North Korea

Japan outraged by North Korea missile launch

Japan was outraged by North Korea's missile launch on Thursday after the government ordered the citizens of Hokkaido island to take shelter.

13/04/2023

Culture news

Former J-pop teen idol alleges sex abuse by Japanese music mogul

Former member of Johnny's Jr. backup boys' group, Kauan Okamoto, has accused late entertainment mogul Johnny Kitagawa of sexually assaulting him multiple times between 2012 and 2016, while staying at Kitagawa's luxury house.

12/04/2023

Culture news

Everything you wanted to know about Japan’s Penis Festival

Every spring, thousands of tourists flock to Kawasaki, Japan, to celebrate one thing – the penis.

03/04/2023

Culture news

Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto dies aged 71

Ryuichi Sakamoto was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. In 2022, he revealed that he was terminal, a year after he disclosed he was suffering from rectal cancer.

02/04/2023

Spotlight

Rediscovering the best of Fukushima's local produce through innovation

In partnership with The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

Before the disaster, Fukushima was one of Japan's biggest agricultural producers. Now, its resilient farming community is helping consumers to enjoy the region's tastiest produce once again.

24/03/2023

Bulgaria

Arms exports to Ukraine from Bulgaria on hold until after elections

Bulgaria’s president Rumen Radev has put arms supplies to Ukraine on ice until after his country’s parliamentary elections on April 2. He urged parties contesting the election to spell out their stance on the collective EU arms supply strategy.

21/03/2023

Ukraine

'Outraged by the cruelty': Japan PM Kishida visits Bucha

Prime Miniser Kishida is Japan’s first postwar leader to enter a war zone with his surprise visit to Kyiv.

21/03/2023

Spotlight

Back to Fukushima: Surfers return to the beaches, 12 years on

In partnership with The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

Twelve years after the Fukushima accident, the people from the region are working with determination to revive tourism and keep their ancestral traditions alive.

17/03/2023

Art

Nobel Prize winning author Kenzaburo Oe dies aged 88

The Japanese citizen, who wrote about war and his disabled son, was vocal as a pacifist alongside his worldwide literary success

13/03/2023

Culture news

Is Netflix about to ruin 'One Piece' with a live-action series?

After 'Death Note' and 'Cowboy Bebop', we thought we'd been hurt enough. Now Netflix is adapting 'One Piece' into a live-action series.

06/03/2023

Japan

Gastronomic cuisine in Tokyo, with two of Japan's top chefs

In partnership with Tokyo Metropolitan Government

If you come to Tokyo, you’ll enjoy gastronomy from all over the world. In these portraits, we look at the inspiration driving two of Japan's top chefs.

03/03/2023

Japan

Back-street style and old-world charm: What makes Tokyo so special?

In partnership with Tokyo Metropolitan Government

“In Tokyo, you are free to be whatever you want to be, wherever you want to be." Find out why Japan's capital is the source of so much inspiration.

24/02/2023

Food and Drink

Japanese food maker readies plant-based seafood for Europe

In March, European supermarket shelves will have to make space for a new Japanese entry in the increasingly big market for plant-based alternatives to sea-food and meat.

23/02/2023

Mobility

New balloon capsule aims to float passengers to the edge of space

The company says it aims to "democratise space" by offering cheap, safe balloon flights high enough in the stratosphere to see the curve of the Earth.

21/02/2023

Art

Leiji Matsumoto, manga creator of epic space sagas, dies aged 85

Matsumoto died of acute heart failure in a Tokyo hospital on Feb. 13, 2023, his office, Studio Leijisha, said.

20/02/2023

Tech News

Japan to tackle labour shortage and isolation with self-driving robots

Japan has eased traffic laws to allow self-driving delivery robots to help labour shortages and reduce the isolation of its aging population.

12/02/2023

France

Automakers Renault, Nissan to make cross-shareholdings equal

Nissan and Renault have agreed to equalise the stakes they hold in each other, both sides said Monday, ironing out a source of conflict in the Japan-French auto alliance.

30/01/2023

World News

Europe experiences extended period of severe cold

Countries across the northern hemisphere are battling extreme weather with authorities in Europe trying to cope with an extended period of freezing conditions.

26/01/2023

No Comment

Louis Vuitton installation wows tourists on Paris' Champs-Élysées

Tourists in Paris are treated to a giant mannequin depicting Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama on the famous Champs-Élysées in collaboration with Louis Vuitton during Paris Fashion Week.

25/01/2023

No Comment

Watch: Temperatures drop to the lowest in a decade across Japan

Large areas of Japan will be affected by the coldest air mass of the season from Tuesday.

24/01/2023