Latest News

 
Menu
Search
 
July 01, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Latest News

July 1926
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Jul 1, 2026
Japan Times 1976: Ex-Prime Minister Tanaka arrested
From Tanaka’s dramatic arrest to the Akashi stampede, Japan confronted tragedy and accountability.
Women cross a street past a mourning billboard depicting Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a strike on the first day of the US-Israeli war against the Iran on Feb. 28, in Tehran on Tuesday ahead of his public funeral.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2026
Iran says it won’t meet with U.S. envoys, clouding prospects for peace deal
Tehran also said the two ​sides must still sort out the terms of a ceasefire before addressing topics, such as its nuclear program.
Ayano Sato in Tokyo on Tuesday
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
Takaichi’s new BOJ board pick signals tame view on inflation
Ayano Sato begins her five-year term just two weeks after the BOJ raised its benchmark interest rate to the highest level in 31 years.
Japan Airlines has fraudulently received about ¥280 million in subsidies for a state project on next-generation air mobility, sources have said.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
JAL fraudulently receives subsidies for state project
The major Japanese airline plans to return the subsidies, totaling about ¥280 million. The misconduct may date back to 2022.
Aflac Japan reported a data breach on Tuesday that affected over 4 million customers.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
Aflac Japan reports data breach affecting over 4 million customers
For about 230,000 customers, information about premium payment accounts was also compromised.
A labor ministry official was convicted Tuesday for stalking a female subordinate and illegally entering her home.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 30, 2026
Labor ministry official convicted over stalking and trespassing
Tokyo District Court handed down its ruling on Atsushi Takabayashi, 39, who had been on leave since his indictment.
The government kept its view that the economy is "recovering moderately,” signaling its expansion still has room to run.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
Japan nears longest postwar growth even as households struggle
The government kept its view that the economy is “recovering moderately,” signaling the expansion still has room to run.
Authorities in Aomori Prefecture said on Monday that a man found dead on a mountain that day may have been attacked by a bear.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2026
Police investigate suspected fatal bear attack in Aomori Prefecture
Authorities said that a man found dead on a mountain may have been attacked by a bear.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, seen with other imperial family members, walk down a hill to greet guests during a spring garden party at the Akasaka Palace's imperial garden in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2026
Japan adopts bill to revise Imperial House Law
The government aims to enact the bill during the ongoing Diet session, currently scheduled to end on July 17.
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 30, 2026
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
The market remains skeptical about the effectiveness of government efforts to prop up the yen, and pressure on the currency has been steady.
The government plans to invest ¥150 billion in Rakuten Mobile in a push to develop a homegrown satellite communication system and reduce reliance on firms such as Starlink.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Japan to invest ¥150 billion in Rakuten’s domestic satellite project
The investment is part of a push to develop a homegrown satellite network and to reduce Starlink’s dominance in the field.
Higher crude oil and naphtha prices have pushed up the costs of packaging and raw materials, leading to price increases mainly for processed foods, including instant noodles, and bread products.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2026
Japan to see price hikes for 2,566 food items in July
Higher crude oil and naphtha prices have pushed up the costs of packaging and raw materials, leading to price increases mainly for processed foods like instant noodles.
Soccer fans watch the opening FIFA World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa in New York.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 30, 2026
Spain’s war on football piracy is breaking the internet
LaLiga’s aggressive campaign against sports piracy knocks out thousands of websites in Spain as collateral damage every weekend.
The food waste amount dropped by 30,000 tons from the previous year to 4.61 million tons in fiscal 2024, the lowest on record.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2026
Japan’s food waste falls to lowest on record in fiscal 2024
The food waste amount dropped by 30,000 tons from the previous year to 4.61 million tons in 2024, decreasing for a third consecutive year.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a Lower House committee session in Tokyo on June 22.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Will Takaichi invoke 60-day rule to pass controversial bills?
The ruling coalition aims to pass bills to trim Lower House seats and establish the concept of a secondary capital in the current session of parliament, which ends in three weeks.
The industry ministry announced ¥387.3 billion in funding to develop a domestic foundation model for physical AI that controls robots, aiming to strengthen the country's competitiveness against the United States and China.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Japan announces aid for domestic AI development project
The industry ministry aims to help the country catch up with the United States and China in AI technology.
Private hire driver Ali Haydor is reflected in his vehicle wing mirror in Southampton, Britain, on Feb. 23. The 44-year-old, who moved from Bangladesh at age five, says he sometimes wishes he could hide his heritage and identity.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Anti-migrant politics sparking resurgence of racism in the U.K., polls suggest
A focus on crimes committed by members of ethnic minorities by right-wing activists and politicians has tapped into tensions over national identity and immigration.
A man walks past the empty display windows of a closed shop in Moscow on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Russia’s small businesses pay the price of spiraling Ukraine war
Amid huge outlays on Moscow’s war in Ukraine, tax rises, stubborn inflation and nervy consumers are all weighing on Russian small companies.
Morocco players celebrate after beating the Netherlands to qualify for the last-16 stage of the World Cup, in Monterrey, Mexico, on Monday
SOCCER
Jun 30, 2026
Morocco advances after penalty shootout win over Netherlands in Monterrey thriller
Thousands of Morocco supporters erupted at the final whistle in the last World Cup match to be played in Monterrey.
According to the 2025 reports on lawmakers' incomes, the average income among nine party leaders stood at ¥24.53 million.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
Takaichi tops 2025 income rankings for Japan party heads
The prime minister earned ¥36.41 million in 2025 while the average income among nine party leaders stood at ¥24.53 million.
The bill stipulates that imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to ¥200,000 be imposed on acts that publicly damage the national flag.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
LDP’s flag desecration bill clears Lower House
Under the bill, desecrating the flag is punishable by up to two years of imprisonment or a fine of up to ¥200,000.
Japan's industrial production in May climbed 0.5% from the previous month as manufacturers were able to cope with the fallout from the war in Iran.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2026
Japan’s factory output rises as Iran fallout stays manageable
The government says it can secure enough crude oil through March 2028 by cultivating alternative procurements to the Strait of Hormuz.
A tactical short-range unmanned aerial vehicle during a military exercise at a military facility in Taichung, Taiwan, on Saturday. Taiwan’s debate over drone procurement is being closely watched because the successful use of unmanned systems by Ukraine and Iran have underscored the ways in which the technology can be used to defend territory against larger adversaries.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Taiwan opposition pitches $7.5 billion drone plan after stalling government bid
The debate is being closely watched because use of unmanned systems elsewhere has shown how the technology can be leveraged to defend against larger adversaries.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

TDC Global challenges norms at Japan workplaces
TDC Global challenges norms at Japan workplaces

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin