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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
Pedestrians cross the street in front of Shin Okubo station in Tokyo, Japan. A 2001 tragedy at the station spurred a series of safety upgrades. Photo: dpa
South Korea

Why 25 years after Tokyo rail tragedy, ‘drunk passenger’ problem still persists

The 2001 tragedy, where two men died trying to rescue a drunk passenger, spurred a series of upgrades, including installation of platform doors.

China-Japan relations

Beijing issues new Japan travel warning as row over PM’s Taiwan comments drags on

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Pandas

Video | Panda fans in Japan bid farewell to popular pair

Interest rates

Spiking yen fuels risk-averse mood as investors take defensive stance

Yen hits two-month high amid fears US and Japan will intervene to prop up the currency ahead of Japan’s election next month.

Media reports on Friday said that the New York Federal Reserve had checked dollar-yen rates with dealers, widely seen as a precursor to intervention. Photo: Reuters
Asia housing and property

The View | Why Thailand, India and Japan’s hotel sectors deserve a closer look

Thailand’s resilience in the face of an eventful 2025, India’s uneven boom in branded hotel supply and Japan’s record visitor numbers amid a row with China are deserving of attention.

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Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks search for direction amid geopolitical concerns

Gold crosses US$5,000 for the first time amid mounting geopolitical uncertainty and growing investor aversion to major currencies.

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China-Japan relations

‘They were cute’: Japan fans jostle for final glimpse of China-bound pandas

The departure of Xiao Xiao and his sister, Lei Lei, will leave Japan without any pandas for the first time since 1972.

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Visitors take photographs of giant panda Xiao Xiao in its enclosure at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Sunday. Photo: AP
Tourism

As Muslim tourism grows, can Japan adapt to travellers’ prayer needs?

In places where purpose-built prayer rooms are not feasible, experts say flexibility is vital to enhance visitor experience.

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Indonesia

‘Resilience’ is Indonesia’s new foreign policy buzzword, but is it just rhetoric?

Analysts warn the vague concept lacks a long-term strategy and risks Jakarta drifting from its non-aligned values into transactional deals.

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Taiwan

Has Japan’s tourism peaked? Row with China set to slow arrivals from record high

A major travel firm says tourist arrivals in Japan are expected to fall this year from a record 42.7 million in 2025.

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People walk along Takeshita Street, Harajuku, Tokyo. The number of tourist arrivals in Japan rose by 15.8 per cent to a record 42.7 million last year. Photo: EPA
Aviation accidents

Video | Helicopter crash site found in Japan; 3 still missing

The sightseeing helicopter crashed into a steep crater on Mount Aso, with volcanic gases hindering recovery operations.

The sightseeing helicopter crashed into a steep crater on Mount Aso, with volcanic gases hindering recovery operations.
Tourism

Video | Japan posts record tourist arrivals despite China row

The number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Japan had dropped 45 per cent in the month of December amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.

Fukushima nuclear disaster and water release

Japan halts world’s largest nuclear plant hours after restart

TEPCO halted the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa restart after a monitoring alarm sounded, but confirmed the reactor is stable with no radioactive impact.

Donald Trump

Japan’s conservatives turn sour on Trump as ‘fears of abandonment’ deepen

Right-wing media outlets and politicians are now concerned that Trump’s second term will harm Japan’s trade and security interests.

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US President Donald Trump (left) and Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on board the USS George Washington aircraft carrier in the Japanese city of Yokosuka in October. Photo: AFP
Tokyo

‘I was a victim’: survey reveals surge in men groped on Tokyo transit

Experts say the 15.1 per cent figure is striking and a reminder that women are not the only targets of molestation on public transport.

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Commuters travel on a train in Tokyo. Experts say the 15.1 per cent figure for male victims of groping – as revealed in a recent survey – is particularly striking. Photo: AFP
Food and Drinks

How did China’s dan dan mian noodle dish become so popular in Japan?

Known as tantanmen in Japan, the sesame-flavoured noodles have spread across the country and appear in a variety of creative takes.

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.

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Shinzo Abe

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

Under Japan’s legal system, the trial continued despite Tetsuya Yamagami admitting guilt to Abe’s murder.

Tetsuya Yamagami, suspected of killing former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe, is escorted by police officers as he is taken to prosecutors, at Nara-nishi police station in Nara, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo July 10, 2022. Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. JAPAN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN JAPAN. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
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Food and Drinks

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for January 22-24

It’s guest shifts galore as The Aubrey and Lobster Bar – and Macau’s Wing Lei Bar – host top mixologists from across Asia.

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.

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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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called a snap election on Monday for February 8, with parliament to be dissolved on Friday. Photo: AFP
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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Tetsuya Yamagami is escorted by a police officer as he is taken to prosecutors in Nara, western Japan, in 2022. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters
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.

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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Ties between China and Japan have deteriorated since November, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made contentious remarks about Taiwan that drew a sharp response from Beijing. Photo: Reuters
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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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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