts to thin forests and breed low-pollen cedar advance, even as labor gaps and neglected land complicate the work.
A bereaved family member said they thought the Saitama District Court's life sentence ruling on Monday was generous and that they hope the prosecutors "will quickly appeal the ruling."
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 17, 2026
Man convicted of 2022 triple murder in Saitama Prefecture given life in prison
Public prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Jun Saito for murdering three members of a family in Saitama Prefecture on Christmas Day in 2022.
Saitama Prefectural Children¡¯s Medical Center head Akira Oka (center left) and other staff bow to reporters in the city of Saitama on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 12, 2026
Unexpected drug found as Saitama hospital probes death of teen after treatment
An anticancer drug found in a patient¡¯s cerebrospinal fluid was not intended for use in the therapy he received.
Company Grande¡¯s inaugural performance, ¡°The Rite of Spring,¡± took place Feb. 7 at Saitama Arts Theater.
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 8, 2026
100 ways to belong: The radical inclusivity of Company Grande
Company Grande includes members from all ages, walks of life and abilities, showing the stage can also be an arena for amateurs, persons with disabilities and the elderly.
The death penalty has been sought for a 43-year-old man charged with killing three members of a family in Hanno, Saitama Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 26, 2026
Death penalty sought over triple murder in Saitama
The defendant, 43-year-old Jun Saito, is charged with killing three members of a family at their house in the city of Hanno in December 2022.
Saitama Gov. Motohiro Ono speaks to reporters on Thursday after receiving the final report from the investigative committee in the city of Saitama.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2026
Pipe corrosion confirmed as cause of 2025 Saitama sinkhole
A committee concluded that the emergence of the sinkhole was not necessarily predictable.
The Saitama District Court. In the first trial hearing at the court for a triple murder case on Monday, defendant Jun Saito said he did not know about the case.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 16, 2026
Man pleads not guilty to triple murder in Saitama Prefecture
According to the indictment, Jun Saito killed U.S. national William Ross Bishop Jr., his wife, Izumi Morita, and their daughter.
Kazuhiro Shibuya grows rice in Kazo, Saitama Prefecture, where he evacuated to from Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, following the March 2011 nuclear disaster. He gave up his Futaba resident registration in 2022.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Feb 16, 2026
Fukushima evacuees face growing need to change resident registrations
Evacuees still face a painful choice: Keep ties to hometowns they can¡¯t return to, or transfer residency to rebuild their lives.
Chef Masashi Motooka opened Restaurant Kam in Saitama Prefecture, taking over a property formerly used by his wife's late grandfather. The garden is an extension of his kitchen ¡ª his daily menu is determined by whatever is ready to be picked.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Jan 30, 2026
In Saitama, Kam finds its garden-to-table concept ripe with potential
Chef Masashi Motooka is making a name for himself with his deft execution of French cuisine paired with greens picked from his own backyard.
The construction site at the location of a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Monday
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2026
Saitama sinkhole remains open a year after forming
Work to fix the hole, caused by a sewer pipe rupture underneath an intersection, is expected to take at least five to seven years to complete.
Alumni of Hatsukaichi Junior High School in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, on Dec. 23 look at a wooden relief depicting the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, which was restored and returned to the school.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 21, 2026
Wooden atomic bomb relief returns home to Hiroshima after alumni restoration
About 50 former classmates helped restore the wooden relief, which after years of exposure to the elements had been slated for possible disposal.
Posts and videos shared on social media have amplified fears about crime in Japan, with unverified claims spreading faster than official crime statistics.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jan 12, 2026
Japan is safe. Why do the Japanese feel unsafe?
Crime is low but anxiety is rising, fueled by demographics, social media and perception gaps shaping how safety is felt.
Shinsekai, the renowned culinary district of Osaka. Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura has called for the creation of a secondary capital in prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 9, 2026
Race to become Japan¡¯s secondary capital heats up
As the Japan Innovation Party works to get Osaka designated the country¡¯s secondary capital, other municipalities are looking to muscle in.
For Red Bull, producing alchemy between a global conglomerate and local soccer club already established in a very different culture requires plenty of tact and diplomacy.
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 28, 2025
Red Bull winning over diehard fans as energy drink giant injects life in Omiya Ardija
As Red Bull expands its soccer empire, the energy drink giant has faced some resistance from diehard fans. But not in Japan.
Yoriko Koseki (right) submits a petition to the Justice Ministry in Tokyo on Tuesday, calling for the statute of limitations for hit-and-run cases to be abolished.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 10, 2025
Mother of hit-and-run victim seeks to end statute of limitations for such cases
The mother¡¯s petition argues that the statute of limitations for hit-and-run cases is short, allowing perpetrators to benefit from fleeing the accident site.
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.
Masayoshi Son dismisses Musk¡¯s idea for orbital data centers
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son dismissed the idea of space-based data centers, arguing that the AI race will be won by computing power on Earth.
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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