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Tokyo
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Tokyo. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Head of Government
Governor Yuriko Koike
A member of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan delivers a stump speech at Shibuya crossing on October 26, last year. Photo: EPA-EFE
Japan

Japan police gear up to tackle ‘lone wolf’ attacks ahead of Tokyo election

Security has been tightened since former prime minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot during a stump speech in 2022.

US-China relations

Aukus pact up in the air but US to stay focused on countering China: analysts

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Japan

Japan warns of collision risks after Chinese fighter jet manoeuvres

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Aukus alliance

Trump puts submarine pact in rough waters as China touts strength

The Trump administration is reviewing the Aukus submarine accord with the UK and Australia, while Chinese aircraft carriers are charting new courses.

Photo: US Navy
China-Japan relations

China and Japan must beat mutual hostility while also handling tariffs: envoy

‘Japanese companies hold a firm belief that they cannot compete globally without succeeding in the Chinese market’: Kenji Kanasugi.

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Japan

In Japan, LA protests are dividing people as much as in the US. Here’s why

While some Japanese agree with President Donald Trump’s crackdown against the protests, others urge Japan to be more receptive to foreigners.

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Japan

‘I don’t want Japan to be such a place’: police face racial profiling lawsuit

‘I am trying to make Japanese society better by stopping questioning based on prejudice,’ one of the plaintiffs says.

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People take part in an anti-racism protest in Tokyo in 2020. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

South Korea’s ties with Japan face new test after ex-forced labourer wins suit

A 107-year-old South Korean has won his case against Mitsubishi after a court ordered the firm to pay him compensation for his labour.

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Japan

Top banker tells Japan to stick with DEI policies as Trump’s crackdown mounts

Daiwa CEO Akihiko Ogino told the Tokyo Pride parade that it is ‘important to recognise that there are people with different viewpoints’.

Japan

Japan grows restless for next-gen fighter jets as progress with UK, Italy stalls

Japan finds its ageing aircraft outmatched by China’s advanced stealth jets amid setbacks to the trilateral Global Combat Air Programme.

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An artist’s impression of the GCAP fighter released in 2022. Photo: UK Prime Minister’s Office / AFP
Japan

Japan making progress but no ‘agreement’ on Trump tariffs: trade negotiator

Ryosei Akazawa said tariffs are unacceptable, but Japan is proposing a tariff reduction plan tied to a country’s contribution to the US auto industry for a deal.

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Japanese economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa meets the press ahead of a meeting with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington on Thursday. Photo: Kyodo
Japan

South Korea’s Lee pledges warmer ties, but past tensions leave Japan ‘worried’

A minor bilateral misstep or the need to push a nationalist agenda could see ties spiral to the lows of 2019, analysts warn.

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Japan

Japan faces ‘critical’ demographic crisis as birth rate hits historic low

Record-low births and an ageing population are driving Japan to implement urgent measures to encourage marriage and boost fertility rates.

China-South Korea relations

South Korea’s new leader faces tightrope act between China ties, US alliance

Analysts expect Lee Jae-myung’s foreign policy to be marked by pragmatism, but balancing economic and security interests will be challenge.

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South Korean President Lee Jae-myung takes the oath of office in the National Assembly building in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

‘We won’t tolerate it’: Japan’s maid cafe staff join fight against groping

Tokyo police have launched an anti-‘chikan’ campaign, introducing a new safety app and intensifying patrols to curb unwanted sexual advances.

A maid cafe in Akihabara, Tokyo. Maid cafe staff and students were recently spotted in Tokyo distributing flyers calling out gropers. Photo: Reuters
Japan

‘Lies into truth’: outcry in Japan over Chinese bias at Canadian history museum

With exhibits on Unit 731 and wartime atrocities, critics in Tokyo warn the museum is eroding Japan’s ‘credibility and national dignity’.

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Japan

Can Japan find a new home for contaminated Fukushima soil?

The Japanese government has promised Fukushima residents that it will find permanent storage for the soil elsewhere in the country by 2045.

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Hong Kong transport

Exclusive | Hong Kong Airlines to expand pet-in-cabin and family-friendly services

Carrier’s president also reveals plans to introduce new family-friendly products that will benefit children and the elderly.

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Hong Kong Airlines customer Yolly Chan says she would recommend the carrier’s pet-in-cabin service to friends. Photo: Nora Tam
Japan

China’s overtures a ‘pointed signal’ to stabilise ties with Japan: analysts

Beijing has recently removed controversial maritime buoys, eased a politically charged seafood import ban and appeared to temper its rhetoric.

Hong Kong tourism

Hong Kong or Singapore? Blackpink’s mainland fans tackle tough ticket questions

Fans of K-pop superstars try to work out how to get their hands on tickets and the cheapest way to see shows in coming ‘Deadline’ tour.

Japan

Japan patches cybersecurity gaps with new laws, overseas tie-ups

Active cyberdefence law, training of security experts and cooperation with Lithuania among efforts under new strategy to shore up capabilities.

Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani (right) with his Lithuanian counterpart Dovile Sakaliene in Tokyo on May 28. Photo: Kyodo
Japan

Japan reschedules iconic summer festivals to avoid increasingly extreme heat

Faced with record high temperatures and ageing communities, event organisers are adapting to keep traditions alive.

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Spectators throw buckets of water onto a portable shrine during the Fukagawa summer festival in Tokyo on August 15, 1999, a ritual meant to purify and cool participants amid the summer heat. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong economy

Blackpink’s ‘Deadline’ world tour to conclude at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium

K-pop superstars to return to city for first time since 2023 with two shows in January.

Japan

In Japan, North Koreans ‘very angry’ over funding cuts for their schools

Chosen Soren has called for funding to be restored, saying Japan is ‘politically very unfriendly’ to the local North Korean community.

Japan

Appealing offer? Japan offers to assist US shipbuilding amid tariff concerns

Japan is already investing heavily in its own shipbuilding future, driven by strategic concerns over China’s maritime dominance.

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A worker walks off a vessel being built in a shipyard in Dalian, China’s Liaoning province, in 2004. China has become a shipbuilding powerhouse in recent decades. Photo: EPA-EFE
Japan

Man in Japan arrested for forcing store clerk to shave head in apology

The shocking incident happened just days after Japan’s first anti-customer harassment rule kicked in.

A barber giving a man a shave with hair clippers. A clerk in Kyoto was forced to shave his own head by an irate customer. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Japan takes aim at ‘kirakira’ baby names with new rules on kanji readings

Changes aim to standardise pronunciation of kanji characters and officials can refuse to accept a name deemed to negatively affect a child.

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Japan

Japan’s Ishiba eyes G7 summit, aims to advance US tariff talks

Speaking in Kyoto, Ishiba said there has been progress in negotiations on trade expansion, non-tariff measures and economic security.

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