Dec. 13, 2024: Nobel Prize, forced suicide, Miho Nakayama's death, izakaya woes & JAL pilot scandal

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 for economic security and the “Cool Japan” strate...

31 Okt 202514min

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 or innocence. It exposed disturbing ties between...

25 Okt 202513min

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 police for help. In this edition of Japan Today Sp...

3 Okt 20258min

A rise in obnoxious and aggressive content creators is sparking outrage across Japan — from graveyard stunts and sushi sabotage to harassment on public trains. Japanese media now calls them “nuisance ...

26 Sep 20259min

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 faced hiring freezes, temporary contracts and deca...

19 Sep 20258min

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 world. In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we ...

12 Sep 202510min

Japan’s missing persons: Who disappears and why Every year, around 90,000 people are reported missing in Japan. Most are found quickly, but many vanish by choice — some turning to resignation agencie...

5 Sep 20259min

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 “hostage justice” — prolonged detention, repeated ...

29 Aug 202513min