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July 12, 2026
 

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Japan players celebrate a try during the Nations Championship 2026 rugby match between Japan and Italy in Tokyo on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Revamped Ireland wary of ‘bang in form’ Japan
The two sides clash on neutral territory at the beachside town of Newcastle, north of Sydney, in round two of the Nations Championship with both of them on a high.
Japan's Takuro Matsunaga evades a tackle by Italy's Monty Ioane to score a try during the Nations Championship at Tokyo's Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium on July 4.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Japan names lineup for clash against Ireland as Eddie Jones returns from ban
Jones returns after serving a four-match ban imposed by the Japan Rugby Football Union for abusing match officials on a tour of Australia earlier this year.
Toa Sasaki performs a trick during the men's skateboarding street competition at X Games Chiba.
MORE SPORTS / Skateboarding
In pictures: X Games Chiba 2026
By Jason Coskrey
The Japan Times sports desk was on hand to witness the action at Makuhari Messe.
XC Tokyo athletes at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture on Sunday
MORE SPORTS / Skateboarding
Jul 7, 2026
X Games’ team era takes shape as XC Tokyo challenges for title
By Jason Coskrey
X Games Chiba offered a glimpse of the X Games’ future, as XC Tokyo’s homegrown stars and young standouts helped put the new team competition firmly in the spotlight.
Summer McIntosh celebrates after winning the women's 400-meter individual medley final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in August 2025.
MORE SPORTS / Swimming
Jul 6, 2026
Summer McIntosh breaks last women’s ‘supersuit’ world record
​McIntosh broke Liu Zige’s long-standing record (2:01.81) at China’s National Games in October 2009.
English has rapidly replaced French as the language of the peloton.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 6, 2026
English-language takeover of Tour de France forces even French riders to adapt
English has increasingly replaced French — and also Italian, Flemish and Spanish — as the language of the peloton.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc celebrates after winning the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, England, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 6, 2026
Charles Leclerc shut out negative noise to get winning feeling back at British GP
Leclerc has come under fire this year, particularly after he crashed twice in Monaco. He also crashed in Spain and said he felt ashamed.
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Skateboarding
Jul 3, 2026
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
By Jason Coskrey
Athletes are chasing both individual gold and crucial team points in the debut season of the Formula One-style X Games League.
England's Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 29, 2026
England test captain Ben Stokes to retire from international cricket
When the news was announced at Trent Bridge on Sunday it drew a standing ovation from the crowd.
Mercedes' George Russell celebrates after winning the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 29, 2026
George Russell returns to top of podium with ‘cold-blooded’ performance
Russell said he had never doubted his ability but getting the tires working properly, and getting on top of the overall package, had been a challenge.

China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

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

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

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