Advertisement
Advertisement
Japan
TOPIC
 / location

Japan

Related Topics:
Japan
Japan
The latest breaking news and stories on Japan, a country in East Asia known as a constitutional monarchy, and the world’s fifth largest economy. Also covering Japan’s relationship with China and Asia, plus commentary and updates on Japan’s economy, politics, society and trade.
Capital
Tokyo
Head of State
Emperor Naruhito
Head of Government
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Fumio Kishida
Japan plans to gradually replace its fleet of Apache helicopters with drones. Photo: Reuters
China-Japan relations

Should China be worried as Japan starts replacing helicopters with drones?

The move has triggered warnings that the new drones could be stationed in the Ryukyu chain close to the Chinese coast.

videocam
Crime

Japan jails ex-teacher for sharing voyeuristic student images

videocam
US, Israel war on Iran

Asia’s energy supply at breaking point as US blockades Hormuz

9
Donald Trump

Israel envoy protests Japanese TV pundit’s remarks on Kushner’s Jewish identity

Critics said his comments suggested that Trump’s son-in-law should not be involved in negotiations with Iran because he is Jewish.

videocam
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner (L) and US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (R) look on as Vice President JD Vance speaks at a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran in Islamabad on Sunday. Photo: AFP
SCMP Highlights

Japan’s sakura season rift, Singapore’s Hormuz stance: 7 Asia highlights

From Japan’s sakura season rift to a defamation hearing, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Trending in China

Japan-based China nurse slammed for posting work clips; privacy, ethics fears raised

‘Irresponsible’ member of medical staff posts videos showing patients’ medicine bags, hospital beds; forces bosses to apologise.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Fashion

Undercover’s Jun Takahashi on being inspired by fellow Japanese brands – interview

The punk-inspired founder of Undercover talks about his debt to brands like Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto and A Bathing Ape.

Designer Jun Takahashi, founder of Japanese brand Undercover. Photo: Handout
Asia travel

Lack of fuel reserves forces Southeast Asian flight cuts amid Hormuz crisis

Airlines are cutting flights, as dependence on Middle Eastern fuel hits operators from Pakistan to New Zealand.

videocam
Donald Trump

Japan’s Trump tariff deal faces climate backlash over projects’ 20% carbon surge

Campaigners said the three US projects could generate greenhouse gas emissions equal to about 20 per cent of Japan’s annual total.

videocam
Transport and logistics

Japan’s rural rail crisis hits new low as JR East cuts toilet paper service

JR East’s decision to remove toilet paper at some unmanned stations underscores the financial pressures on rural rail services.

Oshikiri station in Japan’s Niigata prefecture no longer has toilet paper service. Photo: Handout
Science

3 satellites to track all? Chinese radar images confirm US military fears

Breakthrough suggests ability to achieve global, 24/7, all-weather reconnaissance coverage of high-value targets.

14
A rendering of the Ludi Tance 4-01, the world’s first geosynchronous orbit synthetic aperture radar satellite. Photo: Handout
South Korea

Solo in Seoul? South Korean capital offers helpers for US$4 an hour

The city’s ‘companion service’ aims to help single-person households move house or visit hospital.

videocam
Hong Kong economy

Middle East war tests Hong Kong aviation hub status as rivals feel the heat

Flight cuts due to rising fuel prices could affect transit traffic in short run, but impact will depend on duration of conflict, experts say.

SCMP Highlights

Hormuz oil crisis hits China; a family of dentists: 5 weekend reads you missed

From how Pakistan paid the price for mediating in the Iran war to a family of dentists, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

Employees work on an assembly line producing smartphone holders at a plastic-accessories factory in China’s Guangdong province earlier this month. Rising oil prices are driving up production costs for plastic manufacturers. Photo: Reuters
Mainland China

‘Not a reliable ally’: Japan eyes Nato as Trump erodes faith in US guarantees

Tokyo and the transatlantic security alliance have a shared problem: what happens if the US walks away?

12
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte stands in front of Japanese and Nato flags during a visit to Tokyo in April last year. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese cars squeeze out Asian rivals in Europe as exports top 1 million

Surging EV shipments boost China’s market share at the expense of Japan and South Korea, while EU exports to China slump.

Science

Open Questions | What an ancient Chinese map reveals about global history: Sheng-Wei Wang

Kunyu Wanguo Quantu and maritime artefacts prove China explored the world earlier than Eurocentric accounts suggest, scholar argues.

videocam
10
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Luxury Hotels

Review | Park Hyatt Tokyo reopened after a 2-year renovation – here’s a look inside

You may know it from 2003’s Oscar-winning Lost in Translation with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson – take a look inside the iconic hotel.

The famous bamboo grove at The Peak Lounge & Bar at Park Hyatt Tokyo. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

Hyundai spearheads foreign EV comeback push in China with Ioniq brand

South Korean carmaker bets on local partnerships and technology as global brands prepare fresh push into China’s fast-moving EV market.

South China Sea

‘A big deal’: military drills show Tokyo’s growing focus on deterring China

Combat-ready Japanese troops are being deployed in the Philippines for the first time since Japan’s occupation of the country during World War II.

25
Vietnam

Asian Angle | Who is Vietnam’s new Prime Minister Le Minh Hung?

The ex-central banker has the credentials to succeed. Whether he has the political capital remains to be seen.

Le Minh Hung (centre) attends a swearing-in ceremony in Hanoi on Tuesday after being elected as Vietnam’s new prime minister. Photo: Vietnam News Agency/Xinhua
China property

As I see it | Helpful analysts predict China property recovery now, soon and much later

While some economists draw parallels with Japan’s ‘lost decade’, others note key differences when it comes to China’s sluggish recovery.

4
A woman walks through a residential compound in Shanghai on January 20. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Japan’s Middle East oil habit gets an Iran war reality check

Almost all of Japan’s oil comes from the Middle East. A closed strait turned that dependence into a trap.

videocam
4
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Girl, 9, in a critical condition with meningococcal infection after holiday in Japan

Girl, who has an underlying illness, visited Japan in a tour group with her family.

Sanae Takaichi

Japan’s Sanae Takaichi tickled pink to meet UK band Deep Purple

The Japanese prime minister, who played in a Deep Purple tribute band in middle school, called drummer Ian Paice her ‘god’.

videocam
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gives Made-in-Japan drumsticks to Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Tourism

They came to see the cherry blossoms. A Japanese town isn’t happy about it

Fujiyoshida’s cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji views have sparked overtourism chaos, with a local festival cancelled as a result.

Mount Fuji is seen through cherry blossoms at Arakurayama Sengen Park, in Fujiyoshida, Japan, on April 8, 2026. Photo: AP
Luxury Hotels

Review | The newly opened 1 Hotel Tokyo, a sustainability-driven hotel in Akasaka

1 Hotels – which has outposts in cities like London, Copenhagen, Melbourne and West Hollywood – has opened its first Asian location in Akasaka, Tokyo.

Ukraine war

Why Japanese firm’s tie-up with Ukrainian drone maker sparks concerns in Russia

The two firms plan to develop drones that can be ‘deployed quickly and at low cost in the real combat conditions of Ukraine’.

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