August 6, 2020
When and how should the name of a business where coronavirus infections have been discovered be revealed to the public? In the debate over releasing the names of these businesses, the parties involved have entered a new phase in trying to determine how best to disseminate information to prevent t...
The internet is being used to identify people infected with the new coronavirus as well as their families, with slanderous and discriminatory remarks being posted. A man in his 40s living in the Tokai region became a target of what is dubbed “online hunting of the infected.” Speaking about the e...
Major banks are planning to lower fees for certain fund transfers between individuals, it has been learned. As bank transfer fees at domestic institutions have been perceived as high, the government has asked the banking sector to lower them. MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., Mizuho Ban...
ODAWARA, Kanagawa — A long-established maker of kamaboko fish cakes has begun selling them in the shape of Slime, a character from the popular video game series “Dragon Quest.” Suzuhiro Co. o...
This month marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when humanity learned of the devastation a single nuclear bomb can unleash. The lingering suffering caused to the...
Some years ago, a Canadian acquaintance, who I’ll call Mike, told me that he felt that his Japanese wife did not possess much of an inner self. As an applied linguist focusing on cultural difference...
Saitama Prefecture has suspended its official TikTok account while Kobe also did so earlier this week. TikTok, the short-form mobile video app that is part of China’s ByteDance Ltd., has been targ...
The expansion of testing is an important element in balancing prevention of the spread of the novel coronavirus and social and economic activities. However, can coronavirus antibody testing, which sho...
The government plans to support the establishment of a laboratory to research infectious diseases and train human resources at Nagasaki University. The laboratory is to be connected with a BSL-4 exper...
Some disaster-hit homes that have sustained only partial damage will be eligible for up to ¥1 million for their reconstruction, after the government expands its aid system. To change the existing ...
The Japanese government plans to take countermeasures if South Korea converts a Japanese company’s assets into cash to provide compensation for former requisitioned workers from the Korean Peninsula...
The Tokyo metropolitan government announced Wednesday that 263 new cases of the novel coronavirus has been confirmed in the capital. The number of people infected per day has fallen below 300 for t...
A government subcommittee of experts on novel coronavirus countermeasures is expected to present eight metrics for determining the severity of infections — such as the number of patients and how man...
On Tuesday, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office arrested company executive Akihito Awaji, 54, and two others on suspicion of violating the section of the organized crime law that prohibits br...
The national memorial service to honor those who died in World War II will be livestreamed on YouTube for the first time this year, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato has announced. T...
Sunflowers were in full bloom at the Narita Yume Farm in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, on Wednesday, charming visitors with a summer landscape under the hot sun. The farm times the planting of its seeds...
The government and the ruling coalition are planning to extend the period for employment adjustment subsidies, through which companies receive taxpayer money to partially cover allowances for employee...
The novel coronavirus pandemic has delivered a blow to live music clubs in Hokkaido, prompting one local musician to help venues raise funds by busking. Nurse Keiko Koyama, 41, said she was moved to ...
NHK, as the public broadcaster supported by so-called receiving fees, must rectify the bloated nature of its operations. Concrete measures for that purpose are being called into question. NHK has c...
Seven of Kansai Electric Power Co.’s nuclear reactors in Fukui Prefecture are in a predicament as they face three challenges. Anti-terrorism facilities are not likely to meet the deadlines for compl...
With the end of the rainy season in most of the Japanese archipelago, the heat has become intense as we enter full-blown summer. Vigilance against heatstroke is necessary. It is important to be espec...
Keep track of the coronavirus epidemic as it unfolds in Japan. Relevant stories and graphics appear below covering events up to and including the current state of emergency and the future outlook. ...
The following charts give a visual representation of the spread of the novel coronavirus in Japan and around the world. The first shows the extensiveness of cases in relation to a nation’s populatio...
Keep track of the coronavirus epidemic as it unfolds in Japan. Relevant stories and graphics appear below covering events up to and including the current state of emergency and the future outlook. ...
Seven & i Holdings Co., the world’s largest convenience store operator by number of stores, announced Monday that it will acquire Speedway, the convenience store and gas station chain of U.S. oil re...
Prospects to bring the coronavirus infection under control have yet to be seen, and the virus has continued to pose a serious threat to society. In this series, politicians, local administrators and ...
ODAWARA, Kanagawa — A long-established maker of kamaboko fish cakes has begun selling them in the shape of Slime, a character from the popular video game series “Dragon Quest.” Suzuhiro Co. o...
As infections with the novel coronavirus once again surge throughout Japan, a growing number of private companies are accelerating efforts to conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and antibody...
The Aomori Nebuta Festival, the Akita Kanto Festival, the Morioka Sansa Odori Festival, the Sendai Tanabata Festival — summer in the Tohoku region means massive summer festivals. This year, however...
U.S. economic growth has marked a historic plunge due to the spread of infections with the novel coronavirus. The U.S. Congress should come up with additional economic measures as soon as possible to ...
How can invaluable relics from the horrors of war be passed on to future generations? It is necessary to appropriately select items that should be preserved, and devise ways to maintain and manage the...
Many families headed to the beach in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, on the weekend, as the rainy season came to an end in the Kanto, Koshin and Tokai regions. To help people observe social distancing ...
The Japan News has partnered with media startup inkl, a news service that curates articles from the world’s leading publishers for users to read on mobile devices. A selection of articles from The Japan News and The Yomiuri Shimbun is now available to read on inkl, which hosts titles from about 20 countries. 
Paint containing toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has been used in 334 of the 719 large outdoor structures such as bridges examined across the nation, according to figures compiled by the Enviro...
Southampton may be known for Japanese football player Maya Yoshida, who plays for Southampton FC, or for its famous port where the RMS Titanic departed before sinking. The reason why I am studying he...
My name is Amy Lin. I was born and raised in Taiwan, and I immigrated to the United States in 2005. I came to Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher on the JET Programme and was placed in Yokkaichi C...
Acclaimed Japanese playwright and stage director Hideki Noda has brought his masterpiece “Red Demon” back to the stage, but the events of recent months have given a fresh twist to his tale of fea...
The practice of burning incense is said to have been introduced to Japan from China in ancient times. The sweet, rich fragrances wafting through the air seem to have the power to relax even today’s ...
More and more works by leading contemporary Japanese novelists are gaining popularity after being translated and published in English. “Natsu Monogatari” (A summer story, published as “Breasts a...
