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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
Erika Toda as Kazuko Hosoki in a still from Straight to Hell. Netflix’s new drama charts the life of the real-life celebrity fortune-teller, from her childhood in post-war Japan to run-ins with figures from Tokyo’s underworld. Photo: Netflix
TV shows and streaming video

Review | In Netflix drama Straight to Hell, Erika Toda dazzles as Japan’s celebrity fortune-teller

Erika Toda delivers a memorable turn as Kazuko Hosoki in this series tracing the controversial Japanese soothsayer’s life over 60 years.

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | The real reason stock markets are still flying high despite grave risks

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US, Israel war on Iran

US uses unusual routes to send jet fuel to Asia bases as Hormuz stays shut

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US, Israel war on Iran

As oil costs soar, Japan’s bathhouses struggle to keep heads above water

A shrinking customer base and ageing owners also threaten the survival of these neighbourhood social hubs.

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A customer soaks himself in a bath at a public bathhouse in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters
Defence

3 killed in Japanese Type 10 tank blast that has military baffled

A round detonating inside a tank turret is virtually unheard of. The last time it happened in Japan was in 1979.

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Mainland China

Japanese protest ‘frightening’ easing of decades-old arms export curbs

New rules permitting the sale of lethal weapons overseas come as Japan ramps up defence ambitions and seeks to enter the global arms market.

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Video | Japan’s vending machines feel the pain of high prices

Rising inflation is pushing shoppers to find cheaper alternatives.

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China’s military drills

China stages navy drill as US and Philippines embark on Balikatan 2026

The Liaoning aircraft carrier appears to be among 14 large naval vessels snapped on manoeuvres in a satellite image circulating online.

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India

Chinese drone discovery sharpens focus on Asia’s undersea security race

Experts say India is playing ‘steady catch-up’ in boosting undersea surveillance, while Southeast Asian nations’ capabilities differ widely.

McDonald's

Burger King in Japan dangles US$250,000 to lure rival franchisees

Meanwhile, Philippine fried chicken chain Jollibee has announced a record operating income and is accelerating its global expansion.

Two customers bite Burger King’s Whopper hamburgers after the chain’s first Tokyo store officially opened in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in 2007. Photo: AP
Viral stories

Unexpected love: Japan traditional dancer finds love at 60 with 26-year-old protege

The couple’s recent appearance on a Japanese television show generated considerable buzz and discussion among the public.

In Japan, a 60-year-old dancer has captured social media’s attention with her unexpected romance with her 26-year-old apprentice. Photo: tv-asahi.co.jp
Fukushima nuclear disaster and water release

Japan injects new life into Fukushima with nuclear plant ‘hope tourism’

Visitors flock to barely inhabited towns, attracted for the most part by the very catastrophe that drove their residents away.

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US-China tech war

Tech war: US Congress rolls out ‘largest’ export control upgrade against China

US lawmakers push export controls to limit China’s tech access in a bid to protect the US semiconductor industry.

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Australia

Australia signs US$7 billion Japan warship deal to boost firepower against China

The formalised deal offers Canberra a strategic alternative to uncertain US defence ties, analysts say.

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A Mogami-class stealth frigate from Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force docks in Darwin, Australia, on June 6, 2025. Photo: Kyodo/AP
US-China relations

What the Iran war could tell China about US focus on maritime chokepoints

The Iran war reflects Washington’s greater emphasis on implementing its maritime security strategy, analyst says.

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The liquefied natural gas tanker LNG Jia Xing passes through the Strait of Malacca, a route for most of China’s maritime trade and energy imports. Photo: EPA
Semiconductors

Asia’s chipmakers feel the heat as naphtha crunch hits photoresist supply

Japanese suppliers warn of photoresist strain as upstream shocks ripple through Asia’s semiconductor supply chain.

Natural disasters

Video | Northern Japan battles large wildfires

2,500 residents forced to evacuate as wildfires burn for a second day in Japan’s northern Iwate prefecture.

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The Philippines

How the Philippines became Japan’s closest security partner in Southeast Asia

Japan’s participation in the Balikatan drill and its new weapon export rules are set to further defence ties between the two countries.

A sailor raises the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force ensign on board the JS Ise helicopter destroyer as it docks in Manila last year. Photo: AFP
Sanae Takaichi

Japan’s PM Takaichi tells fellow politician she needs ‘more sleep’

The remark came as Takaichi’s leadership recently hit the six-month mark.

US, Israel war on Iran

Powerful reaction: how Iran war could spark Asia’s green hydrogen surge

The war-driven hike in fossil fuel prices is narrowing the cost gap, making the clean energy alternative look like a good option.

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Central banks

Macroscope | Why fixing Japan’s monetary policy isn’t getting any easier

The wrong kind of inflation and the effects of the war in Iran complicate the outlook for Japanese interest rates.

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Customers queue at a discount ticket shop at Akihabara Electric Town in Tokyo on March 24. The weak yen is fuelling inflation by increasing the cost of imported goods, sapping consumers’ purchasing power and making it harder to tackle Japan’s cost-of-living crisis. Photo: EPA
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrest 9 over HK$1.7 million in fake travel insurance claims

Syndicate allegedly faked overseas accidents with forged documents to claim payouts from insurers without ever leaving the city.

Nine suspects have been held after Hong Kong police uncovered a scheme involving bogus overseas accident claims and forged documents. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Millionaires and billionaires

Mainland China’s ultra-wealthy numbers rise as Hong Kong poised for rebound

China’s ultra-wealthy population has grown 23 per cent in five years, while Hong Kong is forecast to see a 25 per cent rebound by 2031.

China stock market

Asian, emerging-market funds rotate into China and Taiwan stocks: HSBC

Fund managers shift focus to Chinese and Taiwanese stocks, while reducing exposure to South Korea amid global market turbulence.

China exports

How a Chinese plastics hub shapes Tesla’s supply chain – and moulds the modern world

From car components to keyboards, this little-known industrial district in eastern China is crafting the small parts the world relies on.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China’s navy

Warning over Taiwan? PLA warships make rare transits off southwest Japan

‘Rare passage is a direct deterrent’ to the Japanese military bases along the coast, former PLA instructor says.

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The PLA’s Type 052DL upgraded guided-missile destroyer Baotou, which led the 133rd task force in western Pacific exercises this week. Photo: Handout
Extreme weather

Searchers find body of 1 of 6 missing crew members after typhoon overturns ship

The crew of the Mariana notified the US Coast Guard on April 15 that the vessel lost its starboard engine during Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

China travel

2,700 China-Japan flights axed in March as rift between Asian powers deepens

Nearly half of the planned flights between China and Japan were cancelled last month, as Beijing and Tokyo remain locked in a diplomatic feud.

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