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

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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Soho House

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

Japan

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

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Japan

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
Japan

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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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.

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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
Japan

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 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.

Hyrox's Rise in Asia

Hyrox races are taking Asia by storm, redefining fitness culture

The rise of the hybrid format is fuelled by its community-driven races, accessible indoor fitness structure, and strategic partnerships.

Supported by
Hyatt Asia Pacific
Hyrox training has really taken off across Asia, leading a dramatic shift from traditional gym memberships to community-led, event-based fitness experiences. Photo: Hyatt
Japan

Trump’s last diehard Japanese fans lose faith as Iran war chaos spreads

Concerns in Japan are also mounting over the security ties between Japan and the US as Trump seeks to withdraw more troops from Europe.

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Protesters hold placards representing Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump at a demonstration in Tokyo on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
Robotics

Baggage bots: Chinese humanoids clock on at Japanese airports amid labour crunch

Chinese-made humanoids are being deployed at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport as Japan’s aviation industry struggles with a shrinking workforce.

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Japan

Opinion | The domestic dynamics driving Japan’s remilitarisation

Sanctions, diplomatic warnings and aggressive rhetoric create a perilous loop, reinforcing the very domestic tendencies China seeks to deter.

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Japan

Japan, Philippines to fast-track transfer of navy destroyers

The two countries’ shared grievances over Chinese territorial claims have seen them draw increasingly close in recent years.

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Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (left) and Philippines’ Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jnr shake hands after a bilateral meeting in Manila on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong society

1 of 2 Hong Kong hikers found dead on Japan’s Northern Alps after other rescued

Hiker, 22, found dead after companion, 30, rescued by disaster prevention helicopter from neighbouring Nagano prefecture.

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A disaster relief helicopter from Nagano Prefecture. Photo: Handout
Japan

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

Some 560,000 tonnes of clothes are estimated to be thrown away in Japan each year – about 70 per cent of new clothing supplied to the market.

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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Japan

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
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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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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Japan

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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A police officer investigates the scene where a high school student was struck on the head with a hammer by a man in Fussa, western Tokyo, on Wednesday. Photo: Kyodo
Japan

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.

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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Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong meets her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

What’s behind Japan’s novel move to share Mogami warship design with India?

Tokyo has offered to give Delhi the plans to its US$500-million Mogami-class ship so that it can be built in India using Japanese materials.

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A Mogami-class stealth frigate JS Mikuma anchors at the Japan Self-Defence Forces’ naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture, on September 5, 2025. 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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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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