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July 12, 2026
 

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Jessica Speed
A ticket between Tokyo Station and Shibuya Station on JR East’s Yamamote Line will rise from ¥210 to ¥260, a 23.8% increase.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2026
JR East to raise train fares on Saturday for the first time in 39 years
East Japan Railway said fares would go up by an average of about 7.1%, with the minimum base fare increasing from ¥150 to ¥160.
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in the capital's Minato Ward. The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill that would see the first major revision to the statutory ceiling on immigration-related residence fees for foreign nationals since 1982.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 10, 2026
Japan visa fee cap to surge more than tenfold under new immigration bill
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved legislation to sharply raise the upper limit on fees for foreign nationals in the biggest revision of its kind in more than four decades.
In a survey from the Japanese Red Cross Society, 80.3% of respondents said the Great East Japan Earthquake should not be forgotten when considering disaster preparedness measures and awareness.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 9, 2026
Over 80% in Japan believe a major disaster is coming in the near future
Many admit to being unprepared for one, however.
Cherry blossoms are expected to bloom earlier than usual this year, with flowering forecast to begin in Nagoya on March 17 and in Tokyo on March 19, according to Japan Meteorological Corp.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2026
Cherry blossom season set to begin up to a week earlier than usual
Somei Yoshino cherry trees are expected to begin flowering on March 17 in Nagoya, before those in the Kanto-Koshin, Shikoku and Kyushu regions start blooming.
Kairos No. 3 failed after lifting off from Spaceport Kii in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 5, 2026
Space One’s Kairos rocket terminated moments after launch
The decision puts another dent in the firm’s bid to be the first private Japanese company to place satellites in orbit with a domestically developed rocket.
Somayyeh Mehri speaks in an interview on Monday in Tokyo. The psychological weight of watching events unfold from Japan is gut-wrenching for Mehri.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 3, 2026
‘My hope has fear inside it’: Iranians in Japan react to attacks back home
Following U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, Iranians living in Japan say they are feeling a mixture of relief, hope and fear as they try to contact their loved ones back home.
Space One's Kairos rocket
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 1, 2026
Third time still not a charm: Space One cancels rocket launch
This is the second time the 18-meter rocket was canceled in the past week, after Wednesday’s attempt was also postponed due to the weather.
For Kagoshima, leveraging the Kyushu Shinkansen — which allows visitors to get from Fukuoka to Kagoshima in roughly 90 minutes — is seen as a way to tap into foreign visitors already arriving in Fukuoka and other gateway cities.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2026
Critics decry Kagoshima’s free shinkansen plan for tourists as ‘unfair’
Prefectural officials have defended the plan to fully subsidize one-way fares for foreign tourists as a necessary bet on inbound demand.
By prefecture, only Tokyo and Ishikawa recorded increases in births compared with the previous year.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 26, 2026
Number of births in Japan falls to record low for 10th straight year
The data for how many babies were born in 2025 marks the lowest level since comparable records began in 1899, despite government efforts to reverse the trend.
A team headed by Takashi Tsuji, a visiting senior researcher at Riken and chairperson of OrganTech, has identified a previously unknown “third cell” essential for fully regenerating hair follicles, on Feb. 10 in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 26, 2026
Japan-led cell discovery hints at potential new treatments for hair loss
Researchers identified a “third cell” essential for fully regenerating hair follicles, and successfully re-created the complete hair-growth cycle in mice.
Tokyo Station. There were 932,090 people living under permanent residency in Japan as of June 2025, according to the Immigration Services Agency.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 25, 2026
Immigration agency tightens guidelines for permanent residency
The revision made Tuesday comes amid efforts by the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to take a tougher stance on immigration.
A baby Japanese macaque named Punch drags a stuffed orangutan at Ichikawa City Zoo, in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2026
Punch-drunk love: Lonely baby monkey in Japan goes viral
A tiny Japanese macaque at a local zoo in Chiba Prefecture has become an online sensation, with people around the world rooting for him after he was abandoned by his mother.
The education ministry building in Tokyo. The ministry is raising caps on accepting foreign students at three national universities.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2026
Three national universities to raise international student enrollment caps
Universities in Japan typically face penalties if they exceed enrollment limits, but a new framework will allow them to raise caps if they meet specified standards.
From 2026, applicants in Japan without residence cards will generally be barred from taking the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) in the country.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2026
Tourists no longer allowed to take JLPT in Japan from 2026
The change was driven by problems linked to overseas applicants using Japanese addresses without permission or submitting invalid phone numbers.
Etomidate, a designated drug, concealed in air cargo from India
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 18, 2026
Japan’s customs seized second-highest amount of illegal drugs in 2025
Customs officers seized 3,211 kilograms of illegal drugs last year, the first time since 2019 that annual seizures exceeded 3 metric tons.
The University of Tsukuba says it is investigating whether online comments made by two faculty members against foreign nationals amount to a breach of work regulations or its social media guidelines.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 17, 2026
University of Tsukuba apologizes over comments against foreign students
Two faculty members posted inflammatory comments on social media about foreign nationals, including describing foreign students as “incompetent” and “troublemakers.”
David J. Farber in May 2008
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2026
Pioneering computer scientist and Keio professor dies at 91
David J. Farber was a central figure in the development of early research networks that evolved into today’s internet.
Snow falls outside of Shin-Yurigaoka Station in Kawasaki on Sunday morning.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2026
Snow blankets Tokyo as powerful storm system tightens grip on Japan
Central Tokyo recorded around 5 centimeters of snow Sunday, while the heaviest accumulations were seen along the Sea of Japan coast.
Heavy snowfall is forecast for large parts of Japan this weekend as the coldest air of the season sweeps south, raising risks of major transport disruptions ahead of a nationwide election.
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2026
Heavy snow forecast over weekend as nation set to go to polls
The coldest air mass of the season is expected to sweep over Japan, raising the risk of transportation disruptions.
Prudential Life Insurance will suspend sales of new insurance policies for 90 days starting Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2026
Life insurance firm pauses sales following revelation of financial misconduct
Prudential Life Insurance was found to have mishandled about ¥3.1 billion through schemes ranging from fraud to borrowing money from clients.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
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.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
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.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
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.
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.

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