Stories about Japan
Confronting ‘vaccine hostility’ in Japan
"Municipalities all over Japan have reported receiving death threats when announcing vaccination programs, particularly for teens and adolescents."
Japanese brown bear runs amok in Hokkaido island's largest city
The incident illustrates the increasing interactions between bears and humans in Japan.
Global Voices’ top stories on environmental destruction, as the planet just observed World Environment Day
Global Voices has covered environmental issues extensively, and one focus of our stories has been the way pollution, massive urbanization, development infrastructures, and human-caused accidents are destroying fragile ecosystems.
Resistance, rebellion, and rage: Japan's opposition to the Tokyo Olympics
As Japan continues to struggle with a new wave of COVID-19 infections, opposition to the upcoming Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games continues to build.
Netflix’s new series on Yasuke, the African samurai, is a new dawn for Black characters in animation
Rather than a biography of the African Samurai, the a six-part series takes the void of knowledge post-1582 as a starting point to a re-imagined alternate reality and fantastical story.
Tweeting to remember: Twitter account commemorates Japan's 1945 Battle of Okinawa
"On This Date During the Battle of Okinawa, 76 Years Ago" shares daily links to blog posts that describe the battle, typically from the point of view of citizens of...
Japan announces timeline to dilute, dump radioactive water from Fukushima plant
The decision to release the wastewater poses seriously implications for fishing communities along the Fukushima coastline.
In another blow for Japan's Summer Games, male chauvinist “Olympig” is forced to resign
Yet another setback for the 2020 Olympic games, already postponed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and plagued with gaffes.
Prominent Harvard professor pilloried for peddling revisionist history about wartime ‘comfort women’
Historians familiar with wartime sexual slavery perpetrated by Japanese armed forces point out that the professor, J. Mark Ramseyer, has long championed historical revisionism.
Farewell to Japanese sculptor who became a local hero in Prilep, North Macedonia
'During his short lifetime, and even shorter career, Ryota Koshika became one of the most prominent classic sculptors working in marble from Japan.'
Olympic head's misogynistic remarks highlight Japan's persisting sexism
Support for Mori by men in prominent leadership positions suggests that anti-women attitudes are in fact quite normal in the country.
Japanese skincare company faces online backlash and boycott after CEO's racist remarks
Critics are also drawing attention to the DHC's connections to the Japanese far-right and its efforts to distribute conspiracy theories online.
What drives ‘J-Anon’, QAnon's Japanese counterpart?
Donald Trump seems to have found supporters amid Japan's religious cults.
COVID-19 infects Japan's ‘kanji of the year’
密 (mitsu), in some cases, means "close, crowded, or confined."
‘Queer Japan’ documentary introduces Japan's vibrant, multifaceted LGTBQ+ community
The film features a variety of individuals involved in art, activism, nightlife, and politics in Japan.
Newly-found vintage playing cards shine a light on post-war occupied Japan
The vintage playing cards feature what was arguably the most prominent figure of daily life in early post-war Japan: the American soldier.
How Japan followed the US presidential election
In Japan, Trump is not always regarded with the dismissiveness or loathing that is so common in the United States or even in Canada.
Decision to dump radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site into the ocean sparks alarm
About 1.25 million tonnes of contaminated water is currently stored at the Fukushima Daiichi installation.
This beatboxing Buddhist monk from Japan is making music to ‘reduce suffering’
Yogetsu Asakusa combines beatboxing beats with traditional Buddhist sutras.
Japan's ‘least attractive’ prefecture gets a little more love in 2020
After ranking last for seven consecutive years, Ibaraki jumped up five spots on an annual survey ranking Japan's prefectures by "attractiveness."
About our Japan coverage
Nevin Thompson is our Japan editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
