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June 30, 2026
 

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Jessica Speed
A staff member sorts bells next to an advertisement for bear spray at a store in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 24.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 10, 2025
Businesses in Japan tighten bear safety measures as sightings surge
Convenience stores and delivery companies are taking action to protect employees and customers as the predators are spotted in record numbers.
Financially struggling families are burdened with educational expenses, as many schools require students to purchase designated uniforms and digital devices, according to a survey.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 7, 2025
Educational expenses for schoolchildren on the rise, survey finds
The average cost of uniforms for first-year junior high and high school students has risen by about ¥10,000 this year.
Shiori Ito at the National Board of Review Awards Gala in New York in January
JAPAN / Society
Nov 7, 2025
Shiori Ito’s documentary to be finally screened in Japan next month
The Japanese release of “Black Box Diaries” includes revisions, although it’s not clear precisely what edits have been made.
A rapid adoption of solar panels by homeowners in Japan has created new targets for aggressive sales tactics and outright scams.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 6, 2025
Consumer watchdog warns of solar panel inspection scams
The number of homes equipped with solar panels has skyrocketed in recent years, creating new targets for aggressive sales tactics.
A bear is seen near a house in the city of Akita on Oct. 30.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2025
Bear threat casts shadow over autumn outdoor activities
Twelve people have been killed by bears this fiscal year, and 108 have been attacked in Japan as of the end of September — both the highest figures on record.
Waseda University in Tokyo
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2025
More Japanese universities pushing toward teaching in English
Many university officials in Japan believe bringing an international environment onto campus is a cheaper, safer way to produce highly skilled graduates.
Eric Morel de Westgaver, European Space Agency director of strategy, announces the opening of the agency's Tokyo office during a news conference on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2025
European Space Agency opens first Asia office in Tokyo
The European Space Agency said its Tokyo office will be a bridge between European and Japanese space stakeholders as both sides aim to boost their presence in the space industry.
The seventh H3 rocket carrying the newly developed HTV-X1 resupply vehicle is launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on Sunday.
JAPAN
Oct 26, 2025
JAXA launches new HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft to International Space Station
The craft’s journey to the ISS will be the first time in five years that Japan has sent supplies to the station.
A recent survey by the Sports Agency found that women in their 30s and 40s were less physically fit in 2024 compared to 1998 levels as more women are busy working and/or raising children.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 14, 2025
Fitness levels fall for women in their 30s and 40s compared to 1998, survey finds
The survey from the Sports Agency suggested women are too busy working and/or raising children to do physical exercise, resulting in the decline.
A Self-Defense Force plane loads emergency blankets, cardboard beds and other supplies to be flown to typhoon-hit Hachijojima on Sunday.
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2025
Water outages persist on Tokyo’s Hachijojima as second typhoon approaches
Approximately 2,700 households on Hachijojima have been without water for several days after power outages halted supply facilities and landslides damaged key water sources.
There has been a rapid rise in the number of business manager visa holders in recent years, triggering concerns that some are using it as an easy route to long-term residency rather than for genuine entrepreneurship.
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2025
Business management visa requirements to be tightened from next week
There has been a rapid rise in the number of business manager visa holders in recent years, triggering concerns some are merely using it as an easy route to long-term residency.
Tokyo was ranked the world's best large city for the second year in a row in the Conde Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2025
Tokyo named world’s best big city for second straight year
Recognition from readers of luxury travel and lifestyle magazine Conde Nast Traveler comes after Japan welcomed a record 36.8 million foreign visitors in 2024.
Shuichi Tachihara, director of the forecast division at the Japan Meteorological Agency, holds a news conference regarding the special warnings for heavy rain and high waves due to the approach of Typhoon Halong, on Wednesday at the agency's office in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2025
Typhoon Halong brings strong winds and heavy rain to southern Izu islands
The national weather agency issued its highest-level emergency alert for the Izu islands before downgrading the warning after the rain passed.
Japan plans to introduce nationwide five-year bachelor's-master's programs to raise graduate school enrollment and train more highly skilled professionals amid a shrinking workforce.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2025
Japan to move toward five-year integrated bachelor’s-master’s programs
The proposed reform would allow students to complete a one-year master’s program after a standard four-year undergraduate course.
Atsuko Mori, founder and director of Kyoto-based tea salon Camellia Tea Ceremony, prepares matcha during a tea ceremony in Kyoto.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 2, 2025
Tea ceremony experts see matcha boom as a big opportunity
Matcha’s sudden spike in popularity overseas has prompted debate in Japan about whether the global craze risks diluting tea’s cultural meaning.
The Justice Ministry's figures show the number of specified skilled worker visa holders hit a record high as of the end of June.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2025
Skilled worker visa holders hit record high ahead of new visa program
The Justice Ministry stated that the goal for a new program set to be rolled out in 2027 is to make Japan a “country of choice” for foreign workers amid a labor shortage.
Japanese researchers estimated that as of 2023, there were 316,900 people in Japan with ulcerative colitis and 95,700 with Crohn’s disease.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 29, 2025
Japan sees 40% surge in chronic bowel disease cases over eight years
On a population basis, a study published this month shows prevalence is now 254.8 cases of ulcerative colitis and 77.0 cases of Crohn’s per 100,000 people.
The Tokyo Game Show opened Thursday in the city of Chiba with 521 Japanese exhibitors and 615 exhibitors from overseas — the largest share yet.
BUSINESS
Sep 25, 2025
Tokyo Game Show kicks off with largest lineup yet
The four-day event is hosting a record 4,157 booths and 1,136 exhibitors, more than half of which are from overseas.
A short-lived autumn is expected this year, with temperatures staying unseasonably high through October before plunging in late November, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2025
Autumn to be cut short as harsh winter arrives suddenly
In its three-month outlook, the weather agency forecast above-average temperatures nationwide in October, delaying the arrival of autumn weather.
With just three weeks left until the closing of the Osaka Expo, most admission slots are nearly fully booked. On auction sites, however, many reserved tickets are being traded at high prices.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2025
Osaka Expo tickets being resold at exorbitant prices as closing date nears
One adult 9 a.m. entry ticket for Oct. 5, originally ¥7,500, was selling online for ¥59,000 — over seven times the official cost.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
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.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
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."
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.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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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