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July 01, 2026
 

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LIVING IN JAPAN

The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan has issued a warning over a rise in air conditioner repair scams.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 23, 2026
Consumer affairs watchdog raises alarm over air conditioner repair scams
The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan is urging people to be on alert for offers to repair broken air conditioners that sound too good to be true.
In Tokyo and other major Japanese cities, <i>aruki-sumaho</i> — walking while using a smartphone — has become a persistent safety concern as commuters navigate crowded stations and sidewalks while focused on their devices.
JAPAN / Society / First person
Jun 21, 2026
Distracted walkers in Japan are a real safety risk. My mother knows firsthand.
Despite years of awareness campaigns, aruki-sumaho — walking while using a smartphone — remains widespread and difficult to stop.
An experiment shows how stripping the insulation from an air conditioner cord and connecting the cord with another cable can lead to fire.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2026
Consumers warned of fire risks in areas around air conditioners ahead of summer
Safety experts have received many reports of air conditioner fires that were unrelated to product defects, and are flagging the risk before use increases through summer.
A father carries a child on a <i>mamachari</i> bicycle in September 2018. Parents say the new “blue ticket” system has made them more mindful of the rules, but has also heightened concerns about child-seat use and children starting to cycle on their own.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 22, 2026
How Japan’s new ‘blue tickets’ are putting cycling parents on edge
Parents say the new system has made them more mindful of the rules, but has also heightened concerns about child-seat use and children starting to cycle on their own.
Japan implemented a new system in April that penalizes minor bicycle traffic rule violators with a "blue ticket" that carries a fine of up to ¥12,000.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 14, 2026
Cyclists issued ‘blue tickets’ in over 2,000 cases since April 1 rollout
The new tickets incur fines of up to ¥12,000 for traffic rule violations, with the aim of improving cycling safety and preventing accidents.
Foreign tourists take selfies with a statue of Buddha in the Asakusa area of Tokyo on April 15.
JAPAN / Society
May 11, 2026
Moving to Japan a dream for many Americans, survey says
Japan is ranked sixth in preliminary searches by those looking to relocate, but practical factors, including language, bumped it down 10 places in a new report.
Under the new blue ticket system, cyclists will have one week in which to pay fines for minor traffic violations.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 24, 2026
The language around Japan’s new bike rules leaves no room for ‘maybe’
Blue tickets are now being issued for minor traffic offenses, but you have to watch you don’t get scammed.
A battery from a third-party company for an electric-assist bicycle catches fire during an experiment.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2026
Caution urged in Japan when using secondhand products amid safety risks
Accidents involving secondhand products have risen alongside more people using flea market apps to save money as consumer inflation continues.
Sendai Station is crowded with people Monday after the Tohoku shinkansen line suspended operation following a powerful earthquake off the Sanriku coast.
JAPAN / Explainer
Apr 21, 2026
How to prepare when Japan is under an earthquake advisory
Authorities in Japan are urging residents from Hokkaido to Chiba Prefecture to be ready in case a major earthquake strikes, following Monday’s magnitude 7.7 jolt.
Navigating cancer treatment as a foreign resident of Japan can be an added layer of stress, but nonprofit organizations and community resources are available to support those with a diagnosis.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Apr 20, 2026
Counseling and community for foreign cancer patients in Japan
Navigating cancer treatment as a foreign resident can be daunting, but mental health clinics, nonprofit organizations and other platforms can support the journey.
Starting Wednesday, Japan will require certain foreign nationals applying for its most common white-collar work visa to prove language proficiency.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 15, 2026
Japan implements language proficiency requirements for certain visa applicants
The requirement applies to jobs in which language skills are central, such as translation, interpretation and customer-facing roles.
Representatives of the Tokyo Federation of Private University Faculty and Staff Unions speak to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 7, 2026
Costs to attend private universities in Tokyo hit record high
Parents of first-year students at higher education institutes in the Tokyo metropolitan area who responded to the survey described tough financial trade-offs and growing anxiety.
Islamic Yokocho in Shin-Okubo is home to a plethora of grocery stores specializing in halal food and fresh produce, among other goods and services.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Apr 6, 2026
Please your palate with Tokyo’s international grocery stores
The capital has a surfeit of specialty supermarkets with ingredients from all over the world — if you know where to look.
Some utilities, for instance, tout that the utility costs will be cheaper under their plan without accounting for a variable fuel adjustment charge.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2026
Utility contract complaints persist nearly a decade after deregulation
Consumer officials are urging caution as complaints over electricity and gas contracts remain almost 10 years since Japan opened its utility markets.
Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 27, 2026
Japan to tighten requirements for naturalization starting April 1
The criteria for foreign nationals seeking citizenship will be brought to the level required for permanent residency.
Starting April 1, cyclists in Japan will be subject to new traffic rules.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Mar 25, 2026
What to know about Japan’s new traffic rules for cyclists
Starting April 1, the “blue ticket” system aims to reduce violations by issuing fines for minor offenses such as using a phone while cycling or ignoring stoplights.
Experts say entrenched gender bias, particularly the stereotype that women are polite and gentle, and suited to service work, explains why female voices are more often used in automated voice guidance systems.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Mar 19, 2026
Why do female voices dominate automated guidance in Japan?
One common explanation points to the stereotype that women are naturally suited to supportive or caregiving roles.
Sanseito, a party led by Sohei Kamiya (second from right), opposes the long-term settlement of foreign nationals but supports the use of short-term foreign labor.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 5, 2026
Conservative parties push for capping of foreign resident population
The Japan Innovation Party, Sanseito and the Conservative Party of Japan are taking a hard-line stance while other parties are proposing alternative measures.
Subscription services have taken hold in Japanese people's daily lives, with such services provided by content creators also becoming popular.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Feb 4, 2026
Subscription services evolving in Japan
With consumers adopting a more conservative view of spending amid inflation, subscription services are viewed as “rational and smart consumption.”
A native of Washington state, Roger Dahl began contributing comics and editorial cartoons to The Japan Times in 1991.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jan 26, 2026
‘Zero Gravity’ comes to an end, but Roger Dahl will keep drawing
The Japan Times’ long-tenured cartoonist has kept busy over the past decades — and has plenty more projects on the horizon.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay&#039;s Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team&#039;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.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan&#039;s currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Brazil&#039;s Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

TDC Global challenges norms at Japan workplaces
TDC Global challenges norms at Japan workplaces

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