The Japan Times

Although Seoul has traditionally kept its distance from possible involvement in a Taiwan conflict scenario, some say discretion is becoming harder to maintain. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/27/asia-pacific/south-korea-taiwan-us-conflict/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #southkorea #china #taiwan #us #usmilitary #defense #northkorea

While there will be no new Kusama works, the market and the museums will now spend years deciding where, within the artist's abundance, rarity begins. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/09/26/art/yayoi-kusama-posthumous-exhibition-value/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #art #yayoikusama #exhibitions #japaneseartists

Trumpets, viola and organ came together for an unusual finale at the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, where musicians celebrated the enduring friendships forged through years of making music together. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/09/24/music/seiji-ozawa-matsumoto-festival/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #music #seijiozawa #saitokinenorchestra #seijiozawamatsumotofestival #classicalmusic

An increasing number of Japanese companies are turning to fragrance as a way to foster a sense of unity across corporate groups and promote their corporate brand strategy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/09/24/companies/japan-firms-fragrance-employee-unity/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #mufg #banks #nec

AI-crafted distortions are saturating the Israeli information environment just weeks before the country's most consequential elections in decades. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/22/world/fake-ads-israel-ai-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #ai #benjaminnetanyahu #israel

Japan raised the eruption alert level for Mount Tokachidake in Hokkaido to Level 3, banning entry to the 2,077-meter mountain. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/13/japan/volcanic-alert-tokachidake-raised/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #mounttokachidake #hokkaido #disasterpreparedness

Japan is considering a defense spending target of 3.5% of GDP, a move that could send a shockwave through financial markets concerned about Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's spending plans. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/15/japan/japan-defense-spending-35-gdp/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #defense #usjapanrelations #sanaetakaichi #shinjirokoizumi

Japan is demanding a correction be made to an Equal Earth world map on a website, claiming it uses the same color for Russian territory as it does for four islands that Tokyo and Moscow have a territorial dispute over. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/10/japan/japan-map-complaint/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #russia #russiajapanrelations #northernterritories #equalearth #unitednations

FamilyMart will introduce a new flexible dress code, from free choice of hair color to wearing hijabs, starting next Tuesday in a bid to attract a more diverse workforce. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/27/japan/familymart-flexible-dress-code-rules/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #familymart #jobs #workstylereform

Seven organizations of hibakusha atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima Prefecture urged the government to support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/07/japan/hibakusha-groups-nuclear-ban-urge/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #hiroshima #atomicbombings #wwii #nuclearweapons #hibakusha #nagasaki #sanaetakaichi

At a mass funeral, the shrouded remains of 112 bodies lay in the sun's heat: all that could be found of the Al-Hassaynas of Sabra, ⁠a Palestinian clan all but wiped out by Israel nearly three years ago. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/05/world/gazans-mass-funeral-112/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #middleeast #israel #gaza #israelhamaswar #palestinians

As Indonesia's wildfires intensify, authorities are on high alert as they work to contain the damage and avoid the devastation that hit the archipelago in 2015, the last time it faced "super-El Nino" weather conditions. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/01/asia-pacific/indonesia-wildfires-explainer/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #indonesia #wildfires #climatechange

The Generation Z protests that convulsed the streets of Indian cities in recent weeks began with dreams dashed in the classrooms of India's schools. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/30/asia-pacific/politics/india-gen-z-rage-modi/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #india #narendramodi #genz #education

Mathematicians are uncertain about the impact of artificial intelligence on their field, as it can help solve longstanding problems but also threatens to replace human work. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/08/29/world/maths-ai-crisis/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #math #artificialintelligence #ai #education #tech

The death toll from the powerful earthquake that rocked Kumamoto Prefecture late last month has increased by one to 39, the prefectural government's disaster response headquarters said Saturday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/08/japan/kumamoto-quake-toll-39/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #kumamoto #earthquakes #2026kumamotoearthquake

Tens of thousands took to the streets in India to express ‌their fury ‌at the repeated mismanagement of an examination system that stands between the masses and job security. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/03/asia-pacific/india-youth-protests-modi/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #india #narendramodi #cockroachjantaparty #bjp

Donald Trump is betting new pressure on Iran can force it to accept a deal to end the war on U.S. terms. But there's one main problem: this is likely to prompt Tehran to retaliate with military strikes across the Gulf. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/23/world/trump-economic-isolation-iran-strikes-gulf/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #iran #middleeast #straitofhormuz #us #donaldtrump #globaleconomy

The death toll for a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday has risen to 28 as rescuers race against the clock to find survivors before the crucial 72-hour mark. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/30/japan/earthquake-kumamoto-death-toll/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #kumamoto #earthquakes #2026kumamotoearthquake #kyushu

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's olive branch to the young people behind India's biggest student-led protests in years has done little to stem the abuse and police action many participants say they continue to face. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/07/asia-pacific/india-student-online-harassment-protests/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #india #asia #southasia

China's recent ballistic missile test left people living in Tuvalu, the low-lying Pacific Island closest to where it landed, fearing it would trigger a tsunami, an official from the nation said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/07/asia-pacific/china-missile-test-tuvalu/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #tuvalu #oceania #china #newzealand #fiji #suva

Google is losing some of its most prominent AI veterans, casting doubt over leadership in a critical area of growth right as competition intensifies. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/08/06/tech/google-ai-leadership-shift/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #google #ai #alphabet #tech

OpenAI is widening its hacking probe after it discovered other instances in which autonomous agents escaped containment, two people familiar with the matter said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/08/01/tech/openai-agent-more-breakouts/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #openai #ai #cybersecurity #us #hacking

South Korean military inspectors will ​visit an army corps to review an incident in which ‌troops ‌nearly shot down an unidentified aircraft near the border with ​North Korea before determining it was a U.S. drone. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/31/world/us-military-korea-drone/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #us #southkorea #eastasia #northkorea

Russia has charged billionaire Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism, accusing him of allowing the popular messaging app to be used by Ukrainian security services. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/30/world/crime-legal/russia-telegram-durov-terrorism/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #crimelegal #telegram #russia #terrorism #paveldurov

The Trump administration is rescinding climate controls on coal and gas-fired power plants, one of its most aggressive moves so far to unwind U.S. environmental regulations. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2026/09/15/energy/trump-epa-regulations-power-plants/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #energy #emissions #environment #epa #climatechange #us #donaldtrump #republicans #coal #gas #fossilfuels

Amid a record heat wave temperatures are soaring across South Korea and North Korea as ‌authorities expand ‌emergency measures and residents seek relief in cooling shelters, beaches and ​water parks. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/03/asia-pacific/record-heatwave-korean-peninsula/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #northkorea #southkorea #heatwaves #climatechange

When Israel goes to the polls this year, voters will weigh in on conscription, the economy and how the state should investigate its inability to prevent Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/29/world/politics/israel-election-key-issues/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #middleeast #israel #gaza #israelhamaswar #palestinians #hamas #benjaminnetanyahu #iran #lebanon #hezbollah

Accommodation issues continued to plague the lead-up to the Asian Games on Thursday, with even the host Japan team looking at alternative arrangements after some male and female athletes were allocated shared rooms. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2026/09/17/asian-games-accommodation-issues/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sports #2026asiangames #teamjapan

Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing has called on Japanese companies to expand investment and trade in the Southeast Asian country at a business event in Yangon. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/30/japan/myanmar-japan-invest-call/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #myanmar #investments #minaunghlaing

South Korea's success in tech has a dark side: Women suffer rampant "digital sex crimes," rights groups say, with AI-generated deepfakes as the newest threat. Some women are becoming web sleuths to fight back. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/30/asia-pacific/crime-legal/korea-women-ai-deepfake-porn/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #crimelegal #southkorea #deepfakes #pornography #sexcrimes

Indonesian authorities have closed access to a national park on Java Island as firefighters battle a wildfire raging there for about a week. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/10/asia-pacific/indonesia-national-park-wildfire/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #wildfires #indonesia

Cases involving sexual deepfakes targeting children more than doubled in number in Japan in the first half of 2026, the National Police Agency has said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/05/japan/crime-legal/child-sexual-deepfakes-double/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #japanesepolice #sexcrimes #childporn #childabuse #children

Thousands of Bangkok residents awoke in shelters on Sunday after flooding triggered by days of heavy rain inundated homes and roads. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/27/asia-pacific/bangkok-floods-shelters/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #floods #thailand #bangkok #southeastasia

Female prisoners in Myanmar are subjected to widespread torture, sexual violence and life-threatening medical neglect, Human Rights Watch said, underlining the chronic ill-treatment of thousands in the war-torn nation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/23/asia-pacific/myanmar-female-prisoners-torture-rights/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #myanmar #prisons #humanrights #southeastasia

Thailand kicks off its yearly campaign to encourage people to give up alcohol during Khao Phansa, a three-month period of reflection observed by Buddhists akin to Christian Lent. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/03/asia-pacific/society/thai-booze-buddhist-lent/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #society #alcoholism #thailand

Russia is intensifying sabotage and cyberattacks across Europe to undermine support for Ukraine, European ministers said while dismissing concerns that Moscow is capable of launching a direct assault on NATO. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/24/world/europe-russian-sabotage-nato-attack/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #un #nato #europe #russia #defense #kajakallas

Moscow is set to name an uninhabited island that forms part of a territorial dispute with Tokyo after Richard Sorge, a Soviet spy who operated in Japan before the Pacific War. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/30/japan/russia-name-northern-territories-spy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #russia #russiajapanrelations #northernterritories #disputedislands #espionage #wwii

SoftBank Group has drawn over $20 billion of preliminary demand for what could be one of the biggest junk bond deals ever, as investors rush to capture record yields likely to be offered. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/09/23/companies/softbank-interest-junk-bond/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #softbank #openai #bonds #ai #investments #masayoshison

A Hong Kong independent bookshop that national security police raided this month announced it would close after 50 years in business, while another shut down ahead of schedule. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/29/asia-pacific/hong-kong-bookstores-close-police/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #hongkong #china #censorship #books #bookstores

Nuclear-armed North Korea has touted the successful test of "a new-type weapon," an apparent hypersonic missile and glide vehicle that it is developing as a means of besting enemies' defenses. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/22/asia-pacific/north-korea-hypersonic-missile/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #northkorea #missiles #nuclearweapons #kimjongun #southkorea #us #usbases #usmilitary #defense #defenseministry

ASEAN's inaction and declining humanitarian support have left Rohingya refugees trapped between deteriorating conditions in camps and increasingly dangerous attempts to escape by sea. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/08/04/world/rohingya-drown-asean-debates/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #rohingya #asean #myanmar #rohingya #bangladesh #us #malaysia #unworldfoodprogram #donaldtrump #thailand #marcorubio #us #china #refugees #humanrights

China's Xi Jinping is expected to press U.S. President Donald Trump to halt Taiwan arms sales under a 1982 joint statement during a visit to Washington this week. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/22/asia-pacific/politics/china-xi-trump-halt-taiwan-arms-sales/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #taiwan #china #us #xijinping #pla #donaldtrump #indopacific #defense

Jordan Rochester, who made his name as one of Britain's most recognized financial commentators during the country's split from the European Union, has left Mizuho Bank to pursue a position in Dubai. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/07/30/companies/mr-brexit-exit-mizuho-bank/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #mizuho #banks #brexit #eu #uk #dubai #london

More than 8 in 10 Australian teenagers were still using social media three months after the government's landmark ban on the platforms for minors under the age of 16 took effect, regulators have found. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/31/asia-pacific/australia-teens-social-media-ban/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific

U.S. President Donald Trump has asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping if he would like to buy American weapons, the United States' ambassador to Beijing revealed in an extraordinary development. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/28/asia-pacific/politics/trump-sell-weapons-china/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #china #us #uschinarelations #pla #donaldtrump #xijinping #indopacific #defense

Amusement parks across Japan are raising their admission fees to offset rising labor, electricity and other costs and ease overcrowding during peak seasons. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/08/09/companies/amusement-parks-price-hikes/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #themeparks #inflation #teikokudatabank

Perceptions that China is the foreign power that wields the most positive influence on Africa's youth have strengthened, while nations ranging from Germany to India are now viewed more favorably than the United States. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/29/world/politics/china-influence-africa-youth-survey/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #china #africa #us #surveys

A public that refuses to examine what it applauds not only risks legitimizing authoritarian and even murderous actors, but also becomes complicit. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/08/07/japan/fuji-rock-flag-waving/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #japan #fujirock #niigata #iran #palestine #lebanon #un #russia #ukraine #shahed #hamas #gaza #israel #us

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te will donate 200,000 New Taiwan dollars (about ¥1 million) to support areas affected by Tuesday's powerful earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/30/japan/taiwan-president-kumamoto-donation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #2026kumamotoearthquake #kumamoto #taiwan #laichingte #taiwanjapanrelations #earthquakes

A strike by staff of the Eiffel Tower over the removal of female colleagues during a visit by a Hindu religious group led to the landmark's closure on Monday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/08/world/eiffel-tower-women-hindu-group/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #hinduism #india #paris #france #eiffeltower