Japan's sake industry is taking on the problem of a surplus of rice specially grown for making the fermented alcoholic beverage as the coronavirus pandemic causes a sharp drop in demand for the drink due to the closure and reduced operating hours of restaurants and bars around the world. (Nikkei)
About 5,000 people held a rally outside the Myanmar embassy in Tokyo to call for the release of the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained in a coup on Monday. (NHK)
Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings is scrapping a joint-venture in Myanmar with a conglomerate linked to the country's army. The move follows the military coup earlier this week. (NHK)
Thousands of Burmese demonstrators gathered outside Japan’s foreign affairs ministry on Wednesday demanding Tokyo join its allies in taking a harder stance against the military coup in Myanmar. (Reuters)
TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's delay in addressing the apparent coup in Myanmar has stood out as key leaders across the Indo-Pacific and the West speak out against the recent developments in the Southeast Asian nation. (Nikkei)
Japan lowered on Friday travel advisories issued for eight countries, including China and South Korea, plus Taiwan, as the pace of new coronavirus infections is slowing, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said. (Japan Times)
Japan will resume short-term business travel with Singapore from Sept 18, marking the first time that Tokyo has decided to allow the entry of businesspeople without requiring a 14-day self-isolation period amid the coronavirus pandemic, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday. (Japan Today)
Japan’s decision to offer an initial group of 87 companies subsidies totalling US$653 million to expand production at home and in Southeast Asia has sparked debate whether the world’s third largest economy is trying to gradually decouple from China. (scmp.com)
Japan will begin granting re-entry to foreign residents who have been locked out of the country for months by a travel ban aimed at limiting the spread of the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday. (Japan Today)
Disruption to the inbound flow of foreign trainees caused by the coronavirus pandemic has created labor shortages in Japan's agricultural sector and led farmers to turn to workers in the tourism industry as a stop-gap measure. (Japan Today)
Japan's Immigration Services Agency is to tighten the screening process for issuing student visas, increasing tenfold the number of countries subject to stricter checks starting with foreign nationals applying from April. (Nikkei)
At the time of writing, Japan are well on course to finish at the top of Group F in their attempts to qualify for the highly-anticipated 2022 Asia World Cup. (newsonjapan.com)
Political leaders and royal families from around the world will gather in Japan on Tuesday to witness the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito, who will formally declare his accession. (Nikkei)
About 3.85 million people studied Japanese at a record 18,604 institutions overseas in fiscal 2018, with the number of institutions soaring in Asia, according to a survey released this week. (Kyodo)
Shoya Nakajima’s and Takumi Minamino’s first-half goals lead Japan to a 2-0 win away over Myanmar as the Samurai Blue opened their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with a victory. (Japan Times)
Japan's government has investigated a university in Tokyo where hundreds of foreign students remain unaccounted for. (NHK)
Japan now has the most powerful passport on the planet, a key to visa-free travel to more destinations than Singapore and Germany, according to the 2018 Henley Passport Index. (usatoday.com)
A host of tourists and work trainees in Japan sought refugee status in Japan last year, fueling a jump in applications. (Nikkei)
The Japanese government will require long-stay visitors from 6 Asian countries to be tested for tuberculosis before they travel to Japan. (NHK)
The number of people who applied for refugee status in Japan last year reached a record high of 19,628, up 80 percent from the previous year, the Justice Ministry announced Tuesday. (Japan Times)
Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono visited Myanmar's Rakhine state on Saturday after meeting with the country's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in the capital of Naypyitaw a day earlier. (Nikkei)
Japanese's foreign minister on Friday urged Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to guarantee the safe and voluntary return of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in troubled Rakhine state. (Japan Today)
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi to work toward the return of Rohingya Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh. (NHK)
New rules requiring greater scrutiny of applicants from five countries have landed Japanese-language schools with that little bit more paperwork. (Japan Times)
Schools in Japan that train certified care workers - who play a core role in nursing care - have seen a rapid increase in the number of foreign students. (lmtonline.com)