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July 10, 2026
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July 10, 2026
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Some analysts have said that the Bank of Japan is not raising rates fast enough.
BUSINESS / Markets
Yields hit three-decade highs as BOJ behind-the-curve narrative debated
By Kazuaki Nagata
Some analysts argue that the central bank is not being overtaken by the market even as the 10-year yield crosses 2.9%.

More coverage

Government tweaks phrasing on BOJ in draft policy plan
Japan’s bank lending rises fastest since COVID-19, backing BOJ’s path
Some analysts have said that the Bank of Japan is not raising rates fast enough.
Seiji Maehara, a 12-term lawmaker from the Japan Innovation Party, speaks during an interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
JIP’s submarine proposal tests Japan’s nuclear red lines
By Kenji Yoshida
Senior party lawmaker Seiji Maehara says Tokyo should acquire at least eight nuclear-powered vessels “as quickly as possible.”
Content that infringes on an artist’s copyrights include using AI to make a live-action version of an anime from images of celebrities or generating anime characters’ voices to have them sing popular songs.
JAPAN
AI-related copyright losses cost celebrities up to ¥4.5 billion, study says
By Yukana Inoue
Over 43,000 AI-generated images and videos that used celebrities’ likenesses without their consent were created over a two-month period last year.
A customer checks eyeglasses in a section featuring limited-edition eyeglasses available only at the Jins Shinjuku store in April.
BUSINESS / Economy
Shoppers splurge on specs in Japan as deflation-era mindset fades away
By Reed Stevenson
As inflation reshapes behavior, Japanese eyeglass company Jins is working to prove higher prices are justified by delivering better materials, sharper designs and improved quality.
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
CULTURE / Stage
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
By Alicia Haddick
Kabuki, one of Japan’s oldest performing art forms, and Studio Ghibli seek modern resonance in an everchanging landscape for arts.
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.

JAPAN

Japanese summer travel budgets increased for the first time in three years to an average of ¥58,902 ($363) this year, according to a recent survey.
Japan’s summer vacation budgets rise for first time in three years
By Jessica Speed
An online survey conducted in June found that higher prices and a weak yen were the main reasons among respondents for increasing their budgets.
The health ministry said that it will hold off on strengthening regulations against secondhand smoke emitted from heated tobacco products, citing a lack of scientific evidence concerning its health risks.
Japan shelves beefing up regulations for heated tobacco products
By Tomoko Otake
Some public health experts have advocated for tougher measures against heated tobacco products, saying the ministry should apply precautionary principles.
Nearly 150 Japanese academics oppose bill banning national flag desecration
18-year-old man arrested over 2025 cyberattack on internet cafe operator
City in Osaka Prefecture to tax vacant houses from fiscal 2029
Flights and ferries canceled as Typhoon Bavi barrels toward remote islands

BUSINESS

Fully sealed units are stacked on top of each other at Plantx's vertical-farming facility in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Wednesday.
World’s first fully sealed vertical-farming facility opens in Tokyo
At Plantx’s facility, light, air and water are controlled in each unit allowing the system to tailor the nutritional values and sugar content of agricultural products.
"(Japan) must now start to vigorously promote the domestic production of defense drones," Terra Drone President Toru Tokushige said in a recent interview.
Japan’s Terra Drone to mass-produce defense drones domestically
The Tokyo-based company aims to speed up work to establish supply chains that do not rely on imports by promoting the development and production of drone components at home.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
By Taiga Uranaka and Hideki Suzuki
Seven & I raises profit outlook, bolstering turnaround hopes
By Koh Yoshida
Gulf-based firms set to reveal toll of Iran war in quarterly earnings
By Hadeel Al Sayegh and Federico Maccioni
Bain Capital exits Kioxia after chip deal yields big returns
By Shery Ahn and Russell Ward

WORLD

Mourners grieve as bodies are laid out at a cemetery before their burial following a Myanmar military air strike at a hospital that killed more than 30 people in Mrauk U in Myanmar's western Rakhine state in December 2025.
‘Nothing left except death’: Myanmar families grieve huge war toll
The civil war began when a 2021 coup deposing the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi prompted pro-democracy activists to take up arms against the military.
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on June 16
How Iran’s ‘golden weapon’ of Hormuz became a bigger priority than its nuclear program
By Parisa Hafezi and Angus McDowall
Iranian leaders now see the Strait of Hormuz as their strongest card in a host of disputes with the West, and the ‌reason Washington ‌ended the war.
Fujimori legacy shows limits of Trump’s push against China in Peru
By Carla Samon Ros
The U.K. riots where online rage triggered real-world chaos
U.S. military launches strikes on Iran for second straight day
U.S. reiterates backing Tibet in preserving culture after man set himself on fire
By Kanishka Singh

Sports

Daichi Kamada celebrates with the trophy after Crystal Palace's victory in the UEFA Conference League final in Leipzig, Germany, on May 26.
Daichi Kamada signs new deal with Crystal Palace
By Sam Byford
Kamada, who scored twice for Japan during the World Cup, is expected to join Crystal Palace after taking some time off after the tournament.
World Cup reveals growing acceptance of foreign coaches among world powers
By Trevor Stynes
International Olympic Committee eases restrictions on Russia
Japan names lineup for clash against Ireland as Eddie Jones returns from ban
Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk slams IOC move to lift Russia’s suspension from Olympics

Opinion

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets with her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on July 2. AFP-JIJI
Time for middle powers to sustain ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’
Gurjit Singh
The Japan-India summit’s ambitious agenda demonstrated a willingness to move beyond declarations toward practical cooperation on economic security.
The Bezos-backed $25,000 EV that should worry Detroit and probably Musk
By Liam Denning
Beware of government by AI
By Gabriela Ramos and Emilija Stojmenova Duh
Sony hits eject on the era of owning games
By Gearoid Reidy
America’s battlefield dominance is under serious threat
By Max Hastings

ENVIRONMENT

Cambodia's Cardamom National Park in Koh Kong province on June 11. The last confirmed tiger sighting in Cambodia was captures on camera trap footage in 2007 but conservationists say they may soon be able to reintroduce the big cats.
Cambodia wants to bring back tigers, but should it?
The plan would see India send several of its more than 3,600 tigers to southwestern Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains, a protected expanse of lush rainforest.
Europe’s third major heat wave raises grid and water risks
By Joe Wertz
Faster, fiercer wildfires are testing evacuation plans
By Todd Woody
Infernos devastate forests as Europe’s temperatures rise again
Japan deploys bear cameras in mountains as attacks surge

CULTURE

Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
By Gabriella Geisinger
Director Shinzo Katayama and actor Shun Oguri discuss the cross-cultural collaboration behind Netflix’s “Human Vapor.”
‘Why Wait, Just Die’: A dead-eyed investigator takes on an unsolved murder
By James Hadfield
‘AnyMart’: A surreal parable about the dark side of convenience stores
By Mark Schilling
Japanese dancers win ballet prizes in Moscow
Sachiko Kazama’s art bites back at a cruel society
By Jennifer Pastore

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
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'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

CULTURE
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
By Gabriella Geisinger
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
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.
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.
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.

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

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Digital marketer Netyear zeros in on generative AI
Digital marketer Netyear zeros in on generative AI

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

BUSINESS
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
By Taro Fuse and Taiga Uranaka
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
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
Trump says ‘Japan’ instead of Iran at meeting in Ankara
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during a NATO leaders&#039; summit in Ankara on Wednesday.
SUMO
Wakatakakage injury casts pall over July meet, but potential new stars loom
By John Gunning
Nicholas Tarasenko trains at Minato stable in August 2024.
JAPAN
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
By Elizabeth Beattie
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.