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July 01, 2026
 

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OKINAWA

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a regular news conference Tuesday at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2026
Japan to deploy missiles to Yonaguni Island by fiscal 2030, defense chief says
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the timing for the deployment of the weapons could change depending on the progress of future facility improvements.
Rosewood Miyakojima's Choma bar is a stylish beachfront venue.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Kanpai Culture
Feb 23, 2026
At Choma, drinks come with a shot of folklore
Rosewood Miyakojima’s new beachfront bar shakes up inventive cocktails inspired by the island’s myths and traditions.
The U.S. Marine Corps' Air Station Futenma
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 21, 2026
Koizumi denies Japan-U.S. discrepancy over return of Futenma site
The remark came after the U.S. said that it would not return the Futenma site unless a long runway is secured at a replacement facility.
At Nakayama Coffee Farm, Tatsumi Kishimoto (far right) and his team run a cafe and conduct tours of the grounds for visitors. Kishimoto says Okinawan coffee farmers cannot rely on coffee-farming alone as their sole source of income.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 20, 2026
Bean by bean, coffee cultivation in Okinawa defies the odds
From setting up greenhouses to padding up soil beds with grass, coffee producers on the island are finding ways to work around climate challenges to promote their sweet brew.
The Henoko coastal area in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, where the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air base is set to be relocated
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2026
U.S. won’t return Futenma site unless Japan agrees to long runway at Henoko
While the runway at the Futenma base in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, is roughly 2,700 meters long, the two runways at the replacement facility will be about 1,800 meters each.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force disembark from a V-22 Osprey aircraft during an annual live-fire exercise at East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in May 2022.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2026
GSDF cancels Osprey dispatch to drill with U.S. in Okinawa
The cancellation is believed to reflect consideration for local residents’ concerns.
Japan is facing pressure to strengthen scientific funding, flexibility and global recruitment as uncertainty in U.S. policy and rising competition from China reshape the global race for research talent.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 18, 2026
Lessons for Japan’s scientific community from Trump’s America
Following the proposed cuts to U.S. science funding, the Japanese government moved with notable speed to launch new initiatives aimed at attracting and retaining top researchers.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the appeal of Brennon Washington, a 26-year-old U.S. airman at Kadena Air Base, finalizing his five-year prison sentence for kidnapping and sexually assaulting an underage girl in Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 3, 2026
Japan’s top court rejects U.S. airman’s appeal in Okinawa assault case
The Supreme Court’s decision finalizes the five-year prison sentence for Brennon Washington, a 26-year-old service member at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture.
Hitoshi Nakama, a fisherman who has been fishing around the Senkaku Islands, speaks as his fishing boat sails past a Japan Coast Guard ship docked at a port in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, on Jan. 13.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 3, 2026
Fearing clash with China, Japan asks fishermen to avoid flash point islands
The requests signal an abrupt shift after years in which Tokyo tacitly accepted such trips.
Kunihiro Nitta, a pharmacist at the Sukoyaka pharmacy in Naha, gives medication instructions to a resident on Minamidaito Island in Okinawa Prefecture via a video call in September.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Feb 2, 2026
Pharmacy in Okinawa goes online to reach residents on remote islands
Sukoyaka pharmacy stepped up after two local pharmacies on Minamidaito Island and Yonaguni Island hundreds of kilometers away were shuttered.
While standard rooms at the Royal Park Hotel Iconic Naha may run you around ¥25,000 to ¥35,000 per night, more luxury suites like this one are available for travelers with yen to burn.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 30, 2026
Naha’s newest hotel is made from Okinawan culture — literally
Open from Jan. 30, the Royal Park Hotel Iconic Naha incorporates numerous elements of the island’s heritage, including remnants of the incinerated Shuri Castle.
The Finance Ministry on Thursday upgraded its economic assessment for tourism in Okinawa, with one hotel industry official there saying there was no significant impact from group cancellations following Chinese government notices advising against visits to Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 29, 2026
Finance Ministry raises economic view on Hokuriku and Okinawa
The ministry said in a quarterly report that Japan’s economy is “recovering at a moderate pace,” adopting the same assessment for the 10th straight quarter.
The U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture. The death of a Japanese schoolteacher in April at the base has been detailed in a recent U.S. Air Force report.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2026
Death of Okinawa teacher involving U.S. military helicopter detailed in new report
According to the report, the woman was killed after being struck by the flow of air generated by a U.S. military helicopter.
Taketoyo Toguchi (center) won the mayoral election for the city of Nago in Okinawa Prefecture on Sunday, securing his third term.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 26, 2026
Nago Mayor Taketoyo Toguchi wins third term
The news will deal a major blow to those opposing the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma air base.
CDP Secretary-General Jun Azumi (left) and his Komeito counterpart, Makoto Nishida, announce the CRA's policies in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 19, 2026
CRA unveils platform adopting Komeito line on security and nuclear energy
The party outlined its position on security legislation and nuclear energy and pledged to permanently scrap the consumption tax on food.
Incumbent Mayor Taketoyo Toguchi speaks in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, on Sunday, as the city's mayoral race kicks off.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 19, 2026
Incumbent and two challengers run for mayor of Okinawa’s Nago
The election will effectively be a one-on-one battle between incumbent Taketoyo Toguchi, who is seeking a third term, and former city assembly member Kumiko Onaga.
The Siyuan Aircraft Bunker in Yilan City, Taiwan, which was built by the Japanese during World War II, contains small historical displays and has a bamboo model of Zero fighter plane on its roof, used as a decoy to fool American bombing raids.
JAPAN / History
Jan 11, 2026
Aircraft bunkers in Taiwan’s Yilan county shine light on little-known kamikaze outpost
The Pacific-facing county hosts the largest concentration of such bunkers in Taiwan that are among the best-preserved examples still remaining anywhere.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a New Year's news conference in Ise, Mie Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2026
Japan to begin full-scale security strategy review in spring
The government aims to draw up three new security-related documents by the end of the year, officials have said.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (center) and Nago Mayor Taketoyo Toguchi (second from left), prior to talks on Wednesday in Naha
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2026
Koizumi seeks local understanding over Futenma base relocation
The air base, located in a densely populated area in Okinawa’s Ginowan, is to be moved to the Henoko coastal area in Nago.
The New York Times placed Nagasaki 17th on the list of "52 places to go in 2026."
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2026
Nagasaki and Okinawa make New York Times’ list of ‘52 places to go in 2026’
The New York Times put Nagasaki in 17th place on a list it has released every year since 2005, and Okinawa was 46th.
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.
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.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
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’

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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