Suggestive poses and pets in election campaigning tests Tokyo’s patience

Tokyo elects a new governor this weekend, but residents say personal publicity stunts have overtaken serious campaigning to a degree never seen before, with nearly nude women in suggestive poses, pets, an AI character and a man practicing his golf swing.

It’s impossible to…[Read more]

Japan confirms China set up buoy over its southern continental shelf

The Japanese government said Friday it has confirmed China has installed a buoy in the high seas over Japan’s southern continental shelf in the Pacific Ocean, in a move that could further strain bilateral relations.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a news…[Read more]

Gov’t honors war dead at Chidorigafuchi cemetery

The government on Monday held a ceremony to honor the nation’s war dead at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo, where the unidentified remains of Japanese soldiers are interred.

Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Keizo Takemi attended the formal service of remembrance. The imperial family w…[Read more]

High-profile opposition figure Renho to run for Tokyo governor

High-profile opposition lawmaker Renho said Monday she will run in Tokyo’s gubernatorial election in July, setting the stage for a likely showdown with incumbent Yuriko Koike, who is seeking reelection for her third term.

The bid to run for governor by the 56-year-old House of…[Read more]

North Korea fires apparent ballistic missile, not to reach Japan

North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile on Monday, the Japanese government said, with Japan’s J-Alert early warning system indicating the projectile was unlikely to reach Japan.

The incident came after North Korea notified Japan of a plan to launch a…[Read more]

Saudi crown prince seeks soft power in game hub Japan

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Japan this week, where he will hold talks on energy while hunting more opportunities in gaming as he seeks to improve Saudi Arabia’s image.

The reputed “Call of Duty” fan has launched a multi-billion-dollar push into the gaming sector — from tiny…[Read more]

Japanese foreign minister retracts controversial childbirth remark

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Sunday retracted her remarks the previous day about the importance of women giving birth, saying her choice of words was liable to cause misunderstanding.

In a campaign speech in support of a Shizuoka gubernatorial election candidate…[Read more]

Locals in central Japan near Mount Fuji count on UFO craze for tourism

Local residents in Yamanashi Prefecture, at the foot of Mount Fuji, are striving to make their city Kofu a tourist magnet with extraterrestrial help from an alien.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of an incident in which two elementary school children claimed to have…[Read more]

Rat parts found in sliced white bread in Japan, sparking recall

A major Japanese food supplier has recalled more than 100,000 packs of a popular brand of sliced white bread after rat parts were found inside some loaves.

The latest scare adds to a raft of food safety scandals plaguing Asia’s second biggest economy, which has a longstanding r…[Read more]

Japan enacts revised law for swift removal of defamatory online posts

Japan’s parliament on Friday enacted an amended law aimed at facilitating the swift removal of defamatory content on social media platforms like Facebook and X with more transparency.

The revised provider liability limitation law mandates the operators of such platforms to set…[Read more]

Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ keeps baffling experts by waking up. It has shared images from its latest lunar ‘day’

Japan’s “Moon Sniper” lander has defied the odds for a third time, surviving yet another long, frigid lunar night despite not being designed to endure such harsh conditions, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Temper…[Read more]

Toyota posts record ¥4.94 tril net profit

Toyota said Wednesday that it achieved a record net profit of 4.94 trillion yen in the year to March on revenues of 45.1 trillion yen, which was also an all-time high.

But the world’s largest automaker by sales warned net income would fall 27.8 percent this financial year to 3.57 trillion yen because of…[Read more]

Environment minister apologizes for interruption of Minamata victims’ remarks

Japan’s environment minister apologized Wednesday after his officials interrupted remarks by some victims of the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease by muting their microphones at a meeting in Kumamoto Prefecture last week.

“It is regrettable that the microphones were…[Read more]

Japan, Philippines agree to work for early conclusion of defense pact

The Japanese and Philippine defense ministers have agreed to work toward the early conclusion of a reciprocal access agreement to boost security cooperation and facilitate joint drills, amid concern over China’s increasingly assertive actions in regional waters.

During their…[Read more]

‘Monster’ Inoue, Nery prepare for Tokyo Dome world title fight

Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue and Mexican challenger Luis Nery both made weight Sunday for their title showdown at the 45,000-plus seater Tokyo Dome.

Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since 42-1 underdog James…[Read more]

Kishida vows to tackle global challenges with South America

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Saturday to work together with South American countries to tackle global challenges including climate change, economic disparity and poverty.

Kishida made the remarks in a speech in Sao Paulo on Japan’s policies toward Latin America and the…[Read more]

Kishida to stress rules-based global order, support for emerging nations at OECD meeting

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday that he will stress the need for a rules-based international order in the face of global challenges and tensions when he attends a meeting of the Organizations for Economic Cooperation and Development in…[Read more]

Yen falls to lower 155 zone against dollar after suspected intervention

The yen slipped to the lower 155 range against the U.S. dollar on Thursday in Tokyo after another suspected yen-buying intervention by Japanese authorities sent the currency to as high as 153 overnight.

The yen gave up some gains as Japanese importers bought the dollar,…[Read more]

Foreign traveler caught trying to sneak into Japan by climbing down rope from cruise ship

On Monday, the MSC Bellissima started its latest Japanese voyage, departing the port of Yokohama in the evening and sailing west through the night. The ship, operated by Switzerland’s MSC Cruises, docked in Kobe at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon the fol…[Read more]

Biden blames China, Japan and India’s economic woes on ‘xenophobia’

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that “xenophobia” from China to Japan and India is hobbling their growth, as he argued that migration has been good for the U.S. economy.

“One of the reasons why our economy’s growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we…[Read more]