Jessica Speed - The Japan Times

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Jessica Speed

A shift is occurring in the translation industry both in Japan and across the globe, where using artificial intelligence in place of humans is increasingly becoming standard practice.

JAPAN / Society / FOCUS

Apr 16, 2026

As AI advances, translators forced to adapt to industry changes

Translators are having to grapple with lower pay and higher expectations, all while the future of the industry itself is in doubt.

Aya Puka (left), the vice representative of the Triple-Helix Roundtable for International Ph.D. Talent initiative, Thomas Busch (second from left), the dean of the graduate school at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Hirokazu Kato (center), director of Nara Institute of Science and Technology’s (NAIST) regional co-creation office, and Naoya Taniguchi (second from right), NAIST assistant professor and program representative, attend an event announcing the program in Tokyo on Wednesday.

JAPAN

Apr 15, 2026

Japan universities announce plan to boost foreign Ph.D. recruitment and development

The move comes as the country steps up efforts to strengthen its competitiveness amid intensifying global competition for skilled workers.

Starting Wednesday, Japan will require certain foreign nationals applying for its most common white-collar work visa to prove language proficiency.

JAPAN / Society

Apr 15, 2026

Japan implements language proficiency requirements for certain visa applicants

The requirement applies to jobs in which language skills are central, such as translation, interpretation and customer-facing roles.

An immigration control passport stamp issued in Japan. A surge in arrivals from overseas has coincided with a tightening of immigration controls under a government initiative aimed at reducing overstayers.

JAPAN / Society

Apr 9, 2026

Japan’s tighter immigration controls yielding results

The number of overstayers fell to 68,488 as of Jan. 1, down by 6,375 from a year earlier and marking the second consecutive annual decline.

Police are investigating a connection between fraud cases in Ehime and Osaka prefectures.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Apr 7, 2026

Woman defrauded of ¥1.2 billion in largest scam loss on record in Japan

Individuals posing as police officers and prosecutors instructed the woman to transfer funds under the pretense of it being part of an investigation into her assets.

Representatives of the Tokyo Federation of Private University Faculty and Staff Unions speak to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.

JAPAN / Society

Apr 7, 2026

Costs to attend private universities in Tokyo hit record high

Parents of first-year students at higher education institutes in the Tokyo metropolitan area who responded to the survey described tough financial trade-offs and growing anxiety.

Bonbon drop stickers sold by Osaka-based Q-Lia have helped fuel a broader boom in Japan’s sticker market.

JAPAN / Society

Apr 3, 2026

Scam sites for popular stickers on the rise amid shortage

As many as 532 fraudulent websites posing as sellers of the viral Bonbon Drop stickers have been detected so far.

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures on Wednesday morning.

JAPAN

Apr 1, 2026

JMA warns of potential tremors throughout the week after magnitude 5.0 quake

There is no threat of a tsunami, and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage following the temblor, whose epicenter was in southern Ibaraki Prefecture.

The Sphere lights up in Las Vegas. SBI Holdings is exploring plans to build a Tokyo arena modeled on the iconic immersive venue.

BUSINESS / Companies

Apr 1, 2026

SBI Holdings eyes Sphere arena in new Tokyo entertainment push

The Tokyo-based financial group is considering the Odaiba waterfront district as a potential site for the project.

Japan's rollout of a new joint custody system for divorcing couples has drawn mixed reactions from the public, with some abuse survivors voicing concerns over continued contact with or interference from former partners while proponents welcomed the move because it puts the country more in line with international standards.

JAPAN / Society

Mar 31, 2026

Japan rolls out new joint custody system

The change ends the country’s long-standing sole custody framework, under which only one parent could retain parental rights following a divorce.

Until now, sole custody was the only option a divorced couple had, in contrast with many Western countries where joint custody is commonplace.

JAPAN / Society / EXPLAINER

Mar 24, 2026

What you need to know about Japan’s new joint custody system

For the first time ever, revisions to the family law will allow parents to choose between sole custody or joint custody following a divorce.

With parental authority at stake, abuse victims’ looming fear of the possibility that their ex-spouse could once again be in their lives is real. But the frustration of the current sole custody arrangement for a noncustodial parent is also hard to ignore.

JAPAN / Society / FOCUS

Mar 24, 2026

Fear and fairness: Japan’s joint custody reform sparks debate

From April, Japan will allow joint parental authority. For some, that means more time with their child, but for domestic abuse survivors, there is only fear.

CBN cookies at a store in Shibuya on Thursday

JAPAN / Society

Mar 19, 2026

Consumer products containing cannabis-derived CBN to be banned starting June

Under the revised ordinance, only patients with specific conditions, such as intractable diseases with no alternative treatment, will be allowed to use them.

A screenshot of the website run by Japanese snack maker Yamayoshi Seika shows the package of its flagship "wasabeef" potato chips, whose production has been halted due to the Iran crisis.

BUSINESS

Mar 18, 2026

Hormuz crisis takes a bite out of Japan’s potato chips supply

Snack maker Yamayoshi Seika has stopped producing six items — including its flagship Wasabeef potato chips — due to difficulty procuring heavy oil used in manufacturing.

Plaintiffs at a news conference on Tuesday after a ruling on voluntary sterilization was handed down by the Tokyo District Court

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

Mar 17, 2026

Tokyo court rules against women’s right to voluntary sterilization

Under Japanese law, sterilization surgery for women can be performed only when specific health risks are present.

A ticket between Tokyo Station and Shibuya Station on JR East’s Yamamote Line will rise from ¥210 to ¥260, a 23.8% increase.

BUSINESS / Companies

Mar 11, 2026

JR East to raise train fares on Saturday for the first time in 39 years

East Japan Railway said fares would go up by an average of about 7.1%, with the minimum base fare increasing from ¥150 to ¥160.

The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in the capital's Minato Ward. The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill that would see the first major revision to the statutory ceiling on immigration-related residence fees for foreign nationals since 1982.

JAPAN / Politics

Mar 10, 2026

Japan visa fee cap to surge more than tenfold under new immigration bill

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved legislation to sharply raise the upper limit on fees for foreign nationals in the biggest revision of its kind in more than four decades.

In a survey from the Japanese Red Cross Society, 80.3% of respondents said the Great East Japan Earthquake should not be forgotten when considering disaster preparedness measures and awareness.

JAPAN / Society

Mar 9, 2026

Over 80% in Japan believe a major disaster is coming in the near future

Many admit to being unprepared for one, however.

Cherry blossoms are expected to bloom earlier than usual this year, with flowering forecast to begin in Nagoya on March 17 and in Tokyo on March 19, according to Japan Meteorological Corp.

JAPAN

Mar 6, 2026

Cherry blossom season set to begin up to a week earlier than usual

Somei Yoshino cherry trees are expected to begin flowering on March 17 in Nagoya, before those in the Kanto-Koshin, Shikoku and Kyushu regions start blooming.

Kairos No. 3 failed after lifting off from Spaceport Kii in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, on Thursday.

JAPAN / Science & Health

Mar 5, 2026

Space One’s Kairos rocket terminated moments after launch

The decision puts another dent in the firm’s bid to be the first private Japanese company to place satellites in orbit with a domestically developed rocket.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.

What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival

By Alex K.T. Martin

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