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July 10, 2026
 

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RAIL

Sapporo Station, which is set to be the terminus of the Hokkaido Shinkansen line extension.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2026
Panel questions profitability of Hokkaido Shinkansen project
Rising prices, which are one of the reasons for the increase in the project’s cost, may also push profitability upward through an increase in fare and real estate income.
Plaintiffs head to the Oita District Court on Thursday ahead of the ruling in a lawsuit over whether unmanned stations operated by JR Kyushu violate the freedom of movement of people with disabilities.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 24, 2026
Oita court rules unmanned stations don’t curb freedom of those with disabilities
The lawsuit was the first in Japan to take up the issue of whether such station operations constitute discrimination against people with disabilities.
Local governments along proposed shinkansen routes in Japan are stepping up efforts to advance long-planned lines that have seen no construction progress for over half a century, but major hurdles remain, including funding, demand and profitability concerns.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 24, 2026
Local governments press for shinkansen railway lines
Authorities are stepping up efforts to advance plans for lines that have remained in the planning stage for more than half a century, with no progress toward construction..
The Japan Transport Safety Board has proposed setting up multi-language warnings and pictograms at railroad crossings as foreign visitor numbers surge.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2026
Multilingual alerts, pictograms proposed for railroad crossings after tourist accident
The accident occurred at a railroad crossing near Saga Prefecture’s Sueyama Shrine, a popular tourist spot.
The logo of the shinkansen inspection vehicle Dr. S, which is equipped for measurement and diagnostic functions
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2026
JR Tokai names new shinkansen inspection trains Dr. S
The Dr. S trains will inspect tracks, overhead wires and other equipment while transporting passengers.
In recent years, the combination of a surge in tourism to Hokkaido and the operations of the Rapidus semiconductor plant has led to congestion at New Chitose Airport’s train station and on express trains.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Apr 13, 2026
Amid travel boom, Hokkaido struggles to improve airport rail link
Express trains arriving at and departing from New Chitose Airport are congested, creating concern.
“Freedom,” a mural in JR Ueno Station, created in 1951, has been repaired three times, most recently in 2025.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 12, 2026
At Ueno Station, ‘Freedom’ restored
Genichiro Inokuma’s 1951 pro-democracy mural speaks to a new generation as Ueno reclaims its identity as a cultural hub.
Otobaco, a new gondola equipped with a surround sound system, is shown to the media in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2026
Odakyu to launch special Hakone gondola service with surround sound
The gondola is equipped with a Dolby Atmos system, creating a theater-like surround sound experience.
The news of Gen. Douglas MacArthur came as a surprise to the Japanese public and was covered from a variety of angles.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Apr 1, 2026
Japan Times 1951: Truman ousts Gen. MacArthur
U.S. President Harry Truman dismissed the key player in Japan’s postwar recovery 75 years ago this month.
The maglev line project has long been stalled by environmental concerns.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2026
Shizuoka set to approve maglev construction
Shizuoka Prefecture’s special committee has approved environmental conservation measures for a section of the planned maglev line.
East Japan Railway's freight-only Shinkansen bullet train arrives at a train yard in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 24, 2026
JR East’s freight-only shinkansen train goes into service
The seven-car train, converted from an E3 series passenger train has a maximum loading capacity of 17.4 tons.
Training for foreign workers under Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker program on March 6 in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 22, 2026
Japan trains foreign workers for railway maintenance
The trained workers are expected to find jobs at railway companies across the country, attracting attention as to whether they can contribute to alleviating the labor shortages.
Shizue Takahashi, who lost her husband in the 1995 sarin gas attack by Aum Shinrikyo, offers a prayer in Tokyo on Friday, the 31st anniversary of the attack.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2026
Victims of Tokyo subway sarin gas attack remembered 31 years on
A flower stand was set up at Kasumigaseki Station — one of the attack sites — and close to the time of the attack, 16 station staff members offered a silent prayer.
People gather in front of Meitetsu Department Store in Nagoya on Feb. 28 as the store closed after a 71-year run.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 20, 2026
Nagoya Station maglev redevelopment delayed again
The start of construction, previously scheduled for fiscal 2027, is now “undecided.”
An official stands in front of the K27 train bound for Pyongyang at Tianjin station in Tianjin, China, on Thursday .
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 13, 2026
China’s train to North Korea lacks passengers on maiden voyage
Visa and tour-group requirements remained a barrier for potential travelers — a sentiment reflected across Beijing Station, leaving Pyongyang carriages eerily empty.
A drone used by JR East to inspect railway equipment during transportation disruptions
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2026
JR East to monitor Yamanote Line pantographs with AI
The railway operator also plans to use drones to inspect wires and other infrastructure, aiming to reduce the time required to resume operations by 30% after service disruptions.
A ticket between Tokyo Station and Shibuya Station on JR East’s Yamamote Line will rise from ¥210 to ¥260, a 23.8% increase.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2026
JR East to raise train fares on Saturday for the first time in 39 years
East Japan Railway said fares would go up by an average of about 7.1%, with the minimum base fare increasing from ¥150 to ¥160.
People gather in front of the main store of Meitetsu Department Store in Nagoya that closed on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 1, 2026
Meitetsu Department Store closes in Nagoya after 71-year run
The closure is part of a redevelopment plan for the Nagoya Station area, led by the department store operator’s parent company, Nagoya Railroad.
For Kagoshima, leveraging the Kyushu Shinkansen — which allows visitors to get from Fukuoka to Kagoshima in roughly 90 minutes — is seen as a way to tap into foreign visitors already arriving in Fukuoka and other gateway cities.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2026
Critics decry Kagoshima’s free shinkansen plan for tourists as ‘unfair’
Prefectural officials have defended the plan to fully subsidize one-way fares for foreign tourists as a necessary bet on inbound demand.
JR East Executive Vice President and Chief Safety Officer Chiharu Watari speaks to reporters at the transport ministry on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 3, 2026
JR East given administrative guidance over service halts
The company’s executive vice president and chief safety officer was summoned over recent issues such as disruptions on the Yamanote and Joban lines.
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.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Trump says ‘Japan’ instead of Iran at meeting in Ankara
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara on Wednesday.
Wakatakakage injury casts pall over July meet, but potential new stars loom
Nicholas Tarasenko trains at Minato stable in August 2024.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
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.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.

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
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