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July 12, 2026
 

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CUSTOMS

Tokyo police arrested six people for allegedly smuggling 49 kilograms of gold bars worth about ¥1,075 million from China by hiding the bars inside life-size dolls.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 23, 2026
Six held for alleged gold-smuggling attempt from China
With an estimated worth of over 1 million yen the gold was concealed in life-size dolls.
Etomidate, a designated drug, concealed in air cargo from India
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 18, 2026
Japan’s customs seized second-highest amount of illegal drugs in 2025
Customs officers seized 3,211 kilograms of illegal drugs last year, the first time since 2019 that annual seizures exceeded 3 metric tons.
Stuffed toys of Custom-kun, an official mascot character of Japan customs, and a birthday cake made by a customs official depicting the character
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2025
Japan customs character goods to go on sale
The Finance Ministry hopes that selling character goods such as stuffed toys and stationery will make customs more familiar to people.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2022
Japan customs offices to introduce smart glasses in bid to thwart smugglers
The smart glasses and accompanying technology will be used from February next year when checking cargoes to share images in real time with experienced officials at different locations.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2020
Tax agency bureaus in Japan on high alert for rise in consumption tax fraud
Tax authorities are preparing to act against a possible increase in abuses of a rule that exempts export transactions from sales levies following October’s consumption tax hike from 8 percent to 10 percent.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jan 20, 2014
My niece, the drug smuggler
Imagine two New York Jewish women groomed among the stylish and well-educated on opposite shores of Long Island. They meet up in Tokyo for the first time. In a strange twist of fate, they are not sipping tea from fine bone china, as they might have back home. Instead they find themselves seated on opposite...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 18, 2013
Quickies on bringing in psychotropics and bags, calling Japan, buying shoes
A variety of queries from readers have arrived at Lifelines over the last few weeks, so we’ll address some of them in this column.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Aug 10, 2009
Beetle mania
August signals an onslaught of beetle wars in Japan, for both kids and grown-up kids.
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’

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
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