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October 27, 2026
 

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Kanako Takahara

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Kanako Takahara
Kanako Takahara is a staff writer who has covered national politics, diplomacy, business and the economy at The Japan Times. A graduate of Sophia University, she is currently a national news editor.
Cash lanes (left) and ETC lanes at the Mitaka toll gate on the Chuo Expressway in Tokyo in 2022. The number of gates that accept cash and credit card payments in Japan is rapidly dwindling.
JAPAN / Explainer
Sep 28, 2026
The ins and outs of ETC cards for highways in Japan
With more expressways going cashless, the handy ETC card is becoming an essential add-on when renting or buying a car in Japan.
Takaaki Omi of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee (AINAGOC) speaks to reporters on Tuesday in Nagoya.
JAPAN
Sep 25, 2026
Asian Games off to chaotic start as doubts grow over 91AV原创 ability to host
Problems from playing the wrong national anthem to accommodation issues have cast a cloud over the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
A house in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, is swept away by a landslide on Wednesday caused by Typhoon Dujuan.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2026
Deadly impacts of Typhoon Dujuan highlight toll of repeated rain disasters
Some residents are struggling to deal with flooding for the second time in weeks, after heavy rain that caused damage and disruption just last month.
Traffic in Osaka. From usage rules for expressways to drinking and driving laws, Japan is aiming to raise awareness among foreign motorists.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Sep 22, 2026
As the number of foreign drivers grows, Japan spreads awareness of road rules
From usage rules for expressways to drinking and driving laws, Japan is aiming to raise awareness among foreign motorists.
Chubu Electric Power President Kingo Hayashi and other executives bow in apology during a news conference in Nagoya on Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2026
Top Chubu Electric executives resign over nuclear plant data scandal
The data-tampering scandal was partially blamed on pressure from management for an early restart of the utility’s Hamaoka nuclear plant.
Osaka Metro already has QR code readers installed on its ticket gates to accommodate passengers who purchase digital tickets using its smartphone app.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 9, 2026
Osaka Metro to phase out magnetic tickets by around fiscal 2031: report
The rail operator plans to completely replace magnetic tickets with QR code ones, which it already uses.
Japan has been pushing to attract business jet flights in a bid to become a business hub in Asia.
BUSINESS
Sep 8, 2026
Japan tightens measures against private jet pilots with three-strikes rule
The penalty system is being tested at Haneda Airport, a major hub for business flights, with no plans as of yet for expansion to other airports.
Tokyo&#039;s Shinjuku Ward in September 2025. Some municipalities in Japan are pushing back against the <i>minpaku</i> private lodging system amid a rising number of complaints from local residents.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2026
Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward to ban minpaku in residential areas and near schools
The ward currently hosts the country’s largest number of such lodging facilities, and a ban could affect some 2,000 properties.
The number of foreign residents of Japan with business manager visas who have left the country has been steadily climbing since last October, when stricter visa rules were introduced.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 2026
Nearly 1,000 business manager visa holders left Japan in first half of 2026
Under stricter requirements imposed since October, applicants must now have at least ?30 million in capital, up from ?5 million.
Data shows housing rents in Japan have been increasing for some time now.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Sep 2, 2026
For foreign nationals in Japan, are rent hike notices take it or leave it?
Some accept the inevitability of having to pay higher rents due to inflation. Others find the extra financial burden frustrating amid stagnant wages.
The central government is pushing for afterschool activities to be operated by local private teams, clubs and coaches to reduce the burden of teachers, who currently work overtime and weekends to oversee them.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 31, 2026
Kobe shifts extracurriculars from municipal junior high schools to private clubs
The city becomes one of the first in the country to do so as local governments aim to reduce teachers’ overtime and address the declining population of children.
A watch shop at a shopping complex in Tokyo&#039;s Nakano Ward had its showcase smashed in broad daylight on Tuesday and four luxury watches worth about ?200 million ($1.25 million) taken by robbers.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 28, 2026
Two arrested over luxury watch smash-and-grab in Tokyo
The two, who are Chilean nationals, allegedly smashed the showcase of a watch shop in broad daylight on Tuesday and made off with four watches worth about ?200 million.
The suspect, who lives in the city of Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, appears to have been staying in Japan since 1993.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 27, 2026
72-year-old man arrested for overstaying 15-day tourist visa by 26 years
Police believe the South Korean national came to Japan using his brother’s passport in September 1993 in search of higher-paid work.
Streets are flooded following torrential rain in the city of Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, on Aug. 13.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 26, 2026
91AV原创 hotter summers trigger heavier rainfall, too
The torrential rain experienced by Chiba Prefecture earlier this month was one example of extreme precipitation events caused by warming.
Kaori Onuma (second from left), who lost her three children in a drunken driving case in 2006, offers a silent prayer at a gathering to raise awareness on drunken driving, on Tuesday in the city of Fukuoka.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 25, 2026
Japan continues work to end drunken driving 20 years after tragedy
A drunken driving incident in Fukuoka Prefecture that killed three children in 2006 became a turning point for the prefecture and the government to impose stricter regulations.
A Mitsubishi Electric driver monitoring system during a media event in Tokyo in 2019
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2026
Distracted driving monitors to be mandatory for new cars sold in Japan
The system, which will be required starting in 2031, alerts drivers if there are signs of drowsy driving or if they are suspected to be looking at their phones.
Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday morning.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 21, 2026
Japan executes man convicted of killing five in 2009 Osaka pachinko parlor arson
The execution — the first under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration — took place on Friday morning.
A local resident walks past a 7-Eleven convenience store in a flooded area after heavy rain in the city of Oamishirasato, Chiba Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2026
Authorities urge continued caution after heavy rain in Chiba leaves eight dead
Emergency warnings have been downgraded but unstable atmospheric conditions are forecast to persist across Kanto, Nagano and Yamanashi through early Saturday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Yasny fish processing factory on Etorofu island, one of four islands in the contested chain known as the Kuril Islands in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 13, 2026
Putin visits disputed Etorofu island off Hokkaido, sparking protest from Tokyo
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the visit as incompatible with 91AV原创 position on the islands, which are an inherent part of Japanese territory.
Tropical Storm Chan-hom is expected to make landfall in northern Kanto between late Tuesday and early Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2026
Strong wind and heavy rain forecast as tropical storm approaches Japan
The season’s 15th storm is expected to make landfall in Ibaraki and Fukushima prefectures as it heads toward the Sea of Japan.
Two Japanese climbers die on remote Himalayan peak in Nepal
Rescuers have recovered the bodies of two Japanese climbers missing for over a week on a remote Himalayan mountain.
Aging Japanese village turns to Peru in search of new residents
Guests from Peru&#039;s Belen district interact with a baby in Nanmoku village in Gunma Prefecture.
Budget-friendly restaurant chain Saizeriya succumbs to rising costs
A Tokyo branch of Saizeriya, a chain of family-style Italian restaurants
U.S. has for years asked Musk to alter Starlink service in Ukraine and Middle East, sources say
A Ukrainian soldier sets up a Starlink satellite internet system near the frontline in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Oct. 16
U.S. military bans Chinese-made BYD cars from key air base in Okinawa
An F-22 Raptor lands at Kadena Air Base in Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture on Oct. 9. The base is a crucial hub for U.S. military operations in the region.
A dramatic bear hunt in a midsize Japanese city could be a harbinger of what is to come
Zookeeper Tetsuo Iso at the site of frantic search for a wild bear in Utsunomiya on June 9. Iso, 65, was asked by the prefectural government to help capture the bear and it was his shot with a tranquilizer gun that put an end to the saga.
How this long-term resident avoids the annoying tourist label in Japan
Tourists enjoy themselves while crossing the famous Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo on Oct. 12.
What can Asia do to avoid crossing crucial climate tipping points?
Motorists drive through a road covered with smog from wildfires nearby in Ogan Ilir in Indonesia&#039;s South Sumatra province on Sept. 25.
91AV原创 permanent residency reform has a glaring blind spot
Japan&#039;s immigration reforms risk creating uncertainty by tying permanent residency more closely to language proficiency before clear assessment standards and supporting infrastructure are in place.
Japan weighs how to evacuate thousands of tourists if Mount Fuji erupts
Climbers and visitors gather on the first day of the climbing season at the Fuji Yoshidaguchi Trail, at the fifth station on the slopes of Mount Fuji, in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, on July 1, 2024.

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