Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday instructed relevant government agencies to work to hold a summit on artificial intelligence in Japan as early as possible.

The envisaged summit would bring together government officials and researchers from countries around the world to discuss issues such as risks related AI.

"AI will dictate our national power," Takaichi told a meeting of the government's AI strategy headquarters, chaired by the prime minister.
She said it was time for the government to join hands with the private sector and "launch a counteroffensive" in the field of AI.

The government will invest over 1 trillion yen in AI-related measures and make Gennai, a generative AI tool developed by Japan's Digital Agency, available to more than 100,000 Japanese government officials starting in May next year, Takaichi also said.
 
 

Nanto city in Toyama prefecture, western Japan, is set to develop the country’s third and largest data centre cluster, boasting a total power capacity of 3.1 gigawatts, according to a document obtained by Reuters.

The announcement, planned in collaboration with private developer GigaStream Toyama, is expected on Friday, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Once completed, the project will rank among the world’s largest data-centre hubs, comparable to OpenAI’s $500 billion, 10-GW Stargate initiative.

While demand for data centres continues to rise, establishing a resilient third hub outside Japan’s main population centres of Tokyo and Osaka has been challenging.

Currently, these two regions host roughly 85% of the nation’s data centres. The government has stressed the importance of regional diversification to relieve congestion in these areas.

Nanto, located approximately 250 km (155 miles) from both Tokyo and Osaka, is considered a low-risk location for natural disasters. Toyama prefecture is among Japan’s regions with the fewest major earthquakes, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The first phase of the Nanto Campus would support about 400 megawatts of power capacity, equivalent to some of Japan's largest data centres announced so far and capable ​of servicing hyperscale operators such as Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet's Google.

The site will be ready for service ‌by the end of 2028, according to the public-private plan.

GigaStream Toyama, which focuses on preparing infrastructure for data centre operators - a business model similar to that of U.S.-based Lancium and Tract - plans to begin promoting the Nanto Campus at the Pacific Telecommunications Council conference in Honolulu next month, according to the document.

The company is headed by Daniel Cox, a 25-year veteran in the Japanese real estate investment market.

Officials at Nanto city and GigaStream Toyama declined ⁠to comment, saying they would make an announcement soon.

Driven by ​cloud and AI services, Japan's data-centre market is forecast to almost ​double to more than 5 trillion yen ($32 billion) in the five years to 2028, according to research firm IDC Japan.

The government hopes the sector will help it reach a ‍goal of attracting 120 trillion ⁠yen in foreign direct investment by 2030, up from 53.3 trillion yen in 2024.

Unlike in eastern Japan, power is more abundant and generally cheaper in the western region, which is serviced by utilities such ⁠as Hokuriku Electric Power, Kansai Electric Power, Electric Power Development (J-Power) and other smaller operators.

Hokuriku Electric, for example, sells less than half ‌of its maximum potential output even without its idled Shika nuclear power plant.
 
 

Japan ranked 96 out of 123 countries and regions in an English proficiency index, dropping from low to very low for the first time, according to a recent report. 

Japan ranked alongside Afghanistan among the non-native-speaking countries and regions classified as “very low” in the EF English Proficiency Index 2025 released by EF Education First, a global association of education companies headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. 

Among the 25 Asian countries and regions covered by the index, Japan ranked behind neighbors China and South Korea. 

The latest edition of the annual index, published in November, was based on data from 2.2 million takers of a free, online test in 2024. The index included results from optional speaking and writing assessments offered for the first time. 

Japanese test takers scored an average of 446 points across reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, compared to the global average of 488. The average age of test takers was 26.  

A drop of eight points from the previous year left Japan in the very low classification for the first time since the index began in 2011. Top-ranked Netherlands, where English proficiency was classified as very high, scored 624 points. 

People with low proficiency can give a simple self-introduction, including their name, age, and country of origin, according to the index. They can also give basic directions and understand simple signs, among other related tasks. 

While early editions of the index ranked Japan’s proficiency as moderate, it has largely been in decline since, as the number of countries covered by the index has increased.

Japanese learners are not alone in struggling to make progress with their English, however. The index creators said that while demand and investment in developing English skills have not dropped, progress in proficiency has stalled globally. The index has not reported global proficiency gains since 2020. 

In order to expand the pool of talent expected to play active roles globally, the Japanese government aims to have at least 30 percent of public high school students graduate with the equivalent of Grade 2 or higher in the widely used Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency by fiscal 2027.

Eiken Grade 2 corresponds to between 400 and 499 points on the EF English Proficiency Index, classified as very low to low. 

A survey conducted by The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology found 21.2 percent of high school students to be at an equivalent level in 2024. 
 
 

The changes include new options for developers to distribute apps and process payments, and new protections to help reduce privacy and security risks the MSCA creates

Apple today announced changes impacting iOS apps in Japan to comply with the Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA).

These updates create new options for developers to distribute apps on alternative app marketplaces and to process app payments for digital goods and services outside of Apple In-App Purchase.

Across these changes, Apple has worked to reduce new privacy and security risks the law creates to provide users in Japan the best and safest experience possible.

The MSCA’s requirements for alternative app marketplaces and app payments open new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, and privacy and security risks.

Apple has worked with Japanese regulators to introduce protections from new threats — including important safeguards for younger users. These protections include Notarization for iOS apps, an authorization process for app marketplaces, and requirements that help protect children from inappropriate content and scams.

While these safeguards do not eliminate the new risks, they are essential to Apple’s work to ensure iOS remains the best, most secure mobile platform available in Japan. Apple will continue to engage with regulators on strengthening protections for iOS users.

Developers can learn about the new capabilities on the Apple Developer Support page and can integrate them into their apps beginning today as part of the iOS 26.2 release.


New Options for Developers to Distribute Apps on iOS in Japan

The App Store — where every app is reviewed to meet the App Store’s high bar for privacy and security — remains the best place for iOS users in Japan to discover and download the apps they love.

This includes App Store features that protect users against fraud and scams and empower parents to ensure their kids have age-appropriate experiences.

With the MSCA’s new requirements, developers will also have the option to distribute iOS apps in Japan using alternative app marketplaces other than the App Store.

Alternative app marketplaces will have to be authorized by Apple and will need to meet ongoing requirements to serve developers and users. However, apps downloaded outside the App Store will not benefit from the same protections Apple provides through App Review, introducing new risks for apps that contain scams, fraud, and abuse, or that expose users to illicit, objectionable, or harmful content not allowed on the App Store.

To reduce some of these new risks, Apple will conduct a baseline review — called Notarization — that applies to all iOS apps and focuses on basic functionality and protecting users from serious threats.

This Notarization process involves a combination of automated checks and human review, and helps ensure apps function as promised and are free of known malware, viruses, or other security threats. However, Notarization is less comprehensive than the App Review process that applies to all apps on the App Store.

Developers can learn more about operating or distributing from alternative app marketplaces on the new Apple Developer Support page.


New Options for Payments in App Store Apps on iOS

On the App Store, users in Japan can continue to use Apple In-App Purchase to buy digital goods and services, manage subscriptions, request refunds, and view their payment history.

To comply with the MSCA, Apple is sharing tools that enable developers to offer more ways for users to purchase digital goods and services in apps on the App Store.

For their iOS apps distributed on the App Store in Japan, developers will be able to include an alternative payment processing method in their app and/or link users to a website to complete a transaction.

These alternative payment options will always be presented alongside Apple In-App Purchase, so that users in Japan are clear on when they are transacting through Apple.

When users choose to pay with Apple In-App Purchase, they’ll continue to receive familiar protections and tools like refund support, subscription management, and Report a Problem. App Store users’ purchase history and subscription management will only reflect transactions made using Apple In-App Purchase.

For apps that use alternative payment processing or link users to the web for transactions, Apple will not be able to issue refunds and will have less ability to support customers encountering issues, scams, or fraud. Users may need to share their payment information with additional parties, which can introduce new privacy and security risks.


Updated Business Terms for iOS Apps in Japan

To reflect these options for app distribution and payment processing, Apple is also sharing updated business terms for developers’ iOS apps in Japan.

These business terms reflect the many ways Apple creates value for developers’ apps, whether or not they use the App Store and/or Apple In-App Purchase.

Under the business terms for iOS apps in Japan, Apple will continue to only charge a commission on the sale of digital goods and services. The new terms include:

• App Store commission: iOS apps on the App Store will pay a reduced commission of either 10 percent for the vast majority of developers — including members of the Small Business Program, Video Partner Program, Mini Apps Partner Program, and for subscriptions following their first year — or 21 percent on transactions for digital goods and services. The App Store commission reflects the value of the tools, technology, and services that enable developers to create apps, in addition to App Store distribution, discovery, and ongoing services.

• Apple payment processing fee: In their iOS apps on the App Store, developers can process payments using Apple In-App Purchase for an additional 5 percent fee.

• Store services commission: iOS apps on the App Store will pay a commission of 15 percent on transactions for digital goods and services made on a website linked to by the developer’s app. Developers in the programs mentioned above, and subscriptions following their first year, will pay a reduced rate of 10 percent.

• Core Technology Commission: iOS apps distributed outside of the App Store will pay a 5 percent commission on the sale of digital goods and services, including paid apps. The Core Technology Commission compensates Apple for the tools, technologies, and services that enable developers to build and share their apps with iOS users.

Under these new business terms, developers that sell digital goods and services in Japan will pay Apple the same or less than they do today. Developers that do not sell digital goods and services will continue not to pay Apple any commissions or fees.


Impacts to Kids’ Online Safety

Apple created the App Store to be a safe place for kids, where parents are empowered to ensure their children have age-appropriate experiences and have the tools they need to keep their children safe online. That’s why Apple has created industry-leading features like age ratings, Content & Privacy Restrictions, content filters, Ask to Buy, and powerful controls that help parents choose how children use their devices.

With the changes introduced under the MSCA, the new options for alternative distribution and payment methods may expose children to new risks. For instance, apps downloaded from outside the App Store may include illicit and objectionable content, and they will not undergo the same rigorous review process Apple employs to evaluate apps made for children on the App Store.

For instance, similar regulatory changes in Europe have enabled types of apps that were previously unavailable on iOS, including pornography apps.

In an effort to reduce new risks of fraud or scams targeting children, Apple has worked with regulators in Japan to preserve some guardrails, including:

• Apps in the Kids category on the App Store will not include links to websites to complete transactions, to reduce the risk of fraud or scams targeting children.

• For users under 18 years old, all apps from the App Store that use alternative payment processing or link to a website for transactions must include a parental gate that requires younger users to involve their parent or guardian before making a purchase. 

• For users under 13 years old, apps from the App Store cannot link to websites for transactions to protect against the risk of scams that target younger kids.

• Apple is also working to provide developers using alternative payments with a new API so they can enable parents to monitor and approve purchases made outside of Apple In-App Purchase.

Developers must also continue to provide age ratings for their apps, whether their app is distributed on the App Store or an alternative app marketplace.

Apple will continue innovating to meet the evolving risks to kids’ safety online by building on the powerful tools and features it makes available today — like Child Accounts, web content filters, app restrictions, monitoring tools like Screen Time and Family Sharing, Communication Safety, and Communication Limits, which help parents shape who their children communicate with and shield them from inappropriate content.



Additional Updates to iOS

Alongside the new app distribution and payment options, Apple has introduced additional controls and choices for users in Japan with the release of iOS 26.2. These include:

• A browser choice screen and search engine choice experience, giving users in Japan new ways to pick their preferred browser and search engine.

• Default controls for navigation apps and app marketplaces.

Across these controls, users can review and adjust their choices at any time in Settings.

For developers, Apple is sharing tools in addition to the new options for alternative distribution and app payments, including:

• New options for developers of browser apps to use alternative browser engines other than WebKit, with strict security and privacy requirements.

• A new API that enables developers of voice-based conversational apps to provide users the option to launch their app with the iPhone side button.

• A process to request interoperability with core technologies in iPhone and iOS.

Apple is providing detailed resources to help developers understand the options now available for their apps in Japan, which they can access from the Apple Developer Support page.
 
 

The Japanese police said on Thursday, they plan to expand the drone flight ban area around the designated location to about 1,000 meters, from the previous 300 meters.

This step is carried out in line with the increase in technology on unmanned aircraft creating an increase in the risk of terrorism.

The National Police Agency hopes to see a revision of the drone law at the next Parliament session, after a report compiled by experts highlighting the increasing capabilities of drones and their wider use.

"Advances in unmanned aircraft technology have raised concerns about long-range attacks and concerns that police officers may not be equipped to respond," the agency said, launching Kyodo News (18/12).

According to other reports and sources, drones are now capable of flying up to 150 kilometers per hour, up from around 50 km/h in 2016 when the law was enacted.

The range of drone video transmission also increased to a maximum of 10 km compared to 200 meters to 300 meters previously. The load capacity also increased from between 80 grams and 5 kilograms to 30 kg.

Some models can also be equipped with firearms and are capable of withstanding the recoil from a shot.

Locations specified around or above the drone are prohibited including the Prime Minister's Office, the Imperial Palace, nuclear power plants, airports and Self Defense Forces (JSDF) facilities, among others.

The agency also plans to temporarily ban flights around the locations of major international events, such as the G7 summit, or domestic ceremonies where VIPs are present.
 

The Japanese government conducted for the first time a tabletop exercise under the scenario of a major infrastructure disruption, given an increase in cyberattacks globally.

Some 300 people from related government organizations and infrastructure businesses, including electricity and gas companies, participated in Thursday's simulation held at the Tokyo metropolitan government.

Through the exercise, the central government aims to identify necessary responses and share them with local governments and businesses.

Participants practiced responding to a situation in which a large-scale blackout has occurred for unknown reasons in the metropolitan area, causing communications and transportation services to shut down.

Precise details of the exercise were not disclosed, but according to the Cabinet Secretariat and the metropolitan government, participants assessed their responses to such an event, including initial information gathering, rescue efforts and support for evacuees, over the first few days.
 
 

Dressed in an orange puffer jacket, Japanese scientist Yoshinori Iizuka stepped into a storage freezer to retrieve an ice core he hopes will help experts protect the world's disappearing glaciers.

The fist-sized sample drilled from a mountaintop is part of an ambitious international effort to understand why glaciers in Tajikistan have resisted the rapid melting seen almost everywhere else.

"If we could learn the mechanism behind the increased volume of ice there, then we may be able to apply that to all the other glaciers around the world," potentially even helping revive them, said Iizuka, a professor at Hokkaido University.

"That may be too ambitious a statement. But I hope our study will ultimately help people," he said.

Thousands of glaciers will vanish each year in the coming decades, leaving only a fraction standing by the end of the century unless global warming is curbed, a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change showed.

Earlier this year, AFP exclusively accompanied Iizuka and other scientists through harsh conditions to a site at an altitude of 5,810 metres (about 19,000 feet) on the Kon-Chukurbashi ice cap in the Pamir Mountains.

 

The area is the only mountainous region on the planet where glaciers have not only resisted melting, but even slightly grown, a phenomenon called the "Pamir-Karakoram anomaly".

The team drilled two ice columns approximately 105 metres (328 feet) long out of the glacier.

One is being stored in an underground sanctuary in Antarctica belonging to the Ice Memory Foundation, which supported the Tajikistan expedition along with the Swiss Polar Institute.

The other was shipped to Iizuka's facility, the Institute of Low Temperature Science at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, where the team is hunting clues on why precipitation in the region increased over the last century, and how the glacier has resisted melting.

 

Some link the anomaly to the area's cold climate or even increased use of agricultural water in Pakistan that creates more vapour.

But the ice cores are the first opportunity to examine the anomaly scientifically.

"Information from the past is crucial," said Iizuka.

"By understanding the causes behind the continuous build-up of snow from the past to the present, we can clarify what will happen going forward and why the ice has grown."

Since the samples arrived in November, his team has worked in freezing storage facilities to log the density, alignment of snow grains, and the structure of ice layers.

 

In December, when AFP visited, the scientists were kitted out like polar explorers to cut and shave ice samples in the comparatively balmy minus 20C of their lab.

The samples can tell stories about weather conditions going back decades, or even centuries.

A layer of clear ice indicates a warm period when the glacier melted and then refroze, while a low-density layer suggests packed snow, rather than ice, which can help estimate precipitation.

Brittle samples with cracks, meanwhile, indicate snowfall on half-melted layers that then refroze.

And other clues can reveal more information -- volcanic materials like sulfate ions can serve as time markers, while water isotopes can reveal temperatures.

The scientists hope that the samples contain material dating back 10,000 years or more, though much of the glacier melted during a warm spell around 6,000 years ago.

 

Ancient ice would help scientists answer questions such as "what kind of snow was falling in this region 10,000 years ago? What was in it?" Iizuka said.

"We can study how many and what kinds of fine particles were suspended in the atmosphere during that ice age," he added. "I really hope there is ancient ice."

For now, the work proceeds slowly and carefully, with team members like graduate student Sora Yaginuma carefully slicing samples apart.

"An ice core is an extremely valuable sample and unique," said Yaginuma. "From that single ice core, we perform a variety of analyses, both chemical and physical."

The team hopes to publish its first findings next year and will be doing "lots of trial-and-error" work to reconstruct past climate conditions, Iizuka said.

The analysis in Hokkaido will uncover only some of what the ice has to share, and with the other samples preserved in Antarctica, there will be opportunities for more research.

For example, he said, scientists could look for clues about how mining in the region historically affected the area's air quality, temperature and precipitation.

"We can learn how the Earth's environment has changed in response to human activities," Iizuka said.

With so many secrets yet to learn, the work is "extremely exciting," he added.
 
 

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in January-November is estimated to have totaled 39,065,600, already exceeding the annual record high of about 36.87 million marked last year, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

The 11-month figure grew 17.0 pct from a year earlier, putting the full-year tally on track to exceed 40 million for the first time.

In November alone, the estimated number of foreign visitors rose 10.4 pct to 3,518,000.

Meanwhile, the monthly number of visitors from mainland China grew at the slowest pace this year, rising only 3.0 pct to 562,600, the lowest figure so far this year. This reflects Beijing's call for Chinese citizens to avoid visiting Japan, amid heightened tensions between the two countries over Taiwan.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Shigeki Murata noted "very strong growth" in the number of visitors from Europe, the United States, Australia and Middle Eastern countries.
 
 

China and Japan are enmeshed in a spat over Takaichi’s suggestion in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on the self-ruled democratic island.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday she is “always open” to dialogue with China amid a diplomatic row between Tokyo and Beijing over comments she made about Taiwan.

“China is an important neighbor for Japan, and we need to build constructive and stable relationships,” Takaichi told a news conference.

“Japan is always open to dialogue with China. We’re not shutting our door.”

China and Japan are enmeshed in a spat over Takaichi’s suggestion in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on the self-ruled democratic island.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.

The comments triggered a sharp diplomatic backlash from Beijing, which has urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.

Chinese military aircraft locked radar onto Japanese jets in the latest incident this month, prompting Tokyo to summon Beijing’s ambassador.
 

Japan's Justice Ministry presented a draft plan to revise the retrial system at a meeting of a subgroup of the Legislative Council on Tuesday.

The ministry included two options on each of the major topics where there are major disagreements in the council, such as the scope of evidence disclosure in a retrial request hearing and the prohibition of appeals by prosecutors against a court decision to start a retrial.

Meanwhile, the ministry made concrete proposals on procedural provisions, over which a broad consensus had been built.

It has been effectively decided that provisions be established to enable courts to order prosecutors to submit evidence they hold after considering the necessity and possible adverse effects from submission.

But on the scope of evidence disclosure, the ministry presented the options of limiting it to proof directly related to the reason for a retrial request and accepting a wider range of evidence.
 
 

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) lifted a special advisory for further earthquakes and tsunamis in the Hokkaido and Sanriku coastal areas at the end of Monday, one week after it was initially issued.

On Dec. 8, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the east coast of Aomori Prefecture, causing severe shaking with a maximum seismic intensity of upper 6 on the Japanese shindo scale in the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture.

Tsunami warnings and advisories were issued from Hokkaido to across the northern Tohoku region.

In response, the agency announced a subsequent quake advisory for the area for the first time, stating that there was a higher-than-usual possibility of a major earthquake occurring along the Chishima Trench and the Japan Trench.

The special advisory was issued to 182 cities and towns in Hokkaido as well as Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, and Chiba prefectures.

These areas were stated to be at risk of experiencing a quake measuring a lower 6 or stronger on the Japanese intensity scale, and a tsunami of 3 meters or higher.

In a joint briefing with the Cabinet Office on Tuesday morning, the JMA said that the warning period ending does not mean the possibility of a large-scale earthquake occurring has completely disappeared, and that it is still possible for a sudden, massive earthquake to occur.

The agency urged the public to maintain vigilance and perform regular earthquake safety practices, such as checking evacuation sites and routes as well as securing furniture.
 
 

 
 
A total of 3,498 properties around critical security facilities and remote islands in Japan were purchased by foreign individuals or entities in fiscal 2024, with nearly half from China, a government study showed Tuesday.
 
Separately, the government announced it will demand from April 2026 increased disclosure when corporations attempt to acquire forested lands or properties deemed of national security importance, such as requiring them to disclose the nationalities of company heads in registration forms.
 
It will also ask individuals to provide their nationalities when acquiring forested areas, in a series of efforts by the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to gain a grasp on the scale of the foreign real estate ownership.
 
Foreigners acquired a total of 1,744 plots of land and 1,754 buildings across 37 of Japan's 47 prefectures, according to the survey on acquisitions. The purchases were made in the vicinity of 583 locations designated as "monitored areas" or "special monitored areas" under a law governing their use that took effect in 2022.
 
By country or region, China accounted for the most acquisitions at 1,674, followed by Taiwan at 414, South Korea at 378 and the United States at 211.
 
The survey is the second since the implementation of the law aimed to prevent real estate in areas surrounding important facilities and on remote islands from being used for acts that may impact official activities.
 
"We will steadily investigate the situation and take all-out measures to thwart acts that obstruct the functions of the properties," said Kimi Onoda, minister in charge of economic security, at a press conference on Tuesday.
 
Last year's investigation showed foreigners acquired 371 properties, but any direct comparison is unrepresentative as the number of designated locations increased nearly seven-fold in the latest survey.
 
There were no cases where warnings or orders to halt use were issued.
 
According to the Cabinet Office, many of the properties acquired by foreigners were apartments or condominiums, with many Chinese buyers believed to have purchased properties in the greater Tokyo area for investment purposes.
 
By prefecture, Tokyo saw the highest number of acquisitions at 1,558. Some were around the Medical Service School of the Ground Self-Defense Force, the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency's Naval Systems Research Center and the New Sanno U.S. Forces Center.
 
After Tokyo, Kanagawa had the most acquisitions at 339, followed by Chiba at 235, Hokkaido at 217 and Fukuoka at 211.
 
Under the law, plots of land and buildings within a 1-kilometer radius of designated critical facilities are subject to land use regulations. The survey covered a total of 113,827 properties where ownership was newly registered in the fiscal year starting April 2024.
 
 

 
Belgian renewables firm Virya Energy has entered the Japanese market by acquiring BayWa r.e.’s local solar platform of over 60 MWdc and operational team.

The integrated platform comprises a development and operating solar portfolio spread across Japan's prefectures, the buyer announced on Friday.

“This development advances Virya’s long-term commitment to Japan’s renewable power generation sector, with a focus on supplying large corporate clients with reliable green power,” the company said.

Under the terms, a core team, including senior management and the development team from BayWa r.e. Japan will transfer to Virya Energy and operate under the Virya Energy brand.

"This platform is complemented by proven delivery capability in Japan, as the combined management team has already developed, built, and put into operation over 1,000 MW of solar projects in the country since 2013," noted Virya Energy.
 
 

Japanese police have arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with Sunday's stabbing attack in the western city of Fukuoka, which injured two people.

The police say the suspect, Yamaguchi Naoya, who lives in Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture, hinted at his involvement in the case in interviews conducted before the arrest.

They say the instrument believed to be used in the attack has already been found.

The victims of the assault that took place on Sunday evening are a 44-year-old male event staffer of a pop idol group and a 27-year-old woman who travelled from Kurashiki City in Okayama Prefecture to the area for another event.

The police say the male victim was stabbed in a staff only elevator hall at a domed stadium, right after he told the suspected assailant to leave.
They say the suspect then attacked the woman who was at an adjacent commercial facility.

The police say the staffer was stabbed in his chest and the female victim in her back. They say they were taken to hospital after the attack, and their injuries are not life-threatening.

The woman reportedly has told the police she was not acquainted with the assailant.
 
 

Two pandas at a Tokyo zoo will be returned to China in January, Japanese media said on Monday (Dec 15), potentially leaving Japan without the beloved animals for the first time in half a century.

Loaned out as part of China's "panda diplomacy" programme, the distinctive black-and-white animals have symbolised friendship between Beijing and Tokyo since the normalisation of diplomatic ties in 1972.

Japan currently has only two pandas - Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao - at Tokyo's Zoological Gardens in the Ueno neighbourhood.

However, the twins are now set to be repatriated a month before their loan period expires in February, said the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which operates the Ueno zoo.

Tokyo's regional government has been asking for the immensely popular mammals to remain at the zoo - where they attract huge crowds - but China did not agree, according to the Nikkei business daily.

n September last year, animal lovers in Tokyo bid farewell to the parents of Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao who returned home.

Just before they left, thousands of tearful fans came out to catch a final glimpse and take photographs of the beloved bears.

The Asahi Shimbun reported that Tokyo is seeking the loan of a new pair, although their arrival before the return of Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao is seen as unlikely.

Ties between Asia's two largest economies are fast deteriorating after Japan's conservative new premier Sanae Takaichi hinted that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of any attack on Taiwan.

Her comment provoked the ire of Beijing, which regards the island as its own territory.

Japan's top government spokesman Minoru Kihara said pandas have helped ties with China.

"Exchanges through pandas have contributed to improving the feelings between the people of Japan and China. We hope such exchanges will continue," Kihara told a regular press briefing.

He said that "several local governments and zoos have expressed interest in receiving pandas on loan", but did not state whether the national government was asking China for new animals.

Ueno Zoo has long been the beneficiary of panda diplomacy, having cooperated with facilities in China and the United States to successfully breed giant pandas.

Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao were delivered in 2021 by their mother Shin Shin, who arrived in 2011 and was returned to China last year.

Breeding pandas in a zoo environment is fiendishly tricky due to their difficulties mating, false pregnancies and high mortality rates of newborn cubs.
 
 

The city of Kusatsu in the western Japan prefecture of Shiga, often confused for the famous "onsen" hot spring town in eastern Japan sharing the same name, is using the mix-up as a public relations opportunity.

Every year, the tourist information office and other related facilities in the Shiga city handle about 100 visits and inquiries from people confusing the city with the town of Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, which is about 300 kilometers away, according to the Shiga city's tourism and products association.

One day in October, a tourist from Taiwan visited the information office seeking an onsen facility.

The city, the second-most populous municipality in Shiga, faces the need to enhance its name recognition outside the prefecture to avoid the name confusion.

In a fresh approach to the problem, an official of the association suggested using the muddle-up as an opportunity, coming up with the "Onsen-nai Manju," or "onsenless manju," steamed bun with bean paste.

 

 

"Black Box Diaries," an Oscar-nominated film directed by Japanese journalist Shiori Ito documenting her experience after suffering sexual violence, was released in Japan on Friday.

"I spent 10 years making the film," Ito said in a speech after the documentary was screened at a theater in Tokyo. "I'm happy from the bottom of my heart."

The film details Ito's experience after sexual assault by a former television reporter in 2015.

It was screened at overseas film festivals in 2024 and was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at this year's U.S. Academy Awards.

Meanwhile, lawyers, including those who helped Ito win a civil lawsuit against the former TV journalist over her sexual abuse case, had criticized the use of hotel security camera images and statements from taxi drivers without permission.
 
 

The Japanese government plans to ask buyers of forested land to register their nationalities, starting next April. The move is aimed at keeping track of foreign property ownership across the nation.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry plans to announce the new rule as early as next week.

Corporate entities that acquire forested areas will be required to list the nationality of their representative.

Owners with a foreign address will need to register their place of contact in Japan. Buyers will also be asked to report the purpose of the acquisition.

The government is carrying out a wholesale review of policies for foreign nationals, with basic ideas to be mapped out by around January.

Officials say some measures will be introduced quickly if necessary.
 

 

As military tensions between China and Japan reach the highest level in more than a decade, the sparsely populated island of Yonaguni finds itself right on the front lines.

Sitting just 110 kilometers (68 miles) east of Taiwan, Yonaguni marks the tail end of an archipelago stretching north to Japan’s main islands, a distance roughly equivalent to the length of the California coastline.

Ever since former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taipei in 2022 prompted China to fire missiles that landed near Yonaguni, Japan has accelerated plans for its largest military buildup in at least four decades.

Up and down the 160-strong Ryukyu island chain, Japan is quickly putting in place missile batteries, radar towers, ammunition storage sites and other combat facilities. It’s also beginning to deploy major military assets on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, including F-35 fighter jets and long-range missiles, as well as expanding its version of the U.S. Marine Corps, known as the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade.

The race to fortify the islands is raising the stakes of the current spat between Asia’s biggest economies, as Beijing ramps up pressure to force Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to retract remarks suggesting that Japan might deploy its military if China one day attempts to seize Taiwan.

Over the weekend, a Chinese fighter aircraft locked its weapons-targeting radar on Japanese warplanes, showing the risk of miscalculation if tensions persist.

"China's People's Liberation Army is undoubtedly building up its ability to force Taiwan into submission,” said Koichi Isobe, a former lieutenant general in Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force.

"Japan, the United States, and other Western countries must show China their strong resolve to oppose any actions that seek to change the status quo.”

A subtropical island known mostly for endangered wild horses and dive spots with hammerhead sharks, Yonaguni is now seeing new apartment buildings sprouting up to house troops for a military base established in 2016.

Over the next year, some 30 staff will join the nearly 230 already on site to accommodate an electronic warfare division, and more are expected to follow with the planned deployment of anti-air missiles.

Some of the 1,500 or so residents on the island are becoming more nervous at the infusion of arms, and have sought more clarity from Japanese officials on future plans.

On a warm December evening earlier this month, about 80 locals gathered at a community hall for an "explanation meeting,” at which Defense Ministry officials told them why it was necessary to deploy troops, anti-air missiles and weapons that use electromagnetic waves to jam enemy communications and targeting capabilities.

Some residents voiced concerns over the dangers of an enhanced military presence, with one saying Takaichi should’ve kept quiet. But others such as Shigeru Yonahara, a 63-year-old car mechanic and town council member, agreed with the Defense Ministry’s position. A few days prior to the meeting, Japan’s military reported that it spotted a suspected Chinese drone near the island.

"Right now we’re defenseless,” he said in an interview. "We need the electronic warfare unit to disable threats like drones.”

Since Takaichi’s remarks triggered a backlash from China, she has repeatedly asserted that Japan hasn’t changed its policy toward Taiwan or made any new commitment on when it might deploy its military.

However, her remarks have highlighted how closely the security of Japan and Taiwan are connected.

While Japan maintains a doctrine of strict self-defense, in 2015 the government of then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe oversaw a landmark legal change that allowed the military to aid friendly nations in a situation where Japan’s own survival could also be at stake.

Before Takaichi took power in October, Abe and successive leaders had avoided giving specific scenarios under which "collective self-defense” would be applied, aware that doing so might stoke tensions with China.

But in private, government officials and security analysts have long mentioned that one scenario could be an American-led defense of Taiwan, given Japan’s proximity to the island democracy and its own dependence on the U.S. for security. Any prospect that American forces would fail to stop a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would therefore inevitably put Japan’s own security at risk.

Japan would have little choice but to support the U.S. in a conflict regardless of how it is viewed by Tokyo, according to Kyoko Hatakeyama, a former Japanese government analyst who is now a professor of international relations at Niigata University.

"If we decline the U.S. request, that would mean the end of the alliance,” she said. "And the United States might not even protect Japan in the case of China’s attack on Japan.”

The military buildup has attracted heated debate in parliament. Last month, the head of Japan's opposition Communist Party said the government’s defense plans were creating a "missile archipelago.” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has rejected that description, saying Japan was deploying its forces in line with other countries.

During a recent visit to Yonaguni, he said plans to deploy medium-range surface-to-air missiles on the island were intended to reduce the likelihood of attacks on Japan.

Tension over Taiwan has its origin in agreements that ended World War II — history that Chinese President Xi Jinping is now seeking to bend to his advantage. In conversations with U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders, Xi has argued that China helped defeat Japan and two wartime statements — the Potsdam Declaration and the Cairo Declaration — made clear that Beijing has sovereignty over Taiwan.

As part of its response, some Chinese officials have indicated that World War II-era declarations also raise doubts about Japan’s sovereignty over Yonaguni and other islands in the Ryukyu chain. Last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian posted on X a quote from the 1945 Potsdam Declaration, which said Japanese sovereignty should be limited to the country’s four main islands "and such minor islands as we determine.”

Japan, the U.S. and Taiwan reject China’s assertions, pointing to the San Francisco Peace Treaty as a legally binding agreement. Signed in 1951 by Japan and almost 50 allied nations, it states that Tokyo "renounces all rights, title and claim” to Taiwan, but doesn’t specify to whom.

It also placed the Ryukyu islands under U.S. administration, paving the way for American military bases primarily located on the island of Okinawa. The islands were returned to Japan in 1972.

Beijing rejects the San Francisco treaty, with the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo last month posting that it was merely an "invalid scrap of paper.” China retains active claims to the Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands to Beijing, which sit to the north of Yonaguni.

Those islands fall under the U.S.-Japan mutual defense treaty, a position that Trump’s envoy to Japan, George Glass, reaffirmed last month.

Ever since Takaichi’s remarks, Chinese officials have pressed their historical case with visiting dignitaries. On Monday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi gave a lengthy argument for China’s sovereignty over Taiwan in a meeting with German counterpart Johann Wadephul while saying Japan should be more cautious as a "defeated nation” in World War II.

China has also sought to play on tensions between indigenous islanders and the militaries of both Japan and the U.S.. Last month, Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times appeared to call for Ryukyu independence in a Weibo post, saying "only the Ryukyu people themselves can decide the fate of Ryukyu.”

A prominent Chinese state media journalist also questioned Japan’s sovereignty over the islands in a 12-minute television segment, saying they were "turned into a huge military base with its indigenous people forced to endure deep-rooted discrimination.”

Those debates are most prevalent on Okinawa, the center of American and Japanese military power on the archipelago, where major U.S. Marine Corps and other military bases would likely provide the first response in any conflict over Taiwan if Washington chooses to intervene.

Japan is also building up its own military presence on the island: Last year, it inaugurated an anti-ship missile base that serves as a command center for similar outposts on the islands of Ishigaki, Miyako and Amami-Oshima.

Hiroyuki Teruya, a 73-year-old former college professor, has led demonstrations against a Japanese missile base in the city of Uruma on Okinawa.

He worries that the militarization of Japan’s southern islands will lead to a repeat of the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, the final land offensive by the U.S. in the Pacific War that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians.

All three of Teruya’s uncles were killed in that conflict. Plans for evacuation shelters on Japan’s southern islands were a hopeless attempt to protect locals against new bloodshed, Teruya said. Rather than trying to deter China and preparing for conflict with a stronger military, Japan should prioritize diplomacy to avoid war, he said.

"After 80 years, it’s come to this,” he said. "Are they going to make Okinawa a battlefield once again?”

Historical memories remain a strong influence on older Japanese, who identify more closely than younger generations with Japan’s post-World War II rejection of militarism. In 1947, Japan adopted a pacifist constitution that remains unchanged to this day.

Younger Japanese, however, are largely supportive of Japan’s military build-up. A poll conducted by the Sankei newspaper and Fuji News Network on Nov. 22-23 found that 83.2% of respondents age between 18 and 29 supported Takaichi’s plans to increase defense spending — nearly double that of those older than 70.

Takaichi has pledged to reach defense spending worth 2% of gross domestic product this fiscal year, two years ahead of schedule.

Okinawa has a far higher concentration of military bases than any other prefecture in Japan, most of them American. Ayako Arakaki, a local lawmaker in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said that widely held perceptions that Okinawans are opposed to bases are inaccurate.

Arakaki said that the sound of fighter jets scrambling from a base near her office in response to Chinese military activity near Japan is a reminder of the challenge.

"China has long made claims that are out of step with the international community, completely disregarding the consensus in Japan,” said Arakaki, referring to Chinese statements on the sovereignty of Japanese islands. "What we’re seeing is a country that won’t accept anything unless its own demands are met.”

If Japan plays a supporting role in any U.S.-led defense of Taiwan, the new electronic warfare unit on Yonaguni could transform the island from a passive observation post into an active "kill chain” enabler that could feed precise targeting data to Japanese and U.S. missile batteries, according to Franz-Stefan Gady, an adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based research group.

That could make it a key priority for China, he said, calling it a "high-priority target for early neutralization.”

On Yonaguni, the debate over Japan’s military presence came to a head in a mayoral election this summer. The victor, Tsuneo Uechi, campaigned on a more cautious approach to the buildup, replacing a hawkish incumbent.

In an interview, Uechi said he accepted that existing plans for electronic warfare and medium range anti-air missile units would help defend the island, and he also welcomed the arrival of younger people from the military on an island where most people are much older.

Still, he said, further moves to install anti-ship batteries like those positioned on other islands would add to the "psychological stress” of locals, he said. The meeting between the Defense Ministry and the locals earlier this month came in response to Uechi’s request to the government for more openness about its plans.

"These developments are not intended to attack any other country,” Kouzou Shimo, a Japanese Defense Ministry official, told residents at the meeting. "It is purely for us to defend ourselves in a crisis.”

The previous mayor, Keniichi Itokazu, says Takaichi didn’t go far enough in indicating her support for Taiwan. He wants additional missile systems on Yonaguni and joint military exercises involving Japanese, U.S. and Taiwanese forces.

"Japan alone cannot defend itself,” Itokazu said. "The U.S.-Japan alliance creates the deterrence that prevents China from making moves toward Taiwan or the Ryukyus.”
 
 

Japan's Meteorological Agency is urging people along the northern Pacific coast to stay vigilant for a mega quake after a tremor led to a tsunami advisory on Friday.

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Aomori at 11:44 a.m. at a depth of 17 kilometers.

Tsunami waves as high as 20 centimeters were later observed in parts of Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures. The tsunami advisory was lifted early in the afternoon.

In Hokkaido and across much of the Tohoku region, the tremors reached an intensity of 4 on the Japanese scale of zero to seven.

The tremor was one of many jolts that have occurred since one with an intensity of upper 6 in the Japanese scale of zero to 7 in Hachinohe on Monday.

Following Monday's magnitude 7.5 quake, a tsunami warning and advisory was issued for coastal areas from Hokkaido and Tohoku.

A 70-centimeter tsunami was observed at Kuji Port in Iwate Prefecture.



No irregularities at nuclear plants

Tohoku Electric Power Company said no abnormalities were detected at the Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture, or at the Onagawa plant in Miyagi Prefecture.

Tokyo Electric Power Company said no abnormalities were detected at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear plants. Both companies say there are no changes in readings at monitoring posts that measure radiation levels around the plants.


Mega quake possibility 'still valid'

Still, people are being advised to remain vigilant. The meteorological agency issued an "Off the Coast of Hokkaido and Sanriku Subsequent Earthquake Advisory" on Tuesday, following a quake the previous day off northern Japan with a magnitude of 7.5.

The agency says there is a high possibility of a strong tremor along the Japan Trench and the Chishima Trench off Hokkaido.

The advisory covers 182 municipalities in the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki and Chiba.

According to the agency, a "late-stage earthquake" is a big quake with a magnitude of 8 or higher. The agency explained that Friday's quake did not meet this standard, and the probability of a larger quake continues to be higher than usual.

It does not mean a quake is certain to occur, and authorities are not asking people to evacuate in advance. But they are urging people to prepare emergency bags to be sure they can evacuate quickly, if needed.

People are also advised to check evacuation places and routes as well as to fix furniture to the ceiling or wall, and stockpile food, water and emergency toilet kits.
 
 

Türkiye’s interest in Japan is experiencing a remarkable surge, with the number of Turkish visitors reaching record levels.

Visa‑free travel for up to 90 days, newly launched direct flights and the powerful influence of social media have combined to fuel an unprecedented rise in demand.

In the first nine months of the year alone, approximately 70,000 Turkish tourists traveled to Japan.

Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) shows that around 7,000 Turkish citizens visited Japan in 2022, a figure that climbed to nearly 17,000 in 2023. Since TÜİK has not yet released figures for 2024 and 2025, the latest trends are reflected in statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).

JNTO reports that between January and September 2025, Japan welcomed 31.6 million international visitors, marking a 17.7 percent increase from the same period in 2024. During the same timeframe, arrivals from Türkiye rose by an impressive 76.8 percent.

Industry representatives note that the number of Turkish tourists visiting Japan is expected to reach 90,000 by the end of the year, indicating a staggering 430 percent increase over the past two years.

The long‑standing visa‑free entry for Turkish passport holders remains one of the strongest drivers of this growth. Additional factors include new direct flight routes, Japan’s diverse cultural and tourism offerings, heightened social media visibility, and a growing fascination with Japanese culture.

Flight prices vary depending on the season. Promotional fares for round‑trip economy tickets typically start above 50,000 Turkish Liras ($1,170), while peak‑season prices can exceed 100,000 liras.

In February 2025, All Nippon Airways (ANA) launched a new direct route between Haneda and Istanbul, while Turkish Airlines announced plans to increase its Istanbul–Narita service from seven to ten weekly flights in the 2026 summer schedule. These developments are expected to encourage even more Turkish travelers to visit Japan.

According to Davut Günaydın, vice President of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), demand for Japan tours has risen threefold, and packages covering five to seven nights start at around 2,300 euros, reaching up to 4,500 euros.

He adds that airfare accounts for roughly 60 percent of total tour costs and that prices have remained relatively stable compared to last year.

Günaydın also highlights the favorable exchange rate of the Japanese yen, which has made shopping — particularly electronics — more attractive for Turkish travelers.

Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district has become a popular destination for such purchases, according to Günaydın.

Emphasizing that interest in Japan “never fades,” he predicts that the strong demand seen this year will continue into 2026.
 

The Japanese government and ruling parties are considering finalizing details of a plan to address tax revenue gaps between Tokyo and other local governments at the end of next year, people familiar with the matter said Thursday.

Government and ruling coalition officials have been discussing ways to correct an imbalance in local tax revenues favoring Tokyo, which has led to increasing gaps in administrative services.

Specifically, they are considering reallocating more revenue from corporate enterprise tax and land fixed-asset tax from the capital to other local governments.

They plan to make a decision on the matter as part of annual tax system reform work for fiscal 2027. The plan will be spelled out in the ruling coalition’s fiscal 2026 tax reform package.

The Tokyo metropolitan government’s financial resources for its own policies total 281,000 yen per resident, about 3.6 times higher than the average of 78,000 yen for other prefectures.
 
 

The announcement was made in Kyoto on Friday

‘Kuma’ Is the Official Kanji of 2025

On Friday, the official Kanji of the Year for 2025 was announced at Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto. Unsurprisingly, the top choice this year was 熊 (pronounced Kuma) meaning bear.

The character was selected from a public vote. It’s the first time the kanji for bear has been chosen, reflecting a year that has been marked by a record number of sightings and bear attacks across the country. 

Shown live on TV, the character was drawn using a giant calligraphy brush on Japanese paper, known as washi, by chief Buddhist priest Seihan Mori.

Other characters mentioned as contenders included 巳 (mi), the eto kanji for snake and 災 (sai or wazawai), meaning disaster.

In 2024, 金 (kin) was selected as the Kanji of the Year. The choice was influenced by a variety of events, including Japan’s medal haul at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
 

A U.N. intergovernmental committee decided Thursday to add six items submitted by Japan to three categories already inscribed on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, including traditional festivals and paper-making.

Festivals from the prefectures of Ibaraki, Niigata, Shiga and Toyama, as well as two types of craftsmanship related to handmade paper and tatami mat making, were formally endorsed by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's intergovernmental committee at a meeting in New Delhi.

All six items were recommended for inclusion last month by UNESCO's advisory panel, which noted that they demonstrate cultural diversity and have satisfied safeguarding practices.

 

The Ofune Festival of Hitachi Otsu in Ibaraki, the Murakami Yatai Festival in Niigata, the Hojozu Hachimangu Shrine Hikiyama Tsukiyama Festival in Toyama and the Otsu Hikiyama Festival in Shiga have been added to the "Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan" list, bringing the total to 37.

Meanwhile, the manufacturing of Echizen "torinoko-shi" handmade paper in Fukui Prefecture has been added to the "Washi, craftsmanship of traditional Japanese handmade paper" category as the fourth item.

 

Crafting handwoven "nakatsugi-omote," a type of aesthetic and durable tatami mat surface, becomes the 18th item on the "Traditional skills, techniques and knowledge for the conservation and transmission of wooden architecture in Japan."

The government nominated the six items to UNESCO in March 2024. As UNESCO implements an annual review limit of 60 nominations, those from Japan, which makes many submissions, generally undergo review every two years.

 

But since the latest six items were treated as "extensions" of existing heritage-listed categories, they were reviewed this year, outside the biennial review. The number of entries from Japan will also remain unchanged at 23.

Japan has also requested "shodo" calligraphy to be listed as a new Intangible Cultural Heritage entry, with screening by the U.N. body expected in 2026.

 

It has also decided to submit the traditional performing art "kagura" in 2028, and "onsen" hot spring culture in 2030.
 
 

Japan's House of Representatives on Thursday passed the government's supplementary budget bill for fiscal 2025, which will finance the first comprehensive economic policy package compiled under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

At a plenary meeting of the lower chamber of the Diet, the budget bill was approved by a majority vote, with support from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai), as well as the opposition Democratic Party for the People and Komeito.

The budget bill is expected to be enacted as early as Tuesday after deliberations in the House of Councillors, the upper Diet chamber.

 

Under the banner of "responsible yet aggressive" fiscal policy, the budget bill calls for general-account spending of 18,303.4 billion yen, including funds to implement an additional child allowance of 20,000 yen per child.

More than 60 pct of the extra budget will be funded by selling government bonds.

In the Lower House, the DPFP voted in favor of the budget bill after the Takaichi administration decided to abolish the provisional gasoline tax surcharge. Komeito finalized its support for the bill at a party meeting earlier in the day.
 
 

Japan was assessing damage Tuesday and cautioning people of potential aftershocks after a late-night 7.5 magnitude earthquake caused injuries, light damage and a tsunami in Pacific coastal communities.

At least 34 people were injured, one seriously, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Most of them were hit by falling objects, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters an emergency task force was formed to urgently assess damage. “We are putting people’s lives first and doing everything we can,” she said.

At a parliamentary session Tuesday, Takaichi pledged the government would continue its utmost effort and reminded people they have to protect their own lives.

The 7.5 magnitude quake struck around 11:15 p.m. in the Pacific Ocean, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main Honshu island.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 7.6 magnitude and said it occurred 44 kilometers (27 miles) below the surface.

A tsunami of up to 70 centimeters (2 feet, 4 inches) was measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, just south of Aomori, and waves up to 50 centimeters struck other communities in the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. NHK reported the waves damaged some oyster rafts.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said about 800 homes were without electricity and Shinkansen bullet trains and some local lines were suspended in parts of the region in the early hours of Tuesday. East Japan Railway said bullet trains resumed operation in the region later Tuesday.

Power was mostly restored by Tuesday morning, according to the Tohoku Electric Power Co.

About 480 residents sheltered at Hachinohe Air Base and 18 defense helicopters were mobilized for a damage assessment, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.

About 200 passengers were stranded for the night at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, NHK reported. Part of a domestic terminal building was unusable Tuesday after parts of its ceiling cracked and fell to the floor, according to the airport operator.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said about 450 liters (118 gallons) of water spilled from a spent fuel cooling area at the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, but that its water level remained within the normal range and there was no safety concern. No abnormalities were found at other nuclear power plants and spent fuel storage facilities, the NRA said.

JMA cautioned about possible aftershocks in the coming days. It said there is a slight increase in risk of a magnitude 8-level quake and possible tsunami occurring along Japan’s northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido.

The agency urged residents in 182 municipalities in the area to monitor their emergency preparedness in the coming week, reminding them that the caution is not a prediction of a big one.

Monday’s quake occurred just north of the coastal region where the magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011 killed nearly 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

“You need to prepare, assuming that a disaster like that could happen again,” JMA official Satoshi Harada said.

Smaller aftershocks were continuing Tuesday. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 6.6 and later a 5.1 quake in the hours after the initial temblor.
 
 

Chinese and Russian bombers have conducted their first joint flight off the Shikoku region in western Japan, according to the Defense Ministry's Joint Staff Office.

"It should be taken as a coercive action against Japan," Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference Wednesday.

Through diplomatic channels, the Japanese government has expressed its "grave national security concern" to Beijing and Moscow, he noted.

The office said Tuesday that two Russian Tu-95 bombers coming from the Sea of Japan and two Chinese H-6 bombers met over the East China Sea and flew long distance together passing between the main and Miyakojima islands of the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa.

 

The planes reversed their course over the Pacific Ocean off Shikoku to return to the East China Sea. During the flight, they were joined by Chinese J-16 fighters. The office also said Russia's Su-30 fighters and A-50 early warning plane were spotted over the Sea of Japan.

In response, ASDF fighters were scrambled. Meanwhile, those Chinese and Russian aircraft did not intrude into Japanese airspace, ministry officials said.
 
 

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Wednesday dismissed China's claim that Japanese Self-Defense Forces fighter jets locked radar on Chinese aircraft in a recent incident between the nations.

Chinese J-15 aircraft locked radar on SDF jets on Saturday, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry, while the Chinese military countered that its fighters also detected radar search signals from the Japanese aircraft.

Acknowledging China had notified Japan in advance about drills involving the aircraft carrier Liaoning, Koizumi said at a press conference that the notice lacked detail on the scale and location of the training in the Pacific southeast of Okinawa's main island.

Koizumi reiterated Japan's view that China had not issued the customary notices for such activities, including "notices to air missions," known as NOTAMs, or navigation warnings for ships.

He also stressed that it was "natural" for SDF aircraft to scramble against the Chinese fighters that flew from the carrier Liaoning, given concerns that their actions could violate Japan's airspace.

But Koizumi said it is essential for the Asian neighbors to "persistently maintain candid discussions and communication" at a time when they face "specific and difficult concerns."

Beijing has claimed that "frequent close-in reconnaissance and disruptions" by Japanese jets during the drills caused security risks, while Tokyo has said its jets kept a "safe distance" from Chinese military aircraft.
 
 

Japan is assessing damage from Monday's large earthquake as aftershocks continue along the country's northeast coast.

Residents along Japan's northeast coast were warned to stay alert, as aftershocks continued Tuesday in the aftermath of a major earthquake that has left at least 33 people injured.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 6.6 and later a 5.1 quake in the hours after the initial temblor late Monday night local time.

The USGS measured the main quake at 7.6 magnitude just off the coast of the city of Misawa in Aomori Prefecture, and it was about 27 miles deep.
Most of the people injured were hit by falling objects, according to public broadcaster NHK.

A tsunami of just over 2 feet was measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, just south of Aomori, and waves up to 20 inches struck other communities in the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. NHK reported the waves damaged some oyster rafts.

The agency lifted all tsunami advisories by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said about 800 homes were without electricity and Shinkansen bullet trains and some local lines were suspended in parts of the region in the early hours of Tuesday. East Japan Railway said it is aiming to resume bullet trains in the region later Tuesday.

Power was mostly restored by Tuesday morning, according to the Tohoku Electric Power Co.

About 480 residents sheltered at Hachinohe Air Base and 18 defense helicopters were mobilized for a damage assessment, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.

About 200 passengers were stranded for the night at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, NHK reported. Part of a domestic terminal building was unusable Tuesday after parts of its ceiling cracked and fell to the floor, according to the airport operator.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said about 118 gallons of water spilled from a spent fuel cooling area at the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, but that its water level remained within the normal range and there was no safety concern. No abnormalities were found at other nuclear power plants and spent fuel storage facilities, the NRA said.

JMA cautioned about possible aftershocks in the coming days. It said there is a slight increase in risk of a magnitude 8-level quake and possible tsunami occurring along Japan's northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido.

The agency urged residents in 182 municipalities in the area to monitor their emergency preparedness in the coming week, reminding them that the caution is not a prediction of a big one.

Monday's quake occurred just north of the coastal region where the magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011 killed nearly 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

“You need to prepare, assuming that a disaster like that could happen again," JMA official Satoshi Harada said.
 
 

The head of a religious group in Japan formerly known as the Unification Church has announced his resignation. The group is facing a court order to disband as it has been accused of collecting large donations and causing other problems.

Tanaka Tomihiro, the leader of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Japan, held a news conference at its headquarters in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Tanaka said the group must not underestimate the deep psychological pain it has caused to some people. He said he takes the matter seriously and decided to resign as a step to restore the trust of society. He offered an apology.

As a reason for his resignation, Tanaka cited a development in court examinations over the order to disband.

He also said an environment has been created to hand down the task to the next generation as efforts to improve its governance have stabilized.
Tanaka revealed that former vice head Hori Masaichi will assume the top position.

The group said Hori will be the first leader from second-generation followers.

The Tokyo High Court may reach a decision by the end of March over the lower court disbandment order. The procedure will then begin if the high court backs the order.
 
 

We recently took a moment to ooh and aah over how cute Studio Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku’s Totoro kagami mochi plushie looks, and to learn a little bit about the traditional Japanese New Year’s decoration that inspired it.

 

Stacks of rice cakes aren’t the only symbols of good fortune and prosperity that Japanese homes are adorned with at the end of the year, though, and today we’ve got another one with a twist: a "Kiki’s Delivery Service" shimekazari wreath.

Technically, I suppose we’ve got multiple twists here, since not only is there a touch of anime aesthetics with the presence of Kiki’s black cat Jiji, the wreath itself is a braided coil of straw.

 

Shimekazari literally means “twisted decoration,” and they’re small, home-sized versions of the larger shimenawa ropes you might encounter at Shinto shrines, which serve as a barrier of sorts to ward off evil spirits and general misfortune.

Because of their more compact size, these New Year’s wreaths can be hung above your home’s entrance, on the door, or even inside, either on walls or interior doors. Donguri Kyowakoku officially classifies this as a “Western-style decoration,” making it technically a secular ornament that can be used for non-denominational wishes of good fortune and festive cheer during the holiday season.

 

The Jiji figure is made of a mix of metal and resin components, while the wreath uses both artificial and dried flowers, and the straw is natural as well, ensuring that each wreath has its own subtly unique appearance.

The wreath measures 28 centimeters n length, putting it right in that easy-to-decorate-with sweet spot of being large enough to be noticed without being so big as to dominate the room.
 

 

Priced at 6,050 yen, the "Kiki’s Delivery Service" wreath can be ordered through the Donguri Kyowakoku online shop here.
 

Indonesia’s embassy in Tokyo urged its nationals in Japan to stay calm and alert after a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off Aomori Prefecture late Monday, triggering brief tsunami warnings in the country’s northeast.

In a statement posted on Instagram on Tuesday, the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) reminded nationals that earthquakes are frequent in Japan and called on them to remain composed and attentive to official information.

The embassy urged Indonesians to monitor updates from Japanese media and follow instructions from local authorities at all times.

It also advised residents to study evacuation routes and prepare emergency bags containing essential documents, medicine, and sufficient cash.

As of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, the embassy said it had received no reports of Indonesians harmed or affected by the quake.

Indonesians facing emergencies were asked to contact the embassy’s hotline at +81-80-3506-8612 or +81-80-4940-7419, or the Indonesian consulate in Osaka at +81-80-3113-1003.

KBRI stressed that staying informed and prepared remained crucial for Indonesian communities across Japan.

It said close cooperation with Japanese authorities was vital to ensure the safety of all residents in a country highly prone to major seismic events.

The embassy added that it would continue monitoring the situation and would issue updates when necessary.

It also encouraged Indonesians to register with embassy community networks to receive rapid alerts and assistance during emergencies.

Meanwhile, Kyodo News reported that Japan’s Meteorological Agency has increased the likelihood of another quake of similar or greater magnitude striking the same region in the coming days.

The 7.5-magnitude quake shook northeastern Japan late Monday, prompting tsunami warnings for coastal areas of Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate before the alerts were lifted several hours later.

Kyodo noted it was the first time such warnings had been issued for Hokkaido and the Sanriku coast, which stretches from Aomori through Iwate and into Miyagi.

The Japanese Cabinet Office urged the public to stay on heightened alert for at least a week and to keep emergency kits accessible in case immediate evacuation becomes necessary.

Kyodo also recalled that the 2011 M9.0 megaquake, which left nearly 20,000 dead and more than 2,500 missing, struck the same northeastern region and triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday expressed eagerness to advance legislation to give legal validity to the use of maiden names.

Speaking before the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, Takaichi said she will "make necessary considerations in close coordination with the ruling coalition" of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai.

Responding to a question from LDP lawmaker Masahiko Shibayama, Takaichi argued that giving validity to the use of maiden names by those who have changed their surnames due to marriage "will reduce the number of citizens who experience inconvenience in social life." She added that codifying maiden name use will enhance such effects.

Takaichi said there have been no changes to the government's policy of "reducing concerns and problems while increasing understanding and cooperation" in diplomatic ties with China, which soured after her parliamentary remarks on a possible Taiwan contingency. "We will monitor the situation closely and respond appropriately," she said.

At the Budget Committee meeting, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi commented on the recent incident in which Chinese military aircraft directed radar at Japanese Self-Defense Forces fighter jets.
 
 

Last year, more than 18,000 older people living with dementia left their homes and went missing in Japan. Almost 500 were later found dead.
Police say such cases have doubled since 2012.

Elderly people aged 65 and over now make up nearly 30% of Japan's population - the second-highest proportion in the world after Monaco, according to the World Bank.

The crisis is further compounded by a shrinking workforce and tight limits on foreign workers coming in to provide care.

Japan's government has identified dementia as one of its most urgent policy challenges, with the Health Ministry estimating that dementia-related health and social care costs will reach 14 trillion yen ($90bn; £67bn) by 2030 - up from nine trillion yen in 2025.

In its most recent strategy, the government has signalled a stronger pivot toward technology to ease the pressure.

Across the country, people are adopting GPS-based systems to keep track of those who go missing.

Some regions offer wearable GPS tags that can alert authorities the moment a person leaves a designated area.

In some towns, convenience-store workers receive real-time notifications – a kind of community safety net that can locate a missing person within hours.

 

Robot caregivers and AI

Other technologies aim to detect dementia earlier.

Fujitsu's aiGait uses AI to analyse posture and walking patterns, picking up early signs of dementia – shuffling while walking, slower turns or difficulty standing – generating skeletal outlines clinicians can review during routine check-ups.

"Early detection of age-related diseases is key," says Hidenori Fujiwara, a Fujitsu spokesperson. "If doctors can use motion-capture data, they can intervene earlier and help people remain active for longer."

Meanwhile, researchers at Waseda University are developing AIREC, a 150kg humanoid robot designed to be a "future" caregiver.

It can help a person put on socks, scramble eggs and fold laundry. The scientists at Waseda University hope that in the future, AIREC will be able to change adult nappies and prevent bedsores in patients.

Similar robots are already being used in care homes to play music to residents or guide them in simple stretching exercises.

They are also monitoring patients at night - placed under mattresses to track sleep and conditions - and cutting back on the need for humans doing the rounds.

Although humanoid robots are being developed for the near future, Assistant Professor Tamon Miyake says the level of precision and intelligence required will take at last five years before they are safely able to interact with humans.

"It requires full-body sensing and adaptive understanding - how to adjust for each person and situation," he says.

Emotional support is also part of the innovation drive.

 

Poketomo, a 12cm tall robot, can be carried around in a bag or can fit into a pocket. It reminds users to take medication, tells you how to prepare in real time for the weather outside and offers conversation for those living alone, which its creators say helps to ease social isolation.

"We're focusing on social issues... and to use new technology to help solve those problems," Miho Kagei, development manager from Sharp told the BBC.

While devices and robots offer new ways to assist, human connection remains irreplaceable.

"Robots should supplement, not substitute, human caregivers," Mr Miyake, the Waseda University scientist said. "While they may take over some tasks, their main role is to assist both caregivers and patients."

At the Restaurant of Mistaken Orders in Sengawa, Tokyo, founded by Akiko Kanna, people stream in to be served by patients suffering from dementia.
Inspired by her father's experience with the condition, Ms Kanna wanted a place where people could remain engaged and feel purposeful.

Toshio Morita, one of the café's servers, uses flowers to remember which table ordered what.

Despite his cognitive decline, Mr Morita enjoys the interaction. For his wife, the café provides respite and helps keep him engaged.

Kanna's café illustrates why social interventions and community support remain essential. Technology can provide tools and relief, but meaningful engagement and human connection are what truly sustain people living with dementia.

"Honestly? I wanted a little pocket money. I like meeting all sorts of people," Mr Morita says. "Everyone's different - that's what makes it fun."
 
 

 

Japan has protested after Chinese fighter jets locked radars on Japanese aircraft as tensions between the two nations worsened.

Locking radar onto an aircraft is considered a threat because it can signal a potential attack. Japan said there were two such incidents Saturday off its southern Okinawa islands.

Japan said it scrambled fighter jets in response to the Chinese J-15 fighter jets, while Beijing accused Tokyo of "harassing" its forces during a training exercise. No injuries or damage were reported.

Diplomatic ties between Japan and China have spiralled since last month, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan.

Beijing views self-governed Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to "reunite" with it.

Both sides have since engaged in increasingly hostile rhetoric towards each other, with the widening rift affecting daily life for citizens in both countries.

Last week, China and Japan's coast guards gave conflicting accounts of a confrontation near disputed islands in the East China Sea.

A Japanese defence ministry official said the intention of the Chinese J-15 jets was "unclear", but added that there was "no need" to lock on to the Japanese planes if their intention was to locate other aircraft.

The J-15 jets, which were launched from China's Liaoning aircraft carrier, first locked its radar on Japanese jets at 16:32 local time on Saturday (07:32 GMT) and again at around 18:37.

The official added that the Japanese aircraft "did not do anything that could be considered a provocation".

"It is extremely regrettable. Japan has strongly protested to the Chinese side, and we firmly requested measures to prevent recurrence," Takaichi told reporters Sunday in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture.
"We will respond calmly and resolutely," she said.

The Chinese navy however said Japan's claim was "completely inconsistent with the facts" and told Tokyo to "immediately stop slandering and smearing". It added that its training exercise in the area had been previously announced.

This comes two weeks after Japan scrambled aircraft when a suspected Chinese drone was detected off Yonaguni, island near Taiwan. Tokyo has said it is planning to deploy missiles from Yonaguni in a move that has angered Beijing.

A month of heightened tensions have seen China ask its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan.

China has also banned the importation of seafood from Japan and suspended the screening of popular Japanese films.
 
 

Japan's Foreign Ministry has been focusing on visually appealing messages on social media posts, such as videos, diagrams and illustrations in its campaign to explain the country's stances on international affairs.

"We're hoping that (social media users) will intuitively understand Japan's position (on various subjects)," a ministry official said.

On Nov. 26, the ministry on X, formally Twitter, posted a video clip of Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi talking about Botswana, ahead of a dinner with Botswana Vice President Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe.

"Botswana, a country located just north of South Africa at the southern tip of the African continent," Motegi said as he pointed to the country on a globe in the video.

According to officials, the ministry shifted its attention to visual communication on social media a few years ago
 
 

Japanese scientist Sakaguchi Shimon, a co-winner of this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, has spoken about his work at a news conference in Stockholm.

He was joined by the two American researchers who shared the prize at the event hosted by the Nobel Foundation on Saturday.

Sakaguchi said the regulatory T cells he discovered have broad potential applications for various immune disorders, autoimmune diseases, and allergies.

He said that a certain percentage of cancer patients could become treatable with immunotherapy by improving the methods for controlling regulatory T cells.

Sakaguchi said he hopes the award will raise societal awareness of the importance of medical research, and he hopes that governments will realize the importance of supporting basic research.
 

 

Chinese military aircraft locked radar onto Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets southeast of Okinawa's main island on Saturday, Japan's Defense Ministry said, amid heightened diplomatic tensions between the two Asian neighbors.

The Chinese navy said Sunday that Japan's SDF aircraft "repeatedly approached the Chinese naval training maritime area and airspace," though it did not refer to the radar lock-on.

Chinese J-15 aircraft from the aircraft carrier Liaoning intermittently locked radar onto the F-15s on two occasions, once from around 4:32 p.m. and again from around 6:37 p.m., the ministry said.

"It is extremely regrettable. Japan has strongly protested to the Chinese side, and we firmly requested measures to prevent recurrence," Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae told reporters Sunday in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture. "We will respond calmly and resolutely."

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also called the incidents "dangerous and extremely regrettable" at a hastily called press conference in the early hours of Sunday.

It was the first time that the ministry disclosed such an incident. There was no damage to the SDF aircraft or its crew, the ministry said.

The Chinese navy said in a statement that the SDF aircraft "seriously endangered flight safety" by repeatedly approaching its training zones.

A Defense Ministry official, who held a press briefing after Koizumi spoke, said, "China's intentions are unclear, but if it is to locate (aircraft), there is no need to do that intermittently."

Based on the distance between the jets confirmed by the ministry, the Japanese side "didn't do anything that could be considered a provocation," the official said.

A bilateral dispute has been escalating since Takaichi said in response to parliamentary questions on Nov. 7 that a military attack on Taiwan could present a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, drawing harsh criticism from Beijing.

China framed her remarks as indicating that Japan could independently authorize the SDF to act in support of the United States should China impose a maritime blockade on Taiwan or engage in other forms of coercion.

Okinawa is close to Taiwan, a self-ruled island which Beijing regards as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. China insists that the Taiwan issue is purely an "internal affair."

On Saturday, China's navy was conducting training flights in the Pacific Ocean from the Liaoning after the ship passed through the main island of Okinawa Prefecture and the southern Japan prefecture's Miyako Island.

The SDF scrambled aircraft, signaling its assessment that the Chinese planes could approach Japanese airspace.
 
 

A record 230 were killed or injured by bears in Japan since April, putting more pressure on the government to intervene as the animals push deeper into areas where people live.

Thirteen have died and 217 were injured as a result of bear attacks in the eight months through the end of November, according to data released Friday by the environment ministry.

The total already exceeds the previous record of 219 for the fiscal year through March 2024. Roughly two-thirds of casualties occurred in the sparsely-populated northern Tohoku region.

Japan is home to the Hokkaido brown bear and the smaller Asiatic black bear, with the latter responsible for 97% of human casualties this year. As abandoned farmland and aging communities reduce human presence in mountain areas, bears are venturing beyond their forested habitats and moving closer to towns in search of food.

There were 36,814 bear sightings nationwide from April to October 2025, almost double the total from the prior fiscal year, according to ministry data. Even Tokyo had 142 sightings during that period.

The population decline also means there are fewer hunters able to keep bear numbers in check, exacerbating the issue.

The environment ministry has set aside ¥3.4 billion ($22 million) for "bear countermeasures” in this year’s supplementary budget, approved by the cabinet last month.

The proposed measures include mobilizing retired police and self-defense forces as armed hunters, and providing subsidies to local governments for traps and bear-monitoring drones.

Japanese makers of hunting rifles and bear-repellent products have seen their stocks rally in recent months as attacks increase. Bear spray seller Tiemco’s shares have gained 33% since the end of August, with rifle manufacturer Miroku rising 16%, both outpacing the Topix Index.

The nation’s insurers have also begun offering new products that cover bear-related damages.
 

 
 
 
Japan’s Ambassador to Nepal, Maeda Toru, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sushila Karki today.
 
During the meeting held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, matters relating to the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Nepal-Japan relations were discussed, according to the Prime Minister’s press coordinator, Ram Bahadur Rawat.
 
On the occasion, the ambassador applauded the government’s resolution to conduct fresh elections for the House of Representatives on the announced date, adding that the Government of Japan is ready to extend all possible support to Nepal in its efforts to conduct the elections.
 
In response, the Prime Minister thanked Japan for its contributions to Nepal’s development sectors and other areas, expressing her confidence in the continuation of such support in the days to come.

Taiwan and Japan expressed concern on Friday about China’s military activities in the region, after Reuters news agency revealed that Beijing had deployed a large number of vessels in East Asian waters this week, in its biggest show of maritime force to date.

Reuters reported on Thursday (4) that China was deploying a large number of Navy and coast guard ships in East Asian waters — at one point, more than 100 — citing sources and intelligence reports reviewed by the agency.

Speaking to the press in Taipei, Taiwanese presidential spokeswoman Karen Kuo stated that Chinese activity is not limited to the Taiwan Strait, but extends from the Yellow Sea to the waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands, in the East China Sea, entering the South China Sea and the Western Pacific.

“This does indeed pose a threat and an impact to the Indo-Pacific and the entire region,” she said. “We especially call on China to fulfill its responsibilities as a great power and show restraint in its actions.”

Kuo said Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has instructed security forces to maintain full situational awareness and provide timely updates.

Taiwan will maintain close contact and cooperation with unspecified “friendly partners” to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, she said.

In Tokyo, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, asked about Chinese activity in the East China Sea, said that Japan was aware of the reports and was following Chinese military movements “with great attention”, although he refused to comment on the specific situation.

“China has been expanding and intensifying its military activities in the areas around Japan, and we constantly strive to collect and analyze information about Chinese military movements very carefully,” he told reporters, without specifying a specific period of Chinese activities.

“In any case, the government will continue to monitor developments around Japan with deep concern and will do everything possible to ensure thorough intelligence gathering and surveillance,” the defense minister continued.

Chinese Navy in military exercise in the South China Sea • STR/AFP/Getty Images

China’s Armed Forces did not comment, but Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said the Navy and Coast Guard’s activities in “relevant maritime areas” strictly follow national and international laws.

“There is no need for either party to overreact, misinterpret or engage in baseless speculation,” he said in Beijing.

November and December are traditionally months of intense military activity in China, although the People’s Liberation Army has not announced any large-scale exercises with an official name.

The operations surpass China’s major naval deployment in December last year, which prompted Taiwan to raise its alert level, sources reported.

The increase in activity comes amid a , after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi declared last month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically-ruled Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

Beijing was also angered by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s announcement last month of a , which considers the island as its own territory, despite Taiwan’s strong rejection.
 
 

A distillery in northeastern Japan's Fukushima Prefecture is endeavoring to do its bit to change the negative public image of the region after the 2011 nuclear disaster through its craft gin using locally sourced spring water and flora.

Founder Sota Oshima runs the naturadistill Kawauchimura Joryusho distillery in Kawauchi, a village that was temporarily evacuated in the aftermath of one of the world's worst nuclear crises. The 29-year-old was driven to create a brand that would attract visitors back to the region.

"I want to deliver the 'aroma of Fukushima' to the world," said Oshima, who opened the distillery after renovating a pharmacy's unused storage shed in November last year.

 

A native of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Oshima spent around two weeks in the village for field work as a student at Fukushima University in the summer of 2015, and came to love what he considers the community's coexistence with nature.

His resolve to change the lingering negative perceptions of postcrisis Fukushima deepened during his study abroad in Canada, where he was asked by a friend there whether Fukushima was inhabitable.

After graduation, he spent approximately three years learning brewing techniques at a craft beer brewery in Tamura, also in Fukushima Prefecture. Oshima eventually turned his attention to gin due to its ability to highlight local ingredients and the fact that it can be stored and exported at room temperature.

 

The distillery produces around 6,000 liters per year. Its staple Native Japanese Botanical Gin, which features the aromas of Japanese nutmeg and other botanicals from the prefecture, is available from 4,980 yen, while the Shiso Hop Gin retails for 5,500 yen.

The company began selling its products in Singapore in May and hopes to expand into Taiwan and the United States next year.

It also sold and provided samples of its products at the World Exposition in Osaka earlier this year, with some customers visiting the distillery after the expo ended.

 

The statue of the loyal dog Hachiko, a small yet iconic landmark in front of JR Shibuya Station, will be surrounded by a temporary fence from the morning of Dec. 31 to early Jan. 1 to help ease congestion when people gather around the station to count down to the new year, Shibuya Ward announced on Wednesday.

The barrier around Hachiko will be erected from 6 a.m. on New Year’s Eve and remain in place until 1 a.m. on New Year’s Day.

To prevent a stampede, the ward has also decided not to hold a New Year countdown event in front of the station. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ward and other bodies would organize this event annually; however, this will mark the sixth year in a row for it not to be held.

The ward will cooperate with police and others to strengthen security and request retailers in the area, including convenience stores, to refrain from selling alcohol at night.

“We are continuing to exercise vigilance against stampedes and trouble caused by street drinking,” Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe said in a statement. “I request everyone’s cooperation in creating a safe environment around Shibuya Station over the year-end and New Year holidays as well.”
 
 
 

The pledge by Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year.

The ultraconservative Takaichi uttered the phase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm.

Accepting her award from a private committee this week, Takaichi said she only wanted to stress her enthusiasm and that her comments had been somewhat misinterpreted.

“I have no intention of encouraging other people to overwork, or suggesting long working hours as a virtue,” Takaichi said. “I hope there is no misunderstanding.”

Since taking office in late October as the nation's first female prime minister, Takaichi has also captured public attention for her fashion, with women scrambling to copy her style.

But while her dress sense has won admiration from younger women who say they are “Sana-katsu,” or rooting for Sanae, it is unclear if her hard-line conservative policies will win the same praise.

Takaichi is looking to regain right-wing supporters after the LDP’s big election losses under her moderate predecessor Shigeru Ishiba.

During her speech to party members Oct. 4 she promised an all-out effort to rebuild the struggling party and regain public support, urging lawmakers to “work like a horse.” Then she added: “I will abandon the idea of a ‘work-life balance’ — I will work, work, work, work and work.”

Repeating the word “work” in a low, determined voice left a strong impression at the time. Hard work — and then a hot tub

Takaichi’s apparent long working hours and lack of sleep have worried fellow lawmakers. She held a meeting with aides at 3 a.m. before the first day of parliament Nov 7, though she hasn’t started that early since.

“I sleep about two hours now, four hours at the longest,” Takaichi, who also provides care for her husband who is recovering from a stroke, told MPs at a budget committee meeting last month. “It’s probably bad for my skin.”

She says she likes to soak in a hot tub in the morning and at night to relax. ”That’s my blissful time,” she said.

Her style-icon status has been boosted by her black bag, dubbed a “Sanae Bag," which is officially called the Grace Delight Tote. It is made by Hamano Inc., a 145-year old bagmaker based in Tokyo.

Priced at 136,400 yen, the simple leather bag is just large enough to fit A4-sized papers. It is selling the best since its debut 30 years ago, according to the company.

Takaichi was carrying the bag as she walked into the prime minister's office on Oct. 21, and the scene immediately caused a sensation on social media.
 

Hamano spokesperson Takanori Kobayashi said his company is delighted to see Japan's first female prime minister carrying the bag.

Within days, inquiries and orders for the bag surged, and all eight colors have sold out. The bag, which is carefully made of high quality leather, cannot be mass-produced, and those who ordered it now have to wait until August, Kobayashi says.

Another popular item is a sparkly light-pink pen Takaichi uses to take notes; it's Mitsubishi Pencil Co.’s Jetstream 4&1.

The pen, the "Sanae Takaichi model,” is often out of stock at stores and internet shopping sites. Those who have found one often proudly post photos with a message: “Matching Sanae.”

 

Style icon, but no feminist

The attention Takaichi is receiving is usually reserved for pop stars, athletes and influencers in Japan who fans have access to only through television or the internet.

The prime minister's fans show their loyalty by buying the same bag and pen she uses, just as fans of star athletes like Shohei Ohtani buy replicas of his uniform to cheer on the Dodgers, experts say.

Takaichi has won admiration as a new type of role model for women who have not usually rooted for prime ministers in the past, says Namiko Kubo-Kawai, a psychology professor at Nagoya Shukutoku University.

In Japan, many female role models typically were supported for their femininity, but Takaichi is unique as a high-powered politician. Her short haircut and no-frills workwear also stand out from conventional female models.

She may not inspire many feminists, however. Takaichi is a staunch conservative who champions Japan’s traditional gender and paternalistic values. She has supported keeping the succession of Japan’s monarchy male only. She also opposes changing a 19th-century law that would allow married couples the option of keeping separate surnames.

Sill, as the first female prime minister, “she fits perfectly as a stylish role model and has won admiration from many women who have been looking for one even though they probably have never thought of rooting for a prime minister," Kubo-Kawai said. “Female role models are becoming more diverse."

The governments of Japan and Austria offered their condolences to Indonesia for the floods and landslides that hit a number of areas, especially in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

Through an official statement, Japan's ad interim Business Authority for Indonesia, Myochin Mitsuru, expressed our deepest condolences. "We express our sincere condolences to all the victims and express our condolences to the families left behind," he said.

A similar message was conveyed through the official Instagram account of the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta, Wednesday, December 3, quoted by Antara, the Japanese Government expressed its deep condolences for the damage caused by floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in the three provinces.

"From the bottom of our hearts, we pray that the condition of the victims and also the affected areas will recover soon," said the embassy.

International support also came from Austria. The Austrian Embassy in Jakarta expressed sympathy to all affected victims.

In a statement posted on his official Instagram account, the Austrian Embassy stated, "Our prayers are with everyone affected during this difficult time, especially those facing loss, evacuation, and difficulties. We stand in solidarity with the Indonesian people."
 
 

Bears have remained active near populated areas in greater-than-usual numbers despite the start of the hibernation season, prompting experts to call for ongoing vigilance.

Outdoor events are being called off in response to persistent bear activity in parts of the country.

Bears have remained active near populated areas in greater-than-usual numbers despite the start of the hibernation season, prompting experts to call for ongoing vigilance.

The Kofu tourism association, for instance, called off the 15th Takeda no Mori Trail Running Race, which was set to take place on Dec. 14.

About 900 runners were expected to take part in the race, which loops through the satoyama foothills of Kofu, offering views of Mt. Fuji and the Southern Japanese Alps.

“It was a difficult decision, but we prioritized the safety of the participants and staff,” said an official of the association.

Moreover, an environmental learning session in Nagatoro, Saitama Prefecture, was suspended on Saturday. The event had been planned to give elementary and junior high school students the experience of log-cutting and other outdoor activities.

In mid-November, Aquarium Asamushi in Aomori suspended its nighttime operations, during which bear activity is typically heightened.

Bears usually hibernate deep in the mountains in large numbers during the current season.

However, according to the Institute for Asian Black Bear Research and Preservation in Hiroshima Prefecture, there is a notable trend in recent years of young bears venturing into the vicinity of urban areas in search of food.

They end up remaining there and hibernating on shrine grounds or in parks after the New Year.

“They could appear near populated areas as late as early January next year, making it essential to remain vigilent,” said Kazuhiko Maita, who heads the institute. “Even if they begin to hibernate, noise and other disturbances could wake them up.”
 
 

Japan's labor minister said Tuesday the government has launched a nationwide investigation, after a staff member of a public employment service center in Tokyo posed as a job seeker, in an alleged attempt to inflate job placement targets.

The employee at the Hello Work job center in Tokyo's Sumida Ward applied to nine companies under false identities and succeeded in securing four job offers. Each of Hello Work's 544 offices has its own job placement targets.

Kenichiro Ueno, who heads the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, said at a press conference on Tuesday that the nationwide probe will check for similar misconduct at all Hello Work job centers.

He said there is a need for strict discipline and proper management of placement targets, and that the ministry will take firm action once the investigation is complete.

The employee had registered two false identities as job seekers and introduced the nonexistent applicants to businesses that had posted job openings.

According to the ministry, the employee at the Hello Work Sumida center is believed to have subsequently declined the four job offers.

The case came to light this fall when the employee used their real name during an interview, prompting the company to notice discrepancies with the application documents. The ministry has since apologized to all nine companies involved.

According to the ministry, job placements that applicants decline are excluded from official statistics, but if a job center is unaware of the withdrawal, the numbers may remain inflated. As of October, four fictitious placements linked to the employee were included in the statistics.

Job centers operating under the Tokyo Labor Bureau, such as Hello Work Sumida, receive guidance from the bureau when they fall below 95 percent of their monthly targets.
 

 

The fate of the world’s largest nuclear power station hangs in the balance this month as local lawmakers in Japan decide whether to authorise a controversial restart, a move that would mark a significant pivot in the nation’s post-Fukushima energy policy.

A regional assembly in Niigata Prefecture began deliberations on Tuesday regarding the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant. The debate is set to conclude with a vote by 22 December, potentially paving the way for the facility to generate electricity as early as January 2025.

The plant, located approximately 300 kilometres (186 miles) northeast of Tokyo on the coast of the Sea of Japan, has been idle since the industry-wide shutdown following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi reactors.


A Test of Trust for TEPCO

The vote carries immense symbolic weight because Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is owned by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the same operator responsible for the Fukushima disaster. If Unit No. 6 is brought back online, it would be the first time TEPCO has operated a nuclear reactor since the 2011 meltdown.

The road to this vote has been fraught with regulatory hurdles. For years, Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) effectively banned the restart due to serious security breaches at the site, including the misuse of ID cards and inadequate protection of nuclear materials. That effective ban was only lifted recently, allowing TEPCO to proceed with seeking local consent.

"The use of nuclear energy is essential in Japan, which has few resources," TEPCO President Tomiaki Kobayakawa stated on Monday, attempting to reassure stakeholders during a tour with delegates from the Japan Business Federation.


Energy Security vs. Public Safety

The peaceful coastal area encompassing Kashiwazaki city and Kariwa village is home to around 80,000 people. While the local economy relies heavily on the plant, anxiety remains palpable.

Yukihiko Hoshino, a member of the Kashiwazaki city assembly, highlighted that local residents are deeply concerned about the possibility of another accident, particularly regarding escape routes.

"The biggest worry is whether they will be able to evacuate," Hoshino said. He noted that displaced residents from the Fukushima area are still unable to return home more than a decade later.

These fears were compounded by the severe earthquake that struck the nearby Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day 2024. That disaster damaged roads and isolated communities, leading many in Niigata to question whether current evacuation plans would hold up during a major seismic event involving the nuclear plant.


The Economic Imperative

Despite public hesitation, the geopolitical and economic arguments for restarting the plant are gaining traction. Following the Fukushima disaster, Japan shuttered all 54 of its nuclear reactors, forcing a heavy reliance on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been a vocal proponent of nuclear restarts to strengthen national energy security and mitigate the volatility of global fossil fuel markets. Imported energy currently accounts for 60% to 70% of Japan's electricity generation.

Furthermore, Japan’s power demand, which had been in decline, is now projected to grow. This shift is driven by a surge in energy-hungry data centres and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence businesses, necessitating a stable, low-carbon baseload power supply.

TEPCO has been conducting drills involving staff in hazmat suits to demonstrate improved safety protocols. The operator aims to restart the 1,356-megawatt Unit No. 6 in January, pending the assembly's approval, and hopes to bring Unit No. 7 online subsequently. TEPCO has indicated it may decommission the remaining five older reactors at the site.

Of the 54 reactors operational before 2011, Japan has successfully restarted 14 of the 33 that remain technically operable. According to Japan's industry ministry, Unit No. 6 alone could improve the supply reserve for the Tokyo metropolitan area by 2%.

As TEPCO continues to pay compensation for the Fukushima Daiichi disaster, the restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is viewed as essential for the company's financial rehabilitation, as well as for Japan’s carbon reduction goals.
 
 

The Japanese government plans to include nationality in the planned property registration database to track foreign ownership, digital transformation minister Hisashi Matsumoto said Tuesday.

Currently, buyers are not required to report their nationality when registering properties, such as condominiums. The Digital Agency aims to implement the planned database in fiscal 2027 or later.

"We need to develop a database that allows us to centrally monitor foreign property ownership," Matsumoto said at a press conference.

In response to concerns that speculative purchases by foreign citizens have driven up condominium prices, the government is reviewing land acquisition rules for foreigners.

Last month, the land ministry's first-ever survey of new condominium acquisitions showed that 3.0 pct of people who purchased new condominiums in Tokyo between January and June this year were overseas residents.
 
 

Dark clouds are hanging over the Japanese ruling coalition's plan to cut the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament.

Reducing Lower House seats is a key item in the coalition agreement between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its new coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai.

The JIP is demanding a bill to make sure that the number of seats in the chamber will definitely be reduced by 10 pct in a year be passed during the ongoing extraordinary Diet session, which is currently scheduled to run until Dec. 17. The party has warned that it could exit the coalition unless the bill enactment is attained.

Although the LDP and the JIP aim to submit the planned bill to the Diet by Friday, the two parties are in no mood to draw up the legislation because frustration within the LDP over the attitude of the JIP is increasing.

"The LDP doesn't seem to be enthusiastic," a senior JIP lawmaker said Friday, expressing a strong sense of distrust in the bigger coalition partner.