Beaujolais Nouveau’s fanbase finally dries up in Japan

Kirin Holdings’ wine unit will stop selling Beaujolais Nouveau in Japan, in a sign of soaring costs and changing tastes in what had been a holdout export market. The wine producer and importer Mercian, a unit of Kirin, will halt sales of the...

Korea, U.S., Japan arranging 3-way talks at ASEAN meetings in Malaysia: Sources

Published: 10 Jul. 2025, 17:46 Delegates attend the 2nd Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 27. [AP/YONHAP] Korea, the United States and...

Japan weather bureau says 40% chance of La Nina emerging in autumn

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's weather bureau said on Thursday that normal weather patterns are continuing and that there was a 40% chance of the La Nina phenomenon emerging in the Northern Hemisphere autumn. There was a greater, 60% chance of normal...

Same-sex marriage, surname support get Japan election tech leg-up

A system that scans election posters using a smartphone camera to inform voters whether candidates support legalization of same-sex marriage and giving married couples the option to have separate surnames is shown to media using fictious...

Ukrainian evacuee in Japan approved as registered foreign lawyer

Japan's justice ministry has approved a Ukrainian evacuee as a registered foreign lawyer. The ministry granted the approval to Iryna Hrybachova on Wednesday. She is said to be the first Ukrainian national to obtain the qualification in Japan....

Singapore coffee brand Alchemist opens its first Japan outlets in Tokyo

SINGAPORE – Home-grown coffee brand Alchemist has made its debut in Japan with the opening of two outlets in Tokyo, in the neighbourhoods of Aoyama and Asakusa, in late June. This is the first time the company, which was founded in 2016, has...

Japan, China foreign ministers agree to seek stable ties

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, left, and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi shake hands ahead of bilateral talks on July 10, 2025, on the fringes of regional gatherings in Kuala Lumpur. (Kyodo) KUALA LUMPUR (Kyodo) -- The foreign ministers...

Japan's Declining Population: An Opportunity to Improve the Quality of Labor

Japan's population is declining, and productivity is not rising. In 2024, Japan's GDP reached ¥609.3 trillion JPY ($3.9 trillion USD), reflecting year-on-year growth of 2.9% in nominal terms and just 0.8% in real terms, highlighting the country's...

Former Korean, Japanese baseball stars to play exhibition game in November

Retired baseball stars from Korea and Japan will meet in an exhibition game in November for the second consecutive year, officials said Thursday. Japan-based firm Fighters Sports & Entertainment (FSE) said the "2025 Dream Players Game" will take...

Tourists banned in tougher rules to gain Japanese driver’s licenses

The National Police Agency on July 10 announced tighter procedures for converting foreign driver’s permits into Japanese licenses, including imposing tougher written and skills tests and preventing short-term tourists from applying. The new...

Poker player from Japan disappears in Las Vegas Valley while on trip, friends say

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Concern is growing across the Las Vegas Valley for a missing poker player from Japan. Friends say he disappeared on the same day he was hoping to play in the World Series of Poker Main Event. According to a Metro Police...

Poker player from Japan disappears in Las Vegas Valley while on trip, friends say

The Tale of Elaine Yoneda, a Jewish Woman in a Japanese American Concentration Camp

Just past dawn on March 30, 1942, Elaine Yoneda stood on a Los Angeles sidewalk, unsure where to turn. She looked up at the building before her, solid concrete and stretching half a block: the South Spring Street civil control station, where she’d...

Japan to bar foreign tourists from converting driver's licenses

Japan's National Police Agency plans to revise the system for converting driver's licenses obtained overseas to Japanese ones. Under the revised system, foreign tourists and other short-stay visitors will not be allowed to convert the license they...

Japan eyes easing rules for Pacific saury fishing boats

Japan's Fisheries Agency is considering raising limits on the size and capacity of Pacific saury fishing boats to enable bigger catches on the high seas. The country sets ceilings for the gross tonnage of fishing boats to prevent overexploitation...

Japan Airlines & Tokyo Haneda Airport To Test New Automated Airfield Operations Platform

Japan Airlines is deploying new technology at its Tokyo Haneda Airport hub. The carrier, among the largest in Japan, is aiming to improve the operational efficiency of its ground operations through the use of a new program called HALO. The new...

Japan's panda town was booming. Now China wants its pandas back

Pandas, and those who adore them, have been central to the culture and economy in Shirahama, Japan for years. But the four pandas at the town's local zoo really belong to China, and China wants them back, leaving town residents in an emotional...

Japanese manufacturers say tariffs weighing on outlook

The tariffs already in place under US President Donald Trump are putting pressure on some Japanese companies. Firms at a manufacturing trade show in Tokyo say the outlook for businesses has worsened. About 1,800 companies and groups from across...

Korea, US, Japan arranging 3-way talks at ASEAN meetings in Malaysia: sources

Korea, the United States and Japan were arranging to hold three-way talks among their senior diplomats in Malaysia, diplomatic sources said Thursday. The talks, if held, will take place among First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, U.S....

Fairmont makes Japan debut with Bar Studio interiors

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has landed in Tokyo, marking the brand’s Japan debut. Thoughtfully designed by Bar Studio, the hotel’s interiors intertwine artistry with urban vibrancy through a harmonious fusion of colour, texture and light. Curated...