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July 08, 2026
 

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OSAKA

Japan saw more tourists last year than ever — and a new report suggests its popularity among travelers is only going to grow.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 24, 2026
Data-driven travel rankings crown Japan as world’s top destination
According to travel planning outlet World Travel Index, the weak yen is a major factor in Japan’s enduring popularity with global tourists.
Hirofumi Yoshimura makes a campaign speech in the city of Osaka on Thursday to seek reelection as Osaka governor.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2026
Campaigning begins for Osaka gubernatorial election on Feb. 8
The previous governor, Hirofumi Yoshimura, resigned in an attempt to revive the so-called Osaka metropolis plan.
Tourists from abroad take souvenir photos in Sapporo's Susukino district, a popular sightseeing and entertainment spot, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2026
Japan has a tough road ahead to achieve 60 million visitor goal
Japan still needs to overcome mounting challenges to achieving its goal of 60 million annual visitors by 2030, although the number of inbound tourists topped 40 million for the first time ever last year with their consumption growing to around ¥9.5 trillion.
JIP leaders Hirofumi Yoshimura (right) and Fumitake Fujita leave the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on Jan. 14.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2026
Unveiling manifesto, JIP touts itself as Takaichi administration’s ‘accelerator’
The party seeks to woo Liberal Democratic Party supporters by highlighting their shared destination.
Seized cartridges containing etomidate are shown at Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 21, 2026
Thai woman arrested in Japan for smuggling ‘zombie cigarettes’
Tuela Kanwara was arrested and later indicted for allegedly smuggling 1,002 cartridges of the substance on a flight into Kansai International Airport.
Mappa’s employees work at the anime studio’s office in the city of Osaka in September. Some parts of the image are blurred for privacy reasons.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2026
Growing number of anime studios setting up bases outside Tokyo to secure talent
More companies are drawn to other cities by advantages such as easier access to local graduates and the potential to offer a better work-life balance.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura speaks to reporters on Friday at the Osaka Prefectural Government building.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 18, 2026
Major parties other than JIP to skip Osaka double election
The Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Party of Japan, the Japanese Communist Party and Komeito have all indicated they will not field candidates.
The Osaka District Court dismissed a request on Friday by three death-row inmates seeking to have executions by hanging banned.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 16, 2026
Osaka court dismisses request to ban executions by hanging
Three inmates, whose death sentences have been finalized, claimed that executions by hanging violate an international treaty that prohibits cruel punishments.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura (left) submits his resignation to the prefectural assembly speaker on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2026
Yoshimura gambles on double election to push plan to merge Osaka city’s wards
The Osaka governor’s resignation has drawn criticism from within the Japan Innovation Party, which he also leads.
Osaka Prefectural Police suspect the two men arrested are members of a group of real estate scammers.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 15, 2026
Judicial scrivener arrested over property scam in Osaka
Osaka police believe the two men arrested on suspicion of fraudulently conducting real estate ownership transfer registration are members of a group of real estate scammers.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura (left) in Tokyo in December
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 13, 2026
Osaka governor mulls stepping down to pave way for secondary capital designation
Both the governor and mayor of Osaka are considering resigning from their posts to pave the way for the city to become a backup capital.
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.
Osaka police arrested a man on Thursday after he allegedly accelerated toward a policeman and drove about 700 meters with the officer on his car’s hood.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 9, 2026
Man arrested over attack on policeman with car in Osaka
The suspect allegedly accelerated toward a policeman and then drove about 700 meters with the officer on his car’s hood.
Johannes Vermeer's painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" in The Hague in October 2022. The 17th century masterpiece will make a rare trip abroad in 2026 when it is loaned to Japan in August and September.
CULTURE / Art
Jan 9, 2026
‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ to make rare trip abroad to Japan
The 17th century masterpiece will be loaned to the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka in August and September while its home in The Hague undergoes renovations.
The Osaka city government is standing by its plan to sell about 500,000 square meters of prime land at the center of the Osaka Expo site.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 8, 2026
Debate begins on how to sustain legacy of Osaka Expo
Despite concerns about being able to preserve the legacy of the Osaka Expo, the city government is standing by its plan to sell about 500,000 square meters of land at the site.
A woman wearing traditional Japanese attire enjoys horseback riding on a native Dosanko horse on Dec. 5 in Kashiwara, Osaka Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2026
Horse park in Osaka aims to protect Japanese breed
The park offers opportunities for people to experience riding a Dosanko Japanese horse while wearing traditional Japanese clothing, including armor.
An image of an integrated resort to be constructed on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2025
Japan to begin selection process for new casino resort sites
Under the integrated resort implementation law, up to three locations can host integrated resort facilities, leaving two slots available.
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeing to halt a number of nuclear reactors hold up papers reading “unjust ruling” following a court ruling on Thursday in the city of Otsu, Shiga Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 26, 2025
Court dismisses plea to shut down nuclear plants in Fukui
The plaintiffs plan to appeal the ruling to a higher court, while Kansai Electric said that the ruling reflects the court’s understanding of its claims.
West Japan Railway’s completed facility to preserve a train involved in the 2005 Fukuchiyama Line derailment, in the city of Suita, Osaka Prefecture
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2025
Facility to preserve crashed JR West train completed
The April 2005 crash in Hyogo Prefecture killed 106 passengers and the train’s driver.
The Moritomo documents, totaling more than 170,000 pages, were voluntarily submitted by the Finance Ministry to prosecutors.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 18, 2025
Japan shows fifth set of Moritomo papers to ex-official’s widow
The Moritomo documents, totaling more than 170,000 pages, were voluntarily submitted by the ministry to prosecutors.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Prior to launch, Japan ‘strongly urged’ China to reconsider missile test in Pacific
A missile is fired from a Chinese Navy nuclear-powered submarine on Monday.
Suspected Asian fraud ring exec served fresh warrant in Japan
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Osaka Prefectural Police have issued arrest warrants for three people, including a suspected fraud network leader, over alleged immigration and residency violations.
Japan might be giving the currency market the silent treatment
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has issued verbal warnings recently using the same language and the same tone, saying authorities “will take appropriate action at any time, as necessary.”
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.

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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