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July 07, 2026
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July 07, 2026
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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.”
BUSINESS / Markets
Japan might be giving the currency market the silent treatment
By Kazuaki Nagata
Officials are saying less than they did before to defend the yen, and when they do speak, they opt for vague and relatively weak statements.
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.”
A missile is fired from a Chinese Navy nuclear-powered submarine on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Prior to launch, Japan ‘strongly urged’ China to reconsider missile test in Pacific
By Jesse Johnson
The Chinese Navy successfully conducted the test launch of a “strategic missile” by a nuclear submarine into the Pacific Ocean on Monday.
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
BUSINESS / Companies
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
By Yukana Inoue
Hard-working Japanese businesses and creators are banding together to drive what is now one of Japan’s most valuable assets.
A record high of 804 people were arrested for possession of cocaine in 2025, up from around 160 in 2021, according to the National Police Agency.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Number of people who have tried cocaine reaches new high in Japan, study shows
By Yukana Inoue
Those found in possession of the drug also hit a record high of 804 arrests in 2025, according to the National Police Agency.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
By Megha Wadhwa
From classrooms in India’s northeast to nursing homes in Japan, an emerging labor corridor hopes to improve lives in both countries.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.

JAPAN

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.
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The teen identified a vulnerability in the Bandai Channel system and used an artificial intelligence chatbot to create a malicious program to cancel the accounts.
Rina Takahashi of Kitani Suisan fillets a tuna at the Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo's Chuo Ward, on June 25.
Women increasingly active in Japan’s fish markets
The development is part of the country’s shift toward a more gender-neutral society.
Japan-linked ships escaping Hormuz in convoy through Iran route
By Alex Longley, Yusuke Maekawa and Stephen Stapczynski
Kenporen seeks medical insurance reform talks
Japan’s NATO envoy highlights importance of European stability
Victims mourned 8 years after western Japan rain disaster

BUSINESS

Sumadori Meets, a bar specializing in nonalcoholic beverages, in Tokyo's busy Omotesando district
Japanese brewers expand zero-proof and low-alcohol lineups
The companies believe that many young consumers still want to enjoy the lively atmosphere of drinking parties while avoiding or limiting alcohol consumption.
U.S. President Donald Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. arrive at the White House in Washington on May 3.
Trump Jr.’s ‘Amazon of guns’ could make millions under new proposed firearm rule
By Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff
The proposal would allow licensed dealers to ship firearms directly to in-state residents who undergo an online identity verification and background check.
World absorbs historic Iran war oil supply loss, but depleted stocks bring risks
Japanese firms face need to improve jobs for disabled workers
The supertanker tycoon making millions on Hormuz ‘shuttle runs’
Millennial Samsung union leader’s $26 billion bonus victory turns to bitterness
By Yoolim Lee

WORLD

The NATO leaders' summit is due to begin in Ankara today.
Turkey cracks down on press as NATO leaders gather in Ankara
By Beril Akman and Selcan Hacaoglu
As Turkey rises as a strategic defense partner, criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his heavy-handed methods is unlikely to be widely expressed.
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte is trying to have the case thrown out by the Supreme Court.
Sara Duterte faces impeachment trial with Philippine presidential dream at stake
By Cliff Venzon and Neil Jerome Morales
The trial could deepen political turmoil in the Philippines, where growth has stuttered after revelations of graft led to a slump in consumer and investor confidence.
Hamas dissolves Gaza government, Israel dismisses move as ‘stunt’
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
At the foot of Mount Olympus, a return to ancient Greek heritage
Experimental Ebola trial begins in Congo as death toll tops 500
By Jason Gale
Taiwanese film hunters rescue aging reels from bygone era
By Joy Chiang

Sports

England's Jude Bellingham celebrates after scoring against Mexico during the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City on Sunday.
10-man England outlasts Mexico to advance to World Cup quarterfinals
The result set up a last-eight clash with Norway, ​which shocked Brazil 2-1 earlier on Sunday.
Summer McIntosh breaks last women’s ‘supersuit’ world record
Norway coach praises team and fans for rowing together after win over Brazil
English-language takeover of Tour de France forces even French riders to adapt
FIFA reverses course on suspension for U.S. star Folarin Balogun after call from Donald Trump

Opinion

An electronic board displays the exchange rate of the yen against the U.S. dollar and other currencies on a street in Tokyo on June 22.
Fighting yen psychology is a losing battle
Daniel Moss
Turning the currency around, never easy at the best times, has just become harder given the renewed embrace of the greenback.
King Charles just got a lot more treasure
By Rosa Prince
Beyond Brexit — and back to Europe
By Mark Leonard
NATO needs to create its own defense market
By Fiona E. Murray — Robert Murray
Japan positioned to link U.S. and Europe in a fragmented world
By Hitoshi Suzuki

ENVIRONMENT

A wildfire burns in the Pyrenees-Orientales department, southern France on Sunday.
Infernos devastate forests as Europe’s temperatures rise again
Firefighters across southern Europe are battling blazes that have devastated an area over twice the size of Manhattan.
Japan deploys bear cameras in mountains as attacks surge
Net-zero champion Europe snared by climate change on its doorstep
NATO project tests perennial grass to clean Ukraine’s war-hit soil
Industrial firms warn EU carbon overhaul could benefit polluters
By Kate Abnett

CULTURE

Kazama's woodcut print “Dyslympics 2680” satirizes and compares the 1964 and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Sachiko Kazama’s art bites back at a cruel society
By Jennifer Pastore
Sachiko Kazama has made a name for herself as a sharp satirist. Her art from spanning a nearly four-decade long career is now on display in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture.
Japanese dancers win ballet prizes in Moscow
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are married, as pair hosts New York celebration
Tujiko Noriko’s new album is a feline tour de force
By James Hadfield
Murakami says his novels are ‘different’ from AI literature

LIFE

Stephen Lancaster says Sezanne's loss of its Michelin stars is an opportunity to move one of Tokyo's newest fine dining institutions in a new direction.
Stripped of Michelin stars, Sezanne embraces a changing of the guard
By Phoebe Amoroso
Once awarded three stars, the restaurant now holds none. But new executive chef Steven Lancaster sees the sudden change as a golden opportunity.
La & Le brings a slice of Paris cafe culture to Tokyo
By Weiwen Lin
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
By Gabrielle Doman
Japan’s first standalone ramen shop reopens in Asakusa
By Weiwen Lin
Fender opens a second, more unplugged Shimokitazawa cafe
By Aden Max Juarez

COMMUNITY

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.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie
Takashi Nishihara’s latest work, “Now and Then,” bridges a historical atrocity with the present-day treatment of asylum-seekers.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
By Mai Yoshikawa
Two furry siblings seek their forever home
How a U.S. author found — and helped build — community in a Japanese hot spring town
By Michele Laudig
In Japan, Nepalese students navigate a growing study-to-work pathway
By Mai Yoshikawa

Editors' Picks

ENVIRONMENT
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
By Robert Bociaga
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.
JAPAN
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
By Jesse Johnson
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.
JAPAN
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
By Jessica Speed
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
MORE SPORTS
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
By Jason Coskrey
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
CULTURE
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex’s culture cred
By James Hadfield
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex.  

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

JT Directory Service

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency
New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

COMFACTS

Space Seed Holdings and Three Partners File Core Patents for “SpaceAgent”
Space Seed Holdings and Three Partners File Core Patents for “SpaceAgent”
SPACE SEED HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

WHAT’S TRENDING

CULTURE
Murakami says his novels are ‘different’ from AI literature
Haruki Murakami&#039;s first book in three years hit shelves in Japan on Friday.
JAPAN
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.
BUSINESS
Thailand gets serious about chasing high-spending tourists
By Randy Thanthong-Knight
Chinese tourists at Wat Arun Ratchawararam Rathawaramahawihan in Bangkok
COMMUNITY
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
By Megha Wadhwa
Young people in India&#039;s northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
JAPAN
Tokyo hospital baby hatch accepts 20 newborns in first year
Hitoshi Kato (left), head of San-ikukai Hospital in Tokyo&#039;s Sumida Ward, speaks during a news conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building on Thursday.