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July 12, 2026
 

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HOKKAIDO

Rusutsu lift pass police check that companies guiding and teaching on their resort have a corporate pass.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 1, 2026
Foreign ski instructors and guides operating illegally in Japan spark concerns
Officials and businesses in major winter destinations warn that such illicit operations could disrupt public order, create unfair competition and raise safety concerns.
Haruo Ikegami (center) smiles in Tokyo on Friday after the Supreme Court overturned a high court ruling that said it was legal for Hokkaido to revoke his gun license.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 28, 2026
Top court backs Hokkaido hunter who lost gun license after shooting bear
This was the first time for the Supreme Court to rule the revocation of a hunting gun license to be illegal.
Asahikawa Mayor Hirosuke Imazu holds a news conference following the settlement on Thursday in Asahikawa, Hokkaido.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 27, 2026
Hokkaido city reaches settlement over death of bullied girl
The family of the victim had sought about ¥115 million in damages, claiming the city failed to respond appropriately.
North Safari Sapporo, a now-closed zoo in Hokkaido, in March 2025
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 26, 2026
Sapporo zoo operator accused of unauthorized development
The zoo, North Safari Sapporo, opened in 2005 and closed last year after the allegations came to light.
Akinosuke Owada, a graduating student at Akan Ainu Craft Center Harikiki, poses next to one of his works at the school in Kushiro, Hokkaido.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 26, 2026
Ainu craft school aims to pass on culture to students
Students in the Hokkaido center’s inaugural class are set to graduate soon, after completing their training to acquire skills of the Indigenous ethnic group.
Wakkanai Shinkin Bank’s headquarters in Wakkanai, Hokkaido
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 25, 2026
A tiny bank runs dry of borrowers as Japan’s population shrinks
Many rural banks are struggling, but for a small credit union in Hokkaido, the situation is extreme.
A warning sign is displayed in Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture, last November.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 24, 2026
Spring reawakens concerns over bear encounters in Japan
Experts say that a good harvest of bear staple foods such as acorns and nuts could determine whether the number of reported bear sightings ultimately rise or fall.
The red-crowned crane has been removed from the Environment Ministry’s Red List of threatened species.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 17, 2026
Japanese crane no longer considered ‘threatened’ as population recovers
The species saw its population drop to as low as 33 in 1952 due to overhunting, but after conservation efforts about 1,200 are believed to now be living in the wild.
Concerns are mounting in the Cape Erimo area of Hokkaido, where Kuril harbor seals have been damaging fishing nets and eating catches.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Mar 16, 2026
Ministry turns to acoustic devices to stop seals from stealing fish in Hokkaido
Authorities hope the measure will protect the local fishing industry and address, in a responsible way, the problem of seals stealing salmon and mackerel from fishing nets.
The front page of The Japan Times on March 3, 1976, carries the news of a terrorist attack in Sapporo.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Mar 6, 2026
Japan Times 1976: Bomb explosion in Sapporo claims 2 lives, injures 85
A note left after the terrorist attack at a government building cited “imperialists” as the target.
The Manga One website by Shogakukan announced the establishment of a third-party committee over its hiring of two manga authors convicted of sexual misconduct.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 3, 2026
Publisher to investigate its hiring of two manga authors convicted of sex crimes
Shogakukan was found to have hired a manga writer convicted of sexually assaulting a woman under the age of 20 and another found guilty of indecent assault.
Students from Okinawa Prefecture speak with Hiroshi Tokuno (left) at an exchange center for the Northern Territories issue in Nemuro, Hokkaido, on Dec. 27.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Mar 2, 2026
Okinawa students visit Hokkaido to learn about disputed islands
Over 80 years after Soviet forces seized four islands from Japan, former Japanese residents remain unable to return to their hometowns.
The Austrian team at this year’s International Snow Sculpture Contest — (from left) Michelle Steinmetz, Karl Pont and Daniel Nachbaur — pose with their creation.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 27, 2026
In Sapporo, snow becomes a shared language
Working in temperatures as low as minus 6 degrees Celsius, artists from around the world convened in Sapporo this February to continue a tradition 50 years running.
Masayuki Takahashi celebrates on Sunday after winning a seventh term as mayor of Kamoenai village in Hokkaido.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 24, 2026
Hokkaido village mayor backing nuclear site survey wins reelection
Masayuki Takahashi fended off two challengers to win a seventh term.
A player throws a snowball during the Showa-shinzan International Yukigassen snowball fight competition in Sobetsu, Hokkaido on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 22, 2026
The Japanese snowball fight game vying to be an Olympic sport
The game’s federation emphasizes the “mental challenge,” as players on both teams pelt their opponents while taking cover behind shelters.
An annual national rally to demand the return of Russian-held islands off Hokkaido claimed by Japan, called the Northern Territories, is held in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2026
Japan to continue push for restart of visits to Northern Territories
The visits, which allowed former residents to visit the graves of their ancestors on the Russian-held island, were halted for reasons including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Nippon Steel is forecasting a ¥70 billion net loss for the fiscal year through next month, up from ¥60 billion, partly due to a fire that broke out at a plant in Muroran, Hokkaido, last December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 6, 2026
Nippon Steel projects larger full-year loss than expected
The steelmaker is now projecting a consolidated net loss of ¥70 billion as consequences of a fire at a plant in Muroran, Hokkaido, hit its bottom line.
A ski resort in Niigata Prefecture on Saturday. A month of heavy snowfall has drawn renewed interest to Japan’s ski resorts from Americans and other overseas visitors in search of fresh powder.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2026
Japan ski areas see bumper season as heavy snow draws visitors
Some ski resorts are experiencing their best snow depth in more than a decade.
Visitors to the Sapporo Snow Festival take pictures on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2026
Sapporo Snow Festival opens with 210 sculptures
The 76th Sapporo Snow Festival, which runs until next Wednesday, is expected to attract over 2 million visitors, with free admission.
Among the 120 athletes representing Japan at the Milano Cortina Games are competitors raised in some of the country’s snowiest landscapes, as well as others who grew up far from dependable winter conditions.
OLYMPICS
Feb 4, 2026
The regions driving Japan’s Winter Olympic success
Some Japanese Olympians were raised in the country’s snowiest landscapes, while others grew up far from dependable winter conditions.
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.

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