The long-delayed extension of the Hokkaido Shinkansen to Sapporo is facing further setbacks, with the opening now pushed back by more than a decade and total project costs projected to more than double, even as construction steadily advances on the ground.

Japan’s first sunrise of the year is expected to be difficult to see along the Sea of Japan coast, while areas facing the Pacific Ocean are more likely to catch a glimpse, according to weather agencies. Even in regions with generally favorable conditions, cloud cover drifting in from offshore may block views depending on location and timing.

"For many years, criticizing politicians for being 'soft on China' has been an effective tactic.

A series of arrests involving Japanese nationals overseas is drawing renewed attention to the expansion of special fraud rings, with on-the-ground reporting in Cambodia revealing the presence of hidden power brokers whose influence is believed to extend into the country’s political establishment. As scam groups establish bases across Southeast Asia, new details are emerging about how these networks operate and why Japanese citizens have become prime targets.

The animated film ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1 – Akaza Returns’ has become the first Japanese production in history to surpass 100 billion yen in global box office revenue, while Bandai Namco Holdings has revised up its profit outlook on the back of strong performances from the ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’ series. With 46 years having passed since the first Gundam aired, the question now is why the franchise continues to grow.

Typhoon No. 22, which formed at 3 a.m. on October 5th, was moving slowly westward about 280 kilometers south of Chichijima as of 9 a.m. The storm is expected to gradually intensify as it continues west and could reach strong intensity by October 8th.

Japan and Saudi Arabia announced a new memorandum of understanding for economic cooperation on September 24th at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, with a strong emphasis on expanding entertainment and content industries.

Japan's Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru delivered a general debate speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 24th, where he underscored the need to expand the Security Council and questioned whether the UN is fulfilling the role originally expected of it.

Japan decided not to recognize Palestine as a state during a high-level meeting in New York aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, even as about 10 other countries declared recognition.

For decades, Japan has enforced some of the toughest cannabis laws in the world. A single joint can mean years behind bars, and public figures caught with even trace amounts often see their careers vanish overnight.

Japan is renowned for its technological advancements, but as far as digital payments are concerned, it fails to maintain the same progress as its neighbors or other economies.

A worldwide boom in matcha has fueled what some are calling a “matcha bubble,” sending the price of tea leaves sharply higher.

Hyogo Prefectural Police School is often called Japan’s toughest. The academy imposes grueling, highly regimented training designed to test aptitude—what the school calls the “kyojo,” a crucible that weeds out those who are not suited to police work.

Prime Minister Ishiba announced at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which opened in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, that Japan will train 30,000 professionals in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa over the next three years.

In a time when environmental concerns are reaching a critical point, businesses across the world, but mainly in Europe and the Middle East are ramping up their recycling efforts, an increasingly powerful driver of both ecological protection and economic opportunity.

A gas cylinder recovered from the scene of an explosion in Tokyo’s Edogawa Ward bore a stamp indicating it was manufactured in November 1964, according to investigative sources. The blast, which occurred on May 27th at a construction site, injured 10 people.

Kyoto’s famed tea industry is facing a dramatic shift, as a surge in demand for matcha among foreign tourists is reshaping tea fields and driving up prices. What was once a tranquil green landscape has increasingly been replaced with black sheets used to produce tencha, the base ingredient of matcha.

As rice prices hit historic highs, the government is moving to counter rising costs by offering reserve rice to major retailers at a target price of around 2,000 yen for 5 kilograms, Agriculture Minister Koizumi announced on May 26th.

With China's economy mired in a prolonged downturn and pressure from U.S. tariffs persisting since the Trump era, a growing number of Chinese citizens are seeking to leave their country. Among the favored destinations, Japan—and in particular, Osaka—is seeing a surge in Chinese immigrants. What lies behind this trend?

Japan and the United States held a second round of negotiations over tariffs, with discussions lasting 130 minutes. Economic Minister Akazawa described the talks as substantive, yet many officials believe the outcome hinges on the trajectory of U.S.-China relations.

Tottori Prefecture and the Kingdom of Jordan, both exhibitors at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai, have formed a symbolic partnership dubbed the "Sand Alliance," uniting over their shared cultural and environmental connection to sand.

While the purpose of World Expositions has evolved over time, the 2020 Dubai Expo hosted 98 business events, drawing over 25,000 participants from more than 130 countries, both in-person and online. Events covered themes like space and medicine, offering opportunities for companies to hold negotiations.

As Meta fine-tunes its Llama artificial intelligence (AI) models on global data and OpenAI deepens its enterprise integration, Asia’s middle powers face mounting pressure to shape their own technological futures. (East Asia Forum)

A foreign social media influencer sparked outrage online after posting a video of himself hanging from a fully bloomed cherry tree and performing a pull-up, a stunt seen by many as a serious disregard for Japanese culture.

Gaza authorities announced on March 24th that two journalists were killed in an Israeli military strike.