投稿者: Justin McCurry in Osaka
Despite warm words from the US and Japanese leaders during their summit this week, back in Japan the spectre of a second Trump White House looms largeJoe Biden was effusive in his praise for Japan and its “bold” prime minister, Fumio Kishida, during a …
Tributes paid to wrestler, who was born Chad Rowan and became the sport’s first non-Japanese grand champion in 1993Tributes have been paid in Japan to Akebono, the first foreign wrestler to reach the pinnacle of the sport of sumo, who has died aged 54….
Sato will become the only option by 2531, suggests modelling as part of campaign to overturn outdated law requiring spouses to have same surnameJapanese citizens will all have the same family name in 500 years’ time unless married couples are permitted…
Meme-worthy content appears in short supply, at least initially, as world’s oldest royal family embarks on its social media journeyThe rarefied world of Japan’s imperial family has entered the age of social media, but fans expecting selfies, emojis and…
Japan is the only country in the world that requires spouses to use the same name, but after decades of inaction, appetite for change is buildingFor Akiko Saikawa, the administrative nightmare began soon after she married.The office worker from Tokyo h…
Rocket launch underlines Kim Jong-un’s ability to sidestep UN sanctions and suggests ballistic missile building abilities have reached a higher levelNorth Korea is already believed to be capable of striking the US mainland with a nuclear weapon; now it…
Ennosuke Ichikawa was part of apparent family pact to take their own lives after he learned he was to be accused of sexual abuseOne of Japan’s best-known kabuki actors has been given a suspended prison sentence for helping his parents die in an apparen…
As foreign population reaches record levels, the western prefecture of Mie has compiled a guide for those who need itIt is a linguistic trap few learners of Japanese have avoided: declaring yourself pera pera (fluent in a language) when you’re really p…
New landmass about 100 metres across pops up above the waves near Iwoto island after eruptions began last monthJapan has gained another island to add to its already impressive collection, after an undersea volcanic eruption 1,200km (745 miles) south of…
Bedbugs were almost eradicated via nationwide campaign in 1960s but thanks to lifting of travel restrictions after Covid-19 pandemic they’re backSouth Korea’s government has declared war on bedbugs, amid reports that an infestation is causing panic in …
Many in the city have put the Hanshin Tigers’ lack of success down to an unusual Colonel Sanders-based superstition, but it may be about to endThe last time the Hanshin Tigers were proclaimed the best baseball team in Japan, their fans celebrated by hu…
Japan hopes the fair in 2025 will reconnect it with the global community after Covid but calls are growing to delay or scrap the eventIn the distance, beyond the clouds of sand kicked up by a coastal wind and passing lorries, the centrepiece of Osaka’s…
Meeting in Russia’s Far East could mean worrying weapons developments in Ukraine and the North Korean leader’s military ambitionsSee all our Ukraine war coverageVladimir Putin’s meeting with Kim Jong-un has been dismissed by the US as an act of despera…
The North Korean leader’s preferred mode of transport is slow-moving but luxuriously appointedJoe Biden has Air Force One; Rishi Sunak a fleet of RAF jets and helicopters. But when Kim Jong-un makes one of his rare journeys outside North Korea, he has …
Julie Fujishima, niece of late pop mogul, apologises and acknowledges agency founder’s abuse for first timeThe president of Japan’s biggest boyband talent agency has resigned after acknowledging for the first time that its late founder sexually abused …