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June 30, 2026
 

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DIGITALIZATION

Although paper customs forms are still available in many cases, it is no longer standard practice to hand them out on all flights.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 22, 2026
Japan to fully digitalize airport customs system by 2030
The phasing-out of paper customs declaration forms is among measures eyed by the Finance Ministry to handle the inbound movement of people and goods more efficiently.
The House of Councilors plenary session enacted a bill Wednesday to revise the Civil Code to overhaul the country's adult guardianship system for certain people such as those with dementia.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2026
Japan enacts bill overhauling guardianship system
The revision will allow people to opt out of support under the adult guardianship system based on their needs.
The use of official digital textbooks is expected to start as early as April 2030, after they go through government inspections in fiscal 2028.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 10, 2026
Japan makes digital textbooks for schools official
Under the new legal framework, education boards will decide which type of textbooks schools under their jurisdiction should adopt — print, digital or a digital-print “hybrid.”
JR East said that the switch to the QR code tickets will eliminate ticket jams inside automated gates.
BUSINESS
Jun 9, 2026
JR East to shift from magnetic to QR code tickets in 2027
JR East said removing the nonrecyclable magnetic layer on the back of the conventional tickets will help reduce environmental impact.
Manatomo Yoneyama, president of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, speaks during an interview at the bank's headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on May 22.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 9, 2026
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust mulls up to ¥380 billion in digital investment
The bank also plans to spend ¥30 billion to optimize its operations and reposition some 900 employees to client-facing roles.
The parliament enacted legislation Wednesday allowing local governments to issue digital debt securities.
JAPAN / Politics
May 27, 2026
Japan enacts bill enabling digital issuance of local government bonds
At a plenary meeting, the Upper House passed legislation to revise multiple laws related to local autonomy, based on proposals from local governments.
A customer at a supermarket in Yokohama. Under a planned food-labeling revision, consumers will be able to scan QR codes on processed food packages to access detailed product information.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 17, 2026
Japan to introduce QR code food labels to improve readability
The adoption of digital technology for food labeling is part of a broader international trend.
Starting later this month, participants in civil lawsuits can submit complaints and allegations electronically rather than on paper.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 10, 2026
Japan civil suit procedures to go fully digital May 21
When a third party wants to view a case record, the party will be able to check the record using dedicated terminals.
Digital minister Hisashi Matsumoto answers questions at a Lower House plenary session in April.
JAPAN
May 6, 2026
Government to launch AI pilot program to boost efficiency and encourage tech’s adoption
Gennai, a generative artificial intelligence platform developed for internal use by civil servants, will be rolled out across 39 government agencies.
The welfare ministry hopes to establish a system so people can apply for special welfare loans only using their My Number card information for identity verification.
JAPAN / Society
May 4, 2026
Japan eyes going digital for emergency welfare loan applications
The welfare ministry expects the digitalization will partially begin in fiscal 2028 to allow households in financial distress to apply quickly via smartphones instead of in person.
Digital textbooks let students check pronunciation and practice instruments with videos, but some worry about potential effects on children's eyesight.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2026
Japanese government passes bill to make digital textbooks official
Digital textbooks are expected to be used as official learning materials from as early as fiscal 2030 after government screenings in fiscal 2028.
Total spending on advertisements in Japan hit a fourth straight record in 2025, with online ads surpassing 50% for the first time, a Dentsu survey showed.
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2026
Online ads top 50% of annual ad spending in Japan for first time
Spending on TV, newspaper, magazine and radio ads in 2025 dipped 1.6% to ¥2,298 billion, down for the first time in two years.
Noritaka Okabe, CEO of JPYC, has said that stablecoin issuers can become major buyers of government bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 5, 2026
Stablecoins likely to be a factor, not a game changer, in Japan’s bond market
Issuers might not buy up enough long-term debt to make a big difference.
SBI Holdings subsidiary Shinsei Trust and Banking is set to issue a yen-based stablecoin next year.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 16, 2025
Japan’s first bank-backed yen-based stablecoin could be available by June 2026
The hope is that it will be used for the settlement of payments locally and globally
The issuance of My Number cards began in 2016.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2025
Number of My Number cards held tops 100 million
The internal affairs ministry said that the number equates to 80.3% of the country’s population.
With the government's integration of health insurance with My Number cards, conventional health insurance cards will no longer be accepted at clinics and hospitals across Japan from Dec. 2.
JAPAN / Explainer
Nov 17, 2025
What you need to know about the shift to My Number health insurance cards
By integrating health insurance with My Number cards, the government hopes to streamline administration processes, reduce paperwork and make it easier to treat patients.
JR East is retiring the beloved Suica penguin as part of a rebrand to transform the contactless payment platform, used for both transit and retail, into a mobile fintech powerhouse.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 16, 2025
A beloved Tokyo penguin’s end presages Suica’s shift to payments giant
Since Suica’s introduction in 2001, the penguin has featured on transit cards and apps that are used daily by the tens of millions who traverse the world’s largest metropolis.
Noritaka Okabe, CEO of JPYC, acknowledges a number of potential risks related to stablecoins.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 14, 2025
Stablecoins: Boring goes big, and now in Japan
They are designed not to fluctuate in value, and that’s precisely what makes them attractive.
Demonstrators protest against the Labour government's plans to introduce a digital ID outside of the party's conference in Liverpool, England, on Sept. 28.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2025
Starmer’s digital ID plan tests his powers of persuasion
It might seem odd that U.K. political parties of all flavors have been quick to unite against what they deem a step towards an Orwellian Big Brother state.
Noritaka Okabe, head of Japanese startup JPYC, at a news conference for the first yen stablecoin in Tokyo on Monday
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 27, 2025
JPYC, world’s first yen stablecoin, is issued
One-second transfers costing less than ¥1 could become a reality.
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.

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