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June 30, 2026
 

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Jessica Speed
Somayyeh Mehri speaks in an interview on Monday in Tokyo. The psychological weight of watching events unfold from Japan is gut-wrenching for Mehri.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 3, 2026
‘My hope has fear inside it’: Iranians in Japan react to attacks back home
Following U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, Iranians living in Japan say they are feeling a mixture of relief, hope and fear as they try to contact their loved ones back home.
Space One's Kairos rocket
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 1, 2026
Third time still not a charm: Space One cancels rocket launch
This is the second time the 18-meter rocket was canceled in the past week, after Wednesday’s attempt was also postponed due to the weather.
For Kagoshima, leveraging the Kyushu Shinkansen — which allows visitors to get from Fukuoka to Kagoshima in roughly 90 minutes — is seen as a way to tap into foreign visitors already arriving in Fukuoka and other gateway cities.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2026
Critics decry Kagoshima’s free shinkansen plan for tourists as ‘unfair’
Prefectural officials have defended the plan to fully subsidize one-way fares for foreign tourists as a necessary bet on inbound demand.
By prefecture, only Tokyo and Ishikawa recorded increases in births compared with the previous year.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 26, 2026
Number of births in Japan falls to record low for 10th straight year
The data for how many babies were born in 2025 marks the lowest level since comparable records began in 1899, despite government efforts to reverse the trend.
A team headed by Takashi Tsuji, a visiting senior researcher at Riken and chairperson of OrganTech, has identified a previously unknown “third cell” essential for fully regenerating hair follicles, on Feb. 10 in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 26, 2026
Japan-led cell discovery hints at potential new treatments for hair loss
Researchers identified a “third cell” essential for fully regenerating hair follicles, and successfully re-created the complete hair-growth cycle in mice.
Tokyo Station. There were 932,090 people living under permanent residency in Japan as of June 2025, according to the Immigration Services Agency.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 25, 2026
Immigration agency tightens guidelines for permanent residency
The revision made Tuesday comes amid efforts by the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to take a tougher stance on immigration.
A baby Japanese macaque named Punch drags a stuffed orangutan at Ichikawa City Zoo, in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2026
Punch-drunk love: Lonely baby monkey in Japan goes viral
A tiny Japanese macaque at a local zoo in Chiba Prefecture has become an online sensation, with people around the world rooting for him after he was abandoned by his mother.
The education ministry building in Tokyo. The ministry is raising caps on accepting foreign students at three national universities.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2026
Three national universities to raise international student enrollment caps
Universities in Japan typically face penalties if they exceed enrollment limits, but a new framework will allow them to raise caps if they meet specified standards.
From 2026, applicants in Japan without residence cards will generally be barred from taking the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) in the country.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2026
Tourists no longer allowed to take JLPT in Japan from 2026
The change was driven by problems linked to overseas applicants using Japanese addresses without permission or submitting invalid phone numbers.
Etomidate, a designated drug, concealed in air cargo from India
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 18, 2026
Japan’s customs seized second-highest amount of illegal drugs in 2025
Customs officers seized 3,211 kilograms of illegal drugs last year, the first time since 2019 that annual seizures exceeded 3 metric tons.
The University of Tsukuba says it is investigating whether online comments made by two faculty members against foreign nationals amount to a breach of work regulations or its social media guidelines.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 17, 2026
University of Tsukuba apologizes over comments against foreign students
Two faculty members posted inflammatory comments on social media about foreign nationals, including describing foreign students as “incompetent” and “troublemakers.”
David J. Farber in May 2008
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2026
Pioneering computer scientist and Keio professor dies at 91
David J. Farber was a central figure in the development of early research networks that evolved into today’s internet.
Snow falls outside of Shin-Yurigaoka Station in Kawasaki on Sunday morning.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2026
Snow blankets Tokyo as powerful storm system tightens grip on Japan
Central Tokyo recorded around 5 centimeters of snow Sunday, while the heaviest accumulations were seen along the Sea of Japan coast.
Heavy snowfall is forecast for large parts of Japan this weekend as the coldest air of the season sweeps south, raising risks of major transport disruptions ahead of a nationwide election.
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2026
Heavy snow forecast over weekend as nation set to go to polls
The coldest air mass of the season is expected to sweep over Japan, raising the risk of transportation disruptions.
Prudential Life Insurance will suspend sales of new insurance policies for 90 days starting Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2026
Life insurance firm pauses sales following revelation of financial misconduct
Prudential Life Insurance was found to have mishandled about ¥3.1 billion through schemes ranging from fraud to borrowing money from clients.
“Heated Rivalry” centers on two male hockey players (Hudson Williams, left, and Connor Storrie) on rival teams who fall in love over the course of a decade. 
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 31, 2026
How ‘Heated Rivalry’ fits into the history of Japanese ‘boys’ love’
The Canadian hockey romance series is television’s latest global hit, but its fandom language goes back to 1970s Japan.
A Vietnamese worker picks tomatoes at a farm in Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, in 2018. Vietnamese comprised the largest percentage of foreign workers in Japan in 2025.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2026
Foreign workers in Japan reach a record 2.57 million in 2025
The total was up 11.7% from a year earlier and comes amid an acute labor shortage in the rapidly aging country.
Government data shows that 1,074 students died last year, including 532 elementary, junior high and high school students — the highest number since 1980.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2026
Japan’s suicide death toll drops to record low
The overall number fell by 1,223 from the previous year’s confirmed total, marking a third consecutive annual decline.
Travelers at Narita Airport. A new policy package from Japan's government put a spotlight on foreign patients not paying medical fees as a major topic to address, but it may not only be a matter of them dodging the bill.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jan 29, 2026
Are foreign nationals actually dodging their medical bills in Japan?
When it comes to foreign patients not paying their medical fees, the answer might not be that straightforward.
Defense lawyers of a 1952 murder case seeking a retrial hold signs reading "unjust decision" on Wednesday in the city of Kumamoto.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 28, 2026
Court rejects retrial request for executed man believed to have had leprosy
It was a rare case in which a retrial was sought for a defendant who had already been executed.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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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