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July 12, 2026
 

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Yawata Mayor Shoko Kawata recently announced that she will take maternity leave, making her the first sitting mayor in Japan to do so.
JAPAN / Politics
May 29, 2026
Meet the Japanese mayor seeking to normalize maternity leave in public office
Shoko Kawata discusses balancing pregnancy with her duties — and the reaction that followed her announcing she would take leave before and after childbirth.
The Osaka Municipal Assembly passes a proposal on Wednesday to establish a statutory council to discuss what has become known as the Osaka metropolis plan.
JAPAN / Politics
May 28, 2026
Osaka Municipal Assembly approves proposed council to discuss metropolis plan
The council may hold its first meeting as soon as next month if its establishment is greenlit at the prefectural assembly’s plenary meeting next Wednesday.
The parliament enacted legislation Wednesday allowing local governments to issue digital debt securities.
JAPAN / Politics
May 27, 2026
Japan enacts bill enabling digital issuance of local government bonds
At a plenary meeting, the Upper House passed legislation to revise multiple laws related to local autonomy, based on proposals from local governments.
"Kōsen" technical colleges are five-year institutions offering higher education to students who have graduated from junior high school, with the aim of nurturing practical and creative engineers.
JAPAN
May 24, 2026
Japan may add farming and anime courses to technical colleges
In response to many local governments aiming to establish new “kōsen” technical colleges, the ministry hopes to develop talent in a wide range of areas.
Shoko Kawata, the 35-year-old mayor of Yawata, speaks to reporters on Thursday in the city.
JAPAN / Politics
May 22, 2026
Mayor in Kyoto Prefecture to take maternity leave in first for Japan
Shoko Kawata, the 35-year-old mayor of Yawata, plans to take her leave later this summer.
Minamitorishima has no resident population and is off-limits to the general public.
JAPAN / Society
May 21, 2026
Survey begins to determine remote island’s suitability for nuclear disposal site
Japan’s waste management organization will carry out a literature review on the geology of Minamitorishima, located nearly 2,000 kilometers from Tokyo.
The Grand Ring, the symbol of the 2025 Osaka Expo in Osaka, is dismantled in March.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 20, 2026
Osaka Expo resources find new life across Japan
In line with its principle of a sustainable expo, the association hopes to encourage the effective reuse of materials and assets from the event.
Members of the National Council on Social Security's panel of experts meet in the parliamentary building on Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 18, 2026
Scope of eligibility seen as key focus in Japan’s refundable tax credit talks
The central government is eyeing introducing a refundable tax credit program following a stopgap measure of reducing the consumption tax rate on food to zero for two years.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura speaks during a news conference in the city of Osaka on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 18, 2026
Yoshimura to seek re-election as Osaka governor if referendum is held
There had been speculation that Hirofumi Yoshimura may opt not to run for reelection as Osaka governor with a view to a future return to national politics.
Train cars at Toyama Chihou Tetsudou's Etchu-Funahashi Station in Toyama Prefecture
JAPAN
May 14, 2026
Local railway operator offers chances to stream original music
The Toyama company is pushing the project forward as part of local revitalization efforts.
Many municipalities across Japan say buzz online and anxiety over the situation in the Middle East has led to people panic buying garbage bags.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 13, 2026
Designated trash bags run low in Japan as fears grow over supply shortages
Reports of a naphtha shortage have driven some to hoard city-designated trash bags needed in some areas to dispose of waste.
Internal affairs minister Yoshimasa Hayashi noted Tuesday that fees paid by local governments to intermediary operators as part of the <i>furusato nо̄zei</i> hometown tax donation program have reached a high level. The ministry plans to urge such portal site operators to lower their commission fees as part of plans to increase the amount of donated funds made available to local governments.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2026
Commission fees for furusato nōzei portal sites exceed 10% of donated funds
The ministry plans to urge such portal site operators to lower their fees, as part of plans to increase the amount of donated funds made available to local governments.
Japan is promoting fertilizer production from sewage sludge to reduce reliance on imports.
JAPAN
May 10, 2026
Local governments recover phosphorus from sewage sludge
Phosphorus is almost entirely imported. Supply disruptions triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 prompted the central government to promote fertilizer production.
A town assembly in Akita Prefecture passed a no-confidence motion Friday against its mayor, a move that will automatically remove him from office on May 19 under the local autonomy law.
JAPAN / Politics
May 8, 2026
Town assembly in Akita Prefecture removes unconscious mayor
The 72-year-old mayor of Hachirogata has been unable to work for months following a brain hemorrhage.
Investigators from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Kumamoto Prefectural Police Department conduct a search at the Yatsushiro municipal assembly office and other locations on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 8, 2026
Kumamoto municipal assembly member and two others arrested in bribery case
The three are suspected of acting at the request of a former head of the Kyushu branch of a Tokyo-based construction firm, allegedly receiving ¥60 million in return.
The former Suma Belt Conveyor Tunnel is used as a filming location for "City Hunter"
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 7, 2026
Film commissions give economic boost to local communities
The nonprofit entities provide help with location-hunting, site coordination and filming operations free of charge.
The central government plans to launch a new subsidy program from fiscal 2027 onward to support public high schools nationwide.
JAPAN
May 7, 2026
Public high schools to receive more aid after private tuition made free
The initiative comes amid concerns full funding of private high school tuition from April could reduce applications to public high schools.
Despite Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s sustained high approval ratings after more than six months in office, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party she leads continues to suffer losses in local elections.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 5, 2026
The LDP is losing local elections. Should Takaichi be worried?
Even as the prime minister enjoys high approval ratings, her party has been suffering a string of local electoral defeats.
Prefectural governors attend a meeting of the National Governors&#039; Association in December.
JAPAN / Politics
May 3, 2026
18 governors in Japan see need for constitutional revision
The governor of Okinawa disagreed, while 24 others, including leaders from Nagano, Hyogo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, gave noncommittal answers.
Police seal off a residential area in Sendai on April 19 after a bear was spotted on the grounds of an apartment complex.
JAPAN
May 1, 2026
As bears emerge from hibernation, local governments warn of attacks
Japan’s municipalities are telling residents to take extra precautions this spring, such as refraining from leaving outside their homes any items that could attract bears.
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.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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