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July 12, 2026
 

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WWII

The Siyuan Aircraft Bunker in Yilan City, Taiwan, which was built by the Japanese during World War II, contains small historical displays and has a bamboo model of Zero fighter plane on its roof, used as a decoy to fool American bombing raids.
JAPAN / History
Jan 11, 2026
Aircraft bunkers in Taiwan’s Yilan county shine light on little-known kamikaze outpost
The Pacific-facing county hosts the largest concentration of such bunkers in Taiwan that are among the best-preserved examples still remaining anywhere.
The New York Times placed Nagasaki 17th on the list of "52 places to go in 2026."
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2026
Nagasaki and Okinawa make New York Times’ list of ‘52 places to go in 2026’
The New York Times put Nagasaki in 17th place on a list it has released every year since 2005, and Okinawa was 46th.
A member of Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations) solicits signatures for a petition urging Japan to ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in October 2024. The organization won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 5, 2026
What happens when the last hibakusha is gone?
As the Peace Clock advances, another clock is running out: The number of people who survived the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is dwindling.
Setsuko Kawai, a member of a group seeking state relief for civilian victims of U.S. air raids during World War II, participates in a rally outside the parliament building in Tokyo on Dec. 4.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 28, 2025
Japanese group resolved to seek air raid damage relief
In lawsuits on air raid damage, all petitions by victims seeking compensation from the government have been dismissed.
(Left to right) French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk after a news conference during a meeting of the “Coalition of the willing,” in Kyiv on May 10
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2025
‘Never again,’ and yet here we are again
The promise not to repeat the mistakes that led to World War II has for decades shaped international institutions and security policy, but now, this motto’s influence has waned.
Emperor Emeritus Akihito takes a walk with Empress Emerita Michiko in the garden at their Sento Imperial Residence in Tokyo on Dec. 8.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2025
Emperor Emeritus Akihito turns 92
With this year marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Emperor Emeritus Akihito reflected on the war, including remembering his evacuation to the countryside.
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko visit a special photo exhibition themed on Tokyo during World War II at the National Showa Memorial Museum in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2025
Emperor Naruhito and family visit photo exhibition on wartime Tokyo
The family also met with people serving as “next-generation storytellers,” who share knowledge about the war with museum visitors.
Ground Self-Defense Force personnel participate in a live-fire exercise at the GSDF's training grounds in the East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in 2024.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 19, 2025
Japan should have nuclear weapons, official reportedly says
The comments come at a sensitive time for Japan amid a tense security environment in East Asia.
Executives of Nihon Hidankyo, including Secretary-General Jiro Hamasumi (second from right) and co-chair Terumi Tanaka (third from left) in Tokyo in June
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2025
One year on, Nihon Hidankyo seeks to continue as members age
The average age of survivors of the August 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is now over 86.
Visitors pray in front of the cenotaph for the victims of the atomic bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima in October 2024.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2025
Hiroshima atomic bombing victim identified by DNA test
The city of Hiroshima said it will continue DNA testing of preserved hair upon request, aiming to identify more victims.
Soldiers stand on the stage during the memorial ceremony to mark the 88th anniversary of the 1937 Nanking Massacre at the Nanking Massacre Museum in the city now known as Nanjing, in China's Jiangsu province, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2025
China holds low-key Nanking Massacre memorial despite Japan tensions
Chinese leader Xi Jinping did not the ceremony, despite a diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Tokyo over Taiwan.
An aspiring manga artist (voiced by Rihito Itagaki) is drafted and sent away to an island where he endures the brutality of war in “Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise.”
CULTURE / Film
Dec 11, 2025
‘Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise’: Cute designs, harrowing truths about the horrors of war
As Japan marks 80 years since WWII’s end, “Peleliu” stands out among recent war films for using animation to portray the brutal realities faced by soldiers abroad.
Akira Yamada, director of the Meiji University's Defunct Imperial Japanese Army Noborito Laboratory Museum for Education in Peace in Kawasaki, explains weapons used for guerrilla warfare on Nov. 13.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2025
Guerrilla weapons made for Japan mainland battle on display
A special exhibition highlighting the laboratory’s activities during the period has opened at a museum in Kawasaki which occupies part of the former facility.
U.S. senators telling American troops they don’t have to obey illegal commands has sparked ire from President Donald Trump, underscoring the enduring principle that soldiers must follow conscience and the law above orders.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2025
The duty to disobey unlawful orders was America’s idea
Members of Congress made a video in which they remind active service members that “our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders.”
Empress Masako and Emperor Naruhito pose for a photo ahead of her 62nd birthday, at the Imperial Palace on Dec. 3.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2025
Empress Masako turns 62 with stronger hopes for peace
The empress said that this year deeply reminded her once again of the importance of preserving lasting peace.
People attend a memorial ceremony to mark the 81th anniversary of the 1937 Nanking Massacre in the city now known as Nanjing, in China's Jiangsu province, in December 2018.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 6, 2025
Japan issues safety advisory in China ahead of Nanking Massacre anniversary
The advisory urged citizens to pay close attention to their surroundings and make every possible effort to ensure their safety when outside.
A symposium promoting the passing on of memories of the war organized by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, on Aug. 3 in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, attended by actor Fumiya Takahashi (second from right) and others.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Dec 2, 2025
Japan works to preserve and pass on wartime memories as witnesses age
In August, for the first time, over half of participants at the Japan’s national memorial service for those who died in World War II were born after it ended.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi receives a petition regarding the Northern Territories from Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki (fourth from left) and Nemuro City Mayor Masatoshi Ishigaki (far left) at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 2, 2025
Takaichi vows to resume grave visits to northern islands by ex-residents
Grave visits by former residents had been suspended following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started in February 2022.
Brighton & Hove Albion's Kaoru Mitoma in action against Tottenham Hotspur in London on May 25
SOCCER
Dec 2, 2025
Chinese fans lambast Brighton over Mitoma soldier post
The post showed Kaoru Mitoma posing with a young player and a mocked-up soccer card featuring Imperial Japanese Army officer Hiroo Onoda.
A scene from the fresco "Effects of Good Government in the City and the Countryside" by Ambrogio Lorenzetti
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 26, 2025
How art reveals the values that sustain lasting peace
Peace emerges from everyday cooperation, shared values and harmony with nature, not just decisions made by rulers.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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