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July 12, 2026
 

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FAMILY PLANNING

A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2026
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
LGBTQ+ people in Japan face such limited fertility treatment options, they could ultimately be deprived of the right to safely start a family.
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn’t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 28, 2026
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
Japan does not offer same-sex couples the same legal rights and benefits granted to married couples.
Japan’s population decline continues to accelerate despite some modest positive signs, highlighting the need for broader social, economic and cultural changes to raise the birth rate.
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 2026
A bleak prognosis for Japan’s demographic future
The most recent government statistics show fertility rates hitting record lows — again.
Asako Mito, head of the preconception care center at the National Center for Child Health and Development, said the number of high-risk pregnancies and childbirths due to such factors as advanced age, being underweight or obesity is increasing in Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 3, 2026
Japan promotes preconception care amid falling birthrates
Preconception care, an initiative aimed at encouraging people to acquire knowledge on pregnancy and childbirth, has been part of government policy since 2018.
China’s one-child policy helped create weak domestic consumption, overwork, youth unemployment and demographic decline, fueling the rise of “lying flat” culture — a threat to the country’s long-term economic sustainability.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2026
Why have China’s young people become so fed up?
Decades of misguided economic policymaking have left China in a demographic hole that it seems incapable of climbing out of.
Hiroya Masuda (center), head of the Forum for the Future We Choose, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in March.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 27, 2026
Deeply entrenched gender roles a key factor in Japan’s low birthrate
A survey has found that many women in rural areas feel constrained by social norms, which could lead to a demographic crisis if left unaddressed.
A worker arranges packets of condoms at a pharmacy in Dhaka. Bangladesh's family planning system is buckling under severe contraceptive shortages.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
May 14, 2026
Supply shortage fuels Bangladesh contraceptive crisis
The shortage is raising fears of a rise in unplanned pregnancies in one of the world’s most densely populated countries.
Following approval by the health ministry, Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare's Norlevo went on sale at drugstores on Feb. 2, becoming the first emergency contraception available over the counter in Japan.
JAPAN / Society
May 2, 2026
High costs and lack of privacy slow uptake of OTC emergency contraceptives
Having to receive explanations about the pill from pharmacists and take it in front of them poses significant hurdles for buyers seeking anonymity.
Experts are warning that some common claims about birth control pills' side effects represent misinformation — and that methods based on tracking fertility require strict adherence to be effective.
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 25, 2026
‘Natural’ birth control risks unwanted pregnancy, experts warn
Helping drive this trend are influencers, who often promote natural birth control as a way for women to “liberate” themselves from the hormonal effects of the pill.
Japan is set to impose a "singles tax" next month as part of financing for measures to boost fertility rates.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 26, 2026
Japan’s ‘singles tax’ is just one battle after another
The plan has attracted vitriol due to its name and the fact that it burdens single-person households, which are now the most common type of household in Japan.
Plaintiffs at a news conference on Tuesday after a ruling on voluntary sterilization was handed down by the Tokyo District Court
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 17, 2026
Tokyo court rules against women’s right to voluntary sterilization
Under Japanese law, sterilization surgery for women can be performed only when specific health risks are present.
More than 60% of single men and women don't want to have children amid concerns over the economic burden of child-rearing, a survey showed.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 6, 2026
Over 60% of Japan’s unmarried young people do not want children, survey says
Rohto Pharmaceutical polled online 400 unmarried men and women between ages 18 and 29 as part of its annual survey on pregnancy and family planning.
China efforts to encourage women to have more babies will have short-lived effects, while coercive measures — such as bans on contraception and abortion — would trigger a public backlash.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2026
China’s population rebound faces structural limits
China is widely expected to adopt a range of pronatalist policies in a bid to raise birth rates.
From Monday, NorLevo, an emergency contraceptive pill marketed by Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare, can be purchased over the counter at approximately 5,400 pharmacies and drugstores nationwide.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 2, 2026
Morning-after pill becomes available over the counter, in a first for Japan
Under the new rules, only the person who will take the medication may buy it, and it must be taken in the presence of a pharmacist after receiving an explanation.
China’s marriage market is being hollowed out by a shrinking pool of women of childbearing age and a severe gender imbalance, while those women who do marry are doing so later and having fewer children.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 28, 2026
Can China reverse its demographic decline?
China’s births have fallen to historic lows and deep structural forces make any lasting fertility rebound unlikely.
Women push strollers as they walk along a street in Beijing on Jan. 4. China has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world at around 1 birth ‌per woman, well below the 2.1 rate needed for a population to remain stable.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 16, 2026
China revs up fiscal support to boost number of births
The government said women in ⁠2026 would have “no out-of-pocket expenses” during their pregnancy, with medical costs fully reimbursable under its national medical insurance fund.
Shoko Kizaki, an obstetrician and gynecologist who runs a youth clinic in Yokohama, says she wants to make women's health clinics more accessible.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 28, 2025
Youth clinics aim to address sexual concerns in Japan
As of fiscal 2022, Japan had about 60 such facilities, which provide free or low-cost consultation services.
Like clockwork, the Year of the Fire Horse has depressed birth rates in Japan due to a stigma associated with girls born in the year.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 20, 2025
Will Japan’s ‘fire horse’ curse strike again in 2026?
In 1966, the stigma related to the Chinese sexagenary cycle caused birth rates to plummet.
Aska Pharmaceutical's emergency contraceptive pill Norlevo has been approved for over-the-counter sales by the health ministry.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 20, 2025
Japan approves emergency contraceptive pill for over-the-counter sales
Aska Pharmaceutical’s Norlevo is the first emergency contraceptive pill to be approved for sale without a prescription in the country.
Global birth rates are declining, raising concerns about the impact on society, particularly women, as it exacerbates isolation while creating a need for structural and cultural changes to support motherhood.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2025
Can the world handle having fewer moms?
Fewer women are having children. Those who do are having smaller families than previous generations. This trend transcends the norms of any one culture or place.
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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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