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July 12, 2026
 

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Flights and ferries canceled as Typhoon Bavi barrels toward remote islands
JAPAN / Society
Flights and ferries canceled as Typhoon Bavi barrels toward remote islands
The very powerful typhoon was located over the sea east of the northern Philippines on Thursday afternoon and is expected to make landfall in China on Sunday.
JAPAN / Society
Tokyo considers lifting ban on bear hunting for the first time in nearly 20 years
With the move to permit culling in the capital, authorities are hoping to put pressure on the wild animal and avert human-bear conflicts.
JAPAN / Society
Number of students receiving financial aid for school falls for 13th year
Japan’s central government offers financial aid for school expenses to those living on welfare, while boards of education can offer assistance based on their own criteria.
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 7, 2026
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
By Elizabeth Beattie
Osaka ranked seventh, while Tokyo, which improved its culture and environment score, moved up three places to reach 10th.
The Reconstruction Agency, which is currently housed in a government building in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, is set to be dissolved in 2030.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Jul 6, 2026
Concerns emerge in Fukushima over Reconstruction Agency’s expiration
Residents of the prefecture fear a watering down of the focus on reconstruction in the event its ambit is absorbed by a new Disaster Management Agency.
Wind turbines generate energy from strong easterly winds on the Shonai Plain in Yamagata Prefecture. Despite the oil crisis caused by conflict near the Strait of Hormuz, and concerns instability in the region could continue to impact supply and the price of imports, the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi does not seem to be drawing on the war as a pretext to hasten progress toward Japan's renewable goals.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jul 3, 2026
Iran war exposed, but hasn’t changed, Japan’s reliance on imported oil
By Eric Johnston
Japan received over 93% of its oil imports through the Strait of Hormuz last year before it was effectively closed.
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 3, 2026
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
By Jessica Speed
Under the new structure, fees will vary depending on the length of the permit, with those in the top bracket required to pay at least ¥65,000.
Hitoshi Kato (left), head of San-ikukai Hospital in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, speaks during a news conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 3, 2026
Tokyo hospital baby hatch accepts 20 newborns in first year
Seven of the babies were born under conditions of confidentiality, with only a few hospital workers knowing their mothers’ identities.
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 30, 2026
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
By Elizabeth Beattie
Tochigi Prison, which houses 456 inmates, is a microcosm of what female prisons across the nation are facing, from a rising foreign population to mental health issues.
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jun 29, 2026
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
The need to change pads and adult diapers has become a daily concern for some men as not only older people, but also some cancer patients can experience incontinence.

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’

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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