Japan Today

While many businesses in Japan are tightening their belts due to rising costs, Burger King appears to be doing the opposite, expanding its footprint across the country. After boasting 337 locations in 2025, the chain brought that total to more than 370 by June, even opening its first-ever store in…

It wouldn’t make much sense to prohibit people from shooting a threatened woodpecker while allowing its forest to be cut down, or to bar killing endangered salmon while allowing a dam to dry out their habitat. But that’s what the Trump administration is doing by changing how one word in…

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa. The industry ministry says it aims to introduce about 10 million AI-equipped robots across 18 sectors by 2040 to cope with the country's growing labor shortage.

Overseas tourists have reached record numbers in Japan, but regional areas still find themselves struggling to lure international visitors away from big cities on the well-worn Tokyo-to-Kyoto tourist trail. Toyama Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast, is one of those regions that remains sadly overlooked, but now it’s throwing…

People from far and wide are drawn to the bright lights and all the glitz and glamour that crane games, or UFO catchers as they’re often called in Japan, have to offer, such as stuffed Pokémon, statuettes of anime characters, or curry ingredients. It can be a lot of fun,…

Approval ratings for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's conservative government dipped below 50 percent for the first time since coming to power in October in a poll published Thursday. The Jiji Press survey put backing for Takaichi's cabinet at 49 percent, with the sharpest drop among voters in their 60s,…

Japan on Friday enacted a controversial new law prohibiting desecration of its national flag, a key right-wing agenda pushed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Opponents say it's an attempt to intimidate the public and silence criticism of her government. The law punishes publicly damaging or defacing the national flag, known…

The Kagoshima District Court has sentenced a 23-year-old former nursery school teacher to 10 years in prison for attempted murder for slashing the neck of a child with a utility knife at a certified center for early childhood education and care. According to the ruling, Natsuki Sasayama slashed a 2-year-old…

An 11-month-old boy has died of heatstroke after being found in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest inside a car parked at a residence in Kumamoto City. According to police, Sakuto Yamashita was in a child safety seat in the back seat of the vehicle on Wednesday afternoon, NHK reported. His…