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
A wave approaches Miyako City from the Heigawa estuary in Iwate prefecture, Japan, after an earthquake struck the area on March 11, 2011. Photo: Reuters
Earthquakes

Japan warns up to 298,000 could die in potential Nankai Trough ‘megaquake’

The figure is revised from previous projections of 323,000 deaths, but economic damage is estimated to increase to US$2 trillion.

videocam
United States

Video | US to stand with Japan against ‘aggressive’ China

Asia housing and property

The View | How Indonesia can calm property investors’ fears of a return to 1998

videocam
Earthquakes

Japan to spend a record US$133 billion on earthquake resilience

One focus will be on strengthening essential services affected by recent disasters, such as the Noto Peninsula earthquake last January.

A police officer and a rescue dog search for survivors after a earthquake hit the Noto Peninsula on January 1, 2024. Photo: Kyodo
Fashion

A vest that can power a neck fan? Check it out at Osaka World Expo 2025

A Toyota subsidiary will trial vests with solar cells that generate electricity to power devices such as neck fans at the Osaka World Expo.

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks retreat to 4-week low as more Trump tariffs loom

Investor jitters over tariffs set to be unveiled on April 2 outweigh a positive China manufacturing report.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Obituaries

Richard Chamberlain, star of Shogun, Dr Kildare, and The Thorn Birds, dies at 90

Richard Chamberlain’s career spanned theatre, films and TV miniseries.

Actor Richard Chamberlain in 2011. File photo: AFP
Food and Drinks

Japan firm to shut nearly 2,000 restaurants after rat, pest found in dish

The beef bowl chain said some stores such as those in shopping centres will be excluded from the closure.

Art

Showtime: 4 unmissable art exhibitions to keep you cultured

Explore Japanese paintings, immersive installations about animals and traditional Chinese pharmacies, plus a photographic ode to Hong Kong.

Diplomacy

Editorial | North Asian powers can work against US ‘changes and chaos’

Warming relations between China, Japan and South Korea since Donald Trump’s return to the White House raises hopes of regional progress and greater understanding.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (second left) with (from left) foreign ministers Cho Tae-yul of South Korea, Wang Yi of China and Japan’s Takeshi Iwaya. Photo: AFP
Asia travel

Tokyo’s Sanja Matsuri festival – a raucous celebration not for the prudish

One of Japan’s most colourful festivals, the Sanja Matsuri is a rowdy mix of religious ritual and wild street party

Tokyo’s Sanja Matsuri festival often resembles a rowdy, chaotic street party. Photo: Ronin de Goede
Hong Kong

This week in PostMag: from André Fu’s designs to stem cell therapy

Stunt double Jason Li talks about his journey from squash courts to the set of Transformers while we look at Fu’s Dusit Thani Bangkok project.

Climate change

Japan faces 99 times more heatwaves if global warming intensifies, report warns

A new report reveals global warming could cause “once-in-a-century” heatwaves annually.

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

Head of Japan's Unification Church vows to fight loss of legal protections
02:55
Disease

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

The spread of norovirus nationwide has prompted health warnings about hygiene and food safety.

Pedestrians walk down a shopping area in Japan, which is dealing with a nationwide rise in cases of norovirus. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong economy

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

A record 22,911 attended the pop culture festival’s final day on March 23, during which NJZ, formerly NewJeans, announced their hiatus.

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
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

Japan’s Kobushi mountain region straddling part of Tokyo, and Saitama, Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures. The Nagano mountains saw record number of rescues in 2024. Photo: Kyodo
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
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.

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.

Japanese police are proposing ATM withdrawal and transfer limits for elderly users to curb a surge in fraud cases. Photo: Xinhua
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
A crowd of tourists walk on a street near the Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto. Photo: Reuters
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

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.

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
Starting on April 7, passengers using Hong Kong airlines will no longer be allowed to store power banks in overhead compartments. Photo: Getty Images
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
People look at blooming Somei Yoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Tuesday. Photo: AP
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
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
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement