Featured stories about Japan
Stories about Japan
9 February 2019
Japanese PM staff ‘restrict’ reporter from pressers for ‘spreading misinformation’ about environmental harm
Mochizuki apparently angered the Cabinet Office during a news conference on December 26, when she asked about the risks of environmental contamination at a controversial construction site in Okinawa.
1 February 2019
This Twitter account celebrates women in Japan, one short profile a day
The common theme of the daily profiles is that the celebrated women come from all walks of life, and all have experienced unique challenges and successes.
14 January 2019
Rare film footage with sound of Kyoto, Japan, from 1929
What makes this film notable is that it features actual sound footage of Japanese city life at that time. Usually, newsreels from that era are silent.
1 January 2019
New Year's Eve 2018 marked the end of an era in Japan
For Japan, 2018 was the year of Heisei saigo (平成最後), "the last time we'll do this in the Heisei era" — especially year-end New Year's events.
15 December 2018
It’s official: 2018 in Japan was a ‘disaster’
Given Japan's year of natural catastrophes, the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society thought that “disaster” was a suitable symbol for 2018.
21 November 2018
Tokyo Immigration Bureau accidentally highlights the plight of refugees in Japan
To critics, the pinned tweet wasn't about graffiti at all, but was instead a reaction to criticism of how the immigration body treats refugees, undocumented workers and others in detention.
21 October 2018
Digging up the lost George Lucas Japanese 1980s TV commercials
Japanese Twitter has unearthed a series of 1980s Japanese TV commercials featuring George Lucas singing the praises of consumer electronics giant Panasonic.
17 October 2018
Nationwide far-right protests in Japan met with vigorous anti-racism opposition
The main organizing force behind the racist marches is Japan First Party, a political party founded in 2016 who is the direct successor of a much older anti-Korean hate group.
10 October 2018
Japanese television program turns migrant raids and deportations into entertainment
"With no deep insights, without even a shred of critical analysis and the stupidity of superficial entertainment, [this] is the worst television program on Japanese television today."
6 October 2018
Osaka cuts sister city ties with San Francisco over “comfort women” statue
The mayor of Osaka wrote a 10-page letter in English listing -- often in bolded, underlined text -- a litany of reasons for the breakup.
5 October 2018
Japan mortgages its future, choosing growth over environment
"One could speculate that the Japanese militarism of the early Showa period has simply been channeled into fanatical devotion to the principle of economic growth."
22 September 2018
Amidst typhoon rescue efforts in Japan, a Taiwanese diplomat dies. Did misinformation play a role?
Some hearsay even claimed that Taiwanese had to proclaim themselves as Chinese in order to get on the buses. The news had enraged [Taiwanese] netizens.
18 September 2018
Japan moves to accept more workers from abroad, but public opinion remains divided
Japan may have little choice but to accept more workers from abroad to cope with an expected shrinkage in the working population caused by an aging and low birth rates.
13 September 2018
Japan’s vending machines strike again—this time with pizza and crepes
There is one vending machine for every 23 people in Japan and they still never fail to surprise.
11 September 2018
Strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years largely forgotten following massive earthquake
The media has struggled to cover the dizzying succession of disasters, leaving people feeling that some are eclipsing others in the public consciousness.
23 August 2018
Blooms of fire: How Japan celebrates summer with ‘hanabi’
The summer months of July and August in Japan are famed for their fireworks, known as 'hanabi' (花火) in Japanese. Here are some photos.
19 August 2018
Fans around the world celebrate as Akira turns 30
On July 16, 2018 netizens around the world marked the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Akira, a groundbreaking film that revolutionized animated movies forever.
8 August 2018
What happens when women report sexual assault in Japan?
"If this happens again I will feel more powerless knowing there's probably nothing I can do, and nothing the police will do."
26 July 2018
Go sightseeing in Japan, right on YouTube
What makes the videos useful for travelers or anyone interested in Japan is each video includes annotations in English, with time stamps, of what particular sightseeing spot is on screen.
14 July 2018
What's the story behind the samurai walking a cat, anyway?
The image depicting a shoeless samurai walking an armored cat pops up on social media from time to time.
About our Japan coverage
Nevin Thompson is our Japan editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
