TOPIC
 / location

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 construction worker stands outside a data centre being built in Sedenak Tech Park in Johor, Malaysia, on September 27, 2024. Emerging AI data centres are giving the region’s main data centre hubs, Japan and Singapore, a run for their money. Photo: AP
Artificial intelligence

Macroscope | Can AI deliver the economic goods and high returns? Don’t count on it

The dash towards AI might become a rout as the public rebels against the environmental costs while investors worry about the returns.

videocam
Japan

‘Built on tofu’: safety fears as Japan prepares to restart nuclear plant

videocam
Japan

Japan stabbing rampage leaves 15 injured at Yokohama rubber factory

videocam
Hong Kong tourism

Japan popular with Hong Kong travellers over Christmas, Harbin gaining appeal

Despite row with China, Japan remains popular with Hongkongers, with mainland cities such as Harbin and Yunnan gaining appeal.

10
A street in Kamakura, in Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture, packed with tourists on December 17. Photo: Kyodo
Science

China urged to sue over Japanese royal’s role in Unit 731 crimes

Emperor Hirohito should be held accountable, according to scholars who say the wartime ruler was shielded from prosecution by US policy.

videocam
11
Retailing

‘C-beauty’ cosmetics brands find retail expansion outside China a slow slog

‘For established domestic cosmetics companies attempting to expand abroad, progress is still in its early stages,’ CLSA’s Chris Gao says.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China-Japan relations

China CP comic fan event stripped of Japanese content, dozens of booths affected

Organisers of the weekend convention in Hangzhou did not name Japan directly in its pivot to a ‘Chinese style’ theme.

videocam
4
The diplomatic row between China and Japan has spread to Chinese fans of Japanese content at a comic event. Photo: AFP
Japan

Mind your language: Japan considers new fluency bar for permanent residents

While some say Japanese knowledge is a fair demand, others worry it will introduce ‘roadblocks’ at a time when the country needs more workers.

videocam
China-Japan relations

China-Japan tension hits holiday travel as flights cancelled on 46 routes

All cancelled flights are operated by Chinese carriers and involve most of the country’s major airlines.

videocam
7
Japan

Japan clears way for Tepco to restart world’s largest nuclear plant

Tepco, operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant, has been allowed to restart Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 15 years after the disaster.

videocam
Tepco’s Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant stands along the seaside in Niigata prefecture. Photo: Reuters
Singapore

Open Questions | George Yeo on superpower ‘headaches’ and why the US dollar could crack

Singapore’s former foreign minister also discusses Trump, the latest China-Japan dust-up, and rivalry between Hong Kong and the city state.

videocam
25
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Japan

Losing ground: Japan sounds alarm over foreign-owned land

From next year, anyone buying property will have to confirm their nationality – a move some analysts say is overkill.

videocam
China-Japan relations

Bearly any time left for Japan’s panda lovers? Row with China threatens to end loans

A 50-year tradition of panda diplomacy appears to be reaching its end with the last pair set to leave amid heightened diplomatic tensions.

videocam
8
Japan

More Japanese favour having an empress as Princess Aiko’s public appeal rises

Japan’s conservative politicians are against changing the centuries-old tradition of a male heir for the throne.

4
Japanese Princess Aiko arrives at the Akasaka Estate in Tokyo to greet former emperor Akihito and former empress Michiko on her 24th birthday on December 1. Photo: Kyodo
China-Japan relations

China’s military build-up could ‘seriously’ affect Japan’s security, Tokyo warns

Release of defence ministry report comes amid soaring tensions with Beijing and a boost to Japan’s military budget and goals.

videocam
57
Tokyo has indicated that nearly all of the PLA’s ballistic missiles, from short-range to intercontinental systems, are capable of reaching Japanese territory. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan vows never to possess nuclear weapons, rebuffing official’s idea

The government’s response came after a senior security official suggested that Tokyo needed nuclear arms to deter ‍potential aggressors.

videocam
18
Pandas

Video | Japan to be without pandas for first time in 50 years

While the twin pandas were born in Japan, they belong to China under a loan agreement and are set to return by February 2026.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Japan

Steppe in the right direction? ‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the leaders of five Central Asian nations are expected to establish a new framework for cooperation in AI.

videocam
Vendors sell traditional Uzbek clothing and jewellery inside a madrasah in Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan In September. Photo: EPA
Japan

Japan boosts scrutiny after Chinese buyers lead property rush near critical sites

Japan to require nationality disclosure for land near key sites after study finds Chinese nationals bought half of 3,498 such properties in 2024.

Japan

Japan and South Korea clash over islets as old grievances resurface

Analysts warn the squabble is a ‘step backwards’ that offers Beijing a chance to drive a wedge between the two US allies.

videocam
7
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hong Kong is stepping up its competitiveness in aviation

By funding upgrades to the airport and signing international aviation deals, the city is proactively working to expand its global reach.

A Cathay Pacific jet takes off from Hong Kong International Airport in Chek Lap Kok on November 28, 2024, the day the third runway was inaugurated. Photo: Dickson Lee
Japan

Japan tremors raise fears of overdue megaquake killing 199,000

Authorities are urging residents to review evacuation plans as simulations suggest a ‘maximum-class’ winter night quake could trap thousands.

videocam
A house burns after a powerful earthquake hit Aomori, northeastern Japan, early on Tuesday last week. Photo: Jiji Press/EPA
Japan

Security or freedom? Japan’s proposed anti-spy laws raise human rights concerns

Prime Minister Takaichi’s plans to tighten spying and secrecy rules could be used to stifle free speech and media freedom, analysts say.

videocam
China-Japan relations

China marks Nanking massacre anniversary with warning against Japan’s militarism

Top Communist Party official says attempts to challenge post-war order are ‘doomed to failure’ as tensions with Tokyo flare.

videocam
142
Japan

Opinion | From Singapore to Taiwan, Japan must face its past for Asia’s future

Lasting peace in Asia demands that Tokyo abandons its historical revisionism and refusal to acknowledge past crimes.

29
A man displays a Rising Sun Flag, the Japanese naval ensign, at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on August 15, the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. Photo: Reuters
Japan

‘Didn’t know where to go’: tourists struggle in Japan quake evacuation

Foreign visitors were left scrambling for multilingual information after Monday’s magnitude 7.5 earthquake.

videocam
A worker cleans up inside a shopping centre in Hachinohe in Aomori prefecture on Tuesday. Photo: Kyodo/Reuters
China-Japan relations

US military sends show of support to Japan as China’s navy, air drills continue

Japanese fighters train with US B-52s and USS George Washington arrives in Yokosuka amid heightened China-Japan tensions.

videocam
73
Macau

Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki cancels Macau show as Beijing-Tokyo rift continues

‘I sincerely apologise to everyone who was looking forward to it,’ pop star says, with decision following axing of Shanghai show last month.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement