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July 12, 2026
 

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki plans to run for a third term in the prefecture’s gubernatorial election and will officially announce his candidacy at a news conference in Naha on March 28, sources said.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 17, 2026
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki plans to seek a third term, sources say
Tamaki’s campaign is expected to focus on seeking the early return of the site of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station in the Okinawa city of Ginowan to Japan.
Children listen to stories of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami told by a local resident in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, in January.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 11, 2026
Some disaster-hit regions struggle to pass down lessons to younger generation
Logistics and costs are among the hurdles faced in conducting disaster education for younger people with little or no memory of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Fukushima Gov. Masao Uchibori speaks during an interview at the prefecutral government building on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2026
Fukushima governor calls for further reconstruction efforts
Gov. Masao Uchibori noted that the prefectural government works to improve reconstruction measures every fiscal year, based on self-assessments and resident feedback.
The government approved a bill on Tuesday to improve transportation in underserved areas by supporting shared-vehicle services and simplifying procedures for local providers.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 10, 2026
Japan adopts bill aiming to address regional gaps in public transport services
According to the transport ministry, there were about 2,000 areas lacking transportation nationwide as of April 2025.
Water coming from an underground artesian well through brass pipes
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 10, 2026
Government panel to compile groundwater report that includes users’ nationalities
In response to whether the panel might consider restricting foreign nationals’ access to groundwater, a land ministry official said discrimination was not the goal.
Yukiyoshi Yamano
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 9, 2026
Former Kanazawa mayor elected Ishikawa governor
Yukiyoshi Yamano defeated the LDP-backed incumbent Hiroshi Hase in an election that focused on reconstruction after the 2024 Noto earthquake.
Mio Washizu, deputy governor of Fukui Prefecture, says she is able to balance work, housework and childcare by not seeking to manage everything on her own.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 8, 2026
Fukui deputy governor leading women’s empowerment in scandal-mired prefecture
Mio Washizu moved to Fukui with her children despite concern over the burden of housework and childcare falling solely on her.
Koichi Tanigawa, head of the Futaba Medical Center, says "there is clearly a shortage of hospitals" in the Futaba region in Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Mar 2, 2026
Medical care key to evacuees’ return to Fukushima 15 years on
In Fukushima Prefecture, the number of medical institutions has plunged from 132 to 47 since the disaster.
More than 58% of eligible male local government employees took child care leave in fiscal 2024, exceeding 50% for the first time ever.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 28, 2026
Paternity leave gets boost as local governments make it easier to take time off
The move is aimed at retaining human resources amid unabated population outflow to bigger cities.
Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai said during an interview in Sendai on Tuesday that he intends to have three seawalls finished before his current term ends in 2029.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2026
Miyagi governor sees different challenges 15 years after Tohoku disaster
“When you get 15 years older, your health conditions and other circumstances change,” said the governor of Miyagi Prefecture, which was affected by the March 2011 disaster.
An anonymous donor has gifted Osaka with gold bars worth ¥566 million ($3.6 million) to help repair the city’s aging water pipes.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 27, 2026
A Japanese city received 21 gold bars with instructions: Fix your water pipes
Osaka says it will honor the anonymous donor’s wishes by using the money from the gold bars — worth ¥566 million — on the city’s pipes, which are some of the oldest in Japan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2026
Several local government websites become inaccessible
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference Wednesday that the central government and others are gathering information to identify the cause of the problem.
The city of Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2026
Gunma tops relocation ranking for second consecutive year
Concerns over rising costs and recommendations by artificial intelligence helped push the prefecture to the top spot.
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.
The transport ministry plans to cover half the cost of snowplows and other snow removal equipment for domestic airlines and local governments managing airports to prevent heavy snow-related flight disruptions.
JAPAN
Feb 22, 2026
Japan to subsidize snowplow introduction at airports
The move is part of the ministry’s efforts to ensure stable flight operations and prevent passengers from being stranded.
Setagaya Mayor Nobuto Hosaka (right) speaks during a symposium on partnership systems held on Dec. 10 in Tokyo. Hosaka has described his ward's system as being "connected to human dignity."
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Feb 18, 2026
A decade on, Japan steadily warms to same-sex partners
As lawsuits seeking the recognition of same-sex marriage proceed in courts nationwide, municipalities and others continue to explore how best to protect individual rights.
Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso speaks during an interview on Monday at the Iwate Prefectural Government office.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2026
Governor says Iwate still faces challenges 15 years after disaster
Iwate’s governor said the prefecture still faces challenges such as “mental health care support, rebuilding people’s livelihoods, rising prices and the impact of climate change.”
Yamanashi and eight other prefectures hope to strengthen cooperation with India in fields such as tourism, corporate expansion, education and culture.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2026
Nine prefectures set up framework to boost ties with India
In a joint declaration, the nine prefectures said they will call on other prefectures to join the framework and advance initiatives that will help deepen engagement with India.
Kazuhiro Shibuya grows rice in Kazo, Saitama Prefecture, where he evacuated to from Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, following the March 2011 nuclear disaster. He gave up his Futaba resident registration in 2022.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Feb 16, 2026
Fukushima evacuees face growing need to change resident registrations
Evacuees still face a painful choice: Keep ties to hometowns they can’t return to, or transfer residency to rebuild their lives.
Shizuoka police carry boxes from the home of former Ito Mayor Maki Takubo on Saturday in the city of Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 15, 2026
Shizuoka police raid ousted Ito mayor’s home
Takubo faces allegations of falsifying her academic background — claiming to have graduated from Toyo University then later announcing she had been expelled.
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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