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November 12, 2026
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November 12, 2026
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An apartment resident displays a model of a data center currently in development next door in Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, in May.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Japan not immune to public backlash against data centers, experts say
By Tomoko Otake
Last week’s U.S. midterm congressional elections have highlighted just how strong opposition to data center construction has become.

More coverage

Voters in U.S. reset the debate on data centers and billionaires
Environmental groups embrace AI, even as they warn of data center impacts
An apartment resident displays a model of a data center currently in development next door in Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, in May.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s vow of support for the prime minister carries weight because he ran against her for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Amid concerns over internal opposition within LDP, Koizumi pledges support for Takaichi
By Eric Johnston
Citing continuity, the defense minister, who is a potential rival, said he would support the prime minister’s reelection as LDP president next year.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a Cabinet meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Opposition presses for consumption tax cut details as Upper House debate begins
By Kenji Yoshida
While questioning actual savings and who would qualify for cash payments, lawmakers asked how households would fare after the tax cut expires.
Shinjuku Station in Tokyo in 2021. The new walk-through gates will work only with the Suica Mobile app, and not IC rechargeable metro cards or physical tickets.
BUSINESS / Companies
JR East to introduce touchless ticket gates in spring 2028
By Spencer Landers
Passengers using the Suica Mobile app will be able to walk through special ticket gates at 40 select stations without having to tap on receivers.
Peter Cave joined the JET Programme's inaugural cohort in 1987 and spent three years teaching in the city of Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture.
COMMUNITY
As JET Programme turns 40, alumni and ministers stress its importance in age of AI
By Jessica Speed
JET has brought thousands of teachers and translators to rural Japanese communities and has been an “irreplaceable national asset” for Japan.
Peter Cave joined the JET Programme's inaugural cohort in 1987 and spent three years teaching in the city of Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture.

JAPAN

The Tokyo District Court judged that fake ads on Facebook and Instagram infringed on Yusaku Maezawa's publicity rights but dismissed his request for an injunction against Meta.
Tokyo court dismisses suit against Meta over fake ads involving entrepreneur
The ruling is believed to be the first judicial decision on whether fake ads impersonating celebrities infringe on?their rights.
A 30-year-old man who is believed to have stolen a luxury wristwatch in Tokyo last month reportedly told police he was the one who had sent it back with a handwritten apology.
Man arrested over theft of watch that was returned days later to Tokyo mall
The ?46 million wristwatch was returned to the store in Nakano Broadway via a delivery service on Nov. 1, along with a handwritten note of apology.
Exiled Cambodian opposition leader urges Japan to aid democracy
Japan, eight others get fossil award over leaders skipping climate talks
Japan Supreme Court rules 2025 election was held in unconstitutional state
Japan research team identifies rubella virus receptor

BUSINESS

A Luffy standee at NY Comic Con in New York
Sony bets on homegrown anime to fuel decades of future growth
By Sohee Kim
Now in a strategic transition, the company is pouring time and money into the genre with the potential to power growth for decades to come.
As recently as early 2024, the U.S. and China were virtually neck-and-neck in terms of revenue share from the world’s top 100 mobile games. But by mid-2026, China held 40% of the global market, compared with just 16.5% for the U.S.
U.S. loses grip on $121 billion mobile gaming sector to China
By Vignesh Radhakrishnan
In a cruel twist, China’s biggest overseas market last year was the United States.
Nintendo sells 5.2 million copies of ‘Zelda’ remake in four days
By Vlad Savov
Nissan pares car sales forecast on tougher China competition
By Nicholas Takahashi
EU to make addictive app features easier to switch off
Honda raises outlook even as failed EV bet weighs on profit
By Nicholas Takahashi

WORLD

Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles at Azadi Square in Tehran on Aug. 2
Iran producing 50 missiles per month despite crippled industry
The U.S. has said since the early days of the war that Tehran’s arsenal, and its ability to reconstitute it, had been thoroughly degraded.
Members of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations hold talks in the presence of United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (center), U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (center right) and U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner (center left) in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
U.S. calls for new Europe security framework at Russia-Ukraine talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said the talks were “constructive and quite substantive.”
Thailand to raise arsenic-tainted rivers in talks with Myanmar
Behind Bangladesh’s garment boom, workers cut food and healthcare as wages fall short
By Ruma Paul
U.S. charges three ‘Iranian operatives’ over U.K. air base plot
More suicides at U.S. spy and cyber agencies scrutinized by Congress
By JAKE BLEIBERG

Sports

Onosato (right) and Yoshinofuji crash out of the ring in a closely contested bout at the November Grand Sumo Tournament at Fukuoka Convention Center in Fukuoka on Sunday.
Onosato looks sharp as Kyushu Basho contenders emerge
By John Gunning
Three days is too early to draw firm conclusions, but Onosato, Fujiryoga Tamawashi and others have impressed.
Celtics beat Sixers 123-101 as Tatum outshines Brown
Gauff upset at WTA Finals; Pegula back on track
Japan coach Jones returns to face his former England charges
Vikings reacquire Kirk Cousins in deadline deal with Raiders

Opinion

People walk past a bus featuring French soccer star Kylian Mbappe in Shanghai on Oct. 27. Mbappe’s experience shows that apologizing to Beijing offers little reward, which should reinforce Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s refusal to retreat.
French soccer star Mbappe said sorry to China. Takaichi shouldn’t.
Gearoid Reidy
Takaichi and soccer star Mbappe have both been on the wrong side of Beijing for saying something the Chinese state would rather nobody said.
Midterms shake U.S. foreign policy, but no tectonic shifts
By Brad Glosserman
India’s billionaire family feuds need rules
By Srinivasan Sivabalan
The economic toll of Israel’s wars
By Joseph Zeira
Are Japan and the U.S. losing South Korea as an ally?
By Masahiro Matsumura

ENVIRONMENT

A volunteer stops along a trail while collecting readings from rain gauges as part of a community effort to anticipate heavy rains that could trigger flooding and mudslides, in Quebrada San Antonio de Pedregal, Lima, on Oct. 23.
Disaster warning systems race to keep pace with galloping climate risks
A rock and ice avalanche and flood in Nepal in August that left thousands of people dead, injured or missing showed that all systems have limits.
Pakistani farmers in long fight to make German firms pay for flood damage
‘Pit of hell’: Turkish mother and daughter lead fight against coal mine
Fossil fuel emissions fall due to Iran war and renewables, research shows
By Laurent Thomet
COP31 to open in Turkey, with climate goals under pressure from war and AI

CULTURE

Kodansha's Kaqreal label is seeking to branch out beyond traditional publishing and find new customers among a populace that is eschewing print in favor of screen-based content.
Kodansha launches journalistic manga imprint Kaqreal
By Ariana King
Amid a slump in physical book sales, the publisher is pursuing various new projects through its innovation lab.
‘Three Millimeters to You’: A hokey but heartfelt tale of cross-cultural first love
By James Hadfield
Action thrills best treacly drama in ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’
By Mark Schilling
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ director sees the monster as a mirror
By Sebastien Raineri
‘Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?’: The comedy and horror of being forgotten
By Gabriella Geisinger

LIFE

Smart trash cans developed by SmaGO have been installed in Tokyo’s Omotesando shopping district, where they help address the shortage of public waste bins.
今日吃瓜 search for a better public trash bin — and why robots may help
By Alex K.T. Martin
With public trash bins scarce, Japan is turning to smart receptacles and autonomous robots to make garbage disposal easier.
A curry palette for all your ‘hidden flavors’
By Simon Daly
As Japan gets a Disney cruise, smaller vessels chart their own course
By Gendel Gento
Nintendo producer Eiji Aonuma ‘all nervous’ as Zelda classic remake hits shelves
By Kilian Fichou
Gamers get nostalgic as Zelda remake hits shelves

COMMUNITY

Members of the Meguro River Lazy Runners group gather for a chat and some stretching prior to their run on a recent weekday morning, in Tokyo's Nakameguro district.
‘Lazy’ running becomes fresh way for Tokyo runners to build community
By Elizabeth Beattie
An increasing number of coffee-centric, sociable running clubs are starting up across Tokyo, drawing more casual runners in search of community.
A feline brother and sister pair who are simply out of this world
How this long-term resident avoids the annoying tourist label in Japan
By Daniel Traylor
In tourist-weary Kyoto, U.S. college targets deeper ties between students and residents
By Joel Tansey
The do’s and don’ts when applying for permanent residency in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

Editors' Picks

CULTURE
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ makes monster debut at the box office
By Alyssa I. Smith
Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” marked the highest single-day box-office gross for a live-action film in Japan with ?910 million on its opening day.
LIFE
A toast to Naohiko Noguchi, sake’s first living national treasure
By Cindy Bissig
As a teenager, Naohiko Noguchi did not intend to spend his life as a sake brewer, but he has since become a paragon of the industry.
JAPAN
Few signs of thaw in Japan-China relations one year after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks
By Jesse Johnson and Kenji Yoshida
Tensions between Japan and China flared after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Nov. 7, 2025, that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could threaten 今日吃瓜 survival and warrant the use of collective self-defense.
CULTURE
Mariko Mori predicted the future. She’ll do it again.
By Victoria Bennett
Artist Mariko Mori is currently working to bring the translucent human-sized “Peace Crystal” sculpture to a cave in Ethiopia. It is part of her foundation’s goal to place a permanent sculpture on each of the planet’s six habitable continents.
LIFE
A legend reborn: ‘Ocarina of Time’ remake improves on the Zelda masterpiece
By Owen Ziegler
The new remake of 1998's "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manages to somehow improve on one of the greatest games ever.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

JT Directory Service

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COMFACTS

Space Seed Holdings and Gifu University Identify Eight Seaweed Compounds for Follow-Up Testing Using Spaceflight Gene-Expression Data
Space Seed Holdings and Gifu University Identify Eight Seaweed Compounds for Follow-Up Testing Using Spaceflight Gene-Expression Data
SPACE SEED HOLDINGS INC.

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Man arrested over operation of rogue cellular base station in Tokyo
The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Yu Hai, a 31-year-old Chinese national living in Tokyo's Kita Ward, on suspicion of operating an unlicensed base station from a vehicle in Tokyo's Ginza district on Saturday.
JAPAN
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
By Jessica Speed
Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
JAPAN
Japan works to shield Takaichi from any Xi snub at China summit
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrives at the Prime Minister's office in Tokyo on Nov. 4.
JAPAN
Magnitude 5.7 quake injures dozens in central Japan
A magnitude-5.7 earthquake with its epicenter in Shizuoka Prefecture struck central Japan early Sunday, injuring dozens, shattering windows and disrupting train services, with no tsunami warning issued.