A crispy, savory bread known as “mentaiko France” is drawing long lines and racking up viral views on social media, with specialty shops emerging and demand surging as the rich, roe-filled baguette gains momentum across Japan.

An elevator at Tokyo Skytree that made an emergency stop with passengers on board was found to have halted due to damage to internal wiring, with operations set to resume from February 26th after safety checks.

Basketball is booming in Japan. The national team has competed in back-to-back Olympics for the first time since the 1970s.

Funabashi in Chiba Prefecture has surged in the latest ranking of the most desirable places to live in the Greater Tokyo area, announced on February 25th, reflecting growing demand for well-connected commuter cities offering relatively affordable housing and convenient urban amenities.

McDonald’s, which opened in Japan in 1971 and has long counted the Big Mac among its signature products, saw the burger’s price rise from 280 yen in 2008 to 480 yen before increasing further to 500 yen on February 25th, nearly doubling over the past two decades.

A ranking of Japan’s most skilled singing prefectures has placed Aomori at No.1 for the second consecutive year, prompting fresh curiosity over why residents there tend to score highly in karaoke assessments, according to a survey conducted by N-Sta.

The financial burden of Japan’s competitive junior high school entrance exams is coming under renewed scrutiny, with a popular manga series offering a lens through which to examine whether the process delivers value for families willing to spend heavily in pursuit of academic success.

A shift appears to be underway in inbound tourism, with Chinese visitor numbers declining while arrivals from Southeast Asia—particularly Thailand—are rising and repeat travelers increasingly seeking experiences rooted in everyday Japanese life.

Japan byFood and Shizuka try a new, luxury yakitori restaurant tucked away on a backstreet in one of Tokyo’s most popular entertainment hotspots, Shibuya’s Dogenzaka area.

An elevator at Tokyo Skytree in Sumida Ward made an emergency stop on February 22nd, trapping 20 passengers for about six hours before they were safely rescued with no injuries reported, and the landmark tower remained closed on February 23rd while the operator announced it would also remain temporarily closed on February 24th for further safety inspections and investigation.

How will AI transform marketing? The answer, according to leading marketer Kazuki Nishiguchi, lies not in marginal efficiency gains but in a dramatic restructuring of business itself, as AI agents move closer to consumers and potentially displace even dominant platforms such as Amazon.

Yuki Nishimiya, 45, a member of the music duo Def Tech who was arrested and indicted for possessing dried cannabis, has been released on bail from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Mita Police Station.

The arrival of early spring is being felt in Ome, western Tokyo, where a plum festival has opened against the backdrop of a community that overcame the loss of tens of thousands of trees to a devastating virus.

We are heading to a traditional Japanese onsen ryokan, deep in the snowy mountains.

Emperor Naruhito turned 66 on February 23rd, marking the occasion with a press conference in which he reflected on the state of the nation and expressed his concern for people affected by natural disasters, as tens of thousands later gathered at the Imperial Palace for a public greeting held under unseasonably warm weather.

Japan’s largest rice wholesaler, Shinmei Holdings, has laid out its view of where rice prices are heading and how it plans to secure the staple’s future, as households grapple with the sharpest price pressure in years and farmers continue to exit an industry where profits are thin.

Lawson has decided to enter the Indian market, with plans to open five directly operated stores in Mumbai in 2027 before expanding to 100 outlets by 2030 and ultimately aiming for 10,000 stores by 2050 as it seeks to establish a new pillar of overseas earnings in a country expected to see sustained growth driven by the world’s largest population.

Shinya, drummer for the popular rock band LUNA SEA, died on February 17 at the age of 56, after battling illness for several years and diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer in 2020 and a brain tumor last year.

An analysis of posts on the creator platform note has produced a ranking of the most talked-about generative AI foundation models, based on a surge in articles about how these tools are being used across industries, with the top spot going to an AI increasingly adopted in education.

Gold prices continue to surge, while China’s restrictions on rare earths and other developments are drawing renewed attention to mineral resources, prompting a closer look at resource strategies in an increasingly geopolitical era through an interview with Sumitomo Metal Mining President Shinsuke Matsumoto.

As Japan enters an era of greater diversity in the Reiwa period, the shape of marriage is evolving, with some couples choosing “friendship marriages” without romance and others even selecting artificial intelligence as a life partner, reflecting a broader search for happiness and trust beyond traditional expectations.

With more than 4.4 million applicants each year, the Eiken English proficiency test is one of Japan’s largest language examinations, but controversy has emerged after some test-takers received zero points on a summary question, prompting confusion and concern.

Ski resorts in Japan are experimenting with sharply contrasting pricing strategies—from free weekday lift tickets to premium passes costing 33,000 yen—in an effort to revive a declining ski population and stimulate local economies, as operators seek new ways to attract visitors amid rising costs.

Japanese automakers that have long relied on domestic or Western-made semiconductors are increasingly adopting Chinese-made automotive chips, marking a significant shift in procurement strategy as companies such as Toyota and Suzuki move to install Chinese systems not only in vehicles sold in China but also in models destined for other markets.

Japan’s nationwide consumer price index in January rose 2.0% from a year earlier, slowing from the previous month as lower energy prices, driven by the abolition of the provisional gasoline tax rate, helped ease inflationary pressures.