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Tokyo

Tokyo
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Tokyo. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Head of Government
Governor Yuriko Koike
A woman takes selfies in front of a cherry blossom tree in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan’s cherry blossom parties could wilt as inflation strains wallets

Spending on ‘hanami’ picnics drops as rising living costs, Iran war fears and weather woes threaten to dampen this year’s festivities.

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Japan

Man kills woman at Tokyo Pokemon shop before taking his own life

China-Japan relations

Japanese minister expresses regret over military officer’s arrest at Chinese embassy

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China-Japan relations

Why Beijing is blaming Japanese PM as Tokyo moves to downgrade China ties status

Tokyo’s annual diplomatic blue book set to describe China ties as ‘strategic’ and ‘mutually beneficial’, a step down from ‘most important’.

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Beijing says Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s “erroneous remarks on Taiwan” are at the root of their current tensions. Photo: AFP
China’s military drills

New Type 055 destroyers for PLA East China Fleet tested in first live-fire drill

Exercise will ‘rapidly integrate’ the advanced vessels into the joint combat system covering Taiwan and the seas near Japan.

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Japan

Trump’s ‘wind-up doll’? Japan’s PM faces backlash over White House fawning

White House imagery showing Sanae Takaichi cheering for a rock song and laughing at a jibe at Joe Biden left some in Japan feeling ‘ashamed’.

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Japan

Video | Tokyo’s cherry blossom season kicks off early

This year’s sakura season is 5 days earlier than usual.

A foreign tourist tries to touch the early-flowering cherry blossoms at Ueno Park in Tokyo, Japan, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
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Japan

Trump’s Pearl Harbour joke falls flat in Japan over his ‘disrespectful remarks’

As Japan faces pressure over the Iran war, some observers commend Takaichi for steering her meeting with Trump towards trade deals.

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China-Japan relations

‘Uncompromising’: Takaichi’s meeting with Trump seen as key to China-Japan ties

Neither Tokyo nor Beijing has enough incentive to compromise, observers say, signalling a new reality between Asian giants.

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Japan

Blooming marvellous: Tokyo’s cherry blossom season officially begins

The blooming was five days earlier than the average, possibly due to low rainfall and longer hours of sunshine in winter.

Visitors take selfies in front of the early-flowering cherry blossoms at Ueno Park in Tokyo on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Japan gets tough against teachers’ sexual misconduct, voyeurism after arrests

Sexual offences involving mostly male teachers targeting students remain high despite stricter rules against the menace in recent years.

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A man taking an upskirt photo. The wide use of mobile technology has encouraged misbehaviour among some Japanese teachers, analysts say. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Russian hypersonic jets buzz Japan’s coast in ‘thinly veiled threat’

The exercises send a message that Tokyo should avoid antagonising Moscow or risk ‘repercussions’, observers say.

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China-Japan relations

Why Beijing has struggled to rally Asia against Japan over PM’s Taiwan remarks

Many in the region harbour security concerns similar to Tokyo’s and prefer to stay neutral between the Asian heavyweights, analysts say.

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Japan

Japan identifies 1,500 new missile shelters as ‘front line’ fears grow

Underground car parks and subways are being repurposed as Tokyo warns of the most severe security threat since the second world war.

Japan has confirmed 1,489 sites – including subway stations and underground car parks – as being suitable for providing short-term protection in the event of an attack. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Trump wants Japanese warships in Hormuz. Can Takaichi ‘dodge the bullet’?

The Iran war complicates Trump-Takaichi talks, putting her in a bind between US demands and constitutional limits on military action.

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A naval vessel sails in the Strait of Hormuz on March 1. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
Taiwan

Swing and a miss? Taiwan’s premier under fire over baseball trip to Tokyo

Beijing has lashed out over Cho Jung-tai’s one-day visit to Japan, which was described as a ‘private itinerary’ to support the island’s team.

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Japan

In Japan, video of exhausted Takaichi sparks health fears ahead of US trip

The prime minister is expected to announce Tokyo’s participation in the US’ ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence system when she meets Trump.

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Japan

Japan to release oil reserves as early as Monday

It will release 15 days’ worth of private reserves and a month’s worth of national reserves.

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A woman walks past a petrol station in Tokyo. Photo: AFP
Earthquakes

On This Day | Deadly earthquake that claimed thousands of lives in Japan – SCMP archive

On this day 15 years ago, one of the most powerful earthquakes on record triggered a devastating tsunami in Japan, killing more than 18,000.

Japan

Japan struggles with rising maintenance costs 15 years after Fukushima disaster

The costs of maintaining public housing for disaster victims and sea walls in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima total over US$923.7 million.

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Two Sessions 2026

Wang Yi warns Japan on Taiwan ‘red line’, dashing hopes of ending diplomatic row

Invoking the legacy of WWII resistance, top diplomat cautions Tokyo against interfering in China’s affairs.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked tensions with Beijing in November when she suggested Japan’s military might intervene in the event of a Taiwan conflict. Photo: via Reuters
Japan

80 years on, gender gap persists in Japanese politics

New research shows there has been little change since women in Japan first exercised their right to vote nearly 80 years ago.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (centre, front) walks down the stairs to pose for a photo session with members of her cabinet in Tokyo on February 18. Photo: EPA
Japan

Japan’s manga industry faces a ‘#MeToo moment’ after Shogakukan scandal

Prominent creators pull their work as the publisher launches a probe into how a convicted author returned under a pen name.

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Japan

Can Japan build a ‘China-free’ military? The high price of defying a rival

Tokyo’s bid to boost ‘self-reliance’ may be costly and could take years given China’s dominance in critical materials, analysts say.

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Hong Kong tourism

Sky-high jump in airfares from Hong Kong to Europe, Americas – even Asian cities

Economy-class fares to Paris, Rome and New York surge while cheapest return flight to Tokyo costs nearly HK$5,000.

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The escalation of the conflict has thrown Middle Eastern airspace into chaos, grounding tens of thousands of flights and stranding passengers across major aviation hubs. Photo: Eugene Lee
Technology

Asian tech stocks reel as US-Iran war threatens infrastructure and supply chains

South Korea’s Kospi is the worst-hit in Asia, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix falling 11.7 per cent and 9.6 per cent, respectively.

Currency dealers monitor exchange rates as an electronic screen shows South Korea’s benchmark stock index on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
International Property

Singapore offices cost the most to outfit, Asia-Pacific survey says

Fit-out costs in the city average more than US$2,000 per square metre, topping Tokyo, with Hong Kong in eighth, Knight Frank report says.

Japan

Japanese court upholds order to dissolve Unification Church over donations

The order will take immediate effect, with the group losing its religious corporation tax status and liquidation procedures to begin.

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