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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
Yukio Hatoyama said expanding coalitions would “increase our bargaining power”. Photo: AFP
China-Japan relations

In a fragmenting global order, former Japanese leader urges pivot to China

Yukio Hatoyama says the two powers should work together against ‘US arrogance’ and expand coalitions with like-minded nations.

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New Zealand

New Zealand officials reject statue remembering Japan’s WWII sex slaves

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Crime

Zoo in Japan’s Hokkaido delays reopening over search for body in incinerator

Food and Drinks

Beyond steak: 3 Hong Kong chefs share dry-ageing tips for fish, lamb, poultry

Dry-ageing isn’t reserved for beef only – chefs from Fireside, Kyanbasu by Mt. Yotei and Tori Jukusei offer techniques for home cooks.

Fireside’s fridges for dry-ageing meat and fish in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong economy

Letters | As data leaks surge, Hong Kong needs to mandate reporting

Readers discuss why the city should require data breaches to be reported, whether more rubbish bins are a solution to littering, and an iconic skyscraper.

US, Israel war on Iran

Why UAE’s exit from Opec is good news for oil-thirsty Asia

Once free of Opec’s production caps, the world’s sixth-largest oil producer plans to flood the market with 5 million barrels a day.

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Religion

Mosque disputes expose tensions over Japan’s growing Muslim communities

Muslim leaders say local opposition has been fuelled by negative overseas coverage of Islam and claims circulating online.

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Hundreds of Muslim residents in Japan gather for a Friday service at the Tokyo Camii mosque in Tokyo in 2015. Photo: AFP
Sanae Takaichi

As I see it | A remilitarised Japan threatens more than just China

As Japan expands its defence posture with the backing of major allies, its leaders seek to portray Beijing’s objections as an overreaction.

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Tourism

Why Japan’s travellers are rushing abroad for ‘golden week’ despite falling yen

The operator of Narita airport anticipates that 1.59 million travellers will pass through the airport over the two-week holiday season.

China-Japan relations

Japan’s revised security policy to get ‘more aggressive’: Chinese expert

Rewritten policies could even include changes to nuclear weapons stance, analyst says.

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Japanese air force officers stand beside the national flag. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has argued that the country must boost its defence capabilities amid “an increase in the military power of China” and “strengthening cooperation” between Beijing and Moscow. Photo: EPA
China energy security

China orders maritime security research as Hormuz crisis exposes trade risks

The research agenda will also focus on safeguarding port access and critical mineral investments amid rising threats to global trade.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply travels, has been repeatedly sealed off since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February. Photo: AP
Taiwan

Is it wrong to show Taiwan officers a WWII film about KMT forces fighting Japan?

Battalion commander’s screening stirs debate over Beijing’s state-led messaging to sway opinions on the self-ruled island.

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Asean

Why Malacca Strait tolls are unlikely despite Indonesia’s maritime push

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are united in upholding the principle of free passage but this must be ‘actively maintained’, analysts say.

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong Disneyland profit drops 36% to HK$536 million as costs rise

But managing director stresses profit still second-highest in park’s 20-year history.

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Hong Kong Disneyland used last year’s profits to repay all debts and reinvested part of them in new attractions, says Tim Sypko, the park’s managing director. Photo: Jonathan Wong
SCMP Highlights

Takaichi faces headwinds, Filipino retiree loses life savings: 7 Asia highlights

From Indonesia’s ambitions outside of Asean to how a Filipino retiree lost his life savings, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (right) smiles during the vote on the government’s bill to establish a National Intelligence Council during a plenary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo on April 23, 2026. Photo: AFP
US military

Pentagon mulls plan to outsource warship design, building to South Korea, Japan

If the proposal goes ahead it will be the first time the US has bought a major surface combatant from a foreign partner since WWII.

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China birth rate

In China, a France-sized population loss begins to test coastal powerhouses

Rising pension burdens and social security subsidies are also straining public finances – though trends remain uneven, analysts say.

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Wellness

The 10-minute morning exercise workout that millions of Japanese people do

Over 20 million people in Japan practice a Radio Taiso session at least once a week in a country with one of the highest life expectancies.

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People perform a stretching exercise while listening to a Radio Taiso programme in a public park in Tokyo, Japan, on April 6, 2026. Photo: AP
Diplomacy

Opinion | Without diplomacy, deterrence in Asia is a path to escalation

The danger is that every state insists it is acting defensively while collectively building the habits and infrastructure of confrontation.

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China's military weapons

PLA showcases YJ-20 anti-ship missiles as US-Japan-Philippines test war moves

Video of PLA Navy strike tests emerges as US, allies take part in Balikatan 2026, marking Japan’s first-ever operational role in the drills.

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Sanae Takaichi

‘I feel anger’: Japan’s women rise up against constitutional reform push

The women are part of a growing protest wave seeking to protect Japan’s post-war peace commitments.

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People protest against a constitutional amendment allowing Japan to sell weapons overseas, in Tokyo on April 21. Photo: EPA
US, Israel war on Iran

In hot water: Japan’s bathhouses struggle to stay afloat as oil prices spike

“Sentos” have cut operating hours and welcomed fewer customers, with some deciding to fold amid the energy crisis.

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A customer washes his hair at a public bathhouse in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong tourism

China-Japan tensions a boon to Hong Kong tourism for ‘golden week’: expert

Lawmaker and Miramar Group chief says hotel rates have jumped by as much as 8 per cent as tourists originally bound for East Asia choose city.

SCMP Highlights

Baffling Japan tank blast; 5 tests for your biological age: 5 weekend reads

From a baffling Japan tank blast to hints of a Chinese nuclear aircraft carrier, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 6.2 quake strikes Japan’s Hokkaido, JMA warns of more to come

The temblor, and another hours earlier, come less than a week after last Monday’s 7.7 earthquake off northern Iwate prefecture.

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Waves hit Tomakomai in Hokkaido prefecture following an earthquake on April 20. Photo: Kyodo/Reuters
Energy

Japan aims to build world’s largest wind farm. Can it power on by 2035?

The plan calls for wind turbines to supply power to the Izu Islands and Tokyo, with an eventual capacity of 1 gigawatt.

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A wind turbine electric generator for renewable energy in Sakata town, Japan. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Defence

Trump factor drives up Asia-Pacific military spending at fastest pace since 2009

Expenditures rose to US$681 billion, as some nations worried that Washington might not be a reliable security partner.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | 122 years on, Mackinder’s ‘heartland’ remains geopolitically decisive

Conflicts in Ukraine and Iran have returned strategic focus to the idea of Eurasia as central to the global power contest, challenging the viability of the Indo-Pacific pivot.

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