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July 02, 2026
 

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IMMIGRATION

Swiss voters cast their ballots at a polling station in Bern, Switzerland, on Sunday as the country votes on an anti-immigration proposal to cap the country's population and another referendum on restricting access to conscientious objection to military service.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 14, 2026
Switzerland votes on proposal to cap population at 10 million
The unprecedented scheme to dictate population levels by law sits alongside burgeoning efforts by the ​political right in Europe to set tougher curbs on immigration.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is calling for “strong and effective” controls on land acquisition to prevent individuals or entities deemed security risks from acquiring sensitive properties, regardless of nationality.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 12, 2026
LDP pushes tougher land and visa rules while avoiding nationality trap
Legal experts have argued that nationality-based restrictions could conflict with domestic law and international agreements.
Ruchira Rangaprasad carries food containers to deliver to vulnerable migrants in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Thursday. Violence by masked groups targeting ethnic minorities flared in the city earlier in the week following a ‌knife attack for which a Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder.
WORLD / Society
Jun 12, 2026
Belfast’s minorities scared to leave home after violence by masked groups
Groups set fire to houses and cars and targeted ethnic minorities after a ‌knife attack for which a Sudanese man was charged with attempted murder.
Olivier Agassis, a winegrower and local representative of the Swiss People's Party, in front of his vineyard hut in Bavois, western Switzerland, on May 1. He said the goal of the proposed reform was "not to rid Switzerland of its foreign population."
WORLD
Jun 11, 2026
Suspense surrounds Swiss anti-immigration vote
The proposal to cap the population would require cuts to immigration that critics warn risk crippling swathes of the economy and Switzerland’s relations with the European Union.
Dipu Tamang from Nepal is among more than 400,000 international students in Japan.
COMMUNITY
Jun 11, 2026
In Japan, Nepalese students navigate a growing study-to-work pathway
A growing stream of young people see the country less as a traditional study destination and more as a structured route into work and long-term opportunity.
Police use a water cannon as they block the road from protesters leading to a hotel previously believed to house migrants, on Antrim Road in Glengormley, north of Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jun 11, 2026
Northern Ireland police use water cannon on second night of protests
Restaurants and businesses shuttered in the center of Belfast, schools closed and public transport shut down amid fears of a repeat of Tuesday night’s riots.
A firefighter works to extinguish a fire in three cars parked on the street at Tigers Bay, during a protest after a knife attack on June 8 left a man seriously injured and prompted police to declare a critical incident, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 10, 2026
U.K. police call for calm after brutal knife attack in Belfast
The incident led to the arrest of a Sudanese national and prompted protest calls from the far right.
The fee on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers was raised from about $2,000 to $5,000, depending on various factors, to $100,000 following an announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump in September last year.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 9, 2026
Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee is unlawful, U.S. judge rules
U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin concluded that the fee on the visas for highly skilled foreign workers constituted an unlawful tax Congress never authorized.
The official FIFA World Cup 2026 match ball, Trionda, is displayed in during a media tour day at Kansas City Stadium (temporarily renamed from Arrowhead Stadium) in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 9, 2026
Somali soccer referee will miss World Cup after U.S. denies entry
Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was named the Confederation of African ​Football’s Best Male Referee for 2025, reportedly had a valid visa.
The number of public school students requiring special Japanese-language instruction reached a record high of 84,759 in fiscal 2025.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2026
Japan to launch language support project for foreign children
The number of public school students requiring special Japanese-language instruction reached a record high of 84,759 in fiscal 2025.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers a policy speech before the country's parliament in Tokyo in February. The Japanese leader recently argued that requiring candidates to disclose prior citizenship would violate equality before the law.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 8, 2026
In trust’s name, disclose candidates’ prior citizenship
The issue is whether voters have the right to know the backgrounds of the people seeking to govern them. In any healthy democracy, the answer is yes.
A Hotel Belvoir staff member sets a table on a terrace overlooking Lake Zurich, ahead of a June 14 vote on a plan backed by the right‑wing party to limit population growth to 10 million inhabitants, in Ruschlikon, Switzerland, on May 27.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 8, 2026
Businesses fear for economy if Swiss vote to cap population at 10 million
The Swiss population had grown to 9.1 million by the end of 2025, from 7.3 million when free movement of people between Switzerland and the European Union was introduced in 2002.
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.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives to attend a ceremony marking the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 7, 2026
Hegseth urges Europe on D-Day to counter present-day ‘invasion’
The U.S. Defense Secretary also called on European countries to do more to contribute to their own defense.
Shady business manager visa applications using shell companies can often be identified from the paperwork, with unusually small offices and addresses shared by multiple firms among the red flags.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 5, 2026
Dubious immigration brokers helped spark business manager visa crackdown
Shady immigration consulting firms, many in China, help people set up shell companies to apply for a business manager visa, or advertise the option of renting out properties.
Pope Leo XIV, who will visit the Canary Islands during his June 6-12 trip to Spain, has repeatedly called for compassion for those seeking a better life abroad.
WORLD
Jun 3, 2026
Migrant journeys in focus ahead of pope’s visit to Spain’s Canary Islands
The pope will spend the final two days of his trip to Spain on the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, where he will meet migrants and organizations working to support them.
West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Jan. 20. People ​who have lived outside Canada for generations can now be considered citizens if they can prove descent.
WORLD
Jun 1, 2026
Canada’s broader citizenship rules draw strong American interest, data shows
The high percentage of Americans being approved for Canadian citizenship signals that many Americans see Canada as an attractive place to ​live or study, immigration lawyers ⁠say.
Members of the Kawasaki Foreign Resident Council discuss issues faced by foreign residents during a meeting on May 17.
COMMUNITY / Issues
May 31, 2026
As immigration rises, Kawasaki’s foreign council shows path toward inclusion
The council aims to improve the lives of foreign residents and foster a harmonious co-existence with native Japanese.
Haneda Airport in April 2025. An immigration bill enacted Friday includes plans to introduce an electronic travel authorization system by March 2029.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 29, 2026
Japan enacts bill to drastically raise visa-related fees
Under the bill, the statutory upper limit for fees to change residency statuses or extend a period of stay will go from ¥10,000 to ¥100,000.
On June 14, Switzerland will vote on a plan to cap its population at 10 million.
WORLD / Politics
May 28, 2026
Switzerland’s plan to cap population at 10 million is worrying executives
The country, whose population already exceeds 9.1 million, will vote on the proposed measure on June 14.
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.
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.
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.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
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
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