Banks are increasingly closing their branches for lunch breaks, with regional banks leading the way and even some major banks shuttering branches during mealtime. They are hoping to keep their branches open amid worsening staff shortages and declining foot traffic.

Mizuho Bank, Ltd. introduced midday closures on Monday at three branches, Yamagata, Matsuyama and Yamaguchi, as well as at two special branch offices on remote islands.

MUFG Bank, Ltd. did the same at four branches in the Kyushu region in fiscal 2024. Three more of MUFG’s branches will introduce the change from Nov. 17, in Mito and Tsuchiura in Ibaraki Prefecture and in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, with branches in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture, and in Gamagori, Shinshiro and Tahara in Aichi Prefecture doing likewise from Nov. 25.

At participating branches, service will stop for one hour from 11:30 a.m. Customers will still be able to use ATMs.

Bank branches are open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., in keeping with the Banking Law. However, a 2016 amendment to the regulations of the law allowed hours to be changed if it does not inconvenience customers.

Iyo Bank, Ltd. in Ehime Prefecture pioneered midday closures in 2017. According to the Regional Banks Association of Japan, around 90% of its 61 member banks have now adopted the practice.

Domestic banks cut back on their branches in the 2010s due to the growth in online banking and persistently low interest rates. However, staff shortages have worsened as many employees hired during the bubble era have retired.

Banks are introducing midday closures to reduce the burden on branch staff and to allow themselves to operate with fewer workers.
 

 

The head of Japanese athletics fought back tears Friday as she described how the world championships in Tokyo can "wipe away" the painful memory of empty stands at the Olympics four years ago.

The Tokyo Games were delayed a year to 2021 because of the pandemic and held in strict conditions to prevent the spread of Covid, with fans shut out of most venues and athletes forced to undergo tests and social distancing.

The world championships will have no such restrictions when they start on Saturday and tens of thousands of fans are expected to flock to Tokyo's National Stadium, which seats almost 70,000.

Japan Association of Athletics Federations president Yuko Arimori said she hoped the competition would remind people of the value of sport.
"Sport isn't just about the athletes but about everyone getting energy from it and lifting each other up, and I think that kind of energy is important," she said.

"I think this event will help us wipe away the emotions we felt back then and remind us what sport should be like.

"Athletics is the mother of sports and I want people to take inspiration from it."

Arimori, a former marathon runner who won silver at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and bronze in Atlanta four years later, became emotional as she considered the competition's meaning.

"I'm so happy that the world's media, top athletes from around the globe and kids and fans from all over Japan will come to this stadium to support athletics and give us their energy," said Arimori.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said sport had "a unique ability" to bring people together.

"It's the most potent social worker in all our communities," he said.
"It does it most effectively, probably more effectively than any other sector.
"It has the ability to touch the hearts and minds and lifestyles of young people in the way very few other sectors do."
 
 

Japan is open to partner with Indonesia on carbon dioxide transport, something that will enable Tokyo to store its captured emissions in the Southeast Asian country, according to its government official.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has emerged as one of the many ways economies can save the planet. The technology captures emissions produced by industrial facilities and stores them into deep geological formations.

The captured carbon dioxide may even be transported via ships or pipelines to other locations or even abroad -- something that can turn Indonesia into a regional CCS hub. 

The government-owned Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) has backed nine CCS projects, five of which are domestically based. The four others are overseas storage, three of which are located in Indonesia’s close neighbor Malaysia.

Another project explores the potential of transporting and storing carbon to offshore depleted oil fields in the Oceanian region by ship or pipelines. The Jakarta Globe asked Hiroshi Hasegawa -- a senior official at the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Industry -- whether Tokyo was eyeing some cross-border carbon storage opportunities with Indonesia.

“Indonesia is a big potential partner,” Hasegawa told a press conference in Jakarta. 

Hasegawa admitted that Indonesia and Japan had yet to ink a government-to-government memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the cross-border storage. He, however, stated that the lack of MoU did not matter, saying that both countries have been seeing “open and continuous communication”. 

Last year, then-President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo signed a decree on CCS that mandates operators to dedicate 70 percent of their storage capacity for domestic needs. Operators may only set aside the remaining 30 percent for imported carbon.

However, Indonesia only allows emitters who have invested in the country to use its storage capacity. Companies that are affiliated with the investors may transport their emissions. 

“So by cross-border, it does not mean we are entirely storing other countries’ emissions. It is about building a storage that we can share,” analyst Mohammad Rachmat Sule said. 
 
 

A Japanese local railway operator has seized on its financial difficulties as a public relations opportunity by using self-deprecating humor to attract more tourists to the area.

Choshi Electric Railway Co., based in the city of Choshi in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, operates just one train line, which has resulted in persistent deficits.

After regaining profitability at one point, the company registered its first red ink in four years in the business year ended in March 2025, due to rising prices.

Hoping to overcome the situation, the company in April this year said that the 6.4-kilometer railway line running between Choshi and Tokawa stations will now be nicknamed as "Inubo Gakeppuchi Line," or "Inubo cliff edge line."

The nickname reflects the company's "cliff edge," referencing both its dire financial situation and a stretch of cliffs in the prefecture. Cape Inubo and Byobugaura coastal cliffs are one of scenic spots near the line.
 


 

A nonpartisan group of Japanese lawmakers on Thursday submitted a petition with 206 signatures to Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, urging the government to recognize a Palestinian state.

The move came ahead of a high-level international conference in New York on Sept. 22 on the proposed two-state solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Israel has no intention of agreeing to a cease-fire, and child hunger cannot be ignored," Tomoko Abe of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan said when she and two other opposition members of the group met with the foreign minister.

The group also includes members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Countries including France and Britain plan to recognize a Palestinian state as international pressure mounts on Israel over the war in Gaza and the worsening starvation crisis. Japan is still weighing its stance.

"I take this seriously since this many signatures were collected," Iwaya said, adding that the ministry will look into the matter further.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who announced his resignation last Sunday, previously headed the nonpartisan group. Attention is now on whether the latest request will influence the government's decision.
 
 

Japan's National Stadium was fan-less four years ago during the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics; zero atmosphere in the $1.4 billion, 60,000-seat venue for the globe's greatest track and field athletes.

Many recall the sterility of the opening and closing ceremonies, the quiet as Emperor Naruhito addressed thousands of empty seats to officially begin the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.

The most hyped event of the Olympics is often the men’s 100-meter final. But only silence and a small throng of media serenaded winner Marcel Jacobs — a Texas-born Italian — as he posed at the finish line to celebrate with an Italian flag stretched across his shoulders.

The stadium designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma in central Tokyo is about to get the attention it missed when the nine-day track and field world championships open Saturday.

 

The championships are sure to enliven a venue with stars like American sprinter Noah Lyles, whose struggles with depression tainted his trip to Tokyo, and pole vault world-record holder Mondo Duplantis. The venue has awaited this kind of event ever since it was completed in 2019.

This is good news for fans hoping to experience an atmosphere that was lacking in 2021.

But the focus on the stadium will again raise questions about government spending on a stadium that has struggled to find uses following the Olympics. The Olympics have a long history of producing white-elephant venues created with public money: Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Plans for a new stadium by Zaha Hadid were scrapped in 2015 when costs soared to over $2 billion. That stadium had a futuristic look, some comparing it with a bicycle helmet.

 

Kuma won a second bidding contest, designing a stadium that fit into the existing urban landscape with more Japanese elements including wood, gardens and flowing water.

The new venue replaced the stadium used for the 1964 Olympics, which was razed and was never regarded as an architectural gem.

However, Tokyo's ‘64 Games did generate iconic architecture including the Yoyogi National Stadium, the jewel of those Olympics and a symbol of Japan’s rise following World War II. It's a smaller indoor arena, the host for swimming in the '64 Olympics.

The National Stadium, built with taxpayer money for the Tokyo Olympics, appears to be a money loser. At least for taxpayers.

Victor Matheson, who studies the economics of sports at College of the Holy Cross, said a stadium like Japan's National Stadium has too few uses, no permanent tenant, ongoing maintenance and operation expenses and possible payments on debt service.

“There are simply not that many events that require a 60,000-plus capacity,” Matheson wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “There are not many music concerts that can fill a stadium that size. And things like a soccer or rugby World Cup or track and field championships only come around rarely.”

The National Stadium was reported to be losing about 1 billion yen annually (about $7 million) as late as fiscal 2024. It has since been privatized to reduce public-sector expenses. A private consortium is managing the stadium although the national government still owns it and is picking up some of the bills.

 

Matheson cited a study that showed large stadiums in the United States, home to NFL teams, typically hosted fewer than 10 major entertainment or sports events per year outside of NFL games.

“So, most of the time you end up spending $1 billion-plus on a facility that sits empty 350 days a year,” Matheson said.

The National Stadium sits adjacent to an area known as Jingu Gaien, a park-like space that includes a famous baseball and rugby stadium and a cherished avenue lined by more than 100 gingko trees.

There are plans approved by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to raze the baseball and rugby stadiums. They are to be rebuilt in the same area, but in reconfigured space.

This will allow developer Mitsui Fudosan and others to build three skyscrapers in what was essentially a park area, some of the most valued real estate in Tokyo.

The zoning changes to allow this high-rise development — it won't be finished for a decade — were pushed through by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government when the Olympics were on the horizon and the new National Stadium was seen as an urgent priority

Not only were the 2021 Olympics very costly for taxpayers, they also provided an opening for private developers to encroach on what has traditionally been park-like space.

“When someone else is footing the bill, we tend to build Rolls-Royces and not Toyota Corollas,” Matheson, the economist, said. “At a price of $1.4 billion, Tokyo's Olympic stadium costs roughly the same amount as the entire 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, even after accounting for inflation.”
 

 

Western Japan’s premier beauty trade fair will take place from 20-22 October 2025 at INTEX Osaka, spanning Halls 1–5 and 6B.

For this landmark 20th edition, Beautyworld Japan Osaka unveils big plans! The fair launches three new zones: Clinic Care, Fitness + Beauty and Osaka Nail Forum.

The Clinic Care zone specialises in the field of aesthetic medicine including cosmetics, supplements and services for cosmetic clinics. Only medical personnel are invited to this zone.

In this context, the Women’s Aesthetic Medical Association (WAM) will host its inaugural event for doctors, nurses, medical professionals and clinic owners on 21 October. Under the theme of ‘beauty and health,’ renowned doctors will give presentations and join panel discussions on the latest trends and findings in their fields of expertise. This event is also exclusive to medical personnel.

Meanwhile, the Fitness + Beauty zone features an extensive selection of fitness, healthcare and mindfulness products to expand distribution channels to high-end salons and businesses that prioritise beauty and wellness.

With the launch of the Osaka Nail Forum, Beautyworld Japan Osaka will now comprise 12 zones, including: Beauty Equipment, Business Support, Cosmetics, Eyelash, Fem more, Hair, Tasty, Wellness & Beauty, as well as a special exhibition area called NEXT for companies exhibiting for the first time.

Around 35 companies aiming to enter the beauty industry in the Kansai region will display their products and services to regional professionals and buyers.

Since the first edition in 2006, Beautyworld Japan Osaka has continued to strengthen its position as a key business platform in the region. This year, it is expected to host around 570 exhibitors including 60 overseas exhibitors, namely from countries and regions like China, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Lithuania, Morocco, Taiwan, Thailand and the US.

 

Beautyworld Japan Osaka 20-22 October 2025 INTEX Osaka, spanning Halls 1–5 and 6B Osaka, Japan Further shows in the Beautyworld worldwide network: Beautyworld Middle East 27-29 October 2025, Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE Beautyworld Central Asia 20-22 November 2025, Central Asian Expo, Tashkent, Uzbekistan Beautyworld Japan Fukuoka 16-18 February 2026, Marine Messe Fukuoka, Japan Beautyworld Taipei 20-23 March 2026, Taipei World Trade Centre, Taiwan Beautyworld Japan Nagoya 23-25 March 2026, Port Messe Nagoya, Japan Beautyworld Saudi Arabia 18-20 May 2026, Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Saudi Arabia Beautyworld Japan Tokyo 18-20 May 2026, Tokyo Big Sight, Japan Notes Shanghai 16-19 October 2025, West Bund International Convention and Exhibition Center, Shanghai

 
 

Toshimitsu Motegi, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced his candidacy Wednesday for the leadership of the Japanese ruling party.

"I will seek a new coalition framework with political parties that share our basic policies," Motegi, 69, told a press conference at the Diet, the country's parliament, showing his readiness to expand the ruling bloc currently comprising the LDP and Komeito.

Motegi is the first to declare a bid in the LDP presidential election, scheduled for Oct. 4, to pick the successor to outgoing President Shigeru Ishiba, the country's prime minister.

Others considering or preparing bids for the party post include Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64, and former economic security ministers Sanae Takaichi, 64, and Takayuki Kobayashi, 50. Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi, 44, may also throw his hat in the ring.

 
 

Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has decided to hold its upcoming leadership election in a full-scale format, including votes from both lawmakers and rank-and-file party members, to select a successor to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

At a meeting on Tuesday, party executives agreed that the election will be officially announced on Sept. 22, with lawmakers casting their ballots on Oct. 4.

In the full-scale format, the contest will be decided by 590 votes in total, 295 from LDP lawmakers and 295 from party members. The campaign period will last more than 12 days.

LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama emphasized that a full-scale election is the most desirable way to elect a new leader, describing it as an opportunity for the party to reset and move forward as a national political force.

Under the election rules, a winner must obtain more than half of the votes in order to be elected as the new party chief, and if no one wins a majority in the first round, a run-off vote between the top two candidates will be held on the same day, when the LDP lawmakers vote a second time and the 47 prefectural chapters get one vote each.

With Ishiba stepping down, the LDP is bracing for a heated leadership contest as major contenders signal their intention to run.

Former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Monday announced his intention to run, pledging to devote his full political experience to the party and government.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi and former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi have also decided to run, local media reported.
 
 

Japan Airlines apologized Wednesday over a series of flight delays caused by drunken pilots, following a reprimand from the transport ministry.

There have been at least three cases in the past year or so in which a pilot failed to pass a pre-flight alcohol test or was reported to the police for loud, drunken behavior.

“We take this situation seriously, especially since we had already been given a business improvement order last December and had been in the process of implementing countermeasures,” JAL President Mitsuko Tottori told a news conference Wednesday.

The transport ministry’s reprimand follows a surprise inspection of the airline last week.

The ministry said Wednesday that the company’s oversight was insufficient and that the safety management system was not functioning adequately.

The most recent flight delay occurred in late August when a pilot scheduled to fly from Honolulu to Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture was suspended from duty after he failed a voluntary pre-flight alcohol test due to heavy drinking the night before, causing three flights to be delayed by up to 18.5 hours. The pilot is set to be dismissed over the incident.

In April last year, a flight from Dallas was canceled the night before after a hotel called the police on a drunken JAL pilot for making too much noise. In December, two pilots drank heavily the night before a flight and then colluded to cover up the fact, leading to another delay.

Following these incidents, the transport ministry issued a business improvement order to JAL last year, prompting the airline to ban pilots from consuming alcohol overseas in between flights.

However, Tottori said Wednesday that such measures were insufficient and vowed to take stricter preventative measures.

“By comprehensively evaluating health check data and other information, we will ensure that crew members identified as having a particularly high risk related to alcohol consumption will not be assigned to flight duties,” Tottori said.

Those evaluated as having liver problems or past issues with alcohol, for example, will be deemed as “high risk” and relieved of flight duties, he explained.

So far, four pilots have been temporarily released from their duties.
Those who present a moderate risk of drunkenness may be required to submit images of alcohol test results at their place of stay, Tottori added.
JAL said other areas for improvement include better communication between management and the flight operation branch.

The airline has been ordered to submit a report detailing its new preventative measures to the transport ministry by the end of the month.
 
 

Google LLC has expanded the range of languages supported in its AI Mode search service to include Japanese. The new options started to become available to users on Tuesday.

The free artificial intelligence-based search service can now help users get answers to complex questions in a single search in Japanese, Indonesian, Korean, Hindi or Brazilian Portuguese, in addition to English.

With Google’s proprietary Gemini 2.5 AI, which analyzes information online, now added to the Search function, users can obtain answers by typing what they want to know into the search bar in a conversational style.

Typing in “Tell me what equipment is needed to brew coffee, depending on brewing method, as well as how easy it is to use and how it affects the taste,” for example, will display a comparison list of brewing devices and the flavor characteristics they create. The search results page also shows links to the sources referenced by the AI to create its answer.

“With this expansion, more people can now use AI Mode to ask complex questions in their preferred language, while exploring the web more deeply” through the links offered by the search results, Hema Budaraju, a senior official of Google’s search department, said in a statement.

In May, Google launched AI Mode in the United States, following its release of AI Overviews, which can take the work out of searching by providing AI-generated summaries of key information.

The company is believed to have been spurred to do this by its strong concern over the declining popularity of Google searches due to the emergence of ChatGPT and other conversational AI models.

Google has about a 90% share of the online search market, and advertising revenue from Google searches accounts for nearly 60% of parent company Alphabet Inc.’s revenue. However, the company’s share of the search market reportedly could drop below 50% within the next five years.

According to a July report by the Pew Research Center, a U.S. research organization, many Google search users are satisfied with its AI-generated summaries, which reduce the frequency at which users click on displayed links to 8% from 15%. Due to the spread of AI search functions, the number of visitors to U.S. news website Business Insider has halved over the past three years.

The introduction of AI Mode is expected to accelerate this trend in the future.

In May, News/Media Alliance, a nonprofit organization of more than 2,200 U.S. publishers, expressed concern that AI mode will further deprive “publishers of original content both traffic and revenue.”
 

 

A recent survey in two major export markets of Japan's konnyaku showed the low-calorie foodstuff made from a type of yam is well received, prompting the Japan Konjac Association to express hopes to boost exports further amid growing health consciousness among consumers.

According to the online survey released by the association, of those who have eaten konnyaku before, 86.4 percent of respondents in the West Coast in the United States and 64.4 percent in France said they either "liked" or "somewhat liked" it.

The most commonly cited reasons for enjoying konnyaku were its "low calorie content," followed by its "richness in dietary fiber."

By type, "konnyaku noodles" were the most popular, with 59.2 percent of U.S. respondents and 27.5 percent of those in France reporting having eaten them at least once. Satisfaction levels were also high.

The survey was conducted online from May to August, targeting men and women aged 20 to 69 in the U.S. states of California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as France.

Low in calories and rich in dietary fiber, konnyaku is described by the association as being effective in relieving constipation, preventing obesity and improving lifestyle-related diseases.

Mostly tasteless and odorless, konnyaku often has a bouncy texture and can be incorporated into a variety of dishes.
 
 

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro agreed Tuesday to strengthen cooperation between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military, amid China's growing military presence in the East and South China seas.

During their meeting in Seoul, the defense chiefs also agreed to speed up discussions to conclude a general security of military information agreement, or GSOMIA, that would allow the two countries to share classified information.

After the meeting, Nakatani told reporters, "The fact that we confirmed our commitment to deepening defense cooperation is very meaningful for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."
 
 

Navi Japan, powered by Acumen with support from Study in Japan’s South Asia initiative and the University of Tokyo, aims to help Indian students, parents, and institutions access reliable information on studying in Japan.

With Japan’s Ministry of Education, also known as MEXT, planning to raise enrolment limits at certain universities to “encourage the recruitment of outstanding international students”, India has become a key market for some of the country’s top institutions.

Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed to boost Japanese private investment in India to about $6.8 billion annually over the next decade, up from $2.7bn a year in the 2010s.

In particular, Indian workers and students are seen as a way to help address Nippon’s labor shortages amid its aging population and declining birth rate.

In light of this, Navi Japan, a one-stop app for Indian students to access information on universities, language labs, accommodation, scholarships, and careers, has officially launched today (September 8), helping Japan attract top Indian student talent – especially in fields like AI.

“Backed by real-time support features such as live chat, video counselling, and local engagement opportunities at schools and university campuses across India, Navi Japan ensures that every student can make confident, informed decisions about studying in Japan and feel personally supported throughout their journey from aspiration to relocation,” stated Adrian Mutton, founder and CEO, Acumen. 

Although there are only about 1,400 Indian international students currently in Japan, the strengthening of Japanese-Indian ties in areas such as economics, security, technology, and people-to-people exchange is expected to drive a sharp rise in that number in the coming years.

According to Acumen, the Navi Japan app, available for free on Android and iOS, has a goal of engaging over 100,000 students from India and South Asia within the next 24 months, while also helping its partner institutions like the University of Tokyo showcase their diverse range of programs.

“Japanese universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, including degree courses taught in English,” stated Dr. Kaori Hayashi, director of University of Tokyo India Office. 

“I would love to see more students from South Asia joining us to experience world-class education, an exciting campus life, affordable tuition, and a safe, welcoming society. We look forward to working with Acumen to achieve our goal.” 
 
 

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his South Korean counterpart, Ahn Gyu-back, agreed Monday to strengthen bilateral communication, including through mutual visits to each other's countries.

The two defense chiefs, meeting in Seoul for their first in-person talks since South Korean President Lee Jae-myung took office in June, also agreed to promote three-way cooperation among the two countries and the United States to counter threats from North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

"Persistently fostering rapport is essential for sustainably strengthening cooperation and coordination between the two sides," Nakatani told reporters after the meeting.

He said that the two ministers did not discuss Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's announcement on Sunday that he will resign.

It was the first trip by a Japanese defense minister to the neighboring country since October 2015, when Nakatani also held the post. He had mulled a visit in 2024, but it was postponed due to political turmoil after martial law was briefly declared in South Korea that year.
 


 

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has said at a news conference that he plans to step down. Ishiba said he will not run in his ruling Liberal Democratic Party's upcoming special leadership contest.


What Ishiba said at the news conference

Ishiba said he strongly believed it was the responsibility of his administration to pave the way for the negotiations on US tariffs, which should be called a national crisis.

He also said that he felt a sense of closure when Japan and the United States signed a memorandum on Japanese investment last week and US President Donald Trump signed an executive order.

Ishiba: I always said that I wouldn't cling to this post, and would decide to resign at an appropriate time after doing what I needed to do. Now is the time for me to resign as the negotiations on US tariffs have come to an end, and I decided to pass the baton to the next person. I made a painful decision to step down, thinking about some issues I needed to accomplish. I thought a decisive division within the party could be created if the issue of an extraordinary presidential election continued to develop. That is not what I wanted.

Ishiba said he feels very sorry for the people that he has decided to resign from his post in such a way.

Ishiba: I hope people will fully understand as I will continue fulfilling my duties during my remaining time in office.

He said he had told LDP Secretary-General Moriyama Hiroshi to carry out procedures for the presidential election based on the party's rules.

Ishiba said he hopes the party will begin the process of choosing a new president.


Ruling parties react

Former Defense Minister Inada Tomomi, an LDP member, said, "It must have been a very difficult decision for the prime minister."

Inada: I think it was the best decision for him to unify the party and avoid division.

Saito Tetsuo, the chief representative of the LDP's coalition partner, Komeito, called the announcement deeply regrettable.

Saito: Prime Minister Ishiba had consistently sought cooperation from opposition parties on each political issue and succeeded in gaining their support. Such efforts deserve proper recognition.


Opposition party reactions

The leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, Noda Yoshihiko, voiced concern about the ongoing political vacuum. Noda stressed that dealing with rising prices is an urgent matter.

Noda: I believe his intention to remain in office was quite strong, but he may have exhausted all the available options.

Democratic Party for the People President Tamaki Yuichiro said Ishiba delayed his resignation for too long, and as a result, the situation was unnecessarily prolonged.

Tamaki: The key issue now is when and in what manner he will actually step down, and when the leadership election will be moved up. The LDP must swiftly bring this situation to a close without further extending the political vacuum, and promptly create an environment where measures against rising prices and other issues can be addressed.


People react to Ishiba's decision to step down

NHK asked passersby in Tokyo's Shibuya district about Ishiba's decision to resign.

A tourist in her 40s from Kyoto Prefecture said she was surprised as she had believed Ishiba would stay in office, and that his aides would leave their posts to take responsibility. She said she feels worried about what will happen from now.

A Tokyo resident in his 30s said he thinks what Ishiba did as prime minister was "simply not good." He said he could not see at all what kind of benefits the prime minister was able to bring to Japan.

He said he thinks Ishiba's resignation was a natural outcome, and that he could have stepped down sooner.

He said he hopes someone who can better communicate with other nations as Japan's leader and is capable of steering the country will become prime minister.

A Tokyo resident in his 80s said he thinks Ishiba lost a power struggle. He said members of the ruling party are caught up in infighting without resolving its slush-fund scandal.

He added that LDP members seem unconcerned about the public. The man said Ishiba did not accomplish much, but that he feels sorry for the prime minister as he has been in office for less than one year.

A woman in her 40s from Chiba Prefecture said prices have stayed high and nothing has changed, so she hopes a new prime minister will make things better. But she said she is not really expecting much, and thinks things will remain the same no matter who takes the post.



Ishiba's 11 months as prime minister

Ishiba took office last October and pledged to tackle inflation as well as to reform the party.

The LDP has been involved in a series of political fundraising scandals.
Shortly after he took power, the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in a Lower House election. The ruling coalition also fell short of a majority in an Upper House election in July.

Amid growing calls for Ishiba to take responsibility for the election result, the LDP had been expected to decide on Monday whether to hold a special leadership contest.

Ishiba met former Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro at his office on Saturday. Sources say Suga and Koizumi told Ishiba that party unity is more important than anything else and suggested he step down before Diet members submit documents on a special leadership election.
 
 

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani will visit South Korea for three days from Monday to meet with his South Korean counterpart, Ahn Gyu-back, the Japanese Defense Ministry has announced.

This will be the first visit to South Korea by a Japanese defense chief in 10 years. It will also be the first time since South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's inauguration that the two countries' defense ministers have met in person.

Nakatani and Ahn are expected to discuss defense cooperation between Japan and South Korea and between the two Asian countries and the United States.

During the upcoming visit, Nakatani is scheduled to give a speech at the Seoul Defense Dialogue 2025 conference.

He is expected to reiterate the OCEAN vision for stronger defense cooperation among Indo-Pacific countries that share common values.
 
 

 

Japan’s Prince Hisahito is the first male royal to reach adulthood in 40 years. Many people in Japan worry he could be the last.

The elaborate palace rituals to formally recognize Hisahito as an adult on Saturday are a reminder of the bleak outlook for the world’s oldest monarchy. Much of this comes down to its male-only succession policy and dwindling numbers.

Hisahito is second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne and is likely to become emperor one day. After him, however, there is nobody left, leaving the Imperial family with a dilemma over whether they should reverse a 19th century ruling that abolished female succession.


Hisahito is a university freshman who loves bugs

A freshman at Tsukuba University near Tokyo, Hisahito studies biology and enjoys playing badminton. He is especially devoted to dragonflies and has co-authored an academic paper on a survey of the insects on the grounds of his Akasaka estate in Tokyo.

In his debut news conference in March, the prince said he hopes to focus his studies on dragonflies and other insects, including ways to protect bug populations in urban areas.

Hisahito was born on Sept. 6, 2006, and is the only son of Crown Prince Akishino, the heir to the throne, and his wife, Crown Princess Kiko. He has two older sisters, the popular Princess Kako and former Princess Mako, whose marriage to a nonroyal required her to abandon her royal status.

Hisahito’s coming-of-age rituals fell a year after he turned 18, reaching legal adulthood, because he wanted to concentrate on college entrance exams.


He may be the last emperor

Hisahito is the nephew of Emperor Naruhito, who has one child, a daughter, Princess Aiko. Hisahito’s father, Akishino, the Emperor’s younger brother, was the last male to reach adulthood in the family, in 1985.

Hisahito is the youngest of the 16-member all-adult Imperial Family. He and his father are the only two male heirs who are younger than Naruhito. Prince Hitachi, former Emperor Akihito’s younger brother, is third in line to the throne but is already 89.

The shortage of male successors is a serious concern for the monarchy, which historians say has lasted for 1,500 years. The issue reflects Japan’s rapidly aging and shrinking population.

Japan traditionally had male emperors, but female succession was permitted. There have been eight female emperors, including the most recent Gosakuramachi who ruled from 1762 to 1770. None of them, however, produced an heir during their reign.

Succession was legally limited to males by law for the first time in 1889 under the prewar Constitution. The postwar 1947 Imperial House Law, which largely preserves conservative prewar family values, also only allows male succession.

But experts say the male-only succession system is structurally flawed and only worked previously thanks to the help of concubines who, until about 100 years ago, produced imperial children.

Hugely popular Princess Aiko, the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, cannot be her father’s successor, even though she is supported by much of the public as a future monarch.


A succession debate rages

To address succession concerns, the government compiled a proposal to allow a female emperor in 2005. But Hisahito’s birth quickly changed the tide and nationalists turned against the proposal.

A separate, largely conservative panel of experts in January 2022 recommended calling on the government to maintain its male-line succession while allowing female members to keep their royal status after marriage and continue their official duties.

The conservatives also proposed adopting male descendants from now-defunct distant royal families to continue the male lineage.

But the debate has stalled over the question of whether to give royal status to nonroyals who marry princesses and their children.

The stalled debate has forced Hisahito to carry the burden of the Imperial Family’s fate by himself, former Imperial Household Agency chief Shingo Haketa said in a Yomiuri newspaper article earlier this year.

“The fundamental question is not whether to allow male or female succession line but how to save the monarchy.”

The conservative Yomiuri issued its own proposal in May, calling for an urgent revision to the Imperial House Law to give royal status to husbands and children of princesses and allow women to succeed the throne.

It called on the parliament to “responsibly reach a conclusion on the crisis surrounding the state and the symbol of the unity of the people.”


Crown, horse-carriage and prayers

Saturday’s ritual for Hisahito started at his family residence, with him appearing in a tuxedo to receive a crown to be delivered by a messenger from Naruhito.

In a main ritual at the Imperial Palace, attended by other royal members and top government officials, he wore traditional attire with a beige-colored robe that symbolized his pre-adulthood status.

His headcover was replaced with the crown, a black adult “kanmuri” headpiece, formalizing his coming-of-age. Hisahito bowed deeply and thanked the Emperor for the crown and his parents for hosting the ceremony and pledged to fulfil his responsibility as a royal member.

The crowned prince then changed into adult attire with black top and rode in a royal horse carriage to pray at the three shrines within the palace compound.

In the afternoon, Hisahito was to put his tuxedo back on to visit the Imperial Palace to greet Naruhito and Empress Masako, his uncle and aunt, in the prestigious Matsu-no-Ma, or pine room. In another ritual he is to receive a medal, the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, in a postwar tradition. He also was to greet his grandparents, Akihito and his wife, former Empress Michiko, at their palace.

In the evening, Akishino and Kiko were to host a private celebration for their son at a Tokyo hotel for their relatives.

The rituals also include his visits early next week to Ise, Japan’s top Shinto shrine, the mausoleum of the mythical first emperor Jinmu in Nara, as well as that of his late great-grandfather, wartime emperor Hirohito, in the Tokyo suburbs.

He will also have lunch with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other dignitaries Wednesday.
 
 

Japan and Australia agreed Friday in Tokyo to bolster security cooperation in areas such as defense equipment and cybersecurity during talks between their foreign and defense ministers, while expressing strong concern over China's military assertiveness in the region.
 
Vowing to elevate what they call a "special strategic partnership," the ministers welcomed Australia's recent choice of a Japanese design for its future frigate fleet and pledged to strengthen collective deterrence in a joint statement released after their so-called two-plus-two talks.
 
"We acknowledged our unprecedented strategic alignment, shared will and capability to play a leading role in realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific," the statement said.
 
The two-plus-two talks, held for the 12th time and the first since September 2024, took place as the two countries deepen their ties through more frequent joint exercises under a reciprocal access agreement between their defense forces, which took effect in 2023.
 
The meeting was attended by Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, as well as their respective Australian counterparts, Penny Wong and Richard Marles.
 
The ministers cited a range of areas for closer cooperation, including greater use of the reciprocal access agreement, economic security through resilient supply chains, and advanced capabilities such as unmanned systems.
 
"As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, next year, our security cooperation has become broader and stronger than ever before," Iwaya said at a joint press announcement with the three other ministers.
 
Marles said an elevation of the partnership is a "really important step forward," enabling the two countries to cooperate in exercises and in respect of logistics and "more across all our domains."
 
The two countries agreed to reinforce their command coordination by sending liaison officers to each other's joint operations commands, welcoming the recent dispatch of an Australian officer to Japan.
 
Also in September, the Australian destroyer Brisbane will visit Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, to undergo maintenance in Japan for the first time.
 
On Australia's choice of Japan's upgraded Mogami-class frigate as the preferred platform for its future general-purpose fleet, Marles called it "the best frigate for Australia" and "the most cost-effective solution."
 
In the joint statement, the ministers reiterated their "strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion" in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, where tensions are running high over China's assertiveness.
 
"We expressed serious concern at the increase in scale and frequency of provocative activities by China in Japan's maritime and air domains," the statement also said.
 
Chinese coast guard ships have repeatedly entered waters around the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed uninhabited Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
 
Japan and Australia also underscored "the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an essential element of regional and international security and prosperity," according to the joint statement, in an apparent reference to China's increasing pressure on the self-ruled democratic island, which Beijing views as its own territory.
 
Wong said the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to "the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and strongly condemn North Korea's continued provocative actions, as well as Russia's ongoing illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine."
 
In addition, Japan and Australia agreed to cooperate in evacuating their nationals from third countries in emergency situations, such as during conflicts.
 
Japan signed a similar memorandum with South Korea last year, and the accord with Australia is the second of its kind.
 

Honda Motor Co. launched its new coupe, the Prelude, on Friday. This marks a revival of the model, once popular as “the date car,” after a 24-year hiatus. It is the brand’s first hybrid vehicle model. Honda aims to sell it globally, as there is robust demand for hybrids in Japan, the United States and Europe.

The tarting price is ¥6,179,800, and the monthly sales target is 300 units. The two-door, four-passenger vehicle can achieve a maximum fuel efficiency of 23.6 kilometers per liter of gasoline.

While targeting middle-aged and older generations who are familiar with the Prelude, some dealerships will also offer it as a rental car to attract younger customers. Its launch is planned for late 2025 in North America and the first half of 2026 in Europe.

The first-generation Prelude debuted in 1978, with cumulative domestic sales reaching about 490,000 units before production ended in 2001.
 

 

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday he has sent a letter inviting U.S. President Donald Trump to Japan, welcoming the bilateral tariff agreement that was formally signed the previous day.

The letter was delivered to Trump through Japanese economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, who is visiting the United States and has been handling the bilateral tariff negotiations, according to the prime minister.

"It is crucial for both Japan and the United States to implement the agreement promptly in good faith," Ishiba told reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo.

He welcomed Trump's signing Thursday of an executive order lowering the U.S. reciprocal tariff rates on Japan, saying: "It was made possible with the understanding and support from many people. It's really fantastic."

From now on, the Japanese government will do its best to support small businesses affected by the U.S. tariffs, including in terms of financing, Ishiba said.
 

 

Defence Minister Gen Nakatani is considering visiting South Korea early this month for talks with his South Korean counterpart. According to Japanese government sources, both sides hope to reach an agreement to hold more frequent people-to-people exchanges.

The Japanese and South Korean governments are nearing an agreement on mutual visits by their defense ministers and holding regular discussions between defense authorities, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani is considering visiting South Korea early this month for talks with his South Korean counterpart. According to Japanese government sources, both sides hope to reach an agreement to hold more frequent people-to-people exchanges.

Bilateral defense cooperation has stalled since a South Korean Navy destroyer locked its fire-control radar on a Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol aircraft in 2018.

Holding more frequent ministerial visits and exchanges between defense authorities would help create a framework through which communication could be maintained even if problems arise.

If Nakatani’s visit goes ahead, it would be the first official trip to South Korea by a Japanese defense minister since October 2015.
 
 

Japanese weather officials say a tropical depression over waters east of Amami-Oshima Island in southwestern Japan developed into a tropical storm as of 3 a.m. on Thursday, local time.

Tropical Storm Peipah is expected to approach western Japan. But extreme localized downpours are already pounding southern Kyushu, prompting risks of mudslides and floods in low-lying areas.

Peipah has a central atmospheric pressure of 1,002 hectopascals and is packing winds of over 64 kilometers per hour near its center, with gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour. It is moving north at a speed of 30 kilometers an hour.

As warm and damp air from the south is flowing in, atmospheric conditions have destabilized considerably, mainly along the Pacific side of western Japan, and rain clouds have developed above southern Kyushu.

Tsuno Town in Miyazaki Prefecture was pelted by 71 millimeters of rain in the hour until 3:30 a.m. on Thursday.

During the hour ending at 4 a.m., Kunitomi Town, also in Miyazaki Prefecture, observed 38 millimeters of rain and the city of Miyazaki had 34 millimeters.

The tropical storm is expected to take a northerly course and approach western Japan, including Kyushu, before heading east toward eastern Japan by Friday.

Heavy rain is likely along the Pacific in both western and eastern Japan. Extreme localized downpours of more than 50 millimeters an hour may be in store.

As damp air will continue to flow in, rainfall may accumulate.
Weather officials are warning of mudslides and floods in low-lying areas, swollen rivers, river overflows, gusts and high waves, as well as lightning and freak winds, including tornadoes.
 
 

Japanese weather officials say a tropical depression to the south of Japan is likely to develop into a tropical storm late on Wednesday night. The storm is likely to approach western and eastern Japan from Thursday through Friday.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says the depression, located southeast of Okinawa Prefecture's Daitojima region, was moving north-northwest at 25 kilometers per hour as of noon on Wednesday.

The weather system had a central atmospheric pressure of 1,006 hectopascals. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 54 kilometers per hour at its center, with peak gusts of 82.8 kilometers per hour.

It is likely to develop into a tropical storm late on Wednesday night and approach the Daitojima region and Kagoshima Prefecture's Amami region, and then the Kyushu region on Thursday.

Atmospheric conditions are expected to become unstable in southern Kyushu and Amami, with moist air flowing in from the storm. It could bring heavy rain with lightning and localized downpours through Thursday.

The amount of rainfall in the 24-hour period through Thursday morning is expected to reach up to 100 millimeters in southern Kyushu and Amami.

Winds are likely to intensify in these regions. Rough seas are expected off the Daitojima, southern Kyushu and Amami regions.

Agency officials are urging people to be on the alert for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and swollen rivers, as well as strong winds, high waves, lightning strikes and gusty winds.

Officials are calling on people to stay updated on the latest weather information.
 
 

The Australian Embassy in Japan issued a warning to travelers to behave themselves after an Instagrammer drank offerings from a Japanese burial site, provoking widespread anger online.

In the most recent example of fame-seeking foreigners riling locals, Lochie Jones — reportedly an Australian tourist — posted a clip of himself swigging from a can placed on a headstone as an offering.

Moments earlier, he's seen flipping a coin to decide whether to open the beverage, likely left as a gift for ancestors in a gesture common in Japan.
He's then seen burping in front of the grave.

The video — which was posted last month — prompted angry comments online.

"Graveyards are sacred places in any country. ... I want (the government) to make sure he can never enter Japan (again)," one X user said.

On Tuesday, the Australian Embassy warned on Facebook that travelers must ensure "appropriate behavior" while visiting Japan, without explicitly referring to the video.

The embassy, which did not respond to a request for comment, said on Facebook that it "works closely with Japanese authorities to ensure that travelers from Australia respect and observe local laws and rules."
Jones apologized over the incident in an Instagram video Tuesday.

The incident comes after a YouTuber with 2.4 million subscribers, known as Fidias, posted a video in 2023 of him and three others free-riding around Japan — before he later apologized.

A month earlier, Japanese police arrested a U.S. livestreamer known as Johnny Somali for allegedly trespassing onto a construction site.

According to video footage, Ismael Ramsey Khalid, 23, wore a face mask and repeatedly shouted "Fukushima" to construction workers who urged him to leave the site, police officer Genta Hayashi said, referring to the stricken nuclear power plant.

Another clip shows Khalid, who describes himself as a former child soldier, harassing train passengers with references to the U.S. atomic bombings of Japan in 1945.

An unprecedented number of tourists are flocking to Japan, but some residents have become fed up with unruly behavior.

A town near Mount Fuji last year mounted a large barrier to deter photo-taking at a popular viewing spot beside a convenience store where people were increasingly venturing into the road to get the perfect shot.

The "Japanese first" Sanseito, which has tapped into growing concerns over overtourism and immigration, made strong gains in an Upper House election this year.
 

 

Japan's National Consumers Affairs Center is raising an alert over unexpected cash-on-delivery goods.

In fiscal 2024 through March this year, the NCAC received inquiries and gave advice on problems associated with cash-on-delivery services, such as paying for delivered goods they did not order, in a record 14,013 cases, of which 66 pct originated from online advertisements.

In the current year, 4,498 such cases had already been reported to the center as of the end of June, roughly tripling from a year earlier.

In a case, a woman in her 40s found a pair of luxury sneakers made of genuine leather sold at some 30,000 yen, which represented a discount of over 50 pct, on a website she was directed to by a social media ad and made a cash-on-delivery order.

After paying, she saw fake, artificial leather sneakers in the box and sought the center's advice on how to get a refund in April.

Meanwhile, a man in his 50s ordered a cash-on-delivery golden lantern via a website advertised on a video streaming service. However, a black lantern was delivered.

He made phone calls to a product replacement center specified on the invoice, but the line was always busy. The parcel delivery firm told him that it did not know the ship-from address. He eventually asked the NCAC for help in May.
 
 

Krispy Kreme is world-famous for its original glazed doughnuts, but in Japan, where competition for doughnuts is fierce, the chain is consistently compelled to up its game with new limited-edition releases, and its latest is one of the best we’ve seen.

Called the Krispy Kreme Premium Tokyo Moon-Viewing Marron & Cream, this new doughnut is crafted to resemble the full moon in the night sky.

Timed to coincide with the early autumn tradition of tsukimi or “moon-viewing“, the doughnut contains a centre of whipped cream with a swirl of chestnut paste against a bitter chocolate coating to depict the full moon “floating gently in the night”.

On top of the golden chestnut paste is a soft and chewy gyuhi (a soft version of mochi rice cake), with candied chestnuts added as a garnish for an autumnal touch.

To finish, gold leaf is sprinkled over everything to evoke the “twinkle of stars”, giving it an eye-catching look that really does conjure up thoughts of the starry night sky.

The Sweet Tsukimi Full Moon is the newest member of Krispy Kreme’s”Premium Tokyo” range, a series of limited-edition releases available exclusively at the chain’s flagship Tokyo International Forum Store.

 

Priced at 410 yen for takeout and 418 yen for dine-in, this exclusive doughnut will be on the menu at the flagship store from Sept 3 until the end of October, with limited stocks available each day.

With tsukimi officially occurring on Oct 6 this year, the doughnut will be the perfect partner for the traditional event, adding some extra sweetness to the beauty of the harvest moon that inspired it.
 
 

Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama announced on Tuesday that he is willing to resign from his post but that he would leave it to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to make the final decision.

Moriyama made the remark at a press conference after a general meeting of LDP Diet members from both chambers held in the afternoon. On July 28, he had floated the idea of his resignation at an informal meeting of the party members.

Also on Tuesday, Policy Research Council Chairman Itsunori Onodera expressed his willingness to resign. LDP General Council Chair Shunichi Suzuki also informed Ishiba, who also serves LDP president, of his intention to resign from the post. LDP’s Election Strategy Committee Chair Seiji Kihara also submitted his resignation to Ishiba.

Earlier on Tuesday, the LDP’s taskforce adopted a summary document reviewing the party’s crushing defeat in July’s House of Councillors election.

The document, which was reported at the general meeting, said that the LDP will “rebuild the party from the ground up.” It did not mention Ishiba’s and party executives’ responsibility in the election defeat.

As a cause of the defeat, the document pointed to a decline in party support in line with the Cabinet’s low approval ratings, citing a shrinking base of voters who support the LDP.

The party failed to solidify this diminished support base, the document said, underscoring that support from younger generations, working-age people up to their 50s and segments of the conservative base had shifted to other parties.

Regarding factors driving voters away from the LDP, the document noted that “the harsh reality is that many citizens remain deeply dissatisfied” over faction-related violations of the Political Funds Control Law.

Regarding cash handouts that the LDP pledged during the campaign period, the document concluded that the party “was unable to counter the opposition party’s easily understandable argument” for a consumption tax cut.

The document also found that the party had been too slow in responding to gaffes related to the Noto Peninsula Earthquake made by an upper house lawmaker during the mid-campaign period, as well as in addressing misinformation spread on social media.

As improvement measures, the document outlined plans to establish a specialized team to break down policies into “messages that resonate with the public” and to strengthen the party’s social media outreach.

“We will work on restarting ourselves as if we’re scrapping what we have and starting fresh, with a firm determination of rebuilding our party from the ground up, and will be reborn as a true national party,” the document read.

With the conclusion of the three-hour general meeting, the party’s presidential election management committee now has the task of confirming whether a presidential election should be held ahead of schedule.

Members who support the move will be asked to submit signed and sealed documents by Monday. If a majority of Diet members and representatives of its prefectural branches request the expedited election, it will be held before the expiration of Ishiba’s presidential term.



Ishiba apologizes for election defeat

Ishiba apologized for the party’s defeat in the July election.
“I, as the party’s president, am responsible for many [of the party’s candidates] losing, and I can never escape that fact,” Ishiba said in the opening address of the general meeting of LDP Diet members on Tuesday.

“I offer my deepest apologies for my incompetence.”
“It is my duty to make the right decision at the right time,” he added.
 

 

The Japanese government Tuesday announced a system to support a new regional cooperation framework beyond prefectural boundaries.

The central government plans to provide grants and subsidies to help local governments and businesses pursue regional development initiatives, such as industry and tourism promotion, amid declining populations. It will also relax regulations upon request.

The regional cooperation framework will bring together multiple prefectural governments and business organizations. Participants will declare joint efforts for regional revitalization and develop collaborative visions with specific activities.

“I am looking forward to ambitious cooperation declarations from municipalities and industry,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a meeting of the government’s Headquarters for Creating New Regional Economies and Living Environments.

The government in June adopted a basic concept of Ishiba’s signature Regional Revitalization 2.0 policy, which says that three locations will be the first to start specific projects under the regional cooperation framework before nationwide expansion.
 
 

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru inspected an anti-disaster drill on Disaster Prevention Day on Monday.

The drill was conducted based on the scenario that a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck with an intensity of upper six on the Japanese scale of zero to seven.

Ishiba visited a site in Saitama City, north of Tokyo, where Tokyo and eight other local governments in the metropolitan area were participating in a drill.
Ishiba inspected how firefighters rescued people from a house buried in mud and others who were trapped under a collapsed building.

Then, guided by an official, Ishiba experienced how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, using an automatic external defibrillator, or AED. He also set up a bed made of cardboard boxes and a partition used in evacuation centers.

At a closing ceremony, the prime minister called the drill extremely significant. He said it offered a chance to gain training for rescuing and assisting affected people, restoring lifelines, using AEDs, and setting up cardboard box beds.

Ishiba said the drill contributed to improving each participant's disaster response capabilities.

Ishiba said massive quakes such as one directly beneath the Tokyo area and one in the Nankai Trough off Japan's Pacific coast could occur any time.

He stressed it is important for rescue teams, officials, and businesses to improve their skills, and for people to confirm what actions they should take to protect their own lives.
 
 

A woman was killed on Sunday in a crash during a university glider competition in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, local police said.

Police found the pilot, a woman believed to be in her 20s, at the crash site near the Tone River in Kumagaya after receiving an emergency call from a witness.

The glider belonged to Keio University, one of six universities taking part in the competition, the Japan Students Aviation League said Monday, adding that she is a student at the Tokyo-based educational institution.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism classified the crash as an aviation accident, and the Japan Transport Safety Board appointed investigators.

According to police, the glider took off from the Menuma Gliding Field along the Tone River. The league said it may have crashed a few minutes after takeoff.

The glider headed south and climbed to an altitude of around 350 to 400 meters before apparently crashing north of the takeoff site.

Gliders are winch launched from this airfield, the league said, and a safety device connecting the cable to the aircraft was discovered after the crash to be broken.
 
 

Japan logged its hottest summer ever this year, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Monday.

The country's average temperature in June-August was 2.36 degrees Celsius higher than the 30-year average through 2020 for the three-month period, hitting the highest figure on record dating to 1898, the agency said.
 
 

Japan's agriculture minister says if his ministry's projections hold true, a substantial amount of new rice will enter the market, leading to stable retail prices.

Koizumi Shinjiro made the remark in an NHK debate program on Sunday.
The agriculture ministry announced on Friday that as of August 15, rice growth had generally progressed on track nationwide thanks to long hours of sunshine, although the high temperatures caused plants to wither in some areas.

Koizumi said that with the heat so intense, he has to keep a close watch on rice growth until harvest time. He added that if rice grows smoothly as expected, it will undoubtedly lead to stable retail prices.
 
 

Japan will provide the UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) with $5.5 million for a project to improve living conditions in Syria, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday, Anadolu reports.

On Aug. 12, Japan and UN-Habitat signed an aid plan focused on rebuilding essential infrastructure in Aleppo and Homs, two of Syria’s hardest-hit areas. The initiative, announced by the Japanese Foreign Ministry, targets slums and informal settlements.

Given Syria’s ongoing “serious humanitarian situation” and the return of refugees, providing safe living conditions has become a “pressing issue,” the ministry said. UN-Habitat noted that years of conflict left these areas without access to basic services like water, electricity, and sanitation.

As of July, over 746,000 Syrians have returned from neighboring countries, along with 1.5 million internally displaced people, the Nairobi-based body said, adding the project “will directly benefit more than 81,000 individuals.”
Before the civil war began in 2011, informal settlements housed around 40% of Syria’s urban population, according to UN-Habitat.

According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, approximately 16.5 million of Syria’s 23.2 million people are currently in need of assistance.

Japan, a key donor to Syria’s recovery, has provided over $21 million since 2022 for UN-Habitat projects to support vulnerable communities.

Last Dec. 8, Bashar Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups captured Damascus in a swift offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

A new transitional administration in Syria led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January.
 
 

 

The Indonesian Ministry of Culture has met with Japan's Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Toshiko Abe, to discuss a repatriation protocol for the remains of Japanese soldiers who died in Indonesia during World War II. 

The meeting, which took place on Friday during the APEC High-Level Dialogue on Cultural and Creative Industries in Gyeongju, South Korea, concluded with an agreement to begin joint excavations and research.

"We discussed the follow-up to the repatriation protocol regarding the collection of Japanese soldiers' remains," said Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon in a press statement. 

He added that the talks also opened up opportunities for broader cooperation in cultural heritage protection, particularly by focusing on disaster risk reduction for historical sites and archives.

Minister Fadli emphasized that the meeting served to strengthen bilateral cultural ties between the two countries. "Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 65 years ago, both sides have agreed that culture is a foundation that reinforces cooperation in various fields," he said. 

He also reiterated the Indonesian government’s commitment to positioning culture as a key pillar of national development, viewing it not just as a heritage but as a strategic resource to strengthen the nation's identity.

Looking toward the future, both ministers agreed to encourage exchanges for artists and younger generations as a form of cultural diplomacy.

They expressed hope this initiative will deepen the relationship between the two nations, expand cross-cultural understanding, and create a space for creative collaboration. 

"We are determined to deepen our friendship and expand beneficial cooperation for our people," Minister Fadli concluded.
 
 

The number of babies born in January-June fell 3.1% from a year earlier to 339,280 in Japan, hitting a new record low for the first half, the health ministry said Friday.

The January-June figure, including babies born to foreign nationals living in Japan and Japanese nationals living overseas, stood below 400,000 for the fourth consecutive year, a preliminary report said.

According to data released in June, the number of Japanese babies born in Japan in 2024 fell below 700,000 for the first time on record, standing at 686,061. The number for the whole of 2025 may rewrite the record low if births in the second half decrease at the same pace as the first half.

The annual number has been on a downward trend since around 1975, falling below 1 million in 2016, 900,000 in 2019 and 800,000 in 2022.

Meanwhile, the preliminary report said that the number of marriages in January-June this year dropped 4% from a year before to 238,561 after registering the first increase in two years the previous year. The number of divorces fell 4.1% to 93,755.

The number of deaths rose by 24,999 to 836,818, bringing the country's natural population decline, or the number of deaths minus that of births, to a record 497,538.
 
 

The leaders of India and Japan agreed Friday to bolster economic ties while also boosting cooperation in areas including clean energy and defense, as the two Asian powers face common challenges such as China’s growing influence and U.S. tariffs.

Following their summit in Tokyo, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed on a goal of boosting Japanese private investment in India to about $6.8 billion a year over the coming decade, up from about $2.7 billion a year in the 2010s.

They also agreed to increase exchanges of workers and students to half a million people in the coming five years. The two governments hope India’s young workforce can help address labor shortages caused by Japan’s aging and declining population.

“We believe that Japanese technology and Indian talent are a winning combination,” Modi told a news conference.

The two leaders released a “joint vision” of cooperation for the next decade in areas such as security, defense, clean energy, technology and space, and signed a total of 11 documents.

“As the economies and vibrant democracies of the world, partnership is extremely important not just for our two countries but for global peace and stability as well,” Modi said.

“We need to have to take advantage of each other’s strengths, to bring solutions to our challenges and to help each other,” Ishiba said.

On Sunday, Ishiba will escort Modi on a bullet train to Sendai in northern Japan, for a tour of a factory that makes machinery for producing semiconductors, before the Indian leader flies to China, the next destination of his Asia tour.

Ishiba needs to rack up diplomatic successes to buoy public support because he is under pressure from opponents within his own party to step down over parliamentary elections results in July when his coalition lost its majority in the upper house.

Friday’s India-Japan summit came days after Modi met China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and hailed improving relations between the two sides, following yearslong disputes over their Himalayan borders.

At a business forum earlier Friday, Modi urged Japanese companies to invest in India, saying that reforms have created more a transparent and predictable business environment. “In India’s development journey, Japan has always been an important partner,” he told the forum hosted by Japan’s powerful business lobby Keidanren.

Modi noted Suzuki Motor Corp.’s success in his country and said Japan and India can replicate “the same magic” in batteries, robotics, semiconductors, shipbuilding and nuclear energy and contribute to the development of the so-called Global South nations and Africa.

“Japan is a tech powerhouse and India is a talent powerhouse,” Modi said, and that together the two countries can “lead this century’s tech revolution,” in areas such as green energy, next generation mobility and logistics infrastructure.

Ishiba said the two countries share universal values like democracy and the rule of law and that “Japan’s advanced technology and India’s outstanding talent, as well as its large market, are complementing each other to a dramatic expansion of our economic ties.”

He emphasized the importance of expanding their cooperation from the Indian Ocean to Africa and Europe.
 
 

Japan's Ministry of Defense said Friday that it will ask for a record budget of 8,845.4 billion yen for fiscal 2026 starting next April.

The ministry will request 128.7 billion yen for acquiring many unmanned vehicles to build in fiscal 2027 the multilayer coastal defense system Shield, in which manned and unmanned vehicles are operated together.

It will also reorganize its Air Self-Defense Force into an air and space SDF in fiscal 2026 to improve its operational capabilities in space.

With unmanned vehicles used on a large scale in Ukraine and the Middle East, the ministry understands that they have changed how wars are fought.

For the Shield system, the ministry will introduce vehicles for the interception of enemy vessels that invade coastal areas, information gathering and the defense of radar sites.
 
 

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa agreed Thursday to deepen their countries' economic relations.

In a meeting at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Ishiba said that Ecuador is "a partner that shares values and principles" with Japan. He expressed Japan's intention to cooperate in the areas of public security measures, disaster prevention and renewable energy.

Since Ecuador produces oil and natural gas, Ishiba sought cooperation to ensure stable energy supplies, while calling for the creation of business conditions that make it easier for Japanese companies to invest.

Noboa said that his country aims to work with Japan as a partner beyond economic and trade relations.

The two leaders also signed a memorandum on cooperation between their countries' trade promotion institutions.
 
 

Russia's Pacific Fleet and the Chinese navy have conducted a joint submarine patrol in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, according to the Russian state-run Tass news agency.

An announcement by the Pacific Fleet on Wednesday said that the operation was the first joint patrol involving Russian and Chinese submarines in the Asia-Pacific region, Tass reported.

Russian and Chinese conventional submarines began their joint patrol immediately after the two countries ended their joint maritime drills mainly in the Sea of Japan on Aug. 5, according to Tass. Russia's Improved Kilo-class submarine Volkhov took part in the patrol.

The Japanese Defense Ministry's Joint Staff reported earlier this month that an Improved Kilo-class submarine and other Russian vessels passed southwest through the Tsushima Strait before moving northeast again. The moves may be related to the joint patrol.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit China for a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin from Sunday and a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the World War II victory over Japan in Beijing on Wednesday.
 
 

Japan's top trade negotiator cancelled a visit to the United States at the last minute on Thursday, further delaying talks designed to finalise a $550 billion investment package offered by Tokyo in exchange for relief on punishing tariffs.

Ryosei Akazawa was due to fly to Washington to craft a written confirmation of the terms of the package, such as the split of investment returns between the U.S. and Japan, a government source previously told Reuters.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has also said there would be an announcement this week on Japan's investment.

"It was found that there are points that need to be discussed at the administrative level during coordination with the American side. Therefore, the trip has been cancelled," Japan's government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Thursday.

Washington and Tokyo agreed in July to set a reduced 15% tariff on imports from Japan in exchange for the package of U.S.-bound investment through government-backed loans and guarantees, but details of its contents remain unclear.

While Trump has touted the package as "our money to invest" and said the U.S. would retain 90% of the profits earned, Japanese officials have stressed that the investments will be determined based on whether they will also benefit Japan.

Japanese officials have repeatedly said they would rather have an amended presidential executive order first to remove overlapping tariffs on Japanese goods before releasing a joint document on the investment details.

The United States has agreed to amend the July 31 presidential order to ensure that a 15% levy agreed last month on Japanese imports was not stacked on goods, such as beef, that are subject to higher tariffs.

U.S. officials have also said Trump would issue another order to lower tariffs on Japanese cars to 15% from 27.5%, but did not specify when.

"We are strongly requesting that measures be taken to amend the presidential order concerning mutual tariffs as soon as possible, and to issue a presidential order to reduce tariffs on auto parts," Hayashi added.

Japan's exports posted the biggest monthly drop in four years in July, driven by a slump in shipments to the United States. Reflecting the tariff damage, Japan cut its growth outlook for the year from 1.2% to 0.7% earlier this month.

Akazawa could head to Washington as early next week after the outstanding issues were resolved, a government source familiar with the negotiations said.


 

Tokyo experienced a record 10 consecutive days of temperatures 35C or above, the weather office said Wednesday, after the country sweltered through its hottest ever June and July.

Heatwaves are becoming more intense and frequent worldwide because of human-caused climate change, scientists say, and Japan is no exception.
This "is the first time since the records started being kept" in 1875 that such a run has been recorded, the Japan Meteorological Agency told AFP, saying that Wednesday marked the 10th day of the heat streak.

It came after a town on the northern island of Hokkaido was deluged by a record level of rainfall on Tuesday, according to public broadcaster NHK.
Toyotomi logged more than a month's worth of rainfall in an average August in just 12 hours, it said.

And in western Yamaguchi Prefecture nearly 400 households in Hagi City were urged to evacuate, NHK added, due to a high risk of landslides.

Japan this year had its hottest June and July since data collection began in 1898 and in August the country logged its highest temperature ever, with the mercury hitting 41.8C in the central city of Isesaki.

Japanese officials urge the public to seek shelter in air-conditioned rooms during the summer to avoid heatstroke.

The elderly in Japan -- which has the world's second-oldest population after Monaco -- are particularly at risk.

Last week more than 8,400 people were hospitalized in Japan, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, and 12 of them died.


Impact on health and productivity

Japan's summer last year was the joint hottest on record, equaling 2023, and was followed by the warmest autumn since records began 126 years ago.
Experts warn Japan's beloved cherry trees are blooming earlier due to the warmer climate -- or sometimes not fully blossoming -- because autumns and winters are not cold enough to trigger flowering.

The famous snowcap of Mount Fuji was absent for the longest recorded period last year, not appearing until early November, compared with the average of early October.

The speed of temperature increases across the world is not uniform.
Of the continents, Europe has seen the fastest warming per decade since 1990, followed closely by Asia, according to global data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The United Nations warned last week that rising global temperatures are having an ever-worsening impact on the health and productivity of workers, with manual workers in sectors such as agriculture, construction and fisheries particularly hard hit.

The U.N.'s health and climate agencies said in a report that worker productivity dropped by two to three percent for every degree above 20C.
The related health risks include heatstroke, dehydration, kidney dysfunction, and neurological disorders.
 
 

The Japanese government asked European and Asian countries to refrain from attending a military parade and other events that China will hold next month to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, diplomatic sources said Sunday.

Japan seeks to prevent China's interpretation of history from spreading, with the parade slated to be held in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3 to commemorate what Beijing calls its victory in the 1937-1945 "War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression" and the "World Anti-Fascist War."

According to the sources, Japan conveyed to other nations through its embassies abroad that China's commemorative events have anti-Japanese overtones, and that the participation of leaders should be carefully considered.

Prior to the events, China plans to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit for two days through Sept. 1 in Tianjin near Beijing. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend the summit meeting and then the war anniversary events.

When China held a military parade for the 70th anniversary in 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping said postwar generations "should be with correct historical views and take the lessons of history to heart."

The remark came after then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a statement marking the war's end that generations born after the conflict must not become "predestined to apologize."

Abe and leaders from major Western countries did not join the 2015 parade.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said last November he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to foster "mutually beneficial" and "stable" relations when they held their first in-person talks in Peru.
 
 

Japan faces its hottest summer in history, a sharp decline in the catch of sea urchin in the country's north has made the spiny delicacy further out of reach for many consumers already strained by high food costs.

On Hokkaido's Rishiri Island, restaurants offer a rice bowl with 100 grams of bafun sea urchin - renowned for its rich sweetness - at a record 15,000–18,000 yen, roughly double what it was several years ago.

"Everyone is shocked when they see the price," said Kimiko Sato, owner of the Sato Shokudo restaurant across from Rishiri's Oshidomari ferry terminal, which her family has run for more than 50 years. "A group of customers would share just one sea urchin bowl, and everyone would order ramen for themselves."

While sea urchin is traditionally considered a luxury item, the prohibitive price has made it off-limits even for special occasions for many households in Japan, where soaring food costs have become an urgent issue for authorities in Tokyo.

Rising food prices mean an average Japanese household's spending on food is now at nearly 30%, the highest in 43 years.

Policymakers have mostly blamed the sharp rise in food prices on the weak yen's upward pressure on import costs - but the effects of global warming now also loom as a risk.

In Rishiri, the catch of sea urchins has halved from last year, according to Tatsuaki Yamakami, executive director at the Rishiri Fisheries Cooperative, continuing a trend he has observed for a few years.

"The prices are soaring due to low catches," said Yamakami, a 40-year industry veteran. "I think the rising sea temperatures are to blame...it's a worrying situation."

According to Yamakami, the top price of 10 kilograms of Rishiri's bafun sea urchin, which thrives in cold waters, has surged to 90,000 yen—more than double roughly 40,000 yen two years ago.

WARMING WATERS

In recent years, water temperatures around Japan have risen about 5C, said Shigeho Kakehi, a senior research scientist at the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency.

The Tohoku region, north of Tokyo, is no longer a major salmon-producing area, a situation further worsened by the northward shift of the warm ocean current.

Volumes of popular cold-water species such as salmon, squid, and saury have dropped sharply over the last 20 years, while their price per kilogram has jumped nearly fivefold, according to Kakehi.

Fish and seafood make up a relatively modest portion of the food basket, or less than 10%, and their contribution to headline inflation is only around 0.1 percentage point.

All the same, it shows the economic effects of climate change are no longer just theoretical, said Stefan Angrick, head of Japan and Frontier Market Economics at Moody's Analytics.

"Extreme weather events and increased average global temperatures are among the reasons we expect inflation to be structurally higher in the future than in the past," he said.

Food prices in Japan rose 7.6% in July, year-on-year, speeding up from 7.2% in June, according to government data released last week. Rice, which has also been hit by warmer weather, remains the top contributor to food inflation.

Fresh food, which the Bank of Japan (BOJ) usually excludes from its measurement due to its volatility - rose 3.3% last month from 1.6% in June. Fish and seafood inflation has moderated somewhat recently, to 2.5% from 3.9%.

Research firm Teikoku Databank said in a note on Monday Tokyo's heatwave hit household spending on seafood, hurt by price hikes as rising temperatures reduced catch volumes.

"We came to Tsukiji to eat our way through the city, but uni donburi and seafood donburi are just too expensive for us," said Momoko Asami, a 35-year-old tourist visiting the popular Tsukiji seafood market in Tokyo. "So we're sticking to street foods like monja-croquettes and tamagoyaki."

While the weak yen, caused by the still large gap between interest rates in Japan and elsewhere, is the main driver of food inflation, climate change is also on the central bank's radar.

Naoki Tamura, a BOJ board member, in June said the rate of increase in fresh food prices, including seafood, has risen much faster than overall prices since early 2022.

While labour shortages and rising utility and other costs were key, Tamura pointed to the effects of "irregular weather due to climate change," adding that prices of fresh food and other food have a negative impact on households.

 

"Japanese inflation remains modest compared to elsewhere, but it is enough to hurt people's pocketbooks, mainly because salaries have not kept up," said David Boling, director at Eurasia Group consultancy. "The shift has been difficult, especially for the elderly on fixed incomes."

Japan aims to raise its overall food self-sufficiency ratio to 69% on a production-value basis by fiscal 2030, up from around 60% now—a target that Kakehi says may be complicated by climate pressure.

"Even if we try very hard (by cutting emissions with renewable energy), the temperature will still rise by about 1–1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100," he said, noting that the quantity and timing of fishing for spawning fish and newborn fish should be regulated.

"Sardines have been on the rise over the past 7–8 years, we should try to eat more sardines."
 
 

Japan is witnessing a wave of interest in lodging taxes, with 92 municipal governments reportedly considering the introduction of levies on hotels and traditional ryokan inns, according to a recent Kyodo News survey.

The nationwide survey, conducted between June and July, gathered responses from 1,723 local governments, representing 96% of municipalities. Of those, 42 have either already implemented lodging taxes or are planning to do so, with numbers expected to rise as authorities look to fund tourism-related infrastructure amid surging inbound arrivals.

Introducing a lodging tax requires local governments to pass an ordinance and secure approval from the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications.

By the end of July, 35 municipalities had obtained ministerial approval. Among them, 12 had already begun levying the tax, while the remaining 23 intend to do so by 2026, Kyodo News reported. At least seven municipalities have enacted ordinances and are awaiting ministerial approval.

While 728 local governments reported being “interested” in the concept, 506 indicated they had no plans to introduce such taxes. Sixty municipalities considered the idea but ultimately decided against it, and 296 selected “other,” citing reasons including a lack of relevant accommodation facilities within their jurisdictions.

The survey also explored how revenue from lodging taxes would be used. Developing tourism facilities was the most common response, selected by 537 municipalities.

Other priorities included promoting tourism more generally, cited by 434 authorities, preserving historical and natural landscapes (242), and enhancing infrastructure to better accommodate foreign visitors (228).

Among the 92 municipalities actively considering lodging taxes, some raised concerns. One stressed the importance of clearly explaining how revenue would be spent to ensure taxpayer understanding, while another highlighted the potential administrative burden on smaller accommodation providers.

For municipalities that have already implemented or plan to implement lodging taxes, rates generally hover around JPY200 ($1.35) per person per night. In some cases, particularly for more expensive accommodations, rates have been set at JPY1,000 or higher.
 
 

Eighty-one percent of respondents in a recent Yomiuri Shimbun survey said the Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers who were part of a “politics and money” scandal bear a heavy responsibility for the ruling coalition’s loss in the latest House of Councillors election.

In the nationwide survey, 50% of the respondents replied that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba bore a great responsibility for the election loss, after which the ruling camp of the LDP and Komeito has a minority of seats in both the House of Representatives and the upper house. Ishiba is also the LDP president.

The survey findings show that the respondents hold stricter views toward the LDP lawmakers than toward the prime minister.

The percentage of those who think the prime minister’s responsibility is heavy — at 50% — is higher than the 44% who do not think so.

Among LDP supporters alone, 39% of respondents think so and 55% do not.
Among respondents who support opposition parties, 62% said they think Ishiba’s responsibility is heavy and 35% said they do not think so.

Among respondents who do not support any specific party, both views were even at 45% for each.

Regarding whether Ishiba should step down from the prime minister’s post, only 20% of respondents who support the LDP said they think so and 74% said they do not think so. Among all respondents, 42% said Ishiba should step down and 50% said he should not.

The 81% of respondents who replied that the LDP lawmakers tainted by the “money and politics” scandal bear a heavy responsibility was much higher than the 14% who do not think so.

Irrespective of party allegiance, high percentages of respondents replied that the LDP lawmakers bear heavy responsibility. The percentage was 79% among LDP supporters, 86% among those who support opposition parties and 78% among those who do not support any specific party.

By age group, 80% of respondents age 18 to 39 replied they think the LDP lawmakers bear heavy responsibility, while 77% age 40 to 59 and 84% age 60 or older also replied so.
 
 

Multinational drills led by Indonesia and the United States began with an opening ceremony in Jakarta on Monday, with Japan's Self-Defense Forces making their full presence for the first time ever.

In the Super Garuda Shield exercise through Sept. 4, which brings together 6,500 personnel as participants and observers from 17 countries, also including Singapore, Australia and the Netherlands, some 750 SDF members will conduct jumping, landing and combat firing training for remote island recapturing in western Sumatra and other locations in Indonesia.

Japan's Air and Maritime SDFs take part in the annual exercise in the Southeast Asia for the first time, while the Ground SDF has been a regular member.

The full SDF participation in the Super Garuda Shield is designed to enhance the three forces' interoperability, as well as to promote the Japanese initiative for achieving a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific," people familiar with the matter said.
 
 

 

A Japanese city will urge all smartphone users to limit screen time to two hours a day outside work or school under a proposed ordinance that includes no penalties.
 
The limit - which will be recommended for all residents in central Japan's Toyoake City - will not be binding and there will be no penalties incurred for higher usage, according to the draft ordinance.

The proposal aims "to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues ... including sleep problems", mayor Masafumi Koki said in a statement on Friday (Aug 22).

The draft urges elementary school students to avoid smartphones after 9pm, and junior high students and older are advised not to use them after 10pm.
The move prompted an online backlash, with many calling the plan unrealistic.

"I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible," one user wrote on social media platform X.

"In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone)," wrote another.

Others said smartphone use should be a decision for families to make themselves.

The angry response prompted the mayor to clarify that the two-hour limit was not mandatory, emphasising that the guidelines "acknowledge smartphones are useful and indipensable in daily life".

The ordinance will be considered next week, and if passed, it will come into effect in October.

In 2020, western Kagawa region issued a first-of-its kind ordinance calling for children to be limited to an hour a day of gaming during the week, and 90 minutes during school holidays.

It also suggested children aged 12 to 15 should not be allowed to use smartphones later than 9pm, with the limit rising to 10pm for children between 15 and 18.

Japanese youth spend slightly over five hours on average a day online on weekdays, according to a survey published in March by the Children and Families Agency.
 
 
 

Deputy Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) Christina Aryani highlighted both opportunities and challenges in placing Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) in Japan during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The discussion took place with Charge d’Affaires Ad Interim Maria Renata Hutagalung and several attachés at the Indonesian Embassy. Christina said the visit aimed to strengthen employment opportunities for Indonesian workers in Japan.

She noted that Japanese employers value Indonesian workers for their diligence, loyalty, and eagerness to improve skills.

However, the Embassy also identified issues such as limited language proficiency and inadequate insurance coverage.

“Some workers’ language abilities do not match their certificates, and many lack proper insurance when leaving for Japan,” Christina said, adding that this creates difficulties if accidents occur outside of work.

By the end of 2024, the number of Indonesian migrant workers in Japan had reached 199,000, placing Indonesia fifth among countries sending the most workers there.

The majority are employed in manufacturing, construction, caregiving, agriculture, fisheries, and food processing.

Deputy Minister Christina was accompanied on the working visit by P2MI Minister Abdul Kadir Karding, Secretary General Dwiyono, and Director General Dwi Setiawan Susanto.
 

The Agency for Cultural Affairs submitted a recommendation to education minister Toshiko Abe on Wednesday to replace the government’s romanization system for the Japanese language, the first such overhaul in 70 years.

The agency is recommending replacing the government’s long-standing Kunrei system with more widely used Hepburn-style spellings. The changes are expected to be approved within the current fiscal year and gradually rolled out in textbooks and other materials.

Under the Kunrei system, codified by Cabinet notification in 1954, phonemes for ち and ふ are written as ti and hu. Most Japanese schools still teach the style in romanization studies.

But the Hepburn system, which renders them as chi and fu, has become dominant both in Japan and abroad, making the impact of the change likely most evident in educational materials such as school textbooks.

The council’s recommendation also adopts Hepburn spellings for し, じ and つ as shi, ji, and tsu, compared to the Kunrei spellings of si, zi and tu.

It specifies that double consonants, as in てっぱん, should be written by repeating the consonant, while long vowels such as in かあさん can be indicated with either a macron (kāsan) or doubled letters (kaasan).

Personal and organizational names will be left to the preference of individuals and entities concerned.

The government began reviewing official romanization rules in 2022, with then-education minister Masahito Moriyama formally requesting a reassessment last year.