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Japan
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 former South Korean “comfort woman” holds the hand of a statue symbolising Japan’s wartime sex slaves in Seoul in 2021. Photo: Reuters
Legacy of war in Asia

Japan-South Korea ‘comfort women’ row stoked by statues abroad

The removal of wartime sex slave memorials in Germany and New Zealand has electrified certain LDP hardliners, risking a diplomatic rift.

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Hong Kong transport

HK Express cuts surcharge by 12.8% as fuel prices ease amid Mideast war

China trade

Asia needs ‘institutional toolbox’ to survive global shocks, China experts warn

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Soho House

Review | Soho House opens in Tokyo’s fashionable Aoyama neighbourhood

Soho House’s Tokyo outpost brings luxury accommodation, rooftop pool views, a Taschen bookshop and a distinctly Japanese-Western sensibility.

Design features at the newly opened Soho House Tokyo include vintage furniture and artworks by Japan-based artists. Photo: Handout
Science

China sends embryos into orbit to discover if humans can reproduce in space

Artificial embryos sent to the Tiangong space station to study impact of zero-gravity on human development, CCTV reports.

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Video | Why is Calbee switching to black and white packaging?

Japanese snack giant Calbee is switching to monochrome packaging on some of its products, because of a naphtha shortage sparked by oil supply disruptions related to the Iran war.

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Sanae Takaichi

Japan’s Takaichi backs aide over smear claims against LDP rivals

Analysts say Japan’s prime minister used an ‘excellent non-answer’ to shield an aide against claims of orchestrating a smear campaign.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has said that personal attacks are not her “approach”. Photo: Pool via AP
Indonesia

Police raids reveal Indonesia as new hub for scam, gambling syndicates

Hundreds of foreigners have been arrested in Indonesia recently following crackdowns against crime groups in Cambodia and Myanmar.

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Robotics

Unitree debuts US$574,000 ‘mecha’ robot that ‘transforms’ from 2 legs to 4

The GD01 expands the Hangzhou-based company’s portfolio at a time when Chinese manufacturers are significantly outstripping their US rivals.

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Hong Kong society

Viral clip of parasite in sashimi at Hong Kong sushi branch triggers raw emotions

Gatten Sushi issues apology on social media after footage of shocking discovery at Causeway Bay branch goes viral.

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A sushi restaurant has apologised after a customer spotted a thread-like parasite crawling out of a piece of sashimi. Photo: Threads/aworminmysushi
US, Israel war on Iran

Oil crunch drains colour from 1 of Japan’s favourite snacks

Calbee says it is using monochrome designs for some of its products, as the Iran war has caused a shortage of naphtha used in packaging.

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Calbee, a major Japanese snack food maker, says the switch to monochrome packaging for some of its products would not affect quality. Photo: Shutterstock
SCMP Highlights

Philippine pageant debate, Chinese stealth jets in Pakistan: 7 Asia highlights

From controversy about a Philippine pageant winner to Japan’s social recluses, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Britain

Japan’s ‘cutest’ envoy shows Britons how to love Britain

‘He has made me feel more proud to be British than any politician or any figure since I was born,’ a content creator says.

Espionage

Japan’s new spy agency: a shield against China or ‘militarist surveillance’?

Japan has not had a centralised intelligence service since World War II. Sanae Takaichi wants to change that.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi waves as she departs from Canberra on May 5 after a three-day official visit to Australia. Photo: AFP
Tourism

Japan’s late-night cafes open doors to soothe mothers of crying babies

The idea of a ‘nighttime crying cafe’, which appeared in an online comic nearly a decade ago, is now gaining real-world traction.

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The Creative French Toast in Tokachi cafe turns into a night-time haven for mothers of crying babies. Photo: Facebook/Creative French Toast in Tokachi
Food and Drinks

She swapped fish for veg in her omakase – and Vancouver ate it up

Japanese chef Akiko Gulkison is on a mission to reveal vegetables’ hidden powers at her restaurants in Vancouver, Canada.

The Philippines

Remote control: the inmates running crime empires from Philippine prison

What do a South Korean drug ring and a Japanese robbery syndicate have in common? They were both allegedly run from Philippine prison cells.

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China trade

Sino-Japanese relations

China and Japan have forged strong economic ties, despite having regular diplomatic rows over disputed territories and the legacy of the Second World War. The latest escalation occurred in November after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that Japan’s military forces could be deployed in the event of conflict in the Strait of Taiwan.

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Middle East

Opinion | The problem no one is naming as the UAE dramatically exits Opec

The fighting over oil production quotas was the symptom. Security realignment is the disease.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

China, US confirm Seoul trade talks days before Trump-Xi summit in Beijing

Meeting follows Paris round in March and a video call in April as both sides prepare for Trump’s state visit.

US-China relations

Opinion | China shouldn’t view a tired US as signifying a Europe ready to pivot

As fractures within the US’ network of alliances deepen, China’s strategic window opens a little wider, with some key caveats.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Law

Divorced from reality? Japan’s joint custody reform divides parents

Critics call the legal change a ‘cosmetic’ fix for a system that still allows one parent to simply disappear.

Illustration: Huy Truong
South Korea

Video | Asia’s new crime wave is emerging from behind bars

Armed with a smartphone, a new breed of remote criminal operates from Southeast Asia’s prisons.

Banking & finance

Macroscope | How Japan’s new economic model could inspire others to ‘look east’

As Tokyo seeks to boost its economic security, policymakers are tapping into household wealth and assets to advance industrial ambitions.

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The Philippines

Decoding this year’s US-Japan-Philippines Balikatan drills

Analysts say this year’s drills, which stress tested a new generation of mobile strike capabilities, were a pointed display of resolve.

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US soldiers fire a HIMARS projectile during a counter-landing live-fire exercise on Monday as part of Balikatan 2026 at La Paz Sand Dunes, Laoag City, the Philippines. Photo: US Army
Defence

Mogami momentum: why Japan’s warship is winning over New Zealand

Japan’s Mogami and Britain’s Type 31 are the top two contenders, but Australia may have already tipped the scales.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force frigate JS Mogami sailing in an undisclosed location. Photo: Australian Defence Force / AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Latest US-China rivalry combines undersea dominance with a race to riches

Ahead of leaders’ summit in Beijing next week, experts point to a high-stakes competition that features military and mining technologies.

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The Philippines

Philippines shifts defence strategy with Japan, eyes wider security focus

Defence chief Gilberto Teodoro says the Diaoyu Islands are now considered a ‘serious concern’ and the Balikatan drills will also be expanded.

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