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Japan
The latest breaking news and stories on Japan, a country in East Asia known as a constitutional monarchy, and the world’s fifth largest economy. Also covering Japan’s relationship with China and Asia, plus commentary and updates on Japan’s economy, politics, society and trade.
Capital
Tokyo
Head of State
Emperor Naruhito
Head of Government
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Fumio Kishida
A Tepco employee opens a watertight door inside the unit 7 reactor building at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in August 2024. Photo: AFP
Fukushima nuclear disaster and water release

Japan restarts first nuclear reactor since Fukushima under close scrutiny

The No 6 unit at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa reached criticality on Wednesday, a key step in Japan’s push for stable energy despite lingering safety fears.

Shinzo Abe

Video | Former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe’s killer sentenced to life

Food and Drinks

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for January 22-24

Bonds

Japan bond volatility raises contagion alarm for Asia’s stocks and debt

Japan’s yield spike is testing safe-haven assumptions, with markets debating whether the movement is local or systemic.

A monitor displays long-term interest rates in Tokyo, Japan, on January 19, 2026. Photo: EPA
China-Japan relations

Why Japan PM’s election bet will not repair damaged ties with China

With challenges from the populist right and a new centrist alliance, Sanae Takaichi may not get her hoped-for stronger mandate.

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Shinzo Abe

Japan ex-PM Abe’s killer Yamagami gets life term for ‘despicable’ act

Abe’s assassination also ignited scrutiny of alleged ties between prominent conservative lawmakers and the Unification Church.

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Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks trade rangebound on Japan bond rout, Greenland unease

Signs emerge that the flare-up of geopolitical tensions could spill over to the financial markets.

A man talks on the phone in front of an electronic board displaying data on Japan’s 10-year government bonds outside a brokerage in Tokyo on January 21, 2026. Photo: Reuters
Healthy eating

Long and short of it: why Okinawa lost crown as Japan’s island of longevity

Okinawan men fell from first to 43rd while women slipped to 16th in the last life expectancy survey, a slide that is expected to continue.

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China trade

China has tools to step up trade curbs on Japan amid tensions: Morgan Stanley

But Beijing is likely to conclude that further action would be counterproductive, according to the investment bank.

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Asia elections

‘Unprecedented’: Japan’s 1-party era under threat as centrists unite

The new CDP-Komeito pact marks a ‘turning point’ in Japanese politics that could finally end the LDP’s decades-long grip, analysts say.

Japan’s Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party president Sanae Takaichi (centre), LDP Secretary General Shunichi Suzuki (left) and LDP Vice-President Taro Aso (right) attend a party meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
Science

Scientists plan deep-sea expedition to probe ‘dark oxygen’

The existence of a previously unknown source of oxygen would call into question long-held assumptions about the origins of life on Earth.

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Andrew Sweetman is seen in an undated image working with one of the new landers in Oban, Scotland. Photo: Scottish Association for Marine Science of AFP
Taiwan

Critics in Taiwan question true cost of US deal hailed for tariff cut

Debate centres on Taiwan’s financial commitment to the US – whether US$250 billion or US$500 billion – and if it will harm the economy.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hongkonger arrested in Japan for second time over molesting teens

Man, 42, said to hold British and Chinese nationality, arrested for allegedly molesting teenage girl on street in Sapporo.

China-Japan relations

Japan’s last 2 giant pandas set for early trip home to China as tensions spiral

Return of twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei to mark first time Japan will be without any pandas since normalisation of diplomatic ties in 1972.

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Visitors have been queuing for hours to see Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Tokyo’s Ueno zoo since it was announced they would leave earlier than previously planned. Photo: Kyodo
Artificial intelligence

Japan arrests man for selling AI-generated celebrity porn

A 31-year-old in Japan arrested for using generative AI to create and sell 520,000 explicit images of celebrities for US$70,000 in profit.

AI misuse sparks concern as a Japanese man is arrested for selling obscene deepfake images of celebrities Photo: Getty Images
South Korea

Seoul airport ‘suicide flight’ threat sparks police manhunt in South Korea

A self-proclaimed pilot has threatened a crash and stabbing at Gimpo Airport in protest against the merger of Korean Air and Asiana.

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SCMP Highlights

Malaysian road rage video goes viral, Pakistan’s arms deals: 7 Asia highlights

From visa suspensions to Pakistan’s arms deal, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

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DeepSeek

DeepSeek’s AI technique for long texts questioned by new research

AI models face a critical limitation known as the long-context bottleneck, which restricts their ability to process lengthy documents.

The DeepSeek-OCR technique handles large and complex documents by using visual perception as a compression medium. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks cap longest slide in 2 months on China slowdown

Investors hold off on bets after reports show fourth-quarter growth decelerated and property prices continued to slide.

History

Japan weighs disturbing grave of over 700 children to recover WWII relics

A US submarine attack in 1944 claimed 1,484 lives, and officials are now consulting families on whether to raise artefacts or let them lie.

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Brazil

Brazil beef exports seen as stable in 2026 as industry pivots beyond China

Beef lobby Abiec said volumes not sold to China could be redirected other markets.

A butcher weighs meat at a butcher shop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2024. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

How narrowing China-US gap could reshape global power play by 2035

Political scientist Yan Xuetong predicts Beijing will be on ‘equal footing’ in strategic rivalry with Washington in the post-Trump era.

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China and the US have been working to keep the peace ahead of possible reciprocal visits by US President Donald Trump (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (right), shown here in Busan, South Korea, on October 30. Photo: AFP
China’s military drills

PLA urged to find a way to operate effectively under the gaze of US and Japan

Analysts say that after rapid response to latest drills around Taiwan, military must move away from emphasis on trying to avoid detection.

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Sanae Takaichi

Japan’s Takaichi rolls dice on snap poll, bets popularity can save scandal-hit LDP

The PM stakes her future on a February 8 vote, but one expert warns her support may not save a ruling party dogged by funding scandals.

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Hong Kong property

Fancl distributor couple buys Lippo Centre office, shop in US$38.3 million deal

Purchase by the Japanese skincare brand’s distributor marks a 60 per cent cut from 2017 price as cash-rich local investors hunt for bargains.

The sun is reflected on the Lippo Centre in Admiralty. Photo: Dickson Lee
SCMP Highlights

Trump reacts to China-Canada deal, ‘messy’ year for Philippines: 5 weekend reads

From China’s attempt to shut out US tech to Japan being urged to return relic, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

While US President Donald Trump said on Friday it was a “good thing” that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has signed a trade deal with China, his trade chief cautioned that Canada could regret the decision. Photo: AP
Fukushima nuclear disaster and water release

Alarm bells ring for Japan’s Tepco as glitch delays nuclear restart

The delay was reportedly due to an alarm malfunction that occurred during equipment testing over the weekend.

Sanae Takaichi

‘Foreigner fatigue’: how xenophobia hijacked Japan’s national conversation

Record immigration and the ‘Trump factor’ fuelled a xenophobic election surge, but analysts say another political target is emerging.

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