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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
South Korea’s Suwon FC Women and North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC walk onto the pitch ahead of their Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League group stage match in Myanmar in November. Photo: YouTube/The AFC Hub
North Korea

Pitch perfect diplomacy? North Korean footballers head to South Korea

The visit by Naegohyang Women’s FC to South Korea’s Suwon for a competitive match does not signal a thaw in inter-Korea ties, analysts say.

China trade

China’s critical minerals grip faces test as new Asian financing tool launches

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Sustainability

Japan’s FamilyMart gives old clothes new lease of life to reduce textile waste

China's economic recovery

Open Questions | Bai Chongen on China’s new economic paradigm and closing the US tech gap

Top economist explains how China has less in common with 1990s Japan than many think – and why talk of Chinese overcapacity is often ‘imprecise’.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China-North Korea relations

Why a 5-year defence pact between North Korea and Russia could make China uneasy

Rare cooperation plan with Moscow could accelerate Pyongyang’s military modernisation on multiple fronts, analysts say.

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My Take

My Take | Why a resurgent Japan should absolutely scare everyone

Denying war guilt and remilitarisation are but two sides of the same ideological coin for the Japanese far right.

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Artificial intelligence

From footwear to AI services: China moves up the value chain in exports

In 2025, China’s export growth in telecoms, computer and information services far outpaced exports of traditional goods, such as footwear.

Robots produce automotive body parts at a mold stamping company in Fuzhou, Fujian province, April 16, 2026. Photo: Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Australia

Takaichi bound for Australia to strengthen economic, security ties

The Prime Minister’s three-day visit will focus on defence, critical minerals and broader economic security as Japan takes a more assertive military stance.

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Space

Japan joins hunt for aliens. Can it solve the ‘Wow! Signal’ mystery?

Japan’s first SETI group plans radio observations near Sagittarius next August, aiming to decode the 1977 signal.

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Diplomacy

Asian Angle | Why Japan-China ties can benefit from promoting people-to-people exchanges

Filling the information gap through direct contact between the two peoples can help improve both countries’ public images and ease tensions.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of their talks in Gyeongju, South Korea, on October 31, 2025. Photo: Kyodo
China’s soft power

Why are modern Chinese audiences shying away from dubbed films?

Greater subtitle literacy among streaming viewers is among factors chipping away at enthusiasm for dubbed movies in China.

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The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956) is among much-loved cinematic classics that have for decades been enjoyed in China dubbed into Chinese. But audiences are shifting away from dubbed productions. Photo: Paris Film Productions
Banking & finance

Macroscope | Mini-crises sparked by the Iran war may add up to a big collapse

From energy, inflation and trade to slowing global growth and investment uncertainty, these mini-crises have the makings of a massive crisis.

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South Korea

Common threats help Japan, South Korea overlook historical rows

Both appear willing to put past differences aside as they confront an assertive China, North Korea and an unpredictable US.

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Food and Drinks

Spam musubi? How American flavours were absorbed and adapted in Okinawa

Okinawa’s post-war food story is a delicious blend of American ingredients given a Japanese spin – think taco rice and Spam musubi.

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People in Okinawa transformed US dishes and ingredients such as Spam into beloved local food items, like Spam musubi (pictured). Photo: Getty Images
Vietnam

Takaichi to hold talks in Vietnam on economic security, critical minerals

Both sides are expected to discuss cooperation in areas such as energy and artificial intelligence.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrives at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Friday. Photo: AFP
Ageing society

Rapidly ageing Japan’s ‘macho carers’ lend muscles to benefit elderly, disabled

Japan’s care industry is facing a shortage of workers, and one company is plugging the gap by deploying ‘cool’ and well-toned staff.

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United States

Wall Street rises towards more records as oil prices slip

The main uncertainty for the global economy is where oil prices will go because of the Iran war.

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Defence

Will Japan’s new arms export rules spark a high-end defence boom?

Updated regulations give Tokyo greater scope to sell lethal weapons overseas, prompting rebuke from China, but the industry still faces hurdles.

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A Japanese tank is displayed at a defence equipment fair in Chiba, Japan in 2019. Analysts expect the loosening of Japan’s arms export policy to drive growth in its defence industry. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters
Ukraine war

Ukraine sees path to Japanese arms after Tokyo eases export rules

Japan has linked Ukraine’s fate to its own security as it faces China’s growing military power.

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Crime

Tokyo man who attacked teens with hammer arrested after manhunt

He also struck another high school student who sustained minor injuries.

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Malaysia

Elephants never forget? Malaysians demand Japan return ‘homesick’ trio

One video shows Dara, Amoi and Kelat responding to their names in Malay while another reportedly reveals one of the elephants ‘weeping’.

The three Malaysian elephants stand in their enclosure at the Tennoji Zoo in Osaka. Photo: Facebook/The Patriot Studio
Crime

Man arrested in Japan for burning wife’s body in zoo incinerator

While alive, the victim once told her relatives that Tatsuya Suzuki was threatening to ‘burn you until no trace of you will be left’.

The building housing an animal crematorium at Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido, Japan. Photo: Kyodo
US-China relations

Many Asian-Americans feel excluded from ‘true’ US identity, survey finds

Half of Americans link national identity to birthplace, but just 23 per cent of Asian-Americans agree, highlighting concerns over belonging and bias.

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Education

Japan’s higher education sector faces reckoning as student pool shrinks

The potential abolition of so many universities is a ‘dramatic move’ that analysts warn will affect thousands of students and teachers.

Sexual harassment and assault

Japan survey finds sexual abuse at 15% of hospitals. Is the true scale higher?

Under-reporting is a concern as children and severely disabled patients may not know how to voice their complaints.

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A doctor discussing with a senior man sitting in a wheelchair in a hospital ward in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Getty Images
Art

4 exhibitions to visit this summer in London, Kyoto and Venice

Explore work by Japanese designer Nigo, contemporary art from Asia-Pacific, and pieces inspired by post-Thatcher Britain and Olea Sancta, the sacred oils used in Catholic rituals.

Fall in Dopamine (2021) by Maryam Ayeen and Abbas Shahsavar, on display this summer at London’s V&A Museum. Photo: Merinda Campbell/QAGOMA
China-Japan relations

Why is China warning the UN of a Japanese ‘nuclear breakout’?

Beijing asks the international body to prioritise Tokyo’s ‘dangerous tendency to seek nuclear weapons’ as regional row escalates.

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China-Australia relations

Why China’s jet fuel deal with Australia underscores Canberra’s balancing act

Meeting between top diplomats Wang Yi and Penny Wong signals continuing thaw in bilateral relationship after years of diplomatic freeze.

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