Japan
TOPIC
 / location

Japan

Related Topics:
Japan
Japan
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on Japan, covering politics, economy, society, the country's relationships with China, North Korea and South Korea and the legacy of World War Two in Asia.
Capital
Tokyo
Head of State
Emperor Naruhito
Head of Government
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Fumio Kishida
last updated:
29 November, 2024
The lounge area of a vacant commercial space in Shizuoka, Japan, converted into guest accommodation. Photo: Instagram/birupaku_shizuoka
Asia travel

City near Mount Fuji creates unique lodgings in unused buildings

In Shizuoka, Japan, commercial spaces are being turned into guest accommodation to draw more visitors and help revitalise the city’s economy.

China trade

Trump has fired his first tariff salvo at China. Are Japan and South Korea next?

videocam
5
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks hit 4-month high on DeepSeek-driven revaluation

videocam
Viral stories

Japan man starts dating agency after 2,000 failed blind dates due to low income

Despite numerous failed dates, man persists in dating to refine conversational skills, decision-making, date planning.

A Japanese man started a dating agency after 2,000 failed blind dates due to his low income and living with his parents. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/QQ.cm
Food and Drinks

Why Osaka World Expo 2025 is turning to high-end food to draw crowds

From luxury meals and conveyor belt sushi with a global twist to halal and vegan fare, event organisers are going all out on the food front.

Donald Trump

‘Normal’ first summit between Japan’s Ishiba and Trump deemed a success

With Donald Trump targeting a trimming of the US’ deficit in its trade with Japan, tariffs against Tokyo cannot be discounted, analysts say.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Disease

From India to the Philippines, viral HMPV clickbait stokes anti-China rhetoric

China’s HMPV cases were ‘within the expected range’, according to the WHO. But that hasn’t stopped the falsehoods and fearmongering.

4
A worker prepares a fence to close off a residential area under Covid-19 lockdown in the Huangpu district of Shanghai in June 2022. Photo: AFP
East China Sea

‘Salami-slicing’ at sea? Chinese buoys test Japan’s patience

Japan keeps finding Chinese buoys in waters it claims as its own, raising one lawmaker’s fears of creeping territorial encroachment.

videocam
8
Food and Drinks

Holy places Christian, Buddhist, Jewish and Sikh inspire cookbook

From Asia to Europe, Africa, US and Canada, a food writer toured the kitchens of Buddhist and Catholic monasteries, a synagogue and gurdwara.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Product of China’s potential car mega-merger would eclipse BYD in sales

Company combining Dongfeng and Changan could allocate resources to the most competitive products and technologies, analyst says.

New cars await transport in a distribution center of Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer Changan in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality on January 12, 2025. Photo: AFP
Viral stories

Japan ‘Miracle’ cat survives on toilet water, eating leftovers for a month

Left-for-dead cat suffers sickness and brain damage but clings onto life to raise awareness about animal cruelty in Japan.

A cat in Japan survived by drinking toilet water and eating leftover food for a month after being abandoned by its owner. Photo: SCMP composite/QQ.com
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks rise as investors look for signs of fresh China stimulus

Stocks rise as enthusiasm for China’s tech sector outweighs risks brought by new US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

Viral stories

Japan ‘big stomach’ competitive eater, who ate 100 burgers at one meal, retires at 40

‘Cute and slim’ Japanese eating phenomenon who recently took time out to recover from ‘mental illness’ set to quit, spend life with pet cats.

Russia

Chinese cargo ship runs aground in Russia’s Pacific region of Sakhalin

No fuel spillage was reported from the An Yang 2, but bad weather hindered rescue efforts.

Chinese cargo ship An Yang 2 off the southwest coast of Sakhalin Island, Russia. Photo: Press office of the governor of Sakhalin
Icons and Influencers

20 years of Erdem Moralıoğlu: the London-based designer shares his inspirations

London Fashion Week’s favourite designer shares what inspires him in the city, in Japan and elsewhere.

London-based designer Erdem Moralıoğlu is a big fan of the city’s cafes, sights and cultural venues. Photo: WireImage
Crime

Powdered gold in underwear: smuggling on the rise in Japan as prices soar

Authorities step up border controls to combat the lucrative illicit trade driven by the rising price of gold and the return of tourists.

Asia travel

Had enough of Japanese hotels? US$8,700 buys a night in old castle

Be lord (and lady) of 400-year-old Fukuyama Castle in western Japan by booking a stay in its moon-viewing turret; meals, bathhouse included.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong’s flu season to peak in late February, jab rates still low: experts

Infection numbers will increase as residents returning from abroad bring virus back to Hong Kong, CUHK’s David Hui warns.

A woman and a child wear masks at a playground. Since the start of the flu season in January, the city has recorded 240 severe cases, with 90 per cent of the adult ones involving people aged 65 and above. Photo: Sam Tsang
Coronavirus pandemic

‘More devastating than atomic bomb’: fears mount over Japanese lab in Nagasaki

The laboratory, which will study some of the deadliest viruses, has prompted concerns over a repeat of the coronavirus pandemic.

9
Viral stories

Polygamous Japan man who relied on wives’ cash earns monthly US$8,000 as influencer

Self-styled ‘gigolo’ has 11 children, with twins on the way from his third wife, claims he never masturbates because it is a ‘waste of sperm’.

US-China trade war

Trump, Japan PM project unity in countering China on economy and security

US president hails potential sale of US$900 million worth of cutting-edge missiles to Tokyo as island nation jockeys with Beijing in region.

videocam
12
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba holds a book presented to him by US President Donald Trump during a news conference in Washington on Friday. Photo: AP
International Property

Hong Kong’s Gaw Capital buys Tokyo shopping centre for more than US$1 billion

Tokyu Plaza Ginza is one of the largest retail facilities in the Ginza district and has a couple of subway stations nearby.

The Tokyu Plaza Ginza shopping centre. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks ride tech optimism to log best week since October

The Hang Seng Index approached October peak even as some investors await US jobs data for clues on interest-rate decisions.

China stock market

DeepSeek shows that ‘China eats the world’: Deutsche Bank

DeepSeek’s emergence is a ‘Sputnik moment’ not just for AI, but for China, which is ‘outcompeting the rest of the world’, bank says.

videocam
29
Tourism

Osaka Expo’s slow ticket sales raise fears of another financial flop for Japan

Delays, weak ticket sales, and cost overruns have cast doubt on the World Expo’s chances of success.

People take photos in front of a statue of Myaku-Myaku, the official mascot for the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka on January 17. Photo: AP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Shanghai aims for China’s carmaking crown with Toyota plant

The Japanese carmaker plans to tap the local supply chain, logistics network and talent pool to produce Lexus-branded EVs from 2027.

videocam
Toyota’s proposed Shanghai plant will be the second fully owned car venture in China. Photo: dpa
Scams and swindles

Victims in Japan lost US$833 million to romance, investment scams in 2024

Online bank accounts were used in all social media-linked scams as they allow larger amounts to be transferred compared to ATMs.

videocam
Crime

In Japan, surge in shoplifting by foreign gangs sparks vigilance warning

Shoplifting cases in Japanese pharmacies have jumped, with many foreign suspects being involved in stealing items and selling them overseas.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
loading