author

 
Menu
Search
 
June 30, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Kenji Yoshida
China's Commerce Ministry building in Beijing. The ministry on Monday added 20 Japanese companies and organizations to its export control list.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 29, 2026
China blacklists more Japanese entities as row deepens
The move is the latest by Beijing to tighten restrictions on firms and entities it claims are tied to Tokyo’s “remilitarization.”
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has, in addition to traditional media appearances, focused more on direct communication through social media, official messaging and rapid online rebuttals since taking office.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 26, 2026
Takaichi’s social media strategy tests old political norms
While traditional media outlets remain vital, the greatest merit of online platforms is “giving the full context” in a timely manner, Takaichi’s public affairs chief said.
Senior Japan Innovation Party member Seiji Maehara speaks to reporters after his party submitted national security proposals to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2026
JIP takes sharper nuclear stance than LDP in security proposals
The junior coalition partner in the ruling bloc is pushing for a “realistic review” of allowing nukes into the country, while the LDP is looking to bolster extended deterrence.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a news conference on Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2026
Two Japanese held in China for allegedly smuggling export-restricted goods
The goods the two are alleged to have smuggled were rare-earth related products, media reports said.
While Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have kept relations from sliding backward, experts say they have struggled to turn stability into concrete steps forward.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 22, 2026
Japan-South Korea detente persists — but breakthrough remains elusive
Tokyo and Seoul have become better at preventing ties from fraying but have been less successful at turning stability into concrete gains.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the Group of Seven summit, in Evian, France, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 18, 2026
In G7 debut, Takaichi puts economic security at heart of Japanese diplomacy
The prime minister’s clearest imprint came in the area of critical minerals, where bloc leaders agreed to step up cooperation on supply-chain resilience and stockpiling.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a meeting of Group of Seven nations and partners in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2026
Takaichi and Trump talk Indo-Pacific as Mideast crisis overshadows G7 summit
The meeting came as the grouping reaffirmed its opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas and across the Taiwan Strait.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends her first Group of Seven summit on Monday in Evian-les-Bains, France.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 16, 2026
Takaichi proposes G7 framework for stockpiling critical minerals
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pitched a plan for coordinating critical mineral stockpiles among the group and like-minded nations, amid China’s tight grip on key supply chains.
British leader Keir Starmer (left) and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attend a business round table meeting at No. 10 Downing St. in London on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 15, 2026
Takaichi and Starmer use talks to push Japan-U.K. ties toward ‘quasi-alliance’
The two leaders also pledged more support for an embattled next-generation fighter jet project involving their countries and Italy.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is calling for “strong and effective” controls on land acquisition to prevent individuals or entities deemed security risks from acquiring sensitive properties, regardless of nationality.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 12, 2026
LDP pushes tougher land and visa rules while avoiding nationality trap
Legal experts have argued that nationality-based restrictions could conflict with domestic law and international agreements.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim pose for photographs ahead of their bilateral meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 10, 2026
Japan and Malaysia pledge to bolster energy supplies and maritime ties
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim reached a deal on energy security, including LNG supplies, during a summit in Tokyo on Monday.
A push by Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party to criminalize the desecration of the national flag is reviving a long-running debate over the limits of political expression.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 5, 2026
LDP’s flag desecration bill rekindles debate over limits of expression
Advocates say the measure is meant to address a legal gap but critics argue the bill’s language is “extremely vague.”
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a Lower House plenary session in Tokyo on Wednesday. Takaichi has described the supplementary budget as being designed to “minimize risks” from the increasingly uncertain situation in the Middle East.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 4, 2026
Lower House passes ¥3.11 trillion extra budget to ease Mideast war impacts
The budget will create a new reserve fund to respond to developments in the conflict while aiding impacted energy users and replenishing the existing reserve fund.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

TDC Global challenges norms at Japan workplaces
TDC Global challenges norms at Japan workplaces

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER