This question is being asked amid newfound optimism by foreign investors in Japan’s stock market. It has been the one of top-performing markets globally this year, with the Nikkei 225 index rising by 23 percent to a 33-year high. (thehill.com)

Automaker Nissan announced today the recall of 699,000 vehicles in Japan to address a range of defects that also affect more than 700,000 units overseas. (freemalaysiatoday.com)

Oscar-winning animator Hayao Miyazaki's highly-anticipated film -- his first feature in a decade and probably his last -- was released in Japan on Friday (July 14). (todayonline.com)

A man who went on a stabbing rampage on a train in 2021 was sentenced to 19 years in prison by the Tokyo District Court on Friday. (Japan Today)

Japanese food businesses in Hong Kong said the impending ban on seafood imports from Japan will deal a huge blow to their earnings that may be worse than during the Covid pandemic. (South China Morning Post)

Higher Japanese interest rates could threaten global financial stability if they prompt the Japanese to repatriate enough of the US $3.8 trillion they hold in foreign investments. (spectator.com.au)

A new survey released on Wednesday revealed that over 30,000 food and beverage items were subject to price increases in Japan this year as businesses continue to pass on their higher raw material costs to consumers. (siasat.com)

Japan is making a big push for more women in STEM in a country where only 16% of female university students major in engineering, manufacturing and construction (Reuters)

Scorching heat continues across Japan. In Tokyo's Hachioji City, the temperature hit 39.1 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the season's highest in the country so far this year. (NHK)

Japanese TV personality, social media influencer and fashion personality Ryuji Higa, better known as ryuchell, has died, according to media reports. They were 27 years old. (Japan Times)

A working group of the U.N. Human Rights Council is planning to look into sexual abuse claims against the late founder of Japan's top male talent agency Johnny & Associates Inc., people familiar with the matter said Wednesday. (Kyodo)

The world’s favorite hundred foot tall rampaging kaiju is about to make landfall just in time for the holiday movie season, according to an announcement today from Japan’s Toho International. (forbes.com)

Japan's Supreme Court has ruled a workplace's restriction on which bathroom a transgender employee could use was not legal. (NHK)

Japan's defense ministry says North Korea launched a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile Wednesday morning. It's believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. (NHK)

Kanye West has finally met his Australian in-laws, seven months after he tied the knot with Melbourne-native Bianca Censori. (skynews.com.au)

The International Olympic Committee has quoted Osaka Naomi's boyfriend as saying that the Japanese tennis star has given birth to a baby girl. (NHK)

Corporate bankruptcies rose in Japan in the first half of this year as some businesses struggled to pay back COVID relief loans. The number of firms going bust exceeded 4,000 for the first time in five years. (NHK)

Japan did not voice opposition Monday to a U.S. plan to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine for its counteroffensive against Russia, with some NATO members concerned over the supply of the weapons ahead of their summit later this week. (Kyodo)

Early silent footage of Japanese Geisha and Maiko in late 1890s. Probably filmed in the Kyoto prefecture of Gion (祇園). Restored and enhanced using AI machine learning tools. (glamourdaze)

A woman who left the body of her stillborn daughter in a coin locker has been handed a suspended sentence by the Osaka District Court.

Just west of Tokyo, you’ll find a charming city known as Chofu–known for its lush botanical gardens, serene temples and shrines, sports stadiums, tasty soba noodles, and home of the popular manga ‘GeGeGe no Kitaro’. (Japan by Food)

In Japan, it is often said there is a last security net for women who are poor. Unfortunately, it's not the government welfare system but the sex industry that will save women in the end. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)

The manga "Barefoot Gen", which depicts the reality of the atomic bombing, began serialization in "Weekly Shonen Jump" in June 1973.

Hidden Secret Food Spot location in Tokyo Nakameguro. This local Japanese Yakitori Chicken Skewer Restaurant gained a reputation among locals for its high quality, freshness and authenticity. (Paolo fromTOKYO)

Exports of Japanese sake are booming as the number of foreign tourists increases due to the weaker yen and the easing of measures against coronavirus.