A match during the top-level Meijin shogi ranking tournament on Dec. 13 came to an unusual end when 40-year-old Akira Watanabe resigned becau ... ( read original story ...)
Japan promotes 4-day workweek
Japan wants its hardworking citizens to take a break. The country is pushing for a four-day workweek to address labor shortages and improve work-life balance. ( read original story ...)
Japan PM Ishiba visits Fukushima, hit by 2011 quake, nuclear crisis
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Saturday visited Fukushima Prefecture, hit hard by an earthquake in 2011 that triggered a crisis at ( read original story ...)
Japan Festival 2024 blossoms
Japan Festival got off to a ground-breaking start, literally, on Saturday, December 7, as the Embassy of Japan in Kingston announced before the event that it would be working with Royal Hope Botanical Gardens and the Nature Preservation Foundation for the ... ( read original story ...)
Visitors to 2025 Osaka Expo to get taste of Japan’s custom of bowing
When visitors come to the World Expo in Osaka next year, guides for the global event will welcome them with the Japanese customary gr ... ( read original story ...)
Crime surges in Japan as ‘shady part-time work’ ensnares youth as disposable runners
TOKYO: One of the safest countries in the world has been hit by a tidal wave of crime. In Japan, hardly a week has gone by since October without news reports urging people to secure their homes. ( read original story ...)
Japan’s first private space firm makes second attempt to put a satellite in orbit
Tokyo-based Space One’s Kairos rocket will make its second blastoff from the company’s launch pad in the rural western region of Wakayama ( read original story ...)
Naomi Osaka nearly dethrones Iga Swiatek and all of 2024’s best WTA matches
When Barbora Krejcikova and Elena Rybakina met in the Wimbledon semifinals, they had a hard act to follow. Jasmine Paolini had just defeated Donna Vekic in the longest women's singles semifinal in ... ( read original story ...)
Tokyo offers 4-day workweeks to young couples — for extra time to procreate
Tokyo is offering its employees a four-day workweek in an attempt to boost the city’s birthrate. Governor Yuriko Koike recently announced that the city’s government employees will be given the option ... ( read original story ...)
Tokyo to offer free daycare for all preschool children
On Dec. 10, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike announced that the city will offer free daycare for all preschool children starting in September 2025, Japanese news outlet Mainichi Shimbun reported. ( read original story ...)
Osaka paints well-known prostitution street bright yellow
Osaka has a lot of famous attractions, like Osaka Castle, the Dotombori canal area, and Universal Studios Japan. However, there’s one part of the city that’s been drawing crowds for a less wholesome ... ( read original story ...)
Watch: Naomi Osaka helps homeless man after leaving Jamie Foxx’s birthday party with Cordae
Naomi Osaka, along with boyfriend Cordae, attended the birthday party of Jamie Foxx on Tuesday night. The star-studded event held at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills was attended by celebrities, including ... ( read original story ...)
B.League: Ray Parks stars in Osaka win over Kiefer Ravena, Yokohama
Ray Parks Jr. answered the call for Osaka Evessa in the squad’s 89-84 win over the Yokohama B-Corsairs in the Japan B.League at Yokohama International Pool on Wednesday. Parks Jr. exploded for 18 ... ( read original story ...)
The “Challengers” cast honored by Naomi Osaka as one of EW’s 2024 Entertainers of the Year
The U.S. Open and Australian Open winner celebrates the movie's stars, Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist, for putting tennis "at the forefront of pop culture." ... ( read original story ...)
U.S. airman in Japan is sentenced to 5 years in prison for sexually assaulting a minor
A U.S. airman stationed in Japan was sentenced to five years in prison Friday after being convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor. Senior Airman Brennon Washington, 25, was stationed at Kadena Air Base on the Japanese island of Okinawa when ... ( read original story ...)
Japan’s ban on recognizing same-sex unions is unconstitutional, a court finds
A Japanese high court has ruled that the refusal to recognize same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, the latest victory for the LGBGQ+ community that adds pressure on the reluctant government ... ( read original story ...)