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Tokyo

Tokyo
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Tokyo. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Head of Government
Governor Yuriko Koike
Footage of a Russian fighter jet carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles conducting exercises over the Sea of Japan, or East Sea. Photo: Handout
Japan

Russian hypersonic jets buzz Japan’s coast in ‘thinly veiled threat’

The exercises send a message that Tokyo should avoid antagonising Moscow or risk ‘repercussions’, observers say.

China-Japan relations

Why Beijing has struggled to rally Asia against Japan over PM’s Taiwan remarks

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Japan

Japan identifies 1,500 new missile shelters as ‘front line’ fears grow

Japan

Trump wants Japanese warships in Hormuz. Can Takaichi ‘dodge the bullet’?

The Iran war complicates Trump-Takaichi talks, putting her in a bind between US demands and constitutional limits on military action.

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A naval vessel sails in the Strait of Hormuz on March 1. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
Taiwan

Swing and a miss? Taiwan’s premier under fire over baseball trip to Tokyo

Beijing has lashed out over Cho Jung-tai’s one-day visit to Japan, which was described as a ‘private itinerary’ to support the island’s team.

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Japan

In Japan, video of exhausted Takaichi sparks health fears ahead of US trip

The prime minister is expected to announce Tokyo’s participation in the US’ ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence system when she meets Trump.

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Japan

Japan to release oil reserves as early as Monday

It will release 15 days’ worth of private reserves and a month’s worth of national reserves.

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A woman walks past a petrol station in Tokyo. Photo: AFP
Earthquakes

On This Day | Deadly earthquake that claimed thousands of lives in Japan – SCMP archive

On this day 15 years ago, one of the most powerful earthquakes on record triggered a devastating tsunami in Japan, killing more than 18,000.

Japan

Japan struggles with rising maintenance costs 15 years after Fukushima disaster

The costs of maintaining public housing for disaster victims and sea walls in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima total over US$923.7 million.

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Two Sessions 2026

Wang Yi warns Japan on Taiwan ‘red line’, dashing hopes of ending diplomatic row

Invoking the legacy of WWII resistance, top diplomat cautions Tokyo against interfering in China’s affairs.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked tensions with Beijing in November when she suggested Japan’s military might intervene in the event of a Taiwan conflict. Photo: via Reuters
Japan

80 years on, gender gap persists in Japanese politics

New research shows there has been little change since women in Japan first exercised their right to vote nearly 80 years ago.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (centre, front) walks down the stairs to pose for a photo session with members of her cabinet in Tokyo on February 18. Photo: EPA
Japan

Japan’s manga industry faces a ‘#MeToo moment’ after Shogakukan scandal

Prominent creators pull their work as the publisher launches a probe into how a convicted author returned under a pen name.

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Japan

Can Japan build a ‘China-free’ military? The high price of defying a rival

Tokyo’s bid to boost ‘self-reliance’ may be costly and could take years given China’s dominance in critical materials, analysts say.

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Hong Kong tourism

Sky-high jump in airfares from Hong Kong to Europe, Americas – even Asian cities

Economy-class fares to Paris, Rome and New York surge while cheapest return flight to Tokyo costs nearly HK$5,000.

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The escalation of the conflict has thrown Middle Eastern airspace into chaos, grounding tens of thousands of flights and stranding passengers across major aviation hubs. Photo: Eugene Lee
Technology

Asian tech stocks reel as US-Iran war threatens infrastructure and supply chains

South Korea’s Kospi is the worst-hit in Asia, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix falling 11.7 per cent and 9.6 per cent, respectively.

Currency dealers monitor exchange rates as an electronic screen shows South Korea’s benchmark stock index on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
International Property

Singapore offices cost the most to outfit, Asia-Pacific survey says

Fit-out costs in the city average more than US$2,000 per square metre, topping Tokyo, with Hong Kong in eighth, Knight Frank report says.

Japan

Japanese court upholds order to dissolve Unification Church over donations

The order will take immediate effect, with the group losing its religious corporation tax status and liquidation procedures to begin.

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Japan

‘Social morals are dying’: Japan’s under-20s are getting high like never before

The relaxed attitude towards ‘fashionable’ drugs has been cited as one reason for more young Japanese arrested for cannabis offences.

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People take part in a march in Tokyo in 2023 calling for the legalisation of cannabis. Photo: AFP
SCMP Highlights

Southeast Asian navy strategies, Japan video sparks outrage: 7 Asia highlights

From predictions on Iranian leadership to North Korea’s nuclear vindication, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Japan

Japanese massage parlour operator denies forcing Thai girl, 12, into sex work

The 52-year-old, who made the girl ‘practise’ lewd acts on him, said he did not know she was underage.

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Japan

How the Unification Church is facing fallout in Japan from Shinzo Abe’s murder

Critics have called the group a ‘money-making business’, with many people having lost huge sums of money from its ‘spiritual sales’.

The logo of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, known as the Unification Church, at the entrance of the Japan branch headquarters in Tokyo. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan’s nuclear waste dilemma: no prefecture wants Fukushima’s toxic soil

By law, the waste currently housed near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant must be moved outside the prefecture by March 2045.

A facility in Futaba, Fukushima prefecture, temporarily stores soil and other waste from decontamination works. Photo: Kyodo
SCMP Highlights

Chinese tourists flock to Seoul, child shoved in Tokyo crossing: 7 highlights

From China tracking military moves near Iran to why tourists are ditching Tokyo for Seoul, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Japan

Japan on track for hottest summer ever as ocean temperatures surge

Various regions across Japan are expected to register above-normal temperatures between June and August, the weather agency says.

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Japan

Viral video of child being shoved at Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya Crossing stokes anger

The video shows a masked passer-by appearing to knock the girl to the ground, prompting calls for an investigation.

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Screenshots from a viral video posted by a social media user on Wednesday showing her daughter being shoved while attempting to take a photo at Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya Crossing. Photo: Instagram / peipeilin527
China travel

Chinese tourism to Japan plunges 50% over Lunar New Year as Thailand cashes in

Thailand was the top destination for China’s outbound travellers over the extended holiday, with tourists avoiding Japan amid rising tensions.

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A lion dance troupe performs for tourists in Bangkok’s Chinatown during the Lunar New Year holiday. Thailand was the most popular destination for China’s outbound travellers during the holiday. Photo: EPA
China travel

‘Chinese everywhere’: why tourists ditch Tokyo for Seoul as Japan ties sour

Diplomatic row with Japan sent more Chinese travellers packing for Korea, filling its hotels over the nine-day holiday and offering relief to a sluggish domestic economy.

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China-Japan relations

China adds Japanese entities to export control list, turning up heat on Tokyo

Beijing has also added 20 Japanese firms and institutions to a watch list for the export of goods with potential military applications.

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