All 20 people, including two children, have been rescued from an elevator at Tokyo Skytree in Tokyo's Sumida Ward after being trapped there for more than 5 hours. No injuries have been reported.

Tokyo police and others say two elevators connecting to the observation deck stopped suddenly shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.

One of them was empty, but the other carrying 20 people came to a halt about 30 meters above ground.

Police officers and others contacted the people inside by phone to look for ways to rescue them.

Rescuers from the fire department helped the people move to an adjacent elevator lowered to the same height and whose emergency door on its side was open.

All were freed at about 2 a.m. on Monday.

Police say no one was injured or complained of feeling unwell.
About 1,200 people were temporarily stranded on the observation deck. But they all came down by 11 p.m. using a different elevator.

A Tokyo Skytree spokesperson says the elevator in question has a capacity of 40 people, and it stopped while descending from the observation deck.
Police and others are looking into the cause of the trouble.
 
 

There’s been a lot for Japanese Starbucks fans to be happy about over the last few days, as the chain rolled out its new sakura
beverages and drinkware. But while those additions to Starbucks’ menu and merch catalog are putting smiles on many people’s face, there are some less crowd-pleasing ones going into effect too.

Starting with the one that has a silver lining, as of February 18, Starbucks Japan branches no longer provides free bags to takeout customers.

Instead, customers who need a bag and haven’t brought one of their own will be charged 11 yen per order, and can receive a number of bags up to the number of items they’re purchasing.

It’s a very modest fee, and is part of Starbucks’ initiative to reduce the chain’s environmental impact by encouraging customers to bring their own reusable shopping bags.

▼ Since 2009, Starbucks Japan has been using FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-approved sustainable-source paper for its takeout bags, but they want to be even more ecologically friendly.

 

The less popular change, though, will be that Starbucks is raising its prices, or, to use their press release’s terminology, “adjusting” them, in response to “rising materials and energy costs.”

The nature of the price increases is complex and vague. To start with, in 2025 Starbucks introduced a system of “location-specific pricing,” with Starbucks locations inside certain Japanese airports and expressway rest stops put into the category Location A, and branches in major metropolitan areas such as Tokyo’s 23 central wards and Osaka in the Location B classification.

Prices at Location A Starbucks are, on average, six percent higher than they are in a normal Starbucks, and at Location B branches they’re four percent higher than the norm. In total, about 30 percent of Starbucks Japan branches are in either the Location A or B group.

Under the new system, though, Starbucks will be transferring some of the Tokyo 23-wards branches to the more expansive Location A group.

In addition, while the beverage prices for Location A and B branches will not change, at Starbucks Japan’s remaining branches (i.e. those with the cheapest prices under the old system), prices for some permanent-menu beverages will be increased by 5 to 30 yen.

And at all participating Starbucks Japan branches, regardless of location classification, the price for the chain’s “One More Coffee” brewed coffee refill service will be increased by 20 yen, and some regular-menu food items will have their prices raised by between 5 and 30 yen.

None of these are massive changes, but with consumers in Japan growing exhausted at the constant string of prices for just about everything going up while most workers’ wages remain stagnant, being asked to pay more for what’s supposed to be discretionary, “fun” eating and drinking probably isn’t going to sit well with some people.

In addition, while it might be a common practice in the U.S., in Japan it’s somewhat unusual for a national chain to charge different prices based on branch location.

Starbucks Japan isn’t the first company to do so (McDonald’s Japan also charges different prices for certain items depending on location), but Starbucks does run the risk of being seen as trying to squeeze every last yen they can out of their customers by saying that people in certain parts of Tokyo have to pay more for the same cup of coffee than they would in another part of the country, or even another part of the same city.

All that said, with how consistently crowded Starbucks Japan branches in prime locations are, Starbucks probably isn’t too worried about losing a handful of customers if they can earn more per person who does buy something.
 

 

The Japanese government plans to expand the market for used goods to around 4.6 trillion yen ($29.7 bllion) in 2030, up 32 percent from 2024, to curb waste and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, a government source said.

The government will draw up guidelines by fiscal 2027 to outline requirements for business operators, following cases in which consumers have received poor-quality items via flea market apps. It will also urge local governments to utilize secondhand items, the source said.

The measures to promote used goods will be compiled in a road map to be drawn up by the Environment Ministry as early as March, the source said.

The market, calculated based on annual spending on 22 categories of used goods including books and home appliances purchased via online auctions and secondhand retailers, has seen annual growth of 1 percent in recent years, so a sharp expansion would be required to achieve the government target.

Specific measures will include setting up a system to evaluate secondhand retailers and operators of flea market apps in line with the guidelines to support the activities of highly rated businesses.

The government also plans to promote services to connect operators with elderly people wishing to sort their belongings to facilitate the collection of unnecessary items.

The government will examine factors hindering the purchase of used goods by municipalities and revise rules on procuring environmentally friendly products, the source said.

It is also considering holding campaigns to encourage purchases of used goods during the year-end, when many people clean up their homes, and the moving season in spring.
 
 

The Japanese and U.S. governments held working-level talks this week on China's alleged secret nuclear test and North Korea's nuclear and missile development, it was learned Saturday.

The meeting, which has been regularly held since 2010 to discuss extended deterrence, including the U.S. nuclear umbrella, took place in Washington on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Department of State.

During the latest meeting, foreign affairs and defense officials from both governments also discussed the expiration of the New START nuclear disarmament treaty between the United States and Russia.

The U.S. side underscored the need for a multilateral arms control framework, and the Japanese side noted that a new framework should include both China and Russia.
 
 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday expressed hopes of deepening her relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump and strengthen cooperation between the two countries in rare earths development and other areas of economic security when she visits Washington next month.

Takaichi, at a news conference late Wednesday, expressed hopes to strengthen cooperation with the U.S., especially in economic security, as tensions between Tokyo and Beijing have risen over the last few months.

Takaichi, elected as Japan’s first female leader in October, was reappointed by Parliament as prime minister earlier in the day and formed her second Cabinet, following a landslide election win last week.

Her goals include an increase in military power, more government spending and ultra-conservative social policies.

Takaichi aims to use the mandate she got in the election to boost her ruling Liberal Democratic Party as it looks to capitalize on a two-thirds supermajority in the lower house, the more powerful of Japan’s two parliamentary chambers.


The power of a supermajority

Having two-thirds control of the 465-seat lower house allows Takaichi’s party to dominate top posts in house committees and push through bills rejected by the upper house, the chamber where the LDP-led ruling coalition lacks a majority.

Takaichi wants to bolster Japan’s military capability and arms sales, tighten immigration policies, push male-only imperial succession rules and preserve a criticized tradition that pressures women into abandoning their surnames.

Her ambition to revise the U.S.-drafted postwar pacifist Constitution might have to wait, for now, as she is facing pressure to deal with rising prices, a declining population and worries about military security.


Addressing rising prices

Her first urgent task is to address rising prices and sluggish wages and pass a budget bill to fund those measures, delayed by the election.

Takaichi proposes a two-year sales tax cut on food products to ease household living costs. She told

Experts caution that her liberal fiscal policy could drive up prices and delay progress on trimming Japan’s huge national debt.


Courting Trump

Takaichi is maneuvering for a crucial summit next month with Trump, who will visit Beijing in April.

The U.S. president endorsed Takaichi ahead of the Japanese election, and hours before Takaichi’s reappointment as prime minister, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced Japan will provide capital for three projects under a $550 billion investment package that Japan pledged in October.

Japan is committed to the $36 billion first batch of projects — a natural gas plant in Ohio, a U.S. Gulf Coast crude oil export facility and a synthetic diamond manufacturing site.

Takaichi said she hoped to “closely cooperate” with Trump in the first investment inititives at the talks scheduled for March 19.

Japan is also under pressure to increase annual defense spending.
”Japan will keep spending more and more for the U.S. ... The question is whether the public wants her to speak out against Trump or be obedient to ensure Japanese security,” said Masato Kamikubo, a Ritsumeikan University professor of policy science.

“For China, it’s simple. Japanese people want her to be tough.”


A hawk on China

Takaichi in November suggested possible Japanese action if China makes a military move against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own. That has led to Beijing’s diplomatic and economic reprisals.

Many Japanese, frustrated by China’s growing assertiveness, welcomed her comments on Taiwan.

Emboldened by the big election win, Takaichi could take a more hawkish stance with China, experts say.

Takaichi, soon after the election, said she is working to gain support for a visit to Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine. Visits to the shrine are seen by Japan’s neighbors as evidence of a lack of remorse for Japan’s wartime past.


A stronger military that spends more and sells more

Takaichi has pledged to revise security and defense policies by December to bolster Japan’s military capabilities, lifting a ban on lethal weapons exports and moving further away from postwar pacifist principles.

Japan is also considering the development of a nuclear-powered submarine to increase offensive capabilities.

Takaichi wants to improve intelligence-gathering and establish a national agency to work more closely with ally Washington and defense partners like Australia and Britain.

She supports a controversial anti-espionage law that largely targets Chinese spies. Some experts say it could undermine Japanese civil rights.


Stricter on immigration and foreigners

Takaichi has proposed tougher policies on immigration and foreigners, something that resonates with a growing frustration in Japan.

Her government in January approved tougher rules on permanent residency and naturalization as well as measures to prevent unpaid tax and social insurance.


Promoting traditional family values

Takaichi supports the imperial family’s male-only succession and opposes same-sex marriage.

She is also against a revision to the 19th-century civil law that would allow separate surnames for married couples so that women don’t get pressured into abandoning theirs.

In a step that rights activists call an attempt to block a dual-surname system, Takaichi is calling for a law to allow the greater use of maiden names as aliases instead.
 
 

The government will send Parliamentary Vice Minister for the Cabinet Office Naoki Furukawa to this year's annual ceremony for the Takeshima Islands, minister for territorial issues Jiro Akama has said.

Furukawa will attend the Takeshima Day ceremony in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, planned for Sunday. The Sea of Japan islands are now under the effective control of South Korea, which calls them Dokdo.

In last year's leadership race of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Sanae Takaichi, who was later elected prime minister, argued that the central government should have a Cabinet minister attend the ceremony.

She apparently changed her position in light of improving ties between Japan and South Korea, especially as China ramps up pressure on Tokyo.

The decision to send Furukawa was "the result of consideration within the government based on various circumstances," Akama told a news conference.
 
 

Japan and the United States have chosen three inaugural projects to kick off a $550 billion (about ¥84 trillion) investment package in the United States.

The two nations agreed on the investment package in July during talks over U.S. tariff measures. The $550 billion in investments are to be made by January 2029, when U.S. President Donald Trump ‘s term of office expires.

Just over 6% of the total amount, or $36 billion, will be used in the first three projects. Both countries are hastily making preparations for the second set of projects, ahead of the Japan-U.S. summit scheduled in March, but careful consideration is required regarding profitability and other factors.

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa emphasized on Wednesday that the latest agreement would benefit both Japan and the United States.

“Japan and the United States will cooperate to build supply chains in sectors critical to economic security. Japanese companies can expect business expansion through equipment supply and other avenues,” Akazawa told reporters.

The three projects were agreed upon only after considerable difficulty.
Japan and the United States held discussions from December at a committee of senior government officials and others who worked through the year-end and New Year holidays.

According to people involved in the negotiations, the U.S. side was eager to move forward with the three projects it proposed. The United States is said to have intended to announce the projects by the end of January.

However, the negotiations ran into trouble over issues such as income and expenditure plans to minimize business risks and ensure profitability. Both sides were able to reach an agreement through talks between Akazawa and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Feb. 12.

 

Sources said they finally were able to do so because the U.S. side also made concessions, such as lowering interest rates and reducing business costs.

The three projects are all in areas important to economic security, such as strategic materials and energy. They involve the construction of a gas-fired power plant; the development of a facility necessary to export crude oil; and the building of a synthetic diamond manufacturing facility.

The construction of the gas-fired power plant in Ohio will be managed by SoftBank Group Corp., which is promoting the development of infrastructure such as data centers necessary for the development and operation of artificial intelligence in the United States.

Toshiba Corp. and Hitachi, Ltd. are expected to supply power generation and transmission and distribution equipment, in addition to other related equipment.

“We will work positively in the project within the scope of acceptable conditions,” Toshiba said after the latest announcement. Hitachi commented, “We are honored to be expected to contribute to the realization of the project.”

Operations at the infrastructure to be built in Texas to export crude oil will involve collecting crude onshore, transporting it offshore via pipeline and shipping it on large tankers. The project envisions exporting crude oil to Japan in emergencies.

Among the participating companies are Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., which will handle vessel operation management, and Nippon Steel Corp., which will supply materials.

“Large-scale projects generate demand for steel materials. We’ll consider supplying steel materials in a forward-looking manner,” a public relations official at Nippon Steel said.

The third project is the building of a synthetic diamond manufacturing facility in Georgia, essential for polishing and processing semiconductors and automotive parts. China dominates the global artificial diamond market.

Asahi Diamond Industrial Co., which handles tools for semiconductor components, imports 80% of its raw artificial diamond materials from China. “If we can stably procure raw materials from the United States, it would offer us significant benefits in terms of diversifying supply sources,” an Asahi Diamond official said.

To execute the three projects, Japan and the United States will establish a special purpose entity. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation will provide funding, while three major Japanese banks will extend loans with a loan guarantee from Nippon Export and Investment Insurance.

The U.S. side will contribute land and other tangible assets, while the U.S. federal government will help with construction permits and approvals.

Profits from the projects will be split 50-50 between Japan and the United States up to the amount covering Japanese loans and interest, and 90% of any profits beyond that will be received by the United States and 10% by Japan.

The Trump administration has also agreed with other parties, including the European Union and South Korea, to receive massive investments in exchange for tariff reductions.

The three projects, announced ahead of other countries and regions, are likely become a model case for relevant projects.

However, one participating company expressed caution, saying; “There are concerns about who will bear the risks if things go wrong. We need to assess the risks until the details are finalized.”
 

 

Major Japanese convenience store operator Lawson Inc will enter the Indian market, planning to open its first store in Mumbai in 2027 and launch a total of 100 stores in the country by 2030, a company official said.
 
Starting with five directly operated stores in Mumbai in 2027, the company aims to eventually expand its presence in the South Asian country to 10,000 stores in 2050, the official said.
 
Lawson -- which already has about 7,800 stores overseas, mainly in China -- views India, the world's most populous country, as the next potential pillar of profit-making outside Japan.
 
Seeing India continue to build infrastructure that enables the transport of food products at low temperatures, the company has determined it can enter the market, according to the official.
 
Among Lawson's Japanese rivals, Seven & i Holdings Co opened its first 7-Eleven store in India in 2021. It had about 60 stores as of September last year.
 

Japanese superstar Kaori Sakamoto said her feeling was one of "frustration" after missing out on Olympic gold in her final figure skating competition on Thursday.
 
"I was aiming for the gold medal. The frustration of not being able to win it is really hitting me right now," said Sakamoto, 25, who took silver behind American Alysa Liu.
 
"I thought I might be able to finish with a smile, but instead I'm ending it with this sense of frustration. Still, I think feeling this way will be important for the rest of my life."
 
Sakamoto had been looking for a fairytale Olympic swansong and had been well-positioned just 1.48 points behind 17-year-old teammate Ami Nakai after Tuesday's short program, with Liu in third position.
 
But skating to a version of "Non, je ne regrette rien" Sakamoto lost points for not doing her planned triple combination jump.
 
It cost her dearly as she finished just 1.89 points behind Liu, who surged to gold with her Donna Summer's disco version of "MacArthur Park".
 
"The points I lost on those mistakes were exactly the margin that cost me the gold medal. That’s the most frustrating part -- I know I left something out there," Sakamoto said.
 
Competing in her third Olympics after finishing sixth in 2018 Pyeongchang and third in 2022 Beijing, she finishes her career with four Olympic medals -- three of them silver including two in the team event.
 
Sakamoto said her coach had told her that she could "nurture a future gold medalist. So maybe you’ll see me as a coach at the Olympics."
 
Nakai grabbed bronze as 20-year-old Japanese teammate Mone Chiba finished fourth, both competing in their first Olympics.
 
"Ami and Mone, who shared this experience with me, both skated with such strength that you wouldn't think it was their first Olympic Games," said Sakamoto, who had dominated the sport since 2022.
 
She won three world titles before Liu took gold ahead of her at last year's world championships.
 
"Next season even stronger skaters will emerge, but I believe Japan will continue to be strong," said Sakamoto. "At the next Olympic Games, I’m sure there will again be many Japanese skaters standing on the podium."
 
Nakai belied her years as the youngest competitor in Milan.
 
"I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be," she said after including a difficult triple Axel jump in her "What a Wonderful World" program.
 
"Watching everyone else fight so hard made me think, 'I’ll give it everything too'," said Nakai. "Just skating on this dream stage was already incredible, but to win a medal feels like a dream come true."
 
She paid tribute to Sakamoto who is affectionately called "big sister" by her teammates.
 
"I’ve seen how hard Kaori has worked, so seeing her today honestly made me emotional too," said the teenager. "She’s achieved so much and won so many medals - she’s truly an amazing skater. Sharing the podium with her at the Olympic Games is something I’ll always treasure."
 
She added: "I didn't expect to be at the Olympics and now I am wearing a bronze medal at my first Games. I think I can participate in two more Olympics, just like Kaori has done."
 
Chiba rued finishing fourth, 1.28 behind Nakai.
 
"The result was not what I had hoped for. I feel half frustrated and half satisfied that I gave it everything. It’s a very complicated feeling.”
© 2026 AFP
 

Japanese company Luminaris announces the opening of their virtual cram school where all instructors are real-life VTubers.

Japanese company Luminaris, which operates a cram school in Tokyo, recently announced the opening of Virtual Cram School Wish High, their brand-new online school in which all of the teachers are VTubers.

As reported by ITMedia News, the company already has experience with “VTuber-based” educational services, offering courses for middle schoolers and businesses.

According to Luminaris, Wish High will be the first ever cram school for high schoolers in Japan where all classes are taught by VTubers.

Set to officially launch on March 1st, the service targets high schoolers who live in rural areas that don’t have access to cram schools or don’t attend school (non-attendance is legal in Japan).

All of the instructors are VTubers covering high-school level subjects such as math, English, physics, chemistry, classic literature, world history, Japanese history, and geography.

What’s interesting about them though, is that they are not just “educators with animated avatars,” but actual VTubers who work as individual content creators and have their own personal channels where they do livestreams and playthroughs.

https://youtu.be/OIxhMIU1L5o

Of course, despite the service being marketed for “highschoolers,” the video courses are available to anyone who is willing to learn or brush up their high school knowledge, regardless of age or educational level.

On top of the paid monthly lessons, which go for around 9,900 yen, or about $65 USD, Wish High has also set up a YouTube channel where students can get to know their teachers “outside of class.”

To commemorate the school’s grand opening and introduce the new cast of instructors, Wish High will also be holding two special livestreams this month, where we’ll get to see the teachers interact as a full-blown VTuber group while also hearing about their planned curriculums.

Virtual Cram School Wish High is set to open on March 1st in Japan only.
 
 

Japan Coast Guard personnel have put on a training session for officials from a group of Southeast Asian countries. The aim was to enhance their capabilities in tracking and monitoring suspicious vessels.

The session in the Java Sea involved a Coast Guard aircraft that was dispatched to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

The 10 officials who attended included representatives from the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency as well as organizations in the Philippines and Malaysia.

The Coast Guard members demonstrated how to use a radar to gauge the size and location of a ship. They also explained how to operate a camera that can automatically track objects.

Indonesia faces the Strait of Malacca, a key shipping lane. Takahashi Toru, deputy director general of the Japan Coast Guard, expressed hope that by cooperating with Southeast Asian nations, Japan can contribute to "protecting rule of law at sea, and ensure a free and open Indo Pacific."

Japan has a long history of supporting Indonesia's maritime capabilities. But Jakarta is now deepening its maritime ties with China, which is increasingly active in the South China Sea.
 

Japan's hydrogen car market is caught in a familiar spiral: fewer stations mean fewer buyers, which in turn makes fewer stations viable. By Stewart Burnett

Annual sales of fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) in Japan fell 83% between 2021 and 2025 to just 431 units, as a collapsing refuelling network leaves owners with diminishing options for topping up and deters new buyers entirely. Nikkei reports that the country now has just 149 hydrogen stations: around 10% fewer than five years ago and less than half the 320 the government had targeted.
 
Under a 15-kilometre access standard, roughly 90% of Japan qualifies as existing in a coverage gap, with more than 1,500 of the country’s municipalities having no charging station whatsoever. Roughly 70% of stations also close by 5PM—many do not even operate daily—limiting coverage to fewer than 10% of Japan’s population after 6PM even in Tokyo.

The economics driving the retreat are, unfortunately, self-reinforcing. Station operators told Nikkei that construction costs for a single station come in around JP¥500m (US$3.3m), while throughput remains far too low to cover ongoing staffing and maintenance costs.

One Tokyo operator, speaking off-the-record, said the daily use hovers around five fuel-cell buses per day, but the break-even threshold of ten buses or thirty passenger cars. 

From April, government purchase subsidies for fuel-cell vehicles will be trimmed down to a maximum JP¥1.05m, reduced from JP¥1.5m.

Meanwhile, subsidies for battery-electric vehicles will increase by up to JP¥1.3m—a clear indication of shifting confidence from the Japanese government.

The divergence widens an already substantial price gap: Toyota’s Mirai starts at JP¥7.41m (US$48,000) and Honda’s CR-V e:FCEV at JP¥8.33m, compared with battery EVs available from around JP¥2m. 

This squeeze is not confined to Japan: Austria’s OMV exited the hydrogen station business entirely in 2025, leaving the country without any publicly-operated infrastructure whatsoever.

The same year saw Germany’s H2 Mobility closing roughly 30% of its domestic network. The country’s largest truckmaker, Daimler Truck, also pushed series production of its next-generation fuel cell models into the 2030s from an originally-planned launch in 2027.

Similar developments have emerged among most global automakers previously interested in the segment. For example, Stellantis discontinued its fuel-cell light commercial vehicle programme citing no mid-term economic viability, while General Motors halted next-generation development and wound down its joint venture with Honda—ending shared production of the CR-V e:FCEV in 2026. Renault and Cummins have both made similar exits from passenger and electrolyser segments respectively.

Toyota and Hyundai remain the most committed major players in the passenger vehicle segment. Toyota President Koji Sato has argued that building a hydrogen value chain from production through to end-use is the precondition for any recovery, and the company plans to install hydrogen production equipment at its main Aichi factory in fiscal 2026.

The automaker has gone to lengths to reiterate its confidence in the flagging segment, despite a broader retreat.

Hyundai, on the other hand, remains committed to launching its next-generation Nexo FCEV, offering a range of over 826 km and a fill time of just five minutes—making it essentially comparable to gasoline refuelling.

The vehicle will launch in Japan during the first half of 2026. BMW is targeting series production of a hydrogen iX5 SUV by 2028. Both Hyundai and Toyota revealed next-generation fuel cell technology in 2025.

Whether the automakers’ planned vehicles arrive in time to reverse the infrastructure retreat is the central question facing the technology, although it does appear unlikely.

For now, the market that was supposed to lead the world in accelerating hydrogen mobility is contracting faster than any intervention appears capable of reversing.
 


 

The Japanese government plans to revise the economic security promotion law to support companies with economic security-linked projects overseas.
This will be the first revision of the law, established in 2022.

The move comes amid a rapidly changing international environment, as the Ukraine-Russia war drags on and China continues to flex its economic muscle. Competition is also intensifying in the development of artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies.

The government will submit a bill to revise the law during the current session of parliament, which started Wednesday.

Under the revised law, Japan will support designated overseas projects, such as those dealing with the development of seaports crucial to logistics and data centers essential to AI development.

The government will also relax regulations under the Japan Bank for International Cooperation law to enable the state-backed lender to provide funds through a subordinated investment scheme in the event of losses in overseas projects. The scheme will mitigate loss risks to other investors.

Japan will launch a new think tank to examine supply chain-linked challenges in securing key economic security goods while enhancing the country’s research capabilities.

The think tank will be placed under the industry ministry-affiliated Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry and will gather experts in the fields of diplomacy, intelligence, defense, economy and technology to make agile policy proposals. It will also collaborate with foreign research institutes.

The law revision will include the medical field in a list of areas subject to a system that prevents foreign cyberattacks on core infrastructure operators.
Additionally, Japan will support work to lay optical cables under the sea.
 

 

Japan's education ministry has decided to allow three national universities to take in more students from abroad, amid intensifying international competition to attract foreign students.

The ministry says there were a record 336,708 foreign students in Japan in 2024. It aims to increase the figure to 400,000 by 2033.

The ministry has introduced a special system to ease universities' quotas for foreign students.

The system will be applied to three schools that met certain requirements -- Tohoku University, University of Tsukuba and Hiroshima University.

The percentage of foreign students at each of these universities is currently in the single digits.

Tohoku and Tsukuba plan to raise the ratio to between 20 and 29 percent, while Hiroshima is aiming for a 10-point increase.

In a 2023 survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the ratio of foreign students in undergraduate studies was 17 percent in Australia and 15 percent in Britain and Canada, but only 3 percent in Japan.

The education ministry hopes that outstanding students from overseas will strengthen the Japanese universities' research capabilities and help improve the quality of learning.
 
 

Mainland Chinese visitors to Japan tumbled 60.7 percent in January year-on-year, figures showed Feb 18, in the continued fallout from the countries' diplomatic spat.

"Last year, the lunar new year began in late January, but this year it fell in mid-February," the Japan National Tourism Organization said as it published the data.

"Additionally, the Chinese government issued a warning advising against travel to Japan. Factors such as reduced flight frequencies also contributed to the number of foreign visitors to Japan falling below the level of the same month last year," a statement said.

Previously Chinese visitors were the biggest contingent, contributing to a tourism boom in the land of cherry blossom and Mount Fuji that was fueled by a weak yen making shopping cheap.

But in January this year, South Korea was the biggest source with 1.2 million visitors, up 21.6 percent, compared with 385,300 from mainland China, down from 980,520 in January 2025.

Visitors from Hong Kong also tumbled 17.9 percent.

Overall the number of visitors to Japan fell 4.9 percent to 3.597 million in January compared to the same period last year.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Japan could intervene militarily if Beijing sought to take Taiwan by force.

China, which regards the democratic island as part of its territory and has not ruled out force to annex it, was furious.

Beijing summoned Tokyo's ambassador and on November 14 warned Chinese citizens against visiting Japan, citing "significant risks to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens".

The number of Chinese visitors to Japan already tumbled 45 percent in December to 330,000.

In December, J-15 jets from China's Liaoning aircraft carrier twice locked radar on Japanese aircraft in international waters near Okinawa, according to Japan.

China also tightened controls on exports to Japan for items with potential military uses, fuelling worries that Beijing may choke supplies of vital rare-earth minerals.

Japan's last two pandas were even returned to China last month.
Takaichi, 64, was seen as a China hawk before becoming Japan's first woman prime minister in October.

She won a landslide victory in snap elections on Feb 8, putting her in a strong position for the next four years to stamp her mark on Japanese domestic and foreign policy.

Takaichi said after her election win that Tokyo would bolster its defences and "steadfastly protect" its territory.

She also said she was "open to various dialogues with China".
But China's foreign ministry said "genuine dialogue should be built on respect for one another".

"Proclaiming dialogue with one's mouth while engaging in confrontation — no one will accept this kind of dialogue," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Feb. 17.

Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi told the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14 that forces in Japan were seeking to "revive militarism".
 
 

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Thursday that the country will host a ministerial meeting on the utilization of artificial intelligence in March.

She made the announcement in a video message sent to the ongoing AI Impact Summit in India.

The ministerial conference, to be held in Tokyo, will be attended by member economies of the Friends Group, which supports the Hiroshima AI Process, a framework among the Group of Seven advanced countries for discussions on AI-related international rules.

The Hiroshima AI Process was launched in May 2023 following the G-7 summit held in the western Japan city of Hiroshima that month. The G-7 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States plus the European Union.

In the video message, Takaichi highlighted the importance of international cooperation in building "a safe, secure and trustworthy AI ecosystem."
 
 

Japan's exports to the United States fell for the second straight month in January, indicating the lingering impact of the Trump administration's tariff measures.

Finance Ministry figures released on Wednesday show shipments to the US were down 5 percent from a year earlier to 1.46 trillion yen, or more than 9.5 billion dollars.

Auto exports declined 9.9 percent, while those of pharmaceuticals plunged 70.6 percent.

But Japan's global exports last month rose 16.8 percent year-on-year to 9.18 trillion yen, marking the fifth straight month of increase.

Imports to Japan from the rest of the world slid 2.5 percent to 10.34 trillion yen. That was the first decrease since August last year.
 
 

Japan's House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament, on Wednesday named Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi as prime minister.

The decision was made through a vote at a plenary meeting during a special Diet session that was convened for a 150-day run on the same day, following the Feb. 8 Lower House election.

 

Elsewhere during the day's meeting, former Justice Minister Eisuke Mori of the LDP was chosen as Lower House speaker and Keiichi Ishii of the major opposition Centrist Reform Alliance as vice speaker.

The House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, will also hold a similar vote later in the day to elect the prime minister.

 

Earlier on Wednesday, Takaichi's cabinet resigned en masse after the prime minister's ruling LDP secured over two-thirds of the 465 seats in the all-important Lower House. In October last year, Takaichi became Japan's first female prime minister.
 

 

Japan is considering a ban on the use of power banks on flights following incidents in which batteries have emitted smoke or caught fire in aircraft.

An NHK report Wednesday said the transportation ministry has notified domestic airlines that the rule will go into effect in April.

The prohibition covers the use of portable batteries to charge electronic devices as well as charging portable batteries using in-flight power outlets.

Each passenger will still be allowed to carry up to two power banks with them onto a flight, according to the report.

A Civil Aviation Bureau official told The Japan Times that the measure is still being discussed and that a policy will likely be announced around late March.

Less than a year ago, the ministry announced new regulations requiring passengers on flights to keep external batteries within sight.

It has already prohibited passengers from storing power banks in checked baggage. All batteries rated at 160 watt-hours or higher are already prohibited from checked and carry-on baggage.

Incidents involving portable batteries have occurred worldwide.
Last October, an Air China flight from Hangzhou to Incheon was forced to make an emergency landing in Shanghai after a fire broke out in an overhead bin. The airline said the fire was caused by a lithium battery in a passenger’s carry-on luggage.

Also in the same month, a portable battery emitted smoke onboard an ANA flight from Naha to Tokyo. The fire was extinguished and the flight continued to its destination.
 
 

Visitors to Japan fell 4.9 per cent in January from the previous year to mark the first decline in four years, government data showed on Wednesday (Feb 18), as Chinese tourists stayed away amid simmering tensions between the two Asian nations.

Inbound visitors totalled 3,597,500, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) said, falling for the first time since January 2022.

The drop was driven largely by a 61 per cent fall in arrivals from China to 385,300. 

Beijing has been urging its citizens to avoid travel to Japan since November, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s parliamentary comments that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a “survival-threatening situation” and trigger a potential military response from Tokyo.

The shift in the Lunar New Year holiday season, which fell in mid-February this year rather than late January in 2025, also weighed on arrivals.

South Korea remained the top source of visitors, jumping 22 per cent to 1.176 million - a record for a single month and the first time any country or region surpassed the 1.1 million mark.

Arrivals from Taiwan rose 17 per cent to 694,500, while visitors from the United States grew 14 per cent to 207,800. Hong Kong registrations fell 18 per cent to 200,000.

Japan's inbound tourism had been climbing steadily since pandemic-era restrictions were lifted, with monthly volumes frequently exceeding pre-COVID levels. 
 
 

Japan is turning up the heat on its “gastrodiplomacy” by making embassy chefs’ posts more attractive and better paid. 

After years of chronic shortages in the kitchens of its embassies and consulates, the Foreign Ministry has rolled out a sweeping overhaul to attract and retain the chefs who serve as the country’s “culinary diplomats.”

The reform raises pay, formalizes contracts, and is intended to keep Japanese cuisine firmly on the global diplomatic menu.

By offering annual compensation of at least 6 million yen ($39,000)—along with greater professional stability and autonomy—Tokyo hopes to ensure that the "washoku" Japanese cuisine served at key diplomatic banquets is prepared by well-qualified professionals.

The ministry launched the new system in January, significantly improving working conditions for chefs employed at official residences and other overseas missions. Low pay and uncertain work terms had long deterred applicants, leaving many posts understaffed.

By upgrading compensation and standardizing employment conditions, the ministry aims to secure the talent it needs to deploy Japanese cuisine more effectively as a diplomatic tool.

Until now, “official residence chefs” at Japan’s more than 200 overseas diplomatic missions—including embassies and consulates-general—typically worked under private contracts with ambassadors or consuls general.

They prepare Japanese and other cuisines for VIP dinners and receptions, promoting Japanese culture through food.

But as the global popularity of Japanese cuisine has lifted pay and conditions in the private sector, the relatively modest compensation at diplomatic posts—averaging about 4.5 million yen a year—became a liability.

The jobs grew less competitive, shortages persisted, and as of May last year, more than a dozen missions had no chef on staff.

Under the former arrangement, compensation was financed roughly one-third from heads of mission’s personal funds and about two-thirds from public subsidies.

Employment terms also tended to mirror the ambassador’s or consul general’s own assignment, with no predetermined tenure—making it difficult for chefs to plan a career.

The ministry has now revamped the program and will rename “official residence chefs” as “overseas mission chefs.” Contracts will shift from private agreements with ambassadors and other heads of mission to official contracts with the overseas missions themselves.

Annual compensation will be set at 6 million yen or more, and the term will be standardized at two years, with annual renewals possible. Previously, chefs were generally required to live in at the official residence; under the new rules, they will be allowed to live in privately rented housing.

In its budget request for the next fiscal year, which starts in April, the ministry earmarked 2.53 billion yen for the program—about 1 billion yen more than the previous year.

Ahead of the rollout, the ministry began recruitment in July last year and drew more than three times as many applications as the roughly 50 available slots.

A ministry official acknowledged “a sense of crisis” surrounding the diplomatic chef system, but said the reforms should “gradually ease the staffing shortfall.”
 
 

Japanese home electronics retailer Nojima is eager to boost its merger and acquisition activities, ready to spend up to ¥300 billion per deal, sources have said.

"There is a possibility of spending ¥200 billion to ¥300 billion" per deal, President Hiroshi Nojima, 75, said in a recent interview.

The company is known for its aggressive M&A activities. Its largest deal is the ¥85.4 billion purchase of mobile phone distributor Conexio in 2023. Other acquired companies include internet business Nifty and personal computer maker Vaio.

The president said potential acquisition targets are companies that can generate synergies with digital products, such as home appliances and mobile phones.

Still, after the case of Suruga Bank, in which Nojima acquired a stake but later sold it, he said: "Acquisition is not the goal. If we can't strengthen our business, we let go."

The company has a target of achieving consolidated sales of ¥1 trillion by around 2030, against ¥853.4 billion for the year that ended in March 2025.

The target "will be raised to ¥3 trillion in the near future," the president said. "I want to see the number reach ¥10 trillion while I'm alive."

Overseas, the company aims to increase sales from ¥81.3 billion to ¥100 billion early by expanding its operations mainly in Singapore and Malaysia.

In April this year, Nojima will raise its starting monthly salary for new graduates to a maximum of ¥400,000.

Describing human resource development as the company's "eternal theme," the president highlighted the importance of management decisions reflecting input from front-line operations, saying, "Bosses should be utilized by subordinates."

He also said the company has selected 30 outstanding employees who understand its management philosophy to participate in a special team as part of efforts to train successors.
 
 

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will not send any Cabinet minister to an annual ceremony for the Takeshima islets, now under effective control of South Korea, in Shimane Prefecture, sources have said.

As usual, the Cabinet Office's parliamentary vice minister will attend the Takeshima Day ceremony to highlight the Japanese claim on the group of islets in the Sea of Japan, called Dokdo by South Korea, government sources said Monday.

The prefectural government and other local bodies are scheduled to organize this year's ceremony in Matsue on Sunday.

During last year's race for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party presidency, Takaichi argued that the central government should have a Cabinet minister take part in the ceremony regardless of a possible backlash from Seoul.

Now that she has become prime minister, however, Takaichi is trying to further improve ties with the neighboring East Asian country.

She agreed with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to forge future-oriented bilateral relations in their first-ever summit in the South Korean city of Gyeongju last October and had a drumming session with Lee after their second summit in Nara, Takaichi's hometown, in January.

In view of China, Russia and North Korea strengthening cooperation and the United States demanding its allies boost defense spending, Tokyo and Seoul also find it important to enhance their security partnership.

As part of such effort, the Air Self-Defense Force — in an unprecedented move — supplied fuel to South Korean Air Force aircraft last month.
 
 

Cases of infectious gastroenteritis caused by the norovirus and other viruses have increased in Japan for the fifth consecutive week.

The disease, also called stomach flu, causes fever, vomiting and diarrhea.
People can be infected by eating food contaminated with a pathogen, or while disposing of a patient's bodily waste.

The Japan Institute for Health Security analyzed reports from about 2,000 pediatric medical institutions nationwide.

The number of patients per clinic was 9.48 in the week through February 8, up slightly from the previous week. The number of cases remains high for this season.

By prefecture, Gunma had 17.4 patients per clinic, Oita 16.58, Tokyo 14.34, Shimane 13.82 and Ishikawa 13.14.

Japan's health ministry says wiping floors and other places with sodium hypochlorite, and placing clothes for over one minute in hot water at 85 degrees Celsius or hotter, are effective in preventing the spread of infections.

The ministry and local governments are urging thorough handwashing and disinfection.
 
 

Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara secured gold in figure skating pairs at the Milan-Cortina Olympics on Monday, the first Olympic medal of any color in the event for Japan.

With this, Japan's medal tally at the ongoing Games reached 18, equaling its all-time Winter Olympics record marked in the previous 2022 event held in Beijing.

 

The figure skating pairs medal, the country's fourth gold at the ongoing sporting festival, matched its highest-ever gold medal haul in a Winter Olympics held outside Japan. The country has bagged five silver and nine bronze medals at Milan-Cortina.

After getting off to a shaky start in fifth place in the short program, 6.90 points behind the leading German pair, on Sunday, Miura, 24, and Kihara, 33, hammered out a free skate world record score of 158.13 on Monday, earning a total score of 231.24 to clinch the top spot on the podium.

 

This was Japan's fourth Olympic figure skating gold, after Shizuka Arakawa for the women's event at the 2006 Turin Games in Italy and Yuzuru Hanyu for the men's event in the 2014 Sochi Games in Russia and the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in South Korea.
 
 

 

The Japanese government is working to update its vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Monday.

The vision "needs to be evolved in the most appropriate way to adapt to changing times" 10 years after it was put forward by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Kihara said at a press conference.

"The international situation surrounding Japan is becoming increasingly challenging," Kihara said, apparently referring to China's increasing influence and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Kihara said that the government will add responses to new challenges such as economic security and technology competition to the vision while retaining its core principles of upholding freedom and the rule of law.
 
 

Japanese speed skater Miho Takagi won her second bronze medal of the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday when she finished third in the women's 500 meters.

Dutchwoman Femke Kok took gold in an Olympic record 36.49 seconds, with her compatriot and 1,000 gold medalist Jutta Leerdam crossing 0.66 behind for silver.

Takagi, who won bronze in the 1,000, clocked 37.27 at Milano Speed Skating Stadium to reach the podium in the 500 for the second straight Olympics, having taken silver in 2022 in Beijing.

"Although my ranking dropped one place from the last Olympics in Beijing, I didn't think things would go so smoothly this time, so I'm honestly happy that I was able to win a medal," said Takagi, who now has two gold, four silver and three bronze medals in her Olympic career.

 

Takagi's first 100 meters were the fourth-fastest in the 29-woman field, a fact she was particularly pleased about.

"I went out with the intention of hitting 10.3 seconds at the start. The skater in my pair was also very fast, so for a moment I felt as if I might be behind, but I was able to go through 100 meters -- I think it may have been a personal best -- in 10 seconds, so that was one positive," she said.

"That said, if I reflect on it, I didn't quite maintain my speed in the later phase, so that's something I need to correct going forward."

Of the other Japanese, Rio Yamada finished ninth and Yukino Yoshida 13th.
 
 

Sony Group Corp. has continually been downsizing its once stellar consumer electronics business and clarifying its shift to the entertainment industry, which includes games and music.

Last month, the company announced that it would spin off its television business. Following that announcement, it decided to end shipments of Blu-ray disc recorders.

Sony’s business restructuring is proceeding at a rapid pace, with nothing off-limits.


Withdrawal from Blu-ray

The announcement of the end of the shipments came on Feb. 9 via the company’s official website.

“We will stop shipping all models,” it said. “There will be no successor models.”

Blu-ray discs used to be a successful media format. In the 2000s, the technology competed for dominance with HD- DVDs, which were led by Toshiba Corp. Thanks to the backing of major American film studios such as Warner Bros, Sony won that battle and went on to expand its market share of high definition DVDs.

However, changes in consumer viewing habits have dramatically changed the situation. The spread of video streaming services and the rise of large-capacity storage drives has led to a decline in demand for Blu-ray discs.

In February 2025, production of Blu-ray discs for recording was discontinued.


Nothing off-limits

Sony’s stance on business restructuring became clear when Hiroki Totoki, who became president in 2023, began serving as chief executive officer in April 2025.

At a briefing in February 2025, Totoki suggested that nothing would be off-limits when it came to rearranging the composition of the company’s portfolio.

“We see our portfolio as dynamic rather than static and will continually review it,” Totoki said.

The restructuring also extends to Sony’s former mainstay television business. In January, the company announced plans to separate its Bravia brand television business and transfer it to a joint venture established with Chinese electronics giant TCL Electronics Holdings Ltd. TCL will hold a majority stake of 51% in the joint venture.

In the fiscal year ending March 2025, Sony’s television business saw sales of ¥564.1 billion, down 40% from 20 years ago.

The rise of Chinese and Korean rivals, whose low prices give them an advantage, was a major reason for the move, with Sony positioning the television business as an area in need of “structural reform and transformation.”


Intellectual properties

On the other hand, Sony has been accelerating efforts to strengthen its entertainment-related business.

In 2025, the company announced tens of billions of yen worth of investments in major publishing companies Kadokawa Corp., which own many popular intellectual properties, and Bandai Namco Holdings Inc.

It will also bring Peanuts Worldwide LLC under its umbrella as a consolidated subsidiary. Peanuts Worldwide manages the intellectual property for the popular cartoon Peanuts, known for the character Snoopy.

Sony has been expanding its entertainment businesses, which cover games, movies and music. In the fiscal year ended March 2015, sales from these businesses made up about 30% of the company’s total sales. As of the fiscal year ending March 2025, however, that figure had reached about 60%.

The company hopes to further increase earnings in entertainment by leveraging the various intellectual properties it holds.

Nevertheless, Sony still appears to have plans to continue strengthening its technological development in some areas.

“Even if it’s no longer in the form of consumer products, Sony will retain the technology necessary for entertainment,” said Waseda University Prof. Atsushi Osanai, an expert on the electronics industry.

Sony is expected to continue developing technologies in areas such as video devices and image sensors, as the company remains competitive in these areas and the technologies synergize with the entertainment sector.
 
 

U.S. restaurant chain Anna Miller's will reopen in Japan for the first time in three years on Friday, with its distinctive staff uniforms unchanged from the previous run, according to its Japanese operator.

A media preview of the American cuisine and pie specialty restaurant was held Thursday ahead of its opening in Tokyo's Minami-Aoyama district.

It marks the brand's first physical store in Japan since its branch in Tokyo's Takanawa district closed in August 2022, operator Imuraya Food Service Co said.

With a total floor space of just over 166 square meters, the new store will occupy the first two floors of a building near Gaienmae Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.

The restaurant features an interior designed to evoke 1970s suburban America and offers 32 seats. A display case on the first floor caters to takeout orders.

"We hope to share information about American culture and food, earning the appreciation of our customers," Masanori Kanae, a senior advisor at Imuraya Food Service said.

The new store was originally scheduled to open in December but was postponed due to construction delays. The brand currently operates in Japan only through online sales.

Imuraya has long operated the restaurant chain in the Tokyo metropolitan area under a license from the U.S. operator, opening its first store in Aoyama in 1973.

The brand gained popularity for its miniskirt and apron uniforms and American-style pies, which were not widely available in Japan at the time.
 
 

 

There has been a noted increase in specialty shops and recipe searches online.

The popularity of “high-hydration bread,” made from dough with a high water content and characterized by its soft, elastic texture, is on the rise.

An increasing number of shops are offering it, with some bakeries specializing in this type. Home bakers are also increasingly interested in it, as evidenced by a rise in recipe searches online.

High-hydration bread is also called high water content bread.
According to Hiroyuki Miyazaki, a baking instructor at Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka, the water content in bread dough varies by type, but most contain around 65% of the flour weight. Dough with a hydration rate of 80% or more is classified as high-hydration bread.

High-hydration breads, such as the Lodeve that originated in southern France, Germany’s bread Seelen and Italy’s Ciabatta, are traditionally known among bakers, but rarely found in shops.

About 10 years ago, however, there was a notable increase in the number of shops selling high-hydration bread and in the quantities of the breads themselves, indicating a rise in customer interest.

Miyazaki characterizes high-hydration bread as “being moist, having a uniquely chewy texture and becoming less dry over time.” On the other hand, the dough can be difficult to handle, due to the sticky texture caused by high water content.

At bread and Western confectionery shop Point Pour Point in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, where among 40 to 50 bread varieties are sold, all except croissants are high-hydration bread.

One popular item, the oatmeal bread (¥350 plus tax), has a hydration rate reaching 135%. Its golden-brown crust offers a soft bite, while the inside is moist, tender and subtly sweet. Oatmeal is added to the dough after being cooked with water five times its weight.

Shop representative Kentaro Takeuchi learned bread-making over a period of five years at a shop in the city and another in Fukuoka, both famous for high-hydration bread.

In July 2022, he began producing and selling high-hydration bread at his family-run Western confectionery shop. His customer base is broad, including foreigners and elderly people.

“The textures of our bread are often praised as being ‘easy to chew’ and ‘going down smoothly’,’’ Takeuchi said.

 

Crispy surface when baked

Many high-hydration bread products are sold without publicity or mention.
Cascade, a bakery company based in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, which operates 16 shops mainly in the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area, launched its high-hydration white bread Meihou (¥330 per loaf, plus tax) about 20 years ago.

The company currently offers six products, including the Nama France varieties (walnut bread for ¥190, cheese bread for ¥200, plus tax). These products have a hydration rate of 100% or higher.

According to Kazuya Okada, deputy factory manager at the company’s Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi factory, the Meihou was developed to create a soft, chewy texture closer to Japan’s rice-based food culture. Its crisp texture when toasted was well-received, making it the most popular regular item among the company products.


Dough for professional use

High-hydration dough for professional use is also available.
In February 2020, Nagoya-based Pasco Shikishima Corp. launched Kokusan Komugi no Lodeve (Lodeve made from wheat grown in Japan), a frozen dough sold to supermarkets and bakeries.

There are currently five varieties, including one that is chocolate flavored. Its positive reception comes mainly from being frozen after shaping, ensuring efficient baking in shops and consistent quality.

 

Home bakers’ interest

Home bakers are also becoming interested in high-hydration bread.
As of Dec. 22, there were 122 “high-hydration” recipes posted on the Cookpad recipe search site.

According to the site’s operating company, searches for “high-hydration” began increasing around 2022, with the search frequency in 2025 being about 2.26 times higher than 2024.

Takako Kotake, head of the company’s public relations department, said: “In 2022, public interest in fresh textures such as ‘moist’ and ‘chewy’ surged.

In 2025, a similar texture trend resurfaced with products like ‘mochimochi [chewy] doughnuts.’ The rise in searches for high-hydration bread corresponds with this increased demand for the textures. I see high-hydration bread’s popularity as part of the trend.”
 
 

Fake social media accounts impersonating Kyoto University Prof. Shinya Yamanaka, who is also a Nobel laureate, have been spotted on social media, according to the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, the institute where he serves as honorary director.

Yamanaka is a leading researcher on human iPS (induced pluripotent stem) cells, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012.

According to the institute, it has discovered fake accounts claiming to be Yamanaka on Facebook and other platforms.

Since December, numerous photos have been posted on the Facebook account, including one that appears to be of Yamanaka finishing a marathon.

The institute issued a warning that “there is a risk that visitors may be directed to inappropriate sites.”

It is unknown who created the fake account and for what purpose they posted such things. The institute said that it has not received any reports of damage caused by the posts at this time.

On Thursday evening, the institute posted on its X account, “Prof. Yamanaka has not opened any social media accounts, including Facebook, X, Instagram or TikTok.”
 
 

 

Toyota is safeguarding its nearly $1 billion investment pledge to air taxi maker Joby Aviation by troubleshooting production processes and mulling a deeper manufacturing role.

The Japanese automaker, which last year became Joby’s largest shareholder, has a team of almost 200 employees working to supply critical parts, training tips and assembly line know-how.

That involves deploying a set of lean manufacturing precepts known as the Toyota Production System, or TPS, said Sandy Lobenstein, Toyota’s group vice president of flying mobility.

"We’re really trying to bring TPS and the philosophy of TPS into the operations here,” Lobenstein told reporters on a tour of Joby’s factory. "Those types of innovations are helping to improve the lead time to production and scaling.”

Joby is among a handful of startups developing eVTOL aircraft — electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles — to fly customers on short commuter journeys via battery-powered air taxis. The Santa Cruz, California-based firm is currently set up to make one aircraft a month, but plans to boost that to as many as four per month by 2027.

Shares of Joby, which will report fourth-quarter earnings on Feb. 25, are down about 23% this year. They fell sharply last month after the company announced a $1 billion equity and convertible bond offering to raise cash.

Full certification for commercial flight operations by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and regulators in other countries is still pending.

Joby previously said it aimed to start commercial passenger services in Dubai by early this year, but the exact timeline is unclear. It has pushed back earlier goals to begin service from 2024 and then 2025.

"We are targeting to be able to start carrying passengers this year,” Eric Allison, Joby’s chief product officer, told reporters.

As it awaits certification — and the final $250 million tranche in Toyota’s promised $894 million in funding — the company is assembling prototype aircraft and stress-testing parts and manufacturing processes.

Joby wouldn’t specify the defect rate for parts undergoing testing, but Allison said the number of nonconforming components is "trending in the right direction.”

The car giant is now considering a proposed strategic manufacturing alliance to strengthen its relationship further ahead of Joby’s planned production ramp-up. Joby has said it aims to make as many as 500 aircraft a year once it builds out facilities in California and Ohio.

Toyota began financing Joby in 2020, two years after its venture capital arm participated in a funding round. It has taken on a larger role as its investment has grown. Toyota’s Lobenstein was tasked with overseeing the partnership a year ago.

For now, Toyota’s main role is advisory, in addition to supplying key subcomponents for Joby’s aircraft motors. The automaker’s North American manufacturing chief, Kevin Voelkel, has visited Joby’s operations twice, most recently this month, to share tips on things like improving efficiency and safety.

Visible signs of Toyota are scant at Joby’s main production hub near Monterey, California. Unlike the carmaker’s own plants or even Honda Motor’s jet factory in North Carolina, there’s no central assembly line.

Parts are assembled at various separate workstations in a hangar and then transported by truck to a nearby Quonset hut for final assembly.

Also absent are Toyota’s trademark andon cords to flag problems, robots pushing parts bins and wall-hung banners exhorting workers that "Safety is No. 1!” Toyota currently has about 30 employees on site.
 
 

A 17-year-old boy was killed in a stabbing in Osaka’s popular Dotonbori entertainment district around midnight Sunday, the Osaka Prefectural Police said, adding that they were investigating the case as a homicide.

Two other 17-year-old boys were also taken to a hospital after being stabbed. One remains in critical condition and unconscious, while the other was also seriously injured.

About 10 hours after a suspect fled the scene, police arrested 21-year-old Ryoga Iwasaki over the stabbings.

“I had no intent to kill. I was just going to intimidate them with a knife, but a man came at me and I stabbed him in the chest,” the suspect told police. When Iwasaki was apprehended, he was in possession of the knife used in the attack.

Ryunosuke Kamada, an office worker from Nara Prefecture, was taken to a hospital but died after being stabbed multiple times in his chest and other parts of his body.

Kamada, the other two victims and Iwasaki apparently knew each other and frequented the area known as Gurishita located near the famous Glico sign in Dotonbori.

The four had reportedly been involved in a dispute just before the incident.
Authorities received an emergency call from a passerby early Sunday reporting that people had been stabbed at the first-floor entrance of a building in the Dotonbori district.

The area briefly became chaotic as police cars and ambulances rushed to the scene of the incident.

A 75-year-old security guard who was inside the building at the time reported hearing a thud followed by screaming. When the guard looked at the entrance of the building, he saw a young man clutching his abdomen and chasing someone.

The security guard followed and found a man collapsed and unconscious by a nearby bridge. Bloodstains marked the path from the building to where he had collapsed.

Iwasaki was arrested on suspicion of murder after allegedly fatally stabbing Kamada.
 
 

The Japanese government on Wednesday officially turned over five coastal radar systems to the Philippines as part of efforts to bolster Manila’s maritime domain awareness amid China’s continuing aggressive actions in the region.

The radars were part of Japan’s official security assistance for fiscal year 2023, the year the grant aid framework for like-minded countries was established.

“The South China Sea is a vital sea lane for many countries through which a large portion of our trade and energy supplies pass. Safety, openness, and stability of these waters are therefore of direct importance to our own security and prosperity,” Japanese ambassador Kazuya Endo said in his speech during the handover ceremony.

“Enhancing the Philippines’ maritime domain capability is not only an investment in the Philippines’ security, but also a meaningful contribution to regional and global stability,” he added, without mentioning China, which claims these waters almost entirely.

Beijing’s coast guard and military vessels have repeatedly engaged in aggressive encounters with Philippine ships near disputed shoals and atolls within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.

The Philippine Navy will be the end user of the coastal radars, amounting to JPY 600 million (P228 million). The package includes radar units, surveillance and monitoring equipment, communications systems, and other support components.

“Once operational by the Philippine Navy, they are expected to significantly enhance the country’s maritime domain awareness by improving the ability to monitor activities in the surrounding waters,” Endo said.

The Philippines is the only country that has been a recipient of the OSA for three consecutive years. For the second fiscal year, the Philippines is expected to receive JPY 900 million worth of rigid-hulled inflatable boats.

For the current fiscal year, Japan will fund the construction of facilities for these boats, the first infrastructure project under the OSA.

Philippines’ Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., in his remarks, thanked the Japanese government for its contributions and expressed confidence that the relationship between the two countries will continue to deepen.

“Japan’s approach to its bilateral relations with the Philippines has been rooted in fundamental sincerity and values. Unlike the transactional approach to diplomatic relationships by other countries full of guile and full of insincerity in this regard, which is why approaches by countries who approach the Philippines with guile and insincerity have been soundly rejected by the Filipino people, unlike a partner country like Japan and other countries, which is welcomed with warm embrace by the Filipino people,” said Teodoro, a known China critic, without naming the country directly.

Last month, the Philippines and Japan signed a new deal called the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, which will permit the tax-free provision of supplies and services between the two nations when they undertake joint military exercises.

This was in support of the Reciprocal Access Agreement that the two countries signed in 2024.
 
 

Japanese ski jumper Ren Nikaido won the silver medal in the men's individual large hill event at the Milan-Cortina Olympics on Saturday.

 

Nikaido earned his third medal at these Winter Games, after taking two bronze medals in the normal hill and mixed team events.

 

He tied with Kazuyoshi Funaki, who won three medals at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, as the Japanese ski jumper with the most medals in a single Games.
 
 

The Sakuranesia Foundation has facilitated new vocational education partnerships between Indonesia and Japan, aiming to strengthen human resource development through industry-based training and student exchanges, the foundation said on Saturday.

Founder Tovic said the cooperation was highlighted by a visit to Japan by Prof. Agus Maryono, dean of the Vocational School at Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

“Sakuranesia will continue to promote human resource development that creates value for society through Indonesia–Japan cooperation,” Tovic said in a statement issued in Jakarta, as quoted by Antara on Sunday, February 15, 2026.

Acting as a liaison between institutions in both countries, Sakuranesia organized a forum in Japan that included dialogue sessions and the signing of education partnership agreements.

During the visit, Maryono observed early childhood STEAM education practices at the Azalee Group in Edogawa and met with Kazuhiko Hiruma, chairman of Sanko Gakuen, along with other stakeholders.

The meeting, attended by Tovic, resulted in an agreement to initiate a pilot project in vocational education.

A separate partnership signing ceremony was held at the Fukuoka Campus of the Japan University of Economics, part of the Tsuzuki Gakuen Group, marking an initial step toward expanding bilateral cooperation in human resource development.

Tovic said exchanges with leading private education institutions in Japan are expected to lay the groundwork for long-term collaboration benefiting both countries.

UGM’s Vocational School is known for its practice-based and internationally oriented curriculum. In their fourth year, students are required to undertake internships or overseas study programs.

Around 30 percent of students gain international exposure each year through such programs.

Under the new partnership, Indonesian students are expected to gain broader industry experience in Japan, strengthen cross-cultural competencies, and enhance practical skills to support their future careers.

“This partnership goes beyond academic exchange. It seeks to build a foundation for young generations in both countries to understand one another, learn together, and contribute sustainably to society,” Tovic said.
 

Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Corp reported deeper losses for the latest quarter through December compared to a year earlier, as restructuring costs cut into its profitability.

Nissan, based in the port city of Yokohama, said Thursday it posted a 28.3 billion yen ($185 million) loss for the October-December quarter, about twice the 14 billion yen loss it recorded a year earlier.

Quarterly sales slipped 6% to nearly 3 trillion yen ($19.6 billion) from 3.2 trillion yen the year before.

“Unfortunately, when you do restructuring, there are costs that are incurred,” Chief Executive Ivan Espinosa told reporters. “In a way, it is expected.”
He said Nissan was on the right track but acknowledged headwinds from President Donald Trump’s tariffs and other pressures on sales.

Nissan, which makes the Leaf electric car and Infiniti luxury models, is hoping to achieve an operating profit by the end of fiscal 2026. It expects an operating loss for the current fiscal year and is projecting a 650 billion yen ($4.2 billion) net loss for the year through March.

A Mexican with two decades of experience at Nissan, Espinosa has been trying to steer a turnaround at the money-losing automaker since he took the job last year.

Nissan has slashed jobs and sold its headquarters building. It is closing its flagship factory in Oppama, Japan, as part of its global production restructuring efforts.

Some analysts say the popularity of electric vehicles is subsiding, and that might hurt automakers like Nissan, which has been bullish on EVs.

Espinosa said Nissan needs to do more to win over consumers to EVs, including new kinds of batteries, but was optimistic about the new Leaf model.

Nissan stocks, which have slipped over the past year, gained 0.5% on Thursday.

Nissan has a partnership with French automaker Renault and smaller domestic automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
 
 

Japan and the United States have yet to work out the first batch of U.S.-bound investment deals worth 550 billion dollars planned by Tokyo, visiting Japanese economic minister Ryosei Akazawa said Thursday.

After a 90-minute meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington, Akazawa told a press conference that "the gap remains wide open" over the initial deal.

Potential U.S. targets for the first-round Japanese investment are gas-fired thermal power generation for artificial intelligence data centers, synthetic diamond production for stable semiconductor supply and a new port construction.

Also under consideration is Japanese purchasing of synthetic diamonds from a plant to be built in the United States by global diamond leader De Beers Group, people familiar with the matter said.

But Akazawa declined to clarify what projects are being specifically discussed and when they will be announced.

"We still have issues to address," he said. But he also said that the Japanese and U.S. ministers "agreed to work closely with each other to come up with mutually beneficial projects."

"We are negotiating with a view to making (Japanese) Prime Minister (Sanae) Takaichi's U.S. visit fruitful," Akazawa added.
 
 

The Embassy of Japan in Russia has opened new visa application centers to meet growing demand among Russians wishing to visit Japan.

A ceremony took place in Moscow on Thursday to mark the launch of new centers in the capital and St. Petersburg.

Minister of the Embassy Yamaguchi Daiji said the increase of Russian visitors to Japan -- despite the complicated relations between the two countries -- will help lay the groundwork for future bilateral ties.

The Japan National Tourism Organization reports that an estimated 194,900 travelers from Russia visited Japan in 2025, a record high and a 96.3 percent increase from the previous year.

One factor behind the surge is the difficulty Russians face in traveling to Europe, as many countries there have tightened visa issuance following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Large numbers of people line up outside the Japanese Embassy in Moscow each day to apply for visas.
 
 

The application of satellite technology is an efficient way to assess rice planting areas, cut costs, and gather useful data.

Lao and Japanese agricultural experts have discussed the use of satellites in rice farming and the evaluation of rice harvests in Laos using space-based technologies.

The application of satellite technology is an efficient way to assess rice planting areas, cut costs, and gather useful data.

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries partnered with Laos’ Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to organise a workshop on the topic.

The workshop took place in Vientiane on Tuesday and was attended by agriculture officials from across the country.

Director General of the Lao ministry’s Planning and Cooperation Department, Dr Boundeth Soutthavilay, thanked the Japanese government agencies and experts for their generous support inorganising the workshop and sharing valuable information.

“The next step will be for the Department to report to higher ministry authorities to ask for guidance in rolling out this system,” Dr Boundeth said.

He was hopeful that the technology could be used to provide accurate and timely information for use in agriculture and forestry development plans, especially in the gathering of agricultural statistics.

This could be of immense benefit for Laos and other ASEAN member countries, he added.

In 2023, the Japanese government advised Laos to use the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) to assess the area of land under cultivation.

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency have provided technical assistance and funding for many agricultural statistics projects together with food security information systems in ASEAN member countries.

In 2023, they organised a meeting on the assessment of rice cultivation areas in the provinces of Vientiane and Champasak using satellite imagery.
Thanks to the application of modern science, the system is fast and reliable and can predict rice planting areas in a timely manner.

A meeting was later held to assess the rice planting area in 2023 using satellite imagery and the INAHOR programme, involving key technical staff throughout Laos.

Tuesday’s workshop was based on an assessment of the rice planting area in 2025 using satellite images.

The gathering enabled participants to share comments face-to-face, in the expectation that satellite imagery could be used to effectively evaluate various aspects of rice cultivation and be incorporated in planning polices in the future.
 
 

The Diet, Japan's parliament, will kick off a special session on Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told party representatives on Friday.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to be re-elected on the first day of the session following her ruling Liberal Democratic Party's landslide victory in Sunday's election for the House of Representatives, the Diet's lower chamber.

 

On Feb. 20, Takaichi and her foreign, finance and economic policy ministers are set to deliver policy speeches. Question-and-answer sessions by party leaders are likely to start as early as Feb. 24.

The initial focus of the 150-day special session will be on the government's budget for fiscal 2026, which begins in April.
 

 

Japan said it seized a Chinese fishing vessel and arrested its captain for allegedly fleeing inspection in the nation's exclusive economic zone, adding to tensions between the countries.

"The vessel's captain was ordered to stop for an inspection by a fisheries inspector, but the vessel failed to comply and fled," Japan's Fisheries Agency said.

Japan said the boat was seized in waters off southwest Nagasaki prefecture. There were 10 more people on board besides the captain.

While ‌Japan has seized fishing vessels from South Korea and Taiwan in recent years, the incident is the first involving a vessel from China since 2022. 


China and Japan Locked in a Dispute Over Taiwan

The incident is one that comes against the backdrop of an ongoing diplomatic feud between China and Japan.

The spat began last year in November, after Japan's new conservative leader Sanae Takaichi suggested a hypothetical Chinese attack against Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

Takaichi's comments were much stronger than her predecessors', and China took issue with that. Since then, China has: 

• summoned the Japanese ambassador
• warned Chinese citizens against visiting Japan
• conducted joint air drills with Russia
• tightened controls on exports to Japan for items with potential military uses
• fueled worries that Beijing may choke supplies of vital rare-earth minerals
• suspended imports of Japanese seafood
• accepted the return of Japan's last two pandas

Tensions deepened in December, after Tokyo accused Chinese military planes of locking their radar on to Japanese fighter jets near the Okinawa Islands. 

There are also longstanding territorial disputes between the two countries, including China's military presence in the disputed Senkaku Islands, which are called Diaoyu in Chinese.
 
 

Honda Motor Co reported Tuesday a 42% drop in profit for the nine months through December, compared to a year earlier, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs hurt the Japanese automaker’s earnings.

Honda’s profit over the three quarters totaled 465.4 billion yen ($3 billion), down from 805.2 billion yen.

That marked the second straight year that profit declined during the period at Honda, the maker of the Accord sedan, Civic compact and Odyssey minivan.

Sales for the three quarters dipped 2.2% to 15.98 trillion yen ($102.6 billion) from the previous year. Honda stuck to its full fiscal year profit forecast at 300 billion yen ($1.9 billion).

The slowdown in electric vehicles in the U.S. market was one negative factor, according to Honda, while the relatively healthy performance in its motorcycle division worked as a plus.

Honda lowered its global EV sales ratio projection for 2030 to 20% from its previous target of 30%. It also said it canceled the development of some EV models, because the EV market was changing.

The Trump administration, which has favored the oil and gas industry, has backpedaled on prior programs supporting the proliferation of EVs, dismantling programs that kicked in during the Biden administration, which had encouraged environmentally cleaner cars and trucks.

Last year, Trump lowered the tariffs on automobiles and auto parts to 15% from an earlier 25% that he had initially announced. Japan promised to invest $550 billion in U.S. projects.

Tariffs are a major blow to Japan’s export-reliant economy, including the automakers. Last week, Japan’s top automaker Toyota Motor Corp. reported a decline in recent profit, and announced that its chief financial officer, Kenta Kon, will become its new chief executive and president.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office in October as Japan's first female leader, scored a landslide parliamentary election victory for the governing party over the weekend.

That’s expected to make it easier for her Liberal Democratic Party to push forward on its policies, including bolstering growth by boosting government spending, especially in technology and defense.

Honda stock jumped 2.1% in Tuesday’s trading. The Nikkei 225 benchmark finished 2.3% higher, renewing a record high for the second day straight, in a rally set off, in part, by Takaichi’s popularity.
 
 

Japan's main opposition party the Centrist Reform Alliance on Thursday officially began a brief two-horse race to select its new leader, as the recently established party seeks to rebuild after a crushing defeat in the recent general election.

The new party head is set to be chosen Friday in the race being contested by Junya Ogawa, 54, a former secretary general of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and Takeshi Shina, 59, the CDPJ's former acting policy chief.

The CRA was established in January and united House of Representatives members of the CDPJ and the Komeito party to achieve a centrist realignment amid what they view as a rightward shift under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Instead, it faced defeat, with its 167 seats before official campaigning falling to 49 in Sunday's election.

Speaking at an event to launch the leadership campaign, Shina said the party "must move forward raising a centrist banner for the sake of democracy and the next generation."

The CRA's loss has made it the smallest main opposition party in postwar Japanese history.

Ogawa referred to cost-of-living pressures on inflation-hit households, saying the party must "rebuild livelihoods" and that it has to "do something about the pervasive uncertainty toward the future spreading in society."

The race will be won by the candidate with the most votes from the party's lower house lawmakers, with no run-off round. The new leader's term will run until the end of March 2027.

The race did not require lawmakers to receive the backing of their colleagues to become a candidate. No lawmakers from the Komeito side came forward to run.

With the founding parties' lawmakers in the House of Councillors yet to merge with their lower house colleagues into the CRA in the wake of the election defeat, both men indicated to reporters that they do not plan to rush a merger.

Shina said there is "no reason to be hasty" on the issue, while Ogawa said the party "must proceed deliberately, clarify its direction and then decide."

The CRA's election strategy has caused internal tensions after Komeito was given priority in the proportional representation list, leading to all 28 of its candidates being elected.

Conversely, the CDPJ side fought in single-member districts and faced a wipeout, with only seven of its candidates including Shina and Ogawa winning in constituency races. Just 21 of the party's lower house lawmakers now originate from the CDPJ.

The party leadership contest comes after CRA co-leaders Yoshihiko Noda and Tetsuo Saito, respective former heads of the CDPJ and Komeito, said Monday they would step down to take responsibility for the election loss.

Komeito, a self-styled pacifist party, ended its 26-year coalition with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in October, shortly after Takaichi became its leader.
 
 

The transport ministry plans to provide subsidies for measures designed to ease airport congestion caused by an increase in inbound tourists as part of efforts to address overtourism and create a more comfortable travel environment.

Specifically, the ministry is considering subsidizing costs for expanding passenger walkways at airports and increasing baggage conveyor belts in a bid to reduce long waiting times and queues.

The ministry has earmarked ¥2.88 billion ($18.9 million) for the program in the government's fiscal 2026 budget proposal.

Domestic airlines, airport terminal operators and local governments that manage airports would be eligible for the subsidies, which are expected to cover half of the costs, in principle, for strengthening terminal building functions to alleviate congestion.

The subsidies are also expected to be utilized for improving and expanding airport bus terminals and installing digital signage to guide passengers to their destinations so that they can smoothly transfer to public transportation.

The program will also cover airport ground operations, such as aircraft guidance and baggage handling. It will help promote operational efficiency by supporting the introduction of advanced equipment and help improve the working environment by installing air-conditioning systems in baggage-sorting areas.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of foreign visitors to Japan hit a record high of about 42.68 million in 2025, surpassing 40 million for the first time. At some airports, congestion has worsened, with long lines forming at security checkpoints.
 
 

A Japanese Justice Ministry panel on Thursday compiled an outline of a review of the country’s retrial system that would continue to allow public prosecutors to file appeals against courts’ decisions to start retrials.

The Legislative Council also outlined an automobile driving punishment law revision that would set numerical standards for the crime of dangerous driving resulting in death and injury, as well as a Civil Code revision related to the statutory adult guardianship and testament systems.

The panel handed the outlines to Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi the same day. The government plans to submit related bills to a special parliamentary session to be convened Wednesday.

Prosecutors will continue to be able to challenge retrial decisions under the outline on a proposed amendment to the criminal procedure law, despite the Japan Federation of Bar Associations and others calling for banning such appeals that could delay relief for falsely convicted people.

The outline also calls for establishing a new provision on evidence disclosures under the law, with a penalty proposed against those who used disclosed evidence for purposes other than their original intent.

It also includes a provision allowing courts to swiftly dismiss requests for retrials.
 
 

The memorandum aims to rehabilitate Units 1 and 2 of the Jandar power plant in Homs province, ensuring the stable supply of approximately 540 megawatts to the Syrian electricity grid.

The Charge d'Affaires of the Japanese Embassy in Damascus, Akihiro Tsuji, and the Acting Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Syria, Mohammed Mudawi, signed a memorandum for a loan to Damascus worth 1,952 billion yen (approximately $12,4 million) for the implementation of a project entitled "Stabilizing Energy Supply in Conflict-Affected Areas."

According to a statement from the Syrian Ministry of Energy posted on Telegram, the memorandum aims to rehabilitate Units 1 and 2 of the Jandar Power Plant in Homs province, central Syria, ensuring the stable supply of approximately 540 megawatts to the national grid.

The project is expected to contribute to improving electricity supply in the provinces of Damascus, Homs, Hama, and Deir ez-Zor.

Under the agreement, the Japanese government will finance the project, while UNDP will oversee its implementation in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy for a period of 24 months.

Deputy Minister of Energy for Electricity Affairs, Omar ShaqrouqHe thanked the Japanese government for the funding, noting that it covers comprehensive maintenance work on the plant, detailed technical assessments to identify priorities, procurement and installation of original spare parts, supervision of overhaul operations, and training of engineers and technicians.

Shaqrouq emphasized that the project will improve the efficiency and reliability of the power grid while strengthening national management and preventive maintenance capabilities.

Since 2014, Japan has allocated over $35 million to support electricity supply in Syria, rehabilitating three major power plants, adding 235 megawatts of generation capacity, and reducing losses by approximately 1,000 megawatts.
 
 

Strained Sino-Japanese relations over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks in November on a Taiwan contingency seem to have had little effect on young Chinese lovers of Japanese animation and video games, with long queues formed at character goods shops in China.

The country's market for Japanese-originated anime and game culture, known as "erciyuan" in Chinese, meaning two-dimensional, almost doubled in five years to 597.7 billion yuan (about $86 billion) in 2024, according to iiMedia Research. The figure is expected to grow further to 834.4 billion yuan in 2029.

 

"Devoted fan activities are a source of spiritual fulfillment," a 21-year-old female college student dressed as the main character of the Japanese anime "Black Butler" said in late December at a Shanghai shopping mall that houses stores selling a variety of Japanese anime items.

"The deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations doesn't have any impact because we can watch our favorites on video streaming sites," she added.

Relations between Japan and China are at their lowest in years after Takaichi's remarks that an attack on Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, potentially prompting its Self-Defense Forces to act in support of the United States, infuriating Beijing.

 

China, which claims the self-ruled island as its territory and sees the Taiwan issue as a purely "internal affair," has come up with a series of anti-Japanese economic measures, including a limited number for the entertainment industry.

However, an industry source implied such measures will have little effect as so many local Chinese companies are involved in the sale of Japanese intellectual property-related products, such as anime and games.

Completely excluding the business could "deal a major blow to those Chinese firms," the source said, "(But) it's unrealistic (for them) to do that."

 

While characters from Japanese anime such as "Haikyu!!" and "Jujutsu Kaisen" enjoy enduring popularity in the Chinese market, China is developing its own domestic character business with the aim of becoming a cultural powerhouse.

In recent years, animation and games originating from China, such as the anime "Fei Ren Zai," which was aired in Japan, and romance simulation games for women, have been on the rise, fueling competition between Japanese and Chinese businesses in the market.
 
 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is reportedly considering retaining all of her ministers in the new cabinet to be announced next week.

After winning a landslide victory in the election for the House of Representatives on Sunday, Takaichi is expected to be reappointed as prime minister in parliament on February 18 when parliament convenes for a proposed special session of 150 days.

Reported by ANTARA from Kyodo, Tuesday, February 10, Japan's ruling and opposition parties agreed to the government's proposal to hold the session, which is expected to last until at least July 17.

This happened after the lower house was dissolved on the first day of the regular parliamentary session at the end of January to hold a by-election.

The schedule proposed by the government includes a parliamentary vote to choose a prime minister that Takaichi will almost certainly win after the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partners won a landslide victory to control more than two-thirds of the 465 seats in the assembly.

With Takaichi's new cabinet appointed just months ago in October and his party winning a historic victory, a cabinet reshuffle is unlikely, the sources said.

The LDP's proposal to deliver policy speeches to Parliament by the prime minister and senior ministers, which will take place on February 20, was also approved by the Centrist Reform Alliance in a meeting of their heads of parliamentary affairs.
 
 

Japan won the bronze medal in the ski jumping mixed team event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Tuesday, earning its first Olympic medal in the event.

The Japanese team, consisting of Nozomi Maruyama, Ryoyu Kobayashi, Sara Takanashi and Ren Nikaido, brought the Asian country its eighth medal at the ongoing Olympics.

Japan marked a total score of 1,034.0, while Slovenia won its second successive gold, with a score of 1,069.2. Norway placed second.

The mixed team event was held for the first time at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and Japan finished fourth at the time, missing the podium.