TOKYO - For several months, Japan has been moving in a more nationalist and conservative direction. The shift has been fuelled by economic challenges at home and growing regional tensions with China.
The country's new ultra-conservative prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is expected to accelerate this agenda, with plans to tighten immigration policies and strengthen Japan's defence posture.
Source: FRANCE 24 English
A clinic director and a former Peruvian staff member have been referred to prosecutors after the man allegedly performed medical procedures without a license, including an external cephalic version—a procedure used to manually turn a baby into the correct position before birth—at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Fukuoka City, raising concerns about patient safety and oversight in maternity care.
The family of James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University student who disappeared during a family vacation in Japan, announced on June 7th that he has been found dead after a volunteer search-and-rescue group located his body in a mountainous area outside Kyoto, bringing a week-long multinational search to a tragic end.
Japan's Meteorological Agency announced on June 7th that the rainy season is believed to have begun in the Tokai and Kanto-Koshin regions, marking the seasonal shift to wetter weather across a broad area of the country.
Expectations for Japan are unusually high heading into the 2026 World Cup, with the team now aiming not merely to reach the knockout stage but to finally break through the Round of 16 and advance to the quarterfinals for the first time.
Residents in Nara Prefecture are celebrating after UNESCO's advisory body recommended the archaeological complex known as the Asuka-Fujiwara Ancient Capitals for inscription as a World Heritage site, bringing the historic birthplace of Japan's ancient state one step closer to international recognition.
For several months, Japan has been moving in a more nationalist and conservative direction. The shift has been fuelled by economic challenges at home and growing regional tensions with China.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration is facing mounting scrutiny over allegations that members of her campaign were involved in distributing online videos that disparaged rival candidates during the February House of Representatives election, with opposition parties intensifying their questioning in the Diet and demanding further clarification.
The Japanese government approved its 2026 Environment White Paper at a Cabinet meeting on June 5th, warning that a record-high 50,000-plus bear sightings recorded nationwide during fiscal 2025 have become a serious threat to public safety while also highlighting growing concerns over Japan's aging hunting population and the need to train a new generation of hunters.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi faced intense questioning in the House of Representatives Budget Committee on June 4th over allegations surrounding defamatory campaign videos, telling lawmakers she had not verified newly released audio published by Weekly Bunshun because she had no intention of becoming a paid subscriber to the magazine's online service.
The Japanese government has presented estimates showing how long it would take to implement a reduction in Japan's consumption tax on food products, indicating that cutting the rate to either zero percent or 1 percent would require significant preparation time.
The Japanese government approved a supplementary budget proposal exceeding 3 trillion yen on June 3rd, including the creation of a new contingency reserve aimed at responding to developments in the Middle East and addressing rising energy prices.
The leader of the Democratic Party for the People, Yuichiro Tamaki, suggested on June 2nd that his party may oppose a bill drafted by the Liberal Democratic Party to establish a new criminal offense for desecrating the national flag, arguing that it could unduly restrict freedom of expression.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held a telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on June 1st, urging Iran to demonstrate maximum flexibility in its ongoing discussions with the United States and expressing hope that an agreement on the nuclear issue can be reached as soon as possible.
