Japan

Meet the Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize

By Solcyré Burga

Inside Hello Kitty’s 50 Years of Success

By Charlie Campbell

Will Radioactive Water Make Japanese Fish Toxic?

By Chad de Guzman

Legal Highs and Loophole Herbs: What to Know About Japan’s Cannabis Laws

By Koh Ewe
More in Japan

Japanese City Apologizes After Years of Distributing Sexist Advice for New Mothers

Gender issues have become an increasingly urgent topic of concern in Japan.

By Koh Ewe

Illegal to Restrict Transgender People’s Bathroom Use, Japan’s Supreme Court Rules

It’s the country’s first Supreme Court ruling on LGBTQ people’s rights in the workplace, coming as Japan faces scrutiny for its lack of protection for sexual and gender minorities.

By Shoko Oda and Isabel Reynolds / Bloomberg

Japan Sends Man to G7 Meeting on Women’s Empowerment

The incident highlights ongoing struggles with gender parity in Japan—which ranks lowest among G7 member states on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index.

By Chad de Guzman

Chinese Consumers Boycott Japanese Cosmetics Over Fukushima Wastewater Plan

The viral campaign began earlier this month when largely unproven allegations that water discharges from the nuclear plant are hazardous to health began trending on Chinese social media platforms.

By Chongjing Li and Winnie Hsu / Bloomberg

Japan Passes Watered-Down Law Promoting LGBT ‘Understanding’ But Not Rights

Japan is the only member of the G7 not to recognize same-sex unions or provide any protection for discrimination against sexual and gender minorities.

By Isabel Reynolds / Bloomberg

Courts in Japan Support Same-Sex Marriage. Why Hasn’t It Been Legalized Yet?

Observers often point to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s party as to why LGBT-specific legislation is languishing in National Diet.

By Chad de Guzman

Scandal Over Son’s House Party Lands Japan’s Kishida in Hot Water

Japan PM fires son after party at official residence triggers public outrage.

By Chad de Guzman

Arfiya Eri Wants to Give a New Face to Japanese Politics

The 34-year-old, mixed-race parliamentarian stands out from her peers in Japan’s government. She wants to change that.

By Chad de Guzman

Japan’s Most Popular Politician Talks Modernization and Militarization

Taro Kono, Japan’s 60-year-old Digital Minister, is on a mission to drag the country into the 21st century.

By Charlie Campbell

Exclusive: Fumio Kishida on Japan's Future

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wants to remake Japan as a global leader and military power.

By Charlie Campbell / Tokyo

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida Unhurt, Resumes Campaigning After Bomb Scare

The incident has chilling echoes of the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last year and also calls into question security arrangements for the G-7 summit to be held in May in Hiroshima

By Lisa Du and Isabel Reynolds / Bloomberg

Bird Flu Is So Bad That Japan’s Running Out of Land to Bury Chickens

Japan’s case highlights the need for countries to review how they deal with avian influenza, especially as record-breaking death tolls due to the virus are becoming a norm around the world.

By Jasmine Ng and Shoko Oda / Bloomberg

Japan’s Prime Minister Quizzed by ChatGPT in Parliament

While the use of the chatbot may have been a whimsical inclusion of novel technology in otherwise extremely regimented proceedings, there is growing concern about the pace at which artificial intelligence is being adopted.

By Marika Katanuma and Jon Herskovitz / Bloomberg

Makiko Ono Has a Plan to Get More Women Into C-Suites

You don’t rise to the top of Japan’s most venerable whiskey company without the occasional hangover. So it’s no surprise that Makiko Ono—who on March 24 becomes CEO of Suntory Beverages and Food, part of a...

By Charlie Campbell

Democrats Visiting Japan Call for LGBT Rights

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pressed her Japanese counterparts to move forward on LGBT rights ahead of the G7 in May.

By Isabel Reynolds / Bloomberg

‘Sushi Terrorism’ is the Latest Viral Trend

A new trend in Japan has diners filming themselves violating food safety at sushi conveyor belt restaurants.

By Simmone Shah
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