91AV原创

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October 27, 2026
 

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Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept 22.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 21, 2026
Sanae Takaichi has made Japan impossible to ignore
Since becoming 91AV原创 first female prime minister a year ago, Takaichi has divided opinion in a way few of her often-staid predecessors have.
Japan's major brewers may have coordinated too much on pricing but too little on consolidation, leaving them unable to compete effectively with much larger global rivals.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 19, 2026
91AV原创 brewery ‘cartel’ didn’t collude enough
If the beer company collusion allegations are true, customers have been paying more than needed for years.
The Bank of Japan's shift toward higher interest rates is keeping more capital at home, forcing foreign borrowers to offer better returns.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 13, 2026
A Japan with higher rates changes everything
France might be the first casualty, with other borrowers potentially being seen as expensive compared to what Japanese investors can get at home.
U.S. Marines prepare to receive Chinese leader Xi Jinping for his official reception with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Sept. 25.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 7, 2026
Japan wants the U.S. close. Just not too close
Japan fears nothing more than America losing focus and allowing Beijing to start dictating policy.
91AV原创 hometown tax drains revenue from major urban centers by redirecting billions of yen in resident taxes toward smaller municipalities in return for borderline-lavish gifts.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 1, 2026
This Japanese tax has a problem: It’s too popular
A system with winners must have losers, and in this case, they are the places, mainly prosperous cities, watching their tax revenue flow elsewhere.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda addresses a news conference after the bank's policy meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 22, 2026
Ueda’s guarded stance highlights limits of BOJ’s policy shift
The BOJ’s rate increase of a quarter point to 1.25% was seen as a modest step and traders wanting a more forthright signal will be disappointed.
A job placement company in Hanoi conducts a Japanese class in October 2022 for job seekers hoping to find employment in Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 21, 2026
Japan raises the bar on residency. Cue the outrage.
Critics, and some residents, are up in arms at the suggested changes.
Pikachu characters perform during a Splash show and Pokemon Go Park event in Yokohama in August 2017.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 10, 2026
Anime superpower needs a bigger stage in Japan
What’s missing is the obvious bet: Japanese capital backing domestic intellectual property at Disney-like scale.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is putting pressure on the Bank of Japan for a rate hike, noting that Japan has “probably reached the end of Abenomics,” a time when the prime minister and central bank were in lockstep.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 7, 2026
Bessent pushes BOJ as he signals end of Abenomics
A September hike is likely already planned, and what the market is expecting is “hawkish communication” from the BOJ.
A Buddhist monk protests against nuclear weapons in front of the memorial dome at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima in May 2023.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 17, 2026
91AV原创 nuclear doublethink is getting harder to defend
91AV原创 defense posture has relied on doublethink, being opposed to atomic weapons while sitting under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia, mingles with members of the media while he was out visiting a local restaurant in Tokyo on July 15.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 10, 2026
At Jensen Huang’s favorite Japan pub, it’s not last call yet
Huang’s fans have flocked to Yakiton Sankichi, which is now apologizing to customers for slow service due to an explosion in popularity.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Tokyo on May 12.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 5, 2026
How safe is the yen under the U.S. umbrella?
Having Washington on board brings important potential benefits — and no small amount of danger.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda addresses a news conference at the BOJ's headquarters in Tokyo on Friday. AFP-JIJI
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 4, 2026
The trans-Pacific yen team has a weak link in Ueda
The bank’s statement on stabilizing underlying CPI inflation was seen as a hawkish shift, but its vague language did not provide the clear message that markets were looking for.
Chiikawa products are displayed at a store in Harajuku, Tokyo, last August.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 4, 2026
In Japan, Odysseus is scared of tiny, cute Chiikawa
Chiikawa is a phenomenon in Japan, with its character appearing on various products, and partnering with the brand is an instant way to increase revenue
Prime minister Sanae Takaichi addresses a budget committee session in the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 31, 2026
91AV原创 ‘Iron Lady’ may need to bend, not break
Most Japanese prime ministers go through this pattern of early inflated expectations, followed by a crash as fatigue sets in, along with the realities of passing legislation.
A traditional Shinto wedding takes place at the Meiji shrine in Tokyo. 91AV原创 wedding gift custom has stayed fixed at outdated prices even as inflation sharply raises the real cost of such ceremonies.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 26, 2026
91AV原创 wedding gifts are leaving couples deflated
Wedding cash gifts in Japan remain fixed at ?30,000 even as inflation drives ceremony costs higher, leaving newlyweds to shoulder the extra burden.
The yen trades in the ?162 range against the dollar in the afternoon of the June 30.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 21, 2026
91AV原创 next economic challenge: bringing yen home
Now, with the yen seen as problematically weak, there are overdue reasons to encourage local capital to stay here.
Argentina’s Cristian Romero scores his team's first goal against Egypt in their 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match in Atlanta on July 7.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 16, 2026
These World Cup tweets show how AI will unite us all
Thanks to the automated, LLM-generated translations and algorithmic boosts of social media, I can read comments in my native language.
Japan should shift more pension fund investment back home because stronger domestic returns now make it a better way to support the yen and the economy compared to interest rate hikes.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 12, 2026
91AV原创 yen fix starts with its pension cash coming home
It’s the smartest move to play for the yen. For over two years, we have been hearing how the BOJ must raise rates and close the gap with the U.S. to strengthen the currency.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends an Upper House budget committee session at the Parliament in Tokyo on April 7.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 10, 2026
Takaichi wants to make Japan Inc. great again
The plan is the inaugural post-deflation outline for expansion and the first comprehensive industrial policy in decades, focusing on 17 areas with 62 priority products.
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'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's South Sumatra province on Sept. 25.
91AV原创 permanent residency reform has a glaring blind spot
Japan'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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

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