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July 01, 2026
 

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ANIMALS

China is turning its homegrown Kunming dog into a symbol and tool of its internal and international security strategy, using the breed to project control and shape security practices and norms in other countries.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2025
Chinese diplomacy goes to the dogs — literally
China is using its homegrown Kunming dog as a symbol to project control and influence security practices at home and abroad.
An image of a gray wolf. A wolf that escaped inside the Tama Zoological Park in Tokyo on Sunday was later captured.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2025
Escaped wolf at Tokyo’s Tama zoo captured
After confirming that the wolf stayed inside the park, zoo workers captured the animal at around 2:20 p.m., a report said.
Keiji Minatoya, from Kitaakita, Akita Prefecture, reenacts the time he was attacked by a black bear in 2023. Japan’s recent battle with bears has revealed issues that will continue to present challenges for the Japanese government going forward.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 26, 2025
Japan’s growing bear crisis reveals deeper issues
Currently, there are only around 220,000 licensed hunters in Japan, substantially lower than the 532,265 registered in 1970.
Egg prices in Japan are soaring this season amid the spread of bird flu.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2025
Bird flu case confirmed at Ibaraki poultry farm
The outbreak at a farm in Shirosato will lead to the culling of about 970,000 egg-laying chickens, the largest such action in the country this season.
Having a dog at home likely helps alter adolescent children's microbiome to make them happier and have better social skills, according to a study.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 25, 2025
Study shows having dogs likely boosts teens’ social skills
Children’s social skills are believed to be boosted by the vagus nerve, which runs through the intestine, stimulating the release of oxytocin.
Earlier this month, the central government announced plans to introduce a system that would require third-party organizations to verify the safety of megasolar projects before construction begins.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Dec 22, 2025
Hokkaido governor sharpens stance against megasolar development
Gov. Naomichi Suzuki’s decision to toughen up on the sector comes amid growing local backlash against several projects in Hokkaido.
A diver checks on sea urchins at revived moba seaweed beds in Shakotan, Hokkaido.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2025
Local governments working with fishers to save seaweed forests
The town of Shakotan in Hokkaido launched efforts to revive the rich ocean greenery after marine forests in its coastal areas were destroyed 15 years ago.
Visitors take photos of Lei Lei at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2025
Panda fans throng Ueno Zoo to bid farewell to Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei
Visitors stood in line for hours to catch one last glimpse of the two remaining pandas in Japan ahead of their return to China in January.
Twin giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo in June 2023. They are expected to be sent back to China by the end of January.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2025
Amid China tensions, Japan will lose its two remaining pandas
Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, two twin giant pandas at the Ueno Zoological Gardens, are expected to be returned to China by the end of January.
A record 13 people have been killed by bears across Japan since April.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 12, 2025
Ski resort acknowledges reports of bear sightings, as predator tops kanji pick
Scientists say this year’s surge in maulings is being driven by a fast-growing bear population, a bad acorn harvest and a falling human population.
Bears have killed a record 13 people in Japan this year and injured more than 200 others.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 12, 2025
GPS watch of hiker killed in Hokkaido bear attack shows last movements
Bears have killed a record 13 people in Japan this year and injured more than 200 others.
Akita Gov. Kenta Suzuki speaks at a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 11, 2025
SDF played large role in bear control efforts, Akita governor says
While the troops were not involved in culling the bears, they helped transport traps and provided much-needed manpower to the aging prefecture.
Hajime Sasaki displays a decorative item made of ivory and designed in the shape of vegetables at his shop in Tokyo on Dec. 4.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2025
Japanese ivory trade attracts fresh global scrutiny
The country hosts one of the world’s largest remaining legal domestic markets for elephant ivory, the international trade of which is illegal.
Chimpanzees show genuine reasoning and metacognition — the ability to weigh evidence, update beliefs and judge what they do or don’t know — while current AI systems do not.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2025
AI thinks it’s smart. Chimps may beg to differ.
Many people believe that animals with higher intelligence deserve to be treated more humanely, or at least not used for food.
Poor harvests of beechnuts are thought to be one of the major reasons behind the increase in bear attacks and sightings.
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2025
High number of bear attacks possible in 2027 due to expected poor nut harvest
Beechnut harvests are considered to influence the number of bear incidents Japan sees each year.
Brown rats, also known as sewer rats, often burrow into damaged pipes and survive on garbage and food scraps. While there aren’t any official numbers, at least hundreds of thousands of them are thought to be living in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Dec 8, 2025
In the company of rats: Tokyo’s growing rodent problem
As Tokyo confronts stubborn rat populations, researchers argue the path forward lies in understanding their behavior — not just stamping them out.
Bear bells are displayed for sale at a souvenir shop at Shirakawa-go, a popular tourist spot and one of Japan's UNESCO World Heritage sites, in the village of Shirakawa, Gifu Prefecture, on Nov. 15.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 6, 2025
Japan’s bear-related casualties hit record on escalating attacks
A record 230 were killed or injured by bears in Japan since April, putting more pressure on the government to intervene.
Dry-cured salted ham offered at Bar Mar's restaurant in Tokyo on Wednesday
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2025
Dry-cured ham may run short in Japan as swine fever risk halts Spanish imports
After the disease was detected in wild boar in Spain, Japan halted Spanish pork imports last Friday to prevent local transmission.
Fried oysters at a restaurant in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2025
Oyster shortage strains restaurants and retailers in Japan
Farm-raised oysters in the Seto Inland Sea are dying en masse, forcing businesses to pass on the higher costs to customers.
A security camera captures a bear outside the entrance of the Omura Museum of Art in Semboku City, Akita Prefecture, on Nov. 5.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 2, 2025
A five-point plan to address Japan’s bear crisis
A deeper, long-term driver is reshaping the landscape. Over the 40 years leading up to 2018, the distribution of bears in Japan expanded to nearly twice its former size.
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.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
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’

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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