Japan
TOPIC
 / location

Japan

Related Topics:
Tokyo
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
Head of Japan's Unification Church vows to fight loss of legal protections

Video | Japan’s Unification Church vows to fight court order

Disease

Norovirus cases in Japan hit decade high amid ‘unseasonal’ outbreak

Hong Kong economy

ComplexCon Hong Kong draws 35,000 over 3-day event, rakes in HK$87.5 million

US-Japan relations

Japan braces for heavy blow from US car tariffs as Ishiba weighs response

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tokyo will consider the ‘most effective response’ to US levies on car imports.

videocam
Automobiles made up 28.3 per cent of Japan’s total exports to the US in 2024. Photo: Reuters
Weather

Japanese Alps see record rescue numbers amid rising tourist risk

Experts blame hikers and skiers overestimating their abilities and underestimating harsh terrain and weather.

Donald Trump

‘Impossible to keep up’: Japan ‘stunned’ by Trump trade threats, false claims

Analysts fear this disinformation will strain the US-Japan alliance, risking economic uncertainty, especially in the auto sector.

videocam
10
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Fifa

‘We’re aiming to win it’: dominant Japan set ambitious target for 2026 World Cup

Hajime Moriyasu’s side, the first team to qualify for North America, believe they are good enough to become the maiden Asian world champions.

Japan’s Daichi Kamada (left) celebrates his goal in their 2-0 win over Bahrain with Kaoru Mitoma. Photo: AFP
Scams and swindles

Japan police propose ATM curbs for elderly to combat fraud

The plan calls for a daily withdrawal or transfer limit of almost US$2,000 via ATMs for bank accounts belonging to those aged 75 and above.

Asia travel

Japan’s Kyoto approves higher lodging tax from March 2026 to curb overtourism

The city plans to use the additional revenue from the tax in areas such as improving infrastructure and repairing cultural sites.

videocam
Crime

Video | Japan pays US$1.45 million to former death row inmate

Iwao Hakamada, a former boxer, spent 47 years awaiting execution until he was freed in 2014

World's longest-serving death row inmate in Japan awarded US$1.45 million compensation
01:45
Books and literature

Japanese novel about a serial killer hailed as feminist overseas

Asako Yuzuki’s Butter, thought of as a crime novel in Japan, is celebrated in UK and elsewhere for exploring misogyny and body shaming.

The cover of Asako Yuzuki’s novel.
Hong Kong transport

Explainer | Power banks on flights: which airlines and regions have tightened rules?

Hong Kong is restricting the use of power banks on flights. Here’s how other jurisdictions and carriers are dealing with the devices following recent incidents.

videocam
Asia travel

Japan welcomes cherry blossom season but China sands threaten to spoil views

The season began in Tokyo on Monday, while Nagasaki, Kochi and other prefectures have also reported their first sakura blossoms.

videocam
South Korea

Court orders dissolution of Unification Church in Japan after Abe killing probe

The man accused of killing former PM Shinzo Abe resented the South Korea-based sect, which had decades of cosy ties to Japan’s ruling party.

videocam
The logo of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, known as the Unification Church, is seen at the entrance of the Japanese branch’s headquarters in Tokyo. Photo: AFP
China-Japan relations

China coastguard drives off Japanese fishing boats in escalating island dispute

Tokyo accuses Beijing of stoking tensions after Chinese ships expel four vessels from the vicinity of the Diaoyu Islands.

6
The Diaoyus, known in Japan as the Senkakus, comprise five uninhabited islets and three reefs, located 169km east of Taiwan and 409km west of Okinawa. Photo: Kyodo
Vietnam

Move over Singapore, Vietnam is now Southeast Asia’s third-most-visited country

Vietnam now ranks behind only Malaysia, which it aims to edge out by 2030, and regional tourism hotspot Thailand.

He was wrongly on Japan’s death row for 47 years. His payout? US$83 per day

Former boxer Iwao Hakamada, 89, was exonerated of a 1966 quadruple murder. He received US$1.45 million for his wrongful detention.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
SCMP Highlights

Thais reject ‘dark skin’ stigma, Singapore payouts: 7 Asia highlights

From Singapore offering unemployment payouts to a slap heard around Malaysia, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Miss Thailand Anna Sueangam-Iam 2022 walks onstage at a Miss Universe contest. While some beauty pageants now celebrate more diverse aesthetics, Thailand’s most popular television shows still star fair-skinned leads. Photo: Getty Images/AFP
Tourism

What happens if Mount Fuji erupts? Japan lays out ‘major disaster’ action plan

An eruption of the iconic mountain could release 10 times the amount of debris generated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

videocam
China-Japan relations

‘Two-faced diplomacy’: China pledges peace, then chases Japan’s fishing boat

The incident stirred online anger in Japan, with demands for stronger action against China’s ‘tyrannical violations of international law’.

9
Banking & finance

China to attract more private equity from Middle East and US: Bain & Co

Asia-Pacific deal value rose 11 per cent to US$176 billion in 2024, according to Bain & Company.

Workers walk past a mural depicting China’s history at the Zhongguancun No 1, an incubation platform for tech companies, in Beijing on March 19, 2025. Photo: AFP
Science

Tumour meltdown in China therapy tests offers hope to late-stage cancer patients

Experimental therapy uses a modified virus to boost immunity and make anti-tumour treatments more effective, according to study.

5
While oncolytic virus research in the US and Japan has focused on rare tumours, the Chinese research is achieving impressive results in treating more common cancers. Photo: Shutterstock
Food and Drinks

There’s a rat in my soup! Dead rodent hurts Japan restaurant chain’s stock price

Zensho Holdings, which operates the Sukiya chain, saw its shares fall as much as 7.1 per cent after it revealed the grisly discovery.

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks rise even as looming Trump tariffs keep sentiment in check

The Hang Seng Index is under consolidation as traders await development on the US tariffs front, says analyst Kenny Wen.

Science

Explainer | What is 6G and why is China racing ahead of US and Europe with the technology?

Sixth-generation wireless communications will change the way we interact with the world but not all countries are embracing it.

videocam
33
The deployment of 6G technology is expected to redefine how we interact with technology and the world around us. Illustration: Shutterstock
United States

Opinion | Only a global ‘de-risking’ from the US can stop Trump’s trade war

A unified response is essential. Operating independently would only play to Trump’s advantage, and render nations vulnerable to his bullying.

videocam
4
Illustration: Craig Stephens
The Philippines

‘Mission accomplished’: US-Philippines drills return in full battle mode

As 16,000 troops gear up for the 40th Balikatan, one Philippine general says he ‘doesn’t care’ how China reacts: ‘if they’re angry … good’.

videocam
22
Art

‘I can change my colours’: Takashi Murakami traverses the rainbow of culture

Self-confessed melancholic geek Murakami, famed for his blend of classical and pop art, and numerous collaborations with the likes of Louis Vuitton, is coming to Hong Kong for Art Basel and ComplexCon.

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