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July 08, 2026
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July 08, 2026
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Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a meeting of the Upper House audit committee in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Controversial bills threaten to push parliament session into overtime
By Eric Johnston
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is caught between honoring a promise to the Japan Innovation Party and the reality that it will be difficult to pass the bills in the Upper House.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a meeting of the Upper House audit committee in Tokyo on Monday.
Children walk past a display marking the founding anniversary of the Chinese Navy, during a media tour at the navy's Submarine Academy in Qingdao, China, in April 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Missile test marks new phase in expansion of China’s nuclear-armed submarine force
By Jesse Johnson
Monday’s launch was the first known full-range — or near-full-range — flight test of a Chinese long-range submarine-launched ballistic missile.
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
JAPAN / Society
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
By Elizabeth Beattie
Osaka ranked seventh, while Tokyo, which improved its culture and environment score, moved up three places to reach 10th.
Environmental concerns relating to the construction of Central Japan Railway’s high-speed maglev line had contributed to years of delays for the project.
JAPAN
Long-stalled maglev line finally gets green light from Shizuoka Prefecture
By Yukana Inoue
Environmental concerns had led to years of delays, but now that understanding has “steadily deepened,” it is now possible to move forward, Shizuoka’s governor said.
Toru Miyanaga, Suntory chief strategy officer, notes that the demand for self-care products will likely grow.
BUSINESS / Companies
Suntory sees opportunity in the OTC medicine business
By Kazuaki Nagata
The drinks maker is acquiring Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare and already has a health foods subsidiary.
Toru Miyanaga, Suntory chief strategy officer, notes that the demand for self-care products will likely grow.

JAPAN

The diffusion index for Japan’s three-month rice price outlook fell 4 points to 19 in June, matching the record low set in August 2014 and staying below 50 for a ninth straight month, according to an agricultural group.
Japan’s rice prices likely to fall in coming months
An index for the outlook on rice prices over the next three months has shown stronger expectations for lower prices.
A bloodstained helmet worn by an ambulance crew member who became involved in a case of violent abuse against the crew
Violence toward ambulance crews in Tokyo higher in 2025 and rising this year
Incidents not only impact the well-being of emergency personnel but also reduce the availability of emergency services for others.
Japanese executives accused of bribing Cambodian government worker
Noto Peninsula airport struck by earthquake gets Pokemon-themed rebrand
Japan to launch council to overhaul legal frameworks governing AI use
Coast guard ships from Japan and China face off near Senkaku Islands
By Hiroshi Hiyama

BUSINESS

Workers transport soil containing rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, in China's Jiangsu province. China dominates the global market for rare earths and it is using those supplies as a diplomatic cudgel.
Corporate Japan’s rare-earth warnings get louder as China keeps spigot closed
By Satoshi Sugiyama and Hina Suzuki
As the economy strengthens, an unprecedented increase in company notices about critical ​minerals is flashing a warning signal for the quarters ahead.
"I want to achieve the goal we set 20 years ago to become one of the world’s top five banks,” Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group CEO Junichi Hanzawa said in his first interview since taking the helm.
MUFG’s new CEO rekindles ambition to claim spot among world’s top five banks
By Taiga Uranaka and Hideki Suzuki
The goal reflects growing confidence within Japan’s biggest banks, which are forecasting another year of record profits as rates rise and loan demand picks up.
KDDI to conduct AI drone feasibility study in Vietnam and the Philippines
Credit card payment processor Zentoshin gets nod to begin bankruptcy proceedings
Japan is not pushing for low interest rates, economic policy minister says
By Yoshiaki Nohara and Akemi Terukina
Sapporo Breweries to tie up with Denmark’s Carlsberg

WORLD

Mourners gather to pay tribute to Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Grand Mosalla on the second day of funeral ceremonies in Tehran on Sunday.
Iran reportedly fires missiles at commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz
Two commercial ships suffered ‌significant damage ‌but had no casualties, according to the report that cited U.S. officials.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announces that Canada picked Germany’s TKMS to build 12 submarines for its navy, at HMC Dockyard in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on Monday.
Canada’s Carney cites NATO and melting Arctic as Germany wins submarine contract
By Thomas Seal
Prime Minister Mark Carney has pursued closer integration with European defense initiatives as the U.S. under President Donald Trump takes a more skeptical approach toward NATO.
Blasts rock Damascus during Macron visit
South Korean Buddhism tests ‘hip’ boundaries in bid for Gen Z appeal
Australia vows stronger ties with Solomon Islands amid China concerns
By Renju Jose
Myanmar bets on ancient temples and Buddhist pilgrimage sites to boost tourism
By Khine Lin Kyaw

Sports

Hans Vanaken (left) celebrates scoring Belgium's third goal as Matt Freese of the U.S. (front) looks dejected at Seattle Stadium in Seattle on Monday.
Belgium ends U.S. World Cup dreams with 4-1 rout amid Balogun row
By Sam Tobin
Charles De Ketelaere gave Belgium the lead in the ninth minute with a simple tap-in, ​taking full advantage of a nervous start by the U.S. to quickly deflate the partisan crowd.
In pictures: X Games Chiba 2026
By Jason Coskrey
Sumo draws capacity crowds for over 300 consecutive days
X Games’ team era takes shape as XC Tokyo challenges for title
By Jason Coskrey
Substitute Merino hits late winner as Spain ends Ronaldo’s World Cup career
By Michael Church

Opinion

Modern global conflicts reflect long-standing strategic rivalries and a shifting balance of power, not random chaos.
Today’s conflicts are not chaos but history unfolding
Zaki Laidi
Today’s seemingly nonstop international tumult is not as unintelligible as it seems.
A China shock is shaking Silicon Valley
By Catherine Thorbecke
U.S. democracy wasn’t inevitable — neither is 250 more years
By Mary Ellen Klas
Fighting yen psychology is a losing battle
By Daniel Moss
King Charles just got a lot more treasure
By Rosa Prince

ENVIRONMENT

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.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
By Robert Bociaga
As sea temperatures rise, the prefecture’s ubiquitous mozuku is under threat. Scientists believe they are close to a breakthrough to protect the staple.
Infernos devastate forests as Europe’s temperatures rise again
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

CULTURE

Kazama&#039;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
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex’s culture cred
By James Hadfield
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

LIFE

Stephen Lancaster says Sezanne&#039;s loss of its Michelin stars is an opportunity to move one of Tokyo&#039;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
Japan’s first standalone ramen shop reopens in Asakusa
By Weiwen Lin
Fender opens a second, more unplugged Shimokitazawa cafe
By Aden Max Juarez
Sony to end video game disc production in January 2028
By Owen Ziegler

COMMUNITY

Young people in India&#039;s northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
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.
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

BUSINESS
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
By Yukana Inoue
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
COMMUNITY
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie
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.
LIFE
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
By Gabrielle Doman
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.
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.

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

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.
ASIA PACIFIC
Prior to launch, Japan ‘strongly urged’ China to reconsider missile test in Pacific
By Jesse Johnson
A missile is fired from a Chinese Navy nuclear-powered submarine on Monday.
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
Japan might be giving the currency market the silent treatment
By Kazuaki Nagata
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.”
JAPAN
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.