The Japan Times
@japantimes.co.jp
News, features and commentary from the oldest (est. 1897) and most widely read English-language media outlet in Japan. JT staff on Bluesky: https://jtim.es/bskysp Our newsletters: https://jtime.es/newsletters Elsewhere: jtim.es/m/social
The Bank of Japan's policy board was divided at its June 15-16 meeting over whether to stop reducing its government bond purchases.
BOJ board split over JGB buying at June meeting
According to the minutes, one board member argued that there was “no reason at all to halt the reduction of the purchase amount” because the government bond market remained stable.
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After years of near misses in playoffs, Shiho Kuwaki finally broke through by winning the Women's British Open, becoming the latest Japanese golfer to make her mark on the global stage.
Kuwaki says first major victory is only now sinking in
Shiho Kuwaki finally broke through by winning the Women’s British Open, becoming the latest Japanese golfer to make her mark on the global stage.
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As bears become an increasing threat in the Tohoku region, organizers of three major summer festivals in the area are taking measures to prevent the animals from coming near audiences.
Organizers of summer festivals in Tohoku strengthen measures against bears
While protocols vary across prefectures, several organizers say events may be canceled if a bear is spotted within a certain distance of the festival venue.
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U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly campaigned for his second term as a champion of free expression, but since then, a wave of court rulings has concluded his administration has done the opposite.
Trump vowed to ‘bring free speech back.’ Judges in 75 cases ruled he has stifled it.
U.S. President Donald Trump administration officials have repeatedly called federal judges ruling against them “activists” interfering with the president’s executive authority.
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South Korean police searched Starbucks Korea's headquarters in Seoul as part of an investigation into a marketing campaign that has become one of the country's largest recent corporate public-relations crises.
Police raid Starbucks Korea’s headquarters in Seoul over ‘Tank Day’ event
The raid by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency came months after the coffee chain’s “Tank Day” promotion was accused of insulting victims of South Korea’s democracy movement.
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The environmental regulator in Australia's Northern Territory charged Japanese energy giant Inpex in court on Wednesday with under-reporting emissions from its Ichthys liquefied natural gas plant near Darwin.
Australian regulator sues Japan’s Inpex over Ichthys LNG emissions breaches
The charges cover alleged license breaches, such as the under-reporting of benzene and toluene emissions between 2019 and 2024.
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The posthumous release of mystery writer Keigo Higashino's final work saw fans of the late author's work flock to bookstores in Japan.
Fans rush to buy copy of Keigo Higashino’s final work
The release of “Eternal Memory” comes after the acclaimed mystery author died of colorectal cancer last month.
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A North Korean missile unit has begun deploying to western Russia and could be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine, a Ukrainian official said.
North Korean missile unit deploys in Russia for Ukraine war, Kyiv says
Russia has fired scores of North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine for years, but the deployment of North Korean missile forces would be an expansion of the two’s cooperation.
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Century-old Japanese-style inn Kinparo in Kumamoto Prefecture, the main building and main gate of which are nationally registered tangible cultural properties, suffered extensive damage in the July 28 quake.
Owner of Kumamoto inn expresses resolve amid concern over earthquake damage
The inn, the main building and main gate of which are nationally registered tangible cultural properties, suffered extensive damage in the July 28 quake.
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Commentary: Every Aug. 6 should renew the global commitment to reducing and ultimately eliminating nuclear weapons.
Make anniversary of Hiroshima bombing ‘Disarmament Day’
Remembering Hiroshima cannot become a once-a-year ritual. It must become a reminder that nuclear weapons remain an urgent contemporary problem.
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With the help of cameras, cellphone signals and national IDs, China monitors its 1.4 billion people — and foreigners — on an unparalleled scale. | via @nytimes.com
How China keeps tabs on foreigners
A futuristic dashboard — like something from the movie “Minority Report” — that appeared to track foreigners in a city was uncovered by an Amsterdam-based cybersecurity researcher.
japantimes.co.jp
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has expressed support for a world without nuclear weapons after his proposal for debates without taboos on nuclear policy sparked controversy, including among atomic bomb survivors.
Shinjiro Koizumi backs nuke-free world after controversy
The defense minister’s proposal last month for debates without any taboos on nuclear policy sparked criticism, including among hibakusha atomic bomb survivors.
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North Korea has accused Japan of reviving the ambitions of a "war criminal state" in response to Tokyo's expanding defense capabilities, saying it will pursue unspecified "additional military options."
North Korea warns of more military steps over Japan’s rearmament
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said that Pyongyang would not remain a “passive onlooker.”
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Commentary: U.S. involvement in Japan's yen intervention strengthens Tokyo's position while creating new risks and uncertainties for both countries.
How safe is the yen under the U.S. umbrella?
Having Washington on board brings important potential benefits — and no small amount of danger.
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Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet has approved a controversial plan to drop the food consumption tax from 8% to 1% for a two-year period beginning next April.
Takaichi’s Cabinet approves consumption tax cut on food
While the majority of the Liberal Democratic Party endorsed the cut, some party veterans opposed lowering the tax rate, fearing it will lead to economic and political chaos.
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Chipmaking plants in Kumamoto Prefecture are gradually restarting operations following their suspensions after the July 28 earthquake, with production seen returning to levels before the quake by the end of this month.
Chip plants begin restarting operations in quake-hit Kumamoto
The quick recovery comes as damage was relatively limited compared with that from the two successive major earthquakes that hit the prefecture about 10 years ago.
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Cases involving sexual deepfakes targeting children more than doubled in number in Japan in the first half of 2026, the National Police Agency has said.
Child sexual deepfakes in Japan more than double in first half of 2026
Police handled 123 such cases in the six months, exceeding both the 60 recorded a year earlier and the 114 logged in all of 2025.
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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has tapped a range of tools to help Japan prop up the yen that surprised some Treasury watchers, like talking up a Federal Reserve facility that Tokyo could use.
Scott Bessent draws on hedge fund instincts to help rescue yen
Most recent Treasury Secretary predecessors came from what is known as the sell-side of finance, but Scott Bessent, with a decades-long hedge fund career, is different.
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No refrigerator. No microwave. Just blocks of ice, gramophone records and a home built for another age. Meet the Tokyo couple who have turned their love of the Taisho Era into an everyday lifestyle.
How one Japanese couple made the 1920s and ’30s into a way of life
No refrigerator. No microwave. Just blocks of ice, records and a home built for another age.
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U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass will not attend this year's peace ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to honor the victims of the 1945 atomic bombings of the cities, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo has said.
U.S. ambassador to skip peace ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
This year’s ceremonies will be the first missed by a U.S. ambassador since Rahm Emanuel skipped the event in Nagasaki in 2024.
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World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka returned to her hard court comfort zone with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima in the WTA 1000 in Toronto on Tuesday.
Sabalenka tops Uchijima in WTA Toronto opener
Uchijima had surprised the Belarusian in the opening game of the match, clawing back from 40-15 down to break on the way to a quick 2-0 lead.
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Japanese wage growth remained firm in June on the back of solid corporate earnings and a tight labor market, bolstering the case for another Bank of Japan interest rate hike in coming months.
Japan’s nominal wages rise again, backing BOJ rate hike case
June’s 3.4% rise extended the run of gains exceeding 3% to five months, the longest such streak in 34 years.
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Ukraine has accused Russia of committing a war crime after a video was released showing a drone chasing down and wounding a vegetable seller in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson.
Ukraine accuses Russia of war crime after video shows drone ‘safari’ attack on civilian
Footage released by Ukrainian police shows the drone pursuing a man around a van being used as a street stand before exploding as he dives for cover behind the vehicle.
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A police officer fatally shot a man who came at him wielding a knife in Kawachinagano, Osaka Prefecture — a rare incident in Japan as police are subject to strict restrictions regarding the use of handguns.
Police in Osaka fatally shoot knife-wielding man
It is rare for police officers in Japan to shoot a suspect, as they are subject to strict restrictions regarding the use of handguns.
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The CEO of Shionogi says the firm is pursuing acquisition opportunities and considering expanding U.S. manufacturing capacity, as the Japanese drugmaker seeks to diversify its production base and geopolitical risk.
Shionogi CEO says firm is pursuing acquisitions and mulling expanded U.S. production
The pharmaceutical manufacturer wants to accelerate its overseas growth while broadening its portfolio beyond its traditional strength in infectious disease medications.
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In Seoul's affluent district of Gangnam, access to air conditioning now defines the line between the haves and the have-nots amid a severe heat wave.
Heat wave divides rich and poor of upmarket Seoul
In the affluent district of Gangnam, access to air conditioning now defines the line between the haves and the have-nots.
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A human-sized stainless-steel refrigerator, which keeps the temperature at a brisk 15 C and blows jets of 5 C air once someone sits inside, is designed to offer quick relief from potential heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
Japanese firm’s ‘human refrigerator’ offers relief from punishing summer heat
The Do Hiemon Box is an oversized stainless-steel refrigerator that looks big enough to fit a human being, because that’s exactly what it’s designed to do.
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SpaceX stock fell Tuesday after the company disclosed higher-than-expected spending on its AI business, dampening an inaugural quarterly report that broadly surpassed Wall Street forecasts.
SpaceX’s AI splurge puts a damper on debut earnings after IPO
Shares tumbled as much as 8.8% in U.S. post-market trading after it said capital spending jumped to about $18.4 billion in the second quarter.
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Many municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture are struggling to hire workers, prompting them to recruit former workers who had left due to family reasons or who had changed jobs. 👉 ebx.sh/vpzm5G
