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June 30, 2026
 

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Jessica Speed
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on Wednesday canceled the launch of its eighth H3 rocket and said that at this point, it is not possible to say when it will be rescheduled.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2025
JAXA calls off launch of eighth H3 rocket due to emergency shutdown
This is the second time that the launch of the rocket carrying the Michibiki No. 5 satellite has not gone according to plan.
An electronic road sign posts an advisory for subsequent quakes in Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, last Wednesday, after the first such advisory was issued the previous day.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2025
Japan lifts quake advisory but urges continued caution
The Japan Meteorological Agency says there is still a possibility of a sudden, massive earthquake, despite the lifting of the advisory.
Shiori Ito at a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Monday
JAPAN / Society
Dec 15, 2025
Shiori Ito sees ‘most reactive screening’ in Japan to her film on sexual assault
“Black Box Diaries,” her 2024 documentary chronicling her experience as a survivor of sexual assault, finally premiered on Friday after months of delay.
Seihan Mori, chief priest of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, writes the kanji "kuma," which was chosen by the public as the character that best represents 2025, at the temple on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 12, 2025
‘Kuma’ selected as kanji of the year after surge in bear sightings and attacks
The character for bear, or “kuma,” has been selected as kanji of the year for 2025, after a surge in bear sightings and attacks.
Rei Watanabe Prosper (left) and Coralie Prosper attends a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2025
Same-sex international couple petitions for marriage recognition in Japan
The Japanese-French couple says Japan’s refusal to acknowledge their marriage is preventing them from starting a family in France.
A car is seen trapped in a caved-in road on Tuesday in the town of Tohoku, Aomori Prefecture, after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the coast of the prefecture on Monday night.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2025
More than 30 injuries reported after Aomori earthquake
Evacuation orders issued across five prefectures, including Aomori and Hokkaido, have all been lifted.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off eastern Aomori Prefecture around 11:15 p.m. Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2025
Tsunami warnings lifted after M7.5 quake rocks northeastern Japan
The Japan Meteorological Agency registered a seismic intensity of upper-6 on the Japanese scale in the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture.
Nostalgia for the past has always been big business in Japan, but this year, it's the recent past that has garnered more and more fans.
LIFE / Lifestyle / 2025 IN REVIEW
Dec 6, 2025
‘Messy, blingy, over the top’: Heisei Era charms Japan’s youth
With 2025 drawing to a close, many in Japan are looking back on not only the year that was — but also a new period of the past overshadowed by its trendier predecessor.
Masato Edamitsu, the 60-year-old founder of Shinshin Kenko Club, training and guiding his client
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Dec 4, 2025
Japan’s fitness industry is catering to a new clientele: Health-conscious seniors
A fitness survey released by the Sports Agency in October of this year found that seniors today are fitter than they were in 1998.
Under a new framework announced by the Justice Ministry, a custodial parent will be entitled to ¥20,000 ($128) per child per month from the other parent after a divorce even without a negotiated or court-ordered child-support agreement.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 28, 2025
Japan finalizes statutory child support payment at ¥20,000 per child

Though there were calls for the support amount to be higher, the Justice Ministry says it is appropriate as it is designed to serve as a “temporary and supplementary” measure.
Plaintiffs and supporters hold up signs reading "unjust ruling" in Tokyo on Friday after the Tokyo High Court ruled Japan’s failure to recognize same-sex marriages is constitutional.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 28, 2025
Same-sex marriage ban constitutional, says Tokyo High Court
The ruling departs from those of five other high court rulings made previously that had deemed Japan’s failure to recognize such unions as unconstitutional.
Based in Hokkaido, Canadian-Japanese couple Alex and Mami St-Jean are keeping busy with their candle business and raising two children.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 28, 2025
Alex and Mami St-Jean: ‘Home feels like the family we’ve created in Hokkaido’
The Canadian-Japanese couple behind North Candles, a soy wax candle business, reflects on their origin story, cross-cultural inspirations and the meaning of home.
Atsushi Katsuki, CEO of Asahi Group Holdings, at a news conference on Thursday
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 27, 2025
Asahi CEO says ransomware attack might have caused 1.9 million data leaks
Exposed data may include email addresses and phone numbers, but credit card information is not included in this data exposure, according to Asahi.
Tigers pitcher Kenta Maeda throws during a game against the Twins in Minneapolis in April.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 26, 2025
Kenta Maeda signs deal with Rakuten Eagles after decade in MLB
The two-year deal, reportedly worth over ¥400 million, marks a return to NPB for the two-time Sawamura Award winner.
The Osaka Wheel in the city of Suita made an emergency stop at around 5:47 p.m. during a thunderstorm, leaving the people stranded on nine gondolas.
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2025
Lightning strike leaves 20 stranded on Japan’s tallest Ferris wheel for hours
Passengers waited up to nine hours before they could disembark after the Ferris wheel came to an emergency stop.
The land ministry said overseas acquisitions remain small relative to the overall market and cannot be considered a major factor behind price increases for new condominiums at this point.
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2025
Overseas buyers snapped up 3.5% of new Tokyo condos in first half of 2025
The figure has risen from 1.6% for all of 2024, demonstrating a growing interest in Japanese real estate from abroad.
A screenshot of Shohei Ohtani's Instagram post shows a photo of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
BASEBALL
Nov 25, 2025
Ohtani hoping to represent Japan again at 2026 World Baseball Classic
“I’m happy to play again representing Japan,” the four-time MVP said on social media.
A densely populated residential area near the Saganoseki fishing port where a fire broke out, in the city of Oita on Wednesday morning
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2025
Massive fire engulfs more than 170 buildings in Oita
Fire crews were still working to control the blaze, which has left one resident missing, as of Wednesday morning.
Authorities have determined that a woman in her 70s found in a rice field in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, died of hypothermia.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 19, 2025
Akita woman thought to have been killed by a bear actually died of hypothermia
Authorities concluded that a smaller animal had inflicted the wounds on the body of the woman, who was in her 70s, after her death.
With the government's integration of health insurance with My Number cards, conventional health insurance cards will no longer be accepted at clinics and hospitals across Japan from Dec. 2.
JAPAN / Explainer
Nov 17, 2025
What you need to know about the shift to My Number health insurance cards
By integrating health insurance with My Number cards, the government hopes to streamline administration processes, reduce paperwork and make it easier to treat patients.
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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