Can you carry a knife in Japan?
Japan has some of the strictest weapon laws in the world, including limits on what kinds of knives people can carry and why. A blade that seems ordinary in other countries can quickly land someone in ...
13 Mar 9min
Iran conflict: Japan exposed?
Escalating conflict involving Iran is raising new concerns for Japan. The country relies heavily on energy imports from the Middle East, much of it shipped through the Strait of Hormuz — one of the wo...
5 Mar 9min
Japan’s military is short on recruits
Japan’s Self-Defense Forces are facing a growing recruitment crisis. As regional tensions rise and defense spending increases, fewer young people are signing up. This episode examines why enlistment i...
26 Feb 14min
The Senkakus: Little islands, big tensions
Tensions between Japan and China continue to simmer in the waters around the Senkaku Islands, with near-daily coast guard patrols and growing military activity. This episode examines what’s happening ...
20 Feb 9min
How Japan chooses its prime minister
Japan’s prime minister is not elected by popular vote. Instead, the leader emerges through a parliamentary process shaped by party politics, coalition math and internal power struggles. This episode e...
13 Feb 15min
The death penalty in Japan
Japan remains one of the few developed countries to retain capital punishment, carrying out executions in secrecy and with limited public scrutiny. Despite international criticism and periodic domesti...
7 Feb 16min
Japan and nuclear weapons: A line it hasn’t crossed — yet
Japan remains the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, yet its stance on nuclear weapons is more complicated than it appears. Officially opposed, Japan still relies on the U.S. nuclear umbre...
30 Jan 13min
Inside Japan's troubled classrooms
Japan’s schools are under pressure. Teacher shortages, unpaid overtime, rising burnout and cases of sexual misconduct are exposing deep structural problems in the education system — and raising urgent...
23 Jan 12min
