Japan This Week
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Japan This Week
A weekly roundup of the week's biggest — and smallest — national news, crime, politics and entertainment stories from Japan Today with a dash of opinionated commentary and a sprinkling of readers' comments. Ready for you every Friday evening (JST).
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Oct. 31, 2025 | Japan’s foreigner problem: Kimi Onoda and the politics of coexistence
When Sanae Takaichi became Japan’s first female prime minister on Oct. 21, one of her new cabinet pick's stood out. Kimi Onoda was appointed minister...
Oct. 24, 2025 | Trial of Shinzo Abe's assassin
The trial of Tetsuya Yamagami — the man who assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — has begun in Japan. But this case is about more than guilt...
Oct. 3, 2025 | Why stalking cases in Japan keep ending in tragedy
Stalking cases in Japan are becoming harder to ignore. Women are being targeted, threatened and, in too many cases, killed — even after going to the p...
Sept. 26, 2025 | Why nuisance YouTubers are causing outrage in Japan
A rise in obnoxious and aggressive content creators is sparking outrage across Japan — from graveyard stunts and sushi sabotage to harassment on publi...
Sept. 19, 2025 | Why Japan's 'lost generation' is still losing
Japan’s “lost generation” came of age during the employment ice age of the 1990s and early 2000s. Promised stable jobs after graduation, they instead...
Sept. 12, 2025 | Why bear attacks are surging in Japan
Bears are showing up in Japanese towns, supermarkets, even airport runways — and the number of bear attacks is now higher than anywhere else in the wo...
Sept. 5, 2025 | Why So Many People Go Missing in Japan
Japan’s missing persons: Who disappears and why
Every year, around 90,000 people are reported missing in Japan. Most are found quickly, b...
Aug. 28, 2025 | Japan’s hostage justice: Guilty until proven innocent
Japan’s justice system has a conviction rate of 99.9%. Critics say that figure isn’t proof of prosecutorial skill but the result of a system known as...
Aug. 21, 2025 | Scrolling for truth: News for the swipe generation
Younger people in Japan aren’t avoiding the news — they’re consuming it differently. In this episode, we look at how platforms like TikTok, LINE, and...
Aug. 8, 2025 | 80 years after the Pacific War Japan’s reckoning with history
August 2025 marks 80 years since Japan surrendered in World War II, ending the Pacific War. In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we look at how J...
Aug. 1, 2025 | Why these Japanese homes are so cheap (and so creepy)
Would you live in a house where someone died?
In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we explore the world of jiko bukken — Japan’s so-...
July 18, 2025 | Japan’s far-right surge: Sanseito and ‘Japan First’ politics in 2025
In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we examine the rise of Sanseito, a new political party gaining traction with Japan’s disillusioned voters. I...
July 11, 2025 | Is Trump blowing up Japan-US relations?
In this episode, we look at rising tensions between President Trump and Japan. From the on again-off again-on again 25% auto tariffs and pressure to b...
July 4, 2025 | Japan's newspaper crisis: Losing readers, relevance and the next generation
Japan’s newspaper crisis: Losing readers, relevance and the next generation.
Circulation is down, trust is fading and younger readers hav...
June 27, 2025 | Japan's big heat: June's deadly start to summer
Japan’s Big Heat: June’s Deadly Start to Summer
It’s only June, but heatstroke deaths are already being reported across Japan. In this ep...
June 20, 2025 | Why Japan’s 2,000-year imperial family may not survive this century
Japan’s imperial family: Too old to modernize?
Japan’s imperial family is the world’s oldest monarchy — but is it still relevant in 2025?...
June 13, 2025 | Why Japan’s J-pop idol industry bans sex, dating and romance
What really goes on inside Japan’s idol industry?
In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we explore the strict no-dating and no-sex ru...
June 6, 2025 | Japan’s rice crisis: Why prices are soaring and what’s behind it
Japan’s rice crisis isn’t just about food — it’s about identity, politics and a decades-old system that’s now under pressure.
In this ext...
May 29, 2025 | Why is Nissan failing and what speed bumps lie ahead?
Nissan is planning to cut 20,000 jobs and may shut down factories in Japan. What’s behind the crisis at Japan’s No. 3 automaker — and can a new CEO tu...
May 23, 2025 | Japan’s sex industry boom: How tourism and the yen are changing everything
Japan’s tourism boom is fueling more than just hotels and souvenir shops. In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we explore the rise in sex work ta...
May 16, 2025 | End of the yakuza? Inside Japan’s vanishing underworld
End of the Yakuza? Inside Japan’s Vanishing Underworld
The yakuza once ruled Japan’s streets — now their numbers are at a record low. But what’s...
May 9, 2025 | Is Japanese media stuck in the past?
🎙️ Japan Today Spotlight: Is Japan’s media stuck in the past?
Legacy broadcasters like NHK, Fuji TV and TBS once defined Japan’s national conver...
May 2, 2025 | Why is chikan behavior still so common on Japan's trains?
Why does "chikan" behavior — public groping on Japan’s trains — continue, even after decades of awareness campaigns?
In this episode of J...
April 25, 2025 |Japan Today Spotlight 14 Osaka Expo 2025 Visionary Showcase or Expensive Misfire Audio Only
Japan’s Expo 2025 has opened in Osaka — but not without controversy.
Ballooning costs, delayed pavilions, confusing ticketing, and a sweltering...
April 16 , 2025: The bizarre Japanese trend of paying someone to quit your job
*This episode originally appeared as part of our Japan Today Spotlight series on YouTube.
In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we dive into...
Jan. 31, 2025 Month in Review: BOJ rate hike, Kyoto tax, record heat, Osaka smoking ban & ¥207M tuna
📢 Japan’s Biggest Stories in January 2025 | BOJ Rate Hike, Kyoto Tourist Tax, Record Heat, Osaka Smoking Ban & $1.4M Tuna Auction
🔥 Thi...
Jan. 24, 2025: Fuji TV scandal, Trump-Ishiba relations, 7-Eleven security, Osaka Expo struggles & Shinto rituals
In this episode of Japan This Week, we dive into some of the hottest stories making headlines in Japan. From scandals shaking up the entertainment ind...
Jan. 17, 2025: Ramen closures, Coming-of-Age Day, suicide leapers, Ghosn accomplice & 110 misuse
Welcome to a brand-new season of Japan This Week!
Join host Jeff Richards for your weekly Friday roundup of the biggest and quirkiest st...
2024 Year in Review: Earthquakes, Inflation, Tourist Boom, Ohtani, Yamibaito & Kanji of the Year
Join Jeff Richards and Kamasami Kong for a special year-end episode of Japan This Week as they recap the biggest news stories that shaped Japan in 202...
Dec. 13, 2024: Nobel Prize, forced suicide, Miho Nakayama's death, izakaya woes & JAL pilot scandal
Welcome to Japan This Week for Dec. 13, 2024! This week we cover:
🎖️ (0:57 - 3-48) NATIONAL: Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Japanese atomic...
Dec. 6, 2024: China's view of Japan, record heat, My Number debate, Akita bear drama & Aussie smuggler sentenced
First, a survey reveals nearly 90% of Chinese respondents have unfavorable views of Japan due to issues like the Senkaku Islands dispute and the Fukus...
Nov. 29, 2024: Japan-U.S. missiles, crash saga, suicide leap, Tokyo lost-found and shoe thief weasel
From defense updates to weasel crime, here’s your weekly roundup of the biggest and quirkiest stories from Japan Today for Nov. 29, 2024.
...
Nov. 22, 2024: Harassment madness, tourist crimes, APEC drama & pit bull attacks in Japan
🚨 This week’s top Japan news stories 🚨
A tourist vandalizes the sacred Meiji Jingu Shrine torii gate 🏯
Prime Minister Ishiba faces back...
Nov. 15, 2024: Ishiba re-elected, Japanese women mps a minority, elderly drivers, 'papakatsu' crime and reader poll results
In this edition, we cover the latest in Japanese politics, including Shigeru Ishiba’s re-election as prime minister after a rare runoff vote, a record...
Nov. 8, 2024: Customer harassment crackdown, Mount Fuji light rail, bike law penalties, new train safety measures and missing student update
Welcome to another episode of Japan This Week, your weekly roundup of trending news stories from Japan Today for Nov. 8, 2024.
In this we...
Nov 1, 2024: Political turmoil, Tokyo’s green space battle, tragic crime and Meta's fake ad scandal
Welcome to another episode of Japan This Week, your weekly roundup of trending news stories from Japan Today for Nov. 1, 2024.
This week,...
Oct. 24, 2024: Crime, carbon emissions and used phones in latest Japan news
In this episode, we cover the rise of organized crime and robberies in the Kanto region driven by social media apps, Japan's nuclear energy resurgence...
Japan election, China-Taiwan tensions, Nobel Peace Prize, crossdressing crime and Japanese car names
In this episode, Jeff covers election season in Japan, growing tensions between Taiwan and China, an atomic bomb survivors' group receiving the 2024...
Megumi Yokota, Japan best for Condé Nast, R-rated Quantas flight, villain queen & Japan rail origins
In this episode, Jeff and Kong dive into stories of heartbreak, excitement and controversy — including a mother's ongoing search for her abducted daug...
Oct. 4, 2024: Japan new PM, price hikes, Tokyo drinks ban, death row lawsuit and bullet train 60th
Welcome to another episode of Japan This Week, your weekly roundup of trending news stories from the Japan Today website.
This week, Jeff...