Featured stories about Japan
Stories about Japan
30 June 2020
Short film demonstrates what it can be like to be black in Japan
A boy must endure and somehow learn, own his own, how to deal with the racist taunts of his new classmates.
30 May 2020
Tour little-known tourist spots in Japan on YouTube
YouTube channel Anna Film Production produces short videos of interesting and scenic spots in the Kansai region in western Japan.
20 May 2020
Following COVID-19 closure, Ghibli Museum posts mini-tours online
One of Japan's most beloved tourist attractions is offering short virtual tours on YouTube.
29 April 2020
Japanese superfood can't combat COVID-19, but may prolong your life
In mid-March, a consumer research company in Japan found that nearly 40 percent of Japanese people they surveyed incorporated special foods into their diet in order to "boost their immune...
22 April 2020
Top Japanese pop stars upload music to YouTube to boost spirits during lockdown
With their spring and summer stadium tours canceled, a variety of Japanese pop superstars decided to help lift the spirits of fans who were now largely confined to home.
3 April 2020
As Japan's COVID-19 cases jump four-fold, Abe government launches response
Although Japan seemed to have largely contained COVID-19 in February and early March, confirmed cases nearly quadrupled since March 23.
15 March 2020
Japan resurrects ‘Amabie’, an ancient supernatural creature, to fight COVID-19
"Was there a monster that was loved so quickly in such a short time?"
6 March 2020
‘Comfort women’ documentary generates worldwide interest—and a lawsuit against its director
"My film is about how the 'comfort women' issue is discussed now, and why there are so many people who have devoted so much time and resources towards erasing it"
28 February 2020
Battered by criticism, Abe government scrambles to save Japan from COVID-19
"Just cancel it!" (#中止だ中止), a line from the 1988 animated film Akira about the cancellation of the fictional Olympics, accompanied by a screenshot of the movie, trended on Japan Twitter.
18 February 2020
Japan edges ever closer to a COVID-19 epidemic
As a ship with 454 infected passengers remains quarantined at berth in Yokohama, the likelihood of a potential epidemic within Japan has slowly started to sink in.
8 February 2020
‘L Japan’: Kobe couple vlogs about lesbian life
Get an introduction to Japanese lesbian slang and more on this YouTube channel by Kobe residents Miho and Clare.
1 February 2020
‘Mario Kart’ cosplay company crashes and burns after appealing Nintendo ruling
Patrons were encouraged to dress up in costumes provided by Maricart as characters from Nintendo's popular 'Mario Kart' series and 'race' around the city, but those days are over.
29 January 2020
Subdued recognition in Japan for Sugihara Chiune on 75th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation
As a diplomat in Lithuania in 1940, Sugihara issued 6,000 visas for Jews looking to flee to the Americas via Japan.
23 January 2020
What's in a ‘Japanese Adult Cream Pie'?
"Didn't McDonald's Japan understand how bad it sounds in English?" was a common reaction. "What were they thinking?"
8 January 2020
Carlos Ghosn's great escape embarrasses Japanese government
The Japanese government has been embarrassed as details of Ghosn's escape expose systemic shortcomings in the country's police and prosecution services, the judicial system, passport security and more.
16 December 2019
The intertwined origins of ‘kawaii’ and Japanese queer culture
"A major part of Rune's work that's rarely discussed is the work he did for the magazine Barazoku [...],the first mass-market magazine that catered to same-sex attracted men in Japan.
10 December 2019
Popular ‘Nausicaä’ animated movie from Japan performed as kabuki play
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, one of Japan's most popular animated films, will be performed as a kabuki play in December, 2019 in Tokyo.
30 November 2019
Pope Francis visit highlights Nagasaki's long Catholic history
The first papal visit to Japan in nearly four decades highlighted the country's historical Christian heritage, identified major challenges faced by the rest of the world.
25 November 2019
Japanese arms fair generates protest, puzzlement
While arms fairs have been regularly held in Japan in the past, this is the first such event organized in collaboration between government and industry.
18 November 2019
Tashkent theatre offers window into Japanese internment after World War II
Of all the Japanese interned for forced labour by the Soviet Union after the end of the war, about 25,000 were taken to Uzbekistan.
About our Japan coverage
Nevin Thompson is our Japan editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
