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
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (right) during the Apec summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, last year. Photo: Yonhap via AP
Sanae Takaichi

Japan PM seeks unity with South Korea’s Lee as China tensions persist

Takaichi aims to bolster ties with Seoul by avoiding ‘divisive’ issues as Tokyo grapples with Beijing’s economic retaliation.

videocam
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks climb as yuan hits strongest level in nearly 3 years

Tokyo

Fatal Tokyo fist-fight leads to rare duelling arrest under 19th-century law

videocam
Tokyo

As the crow flies: how Tokyo’s 25-year pest purge ended in triumph

A mix of civic discipline, careful waste management and a willingness among Tokyo residents to change their habits helped rein in the crisis.

A crow caws from an overhead power line. A survey conducted in December showed the number of crows in Japan’s capital had fallen to less than 20 per cent of its early-2000s peak. Photo: dpa
Natural disasters

Why 4 million foreigners in Japan fear the next disaster amid rising bias

Rising xenophobia, ‘vigilante’ patrols and memories of 1923 have rights advocates concerned that history could repeat itself.

videocam
Diplomacy

Opinion | Why China now needs North Korea’s denuclearisation

As optimism grows over an end to the Ukraine war, a weakening of Moscow’s support for Pyongyang may give Beijing new leverage to stabilise the Korean peninsula.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China trade

Japan firms seen ‘stockpiling’ rare earths as Tokyo looks to G7 amid China row

Amid fears of potential mineral export curbs by Beijing, Japanese industry is bracing, and Tokyo appears keen on a united international response.

videocam
9
Japan’s finance minister said she would attend a G7 gathering in Washington on Monday with the “risk of a rare-earth-supply interruption from China in mind”. Photo: Getty Images
Asean

Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Middle powers fear a return to ‘rules of the jungle’ geopolitics as rival powers carve out spheres of influence.

videocam
China's economic recovery

China prioritises export controls, supply chains to shield economy in 2026

Commerce ministry also pledges to boost domestic demand, services and two-way investment over coming year.

Artificial intelligence

Japan’s ‘genius’ chimpanzee, who learned Chinese characters, dies at 49

Ai, the chimpanzee advanced primate intelligence studies by mastering languages and colours, leaving a legacy in cognitive research.

Ai is seen in 2018 at Inuyama in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Photo: Kyodo
South Korea

South Koreans see joy in parenthood but fear economic strain

While 74 per cent see joy in children, 92 per cent say economic burdens impact family planning – a factor in South Korea’s record-low birth rate.

videocam
South Koreans view parenthood as a source of joy, but widespread anxiety about financial burdens highlights a critical tension underlying the country’s low fertility rate and persistent economic worries. Photo: Shutterstock
The Philippines

Japan’s top diplomat heads to Philippines with South China Sea top of mind

The talks are likely to focus on Manila’s push for a South China Sea code with ‘teeth’ as this year’s Asean chair, analysts say.

5
Asia housing and property

The View | 3 factors Asia’s real estate investors must watch in 2026

Asia might have sidestepped the worst of Trump’s tariffs, but investors should focus on price growth, Japan’s resilience and the sustainability of the data centre boom.

videocam
SCMP Highlights

China’s militarism call, Malaysia-Singapore border chaos: 5 weekend reads

From China’s underground engineering triumph to calls to curb Japan militarism, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

China and the US should work together to thwart any plot to revive the spectre of militarism in Japan, according to a Chinese embassy official in Washington. Photo: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Rare earths

Japan launches world’s first mission to lift rare earth from deep sea

Tokyo has been reducing its dependence on China for the critical minerals amid a major diplomatic dispute with Beijing.

videocam
5
Japan’s deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu is anchored at a pier in Shimizu port, Shizuoka prefecture, in 2013. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Hamas says will dissolve its Gaza government when Palestinian body takes over

Militant group agrees to cede power to technocratic committee under Trump-brokered plan, but silence remains over disarmament.

China travel

China’s outbound travel set to soar by 10 million trips – but halve in Japan

Chinese tourist flows to Japan could plunge to as low as 4.8 million this year from 9.3 million in 2025 amid political dispute, survey finds.

videocam
12
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Pop culture in Asia

Soft power, hard cash: inside Southeast Asia’s billion-dollar anime obsession

Driven by Gen Z spending and streaming, the region’s US$1.3 billion anime market represents a triumph for Japan’s cultural push.

Fans attend last year’s Anime Festival Asia in Singapore. The event consistently draws more than 100,000 visitors. Photo: SOZO/Handout
Indonesia

Asian Angle | Indonesia’s digital 2045 ambition rests on a fragile seabed spine

With few domestic repair ships and convoluted laws, Indonesia struggles to safeguard the 115,000km of cables powering its digital future.

International Property

Heightened tensions with China rattle Japan’s property market: analysts

Bilateral friction is expected to impact assets tied to tourism, including hotels and high-street retail shops, CBRE’s Chinatsu Hani says.

9
China-Japan relations

China calls on US to form united front against Japanese militarism

Tokyo is blurring the line between civilian and military sectors, undermining Beijing’s interests in Taiwan, state media account says.

videocam
69
China and the US should work together to thwart any plot to revive the spectre of militarism in Japan, according to a Chinese embassy official in Washington. Photo: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
China-South Korea relations

North Korea: the elephant in the room when Xi met Lee in Beijing

Lee Jae Myung and Xi Jinping found common ground on ‘one China’ but there was no word on what to do about Pyongyang.

videocam
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung holds summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. Photo: EPA
TV shows and streaming video

Netflix Japanese drama Gimbap and Onigiri serves up romance one meal at a time

Starring Eiji Akaso and Kang Hye-won, Netflix’s Gimbap and Onigiri explores romance and cultural connection through food.

Animals

Meow arriving: Japan railway’s newest cat stationmaster clocks in

Yontama is the third cat to become stationmaster on the Kishigawa Line in Wakayama prefecture after the death of her predecessor last year.

North Korea

Fisherman, defector or spy? Mystery ‘ghost ship’ discovery puzzles Japan

Korean writing on the boat led to conjecture that it was a ‘ghost ship’ similar to those that washed up on Japanese shores in the past.

videocam
A wooden boat that washed ashore on a beach in Kanazawa, Japan, in 2018. Seven bodies were found nearby. Photo: Kyodo
India

India overtakes Japan in economic size – while prosperity trails far behind

Becoming the No 4 economy is a source of pride. Now, the race is on to turn statistical success into 8 million new jobs a year.

4
Shoppers walk along a street illuminated with decorative lights ahead of New Year celebrations in Bengaluru, India, last month. Photo: AFP
Pop culture in Asia

Video | Digital ‘Tamagotchi’ pets mark 30 years

The egg-shaped plastic toys that were a playground craze in the 1990s feature digital pets needing to be cared for like live household animals.

Science

China cites Biden’s message to Xi that Japan could build nukes ‘overnight’

Beijing releases 30-page report that includes a call for international community to ‘take concrete and strong measures’ against Japan’s nuclear ambitions.

videocam
20
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement