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July 01, 2026
 

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BASEBALL

Shinnosuke Abe announces his resignation as the manager of Yomiuri Giants during a news conference in Tokyo on May 26.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 16, 2026
Ex-Giants manager Abe spared indictment over alleged assault of daughter
“We took into account the nature of the alleged assault, the circumstances surrounding the case and other relevant evidence,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Yuki Kusumi, president of Panasonic Holdings, in the city of Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture, in April 2025
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
May 13, 2026
After cost cuts and reforms, Panasonic enters decisive stage in turnaround
Fiscal 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the major manufacturer as it seeks to break free from prolonged stagnation and place its recovery on firmer ground.
Shohei Ohtani warms up during the 2026 World Baseball Classic exhibition game in Osaka on March 2.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2026
After controversial Netflix deal, Japan urges WBC to ensure more people can watch
“It is extremely important for a wide range of people to have the opportunity to experience and watch sports,” sports minister Yohei Matsumoto said.
A Uniqlo store in New York. Operator Fast Retailing struck a landmark deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to raise its brand recognition in the U.S. market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 30, 2026
Uniqlo taps into Ohtani magic at Dodgers Stadium to fuel U.S. push
The alliance is an almost perfect match, leveraging U.S. and Japanese fans’ fascination with the multiple-MVP batter and pitcher.
Fans watching from Tokyo react after Japan beat the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic in March 2023.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2026
Netflix deal shuts out Japan’s sports bars from freely showing WBC
For fans, the Netflix deal will mean a completely different experience from the past, when WBC games were aired for free, allowing sports bars to easily air them at their venues.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani during a spring training game in Tempe, Arizona, on Feb 21. For Japan, Netflix's exclusive deal to broadcast the World Baseball Classic may serve as a wake-up call to broadcasters that prices are going up and that they need to change as viewers seek better experiences.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 4, 2026
Netflix’s WBC deal upends baseball traditions in Ohtani’s homeland
Professional baseball in Japan has largely stayed in the hands of domestic broadcasters and free-to-air networks.
The Metropolitan Police Department headquarters in Tokyo
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 12, 2026
High school baseball players suspected of spreading obscene images
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the possibility that an obscene video of a 15-year-old girl might have been disseminated to dozens of people.
Hiroshima Prefectural Police have arrested Ryutaro Hatsuki, a 25-year-old infielder for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, for allegedly using etomidate, a designated drug also known as the "zombie cigarette."
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 29, 2026
Hiroshima Carp infielder arrested over ‘zombie cigarette’
Ryutaro Hatsuki, 25, denies the allegation and claims that he has no memory of using the drug, according to Hiroshima Prefectural Police sources.
Netflix Japan's new series "The Human Vapor" is based on a 1960 cult film of the same title and follows a string of assassinations carried out by a perpetrator who can vanish into thin air.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 28, 2026
Netflix Japan lays out 2026 slate of anime, adaptations and live baseball
The streaming service revealed release windows for the upcoming “Human Vapor” adaptation and more, plus plans to livestream all 47 games of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The Dallas Cowboys were valued at $13 billion, a 29% jump compared to last year, Forbes said.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 19, 2025
NFL’s Dallas Cowboys top Forbes’ most valuable teams list
The Cowboys, who unseated Spanish soccer club Real Madrid for top spot on the list in 2016, were valued at $13 billion, a 29% jump compared to last year, Forbes said.
Shohei Ohtani (left), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (center) and Roki Sasaki of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate in the locker room after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in Game 7 to win the 2025 World Series at Rogers Center in Toronto, on Nov. 2.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 12, 2025
Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki generate ¥132.8 billion in economic impact
Merchandise sales, broadcasting rights and the popularity of the players are all thought to have contributed to the high number.
Shohei Ohtani lacks the advantages that made NBA legend Michael Jordan a global icon: a unified mass media landscape, broad commercial appeal and a sport built to show off individuality.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 24, 2025
Why can’t Shohei Ohtani truly be like Michael Jordan?
The challenge begins with baseball itself. The game is played at a high level throughout the Americas and parts of Asia-Pacific, but remains a niche sport elsewhere.
Prime Minister Yoshio Mori declared in September 2000 that Japan must “grab the historic opportunity of the IT revolution."
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Sep 6, 2025
Japan Times 2000: Prime minister pitches ‘e-Japan’ as way of life
Japan must “grab the historic opportunity of the IT revolution,” Prime Minister Yoshio Mori declared as the final Diet session of the century opened in September 2000.
The Betsukai Pilot Spirits welcomed new players (left to right) Yuta Yamanaka, Roman Guthrie, Scott Bellina and Leo Jiminian this year, pictured here with Yassir Lachkar of the Ishikari Red Phoenix.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Sep 1, 2025
Overseas sluggers step up to bat in small-town Hokkaido
The residents of Betsukai, Hokkaido — where cows outnumber people 7-to-1 — have extended a warm welcome to five players from overseas who joined the Pilot Spirits.
The Japan Fair Trade Commission said that moves by Nippon Professional Baseball could violate the antimonopoly law, and urged the organization to prevent any recurrence.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2025
Japan Fair Trade Commission warns NPB over Fuji TV media pass denial
The antitrust watchdog said that such moves could violate the antimonopoly law, urging NPB to prevent any recurrence.
A special manhole cover featuring Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2025
Japanese MLB stars to be featured on manhole covers
Each manhole cover will have an illustration of a Japanese player and be located at a place associated with his roots in baseball.
Japan's Shohei Ohtani carries the Japanese flag onto the field before the start of the World Baseball Classic final against the United States in Miami on March 21, 2023.
BASEBALL
May 15, 2025
Historian Rob Fitts discovers earliest ever reference to baseball in Japan
The widely held belief is that American Horace Wilson introduced the sport to Japan in 1872. Fitts’ discovery revises the timeline to 1869.
New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Citi Field in New York on Saturday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 20, 2025
Kodai Senga and Pete Alonso lead Mets past Cardinals
Senga (3-1) allowed just three hits, walked two and fanned four in an 89-pitch performance.
Katsuhiko Nakamura, secretary-general of the NPB, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2025
NPB teams to fine 16 players for using online casinos
The fines will be donated to organizations working to combat gambling addiction.
Shohei Ohtani gets a kiss from his dog Decoy at a game in August 2024. The Japanese slugger-pitcher’s return to his country to kick off the Major League Baseball season has sparked immense excitement, highlighting his unparalleled career and symbolic role as a national hero.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2025
Superstar Shohei Ohtani for prime minister
He’s unavoidable in Japan: His face adorns ads for cosmetics, mattresses, English conversation schools and, most recently, convenience store rice balls.
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.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
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

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