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March 12, 2026
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March 12, 2026
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People pray on a seawall in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on Wednesday, the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
JAPAN / Society
Japan marks 15th anniversary of Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami
By Yukana Inoue
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to ensure that the invaluable lessons from the disaster are handed down to future generations.

More coverage

Over 80% in Japan believe a major disaster is coming in the near future
How one of 91²Ö¿â deadliest disasters shaped Shohei Ohtani's life
People pray on a seawall in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on Wednesday, the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Mitsui OSK Lines headquarters in Tokyo
JAPAN
Japanese-flagged container ship sustains damage in the Persian Gulf
By Francis Tang and Kanako Takahara
The news comes as reports emerged that Iran had begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for oil shipments.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Feb. 24. The prime minister announced on Wednesday that Japan will tap its oil reserves for the first time since 2022.
BUSINESS
Takaichi says oil reserves to be tapped as Iran conflict hits crude flows
By Francis Tang
Japan holds stockpiled oil equivalent to about 254 days of domestic demand. The release of some of that could begin as soon as Monday.
The Chinese Navy's nuclear-powered Type 094A Jin-class ballistic missile submarine sails during a military display in the South China Sea in April 2018.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
China is eyeing an all-nuclear submarine fleet. Will Japan follow suit?
By Jesse Johnson
Tokyo must confront an array of hurdles to such a move, with personnel issues and potential redundancies standing in the way.
Haruna Kambayashi stands by her newly purchased home on a street now lined with mostly empty lots.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
15 years after the Tohoku quake, the road home remains uncertain for many
By Alex K.T. Martin
In once-abandoned communities, life is cautiously returning as policymakers confront the staggering price of future recoveries.
Haruna Kambayashi stands by her newly purchased home on a street now lined with mostly empty lots.

JAPAN

Baby Japanese macaque Punch sits next to a stuffed orangutan at Ichikawa City Zoo in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, on Feb. 19.
Punch, the viral baby monkey, isn¡¯t being bullied, Ichikawa City Zoo says
The 7-month-old Japanese macaque, often clinging to an orangutan plush, became an internet sensation after videos of him being chased by fellow monkeys were posted on social media.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on March 4
Japan and U.S. defense chiefs discuss Iran in first known call since war began
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi noted that Tokyo is closely monitoring the situation with great interest in order to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals.
Japan helps South Koreans evacuate from Middle East
LDP's Takeda to chair Japan-South Korea parliamentarians' union
Those orphaned in a disaster require a supportive environment, survey finds
Some disaster-hit regions struggle to pass down lessons to younger generation

BUSINESS

A ticket between Tokyo Station and Shibuya Station on JR East¡¯s Yamamote Line will rise from ?210 to ?260, a 23.8% increase.
JR East to raise train fares on Saturday for the first time in 39 years
By Jessica Speed
East Japan Railway said fares would go up by an average of about 7.1%, with the minimum base fare increasing from ?150 to ?160.
The rally of Nintendo shares comes as physical copies of Pokemon Pokopia have sold out at several major retailers in the U.S.
¡®Stealth hit¡¯ Pokemon game sends Nintendo shares soaring
By Katie Forster
Early success for Pokemon Pokopia,?released on March 5 to rave reviews and reports of store sellouts around the world, has relieved investors.
Nissan accepts union's wage hike demand in full
Japan ready to join coordinated intervention in oil markets
By Francis Tang
JR East to monitor Yamanote Line pantographs with AI
China¡¯s Cosco halts Panama port operations as tensions rise
By Shirley Zhao

WORLD

U.S. President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, in Oct. 2025.
China irked by last-minute scramble to plan Xi-Trump summit
Chinese officials are dissatisfied with what they consider last-minute planning ahead of Trump¡¯s arrival on March 31.
Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Tuesday.
Hezbollah returns to guerrilla roots and awaits Israeli invasion
By Laila Bassam
Greatly weakened during the 2024 war, Hezbollah has faced pressure from the Lebanese state to disarm.
U.S. destroys mine-laying vessels as Trump warns Iran over Strait of Hormuz
While Trump says white South Africans are persecuted, some return for a better life
By Nellie Peyton and Tim Cocks
Israel plans new foothold on the Red Sea to fight the Houthis
By Simon Marks
South Korea finds faulty approvals at airport where Jeju Air plane crashed

Sports

Shota Morishita (left), Kazuma Okamoto (center) and Munetaka Murakami celebrate after the match against the Czech Republic at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday.
Japan sweeps Pool C at the WBC, but tougher tests await in Miami
By Jason Coskrey
Samurai Japan will next face either Venezuela, which has a strong roster, or a Dominican Republic team that could double as an MLB All-Star squad.
WBC fan favorite Satoria retires with pride and applause
By Jason Coskrey
Onosato¡¯s withdrawal evokes painful reminder of stablemaster¡¯s fate
By John Gunning
Italy stuns United States 8-6 in World Baseball Classic
Bam Adebayo scores 83 points, second highest in NBA history

Opinion

Rapid military modernization, expanding nuclear arsenals and shifting alliances in Asia are complicating deterrence strategy, underscoring the need for deeper cooperation among the U.S., Japan and their partners.
Amid a regional transformation, deterrence remains ¡®simple¡¯
Brad Glosserman
Despite all the changes, the most basic factor remains the same. Force modernization is ultimately intended to ensure that nations can defend themselves from external threats.
Development provides security as effectively as hard power
By Alexander De Croo
From toilets to fiber optics, Japan¡¯s unlikely AI players
By Gearoid Reidy
A Soviet-era water scheme returns as a Eurasian lifeline
By Djoomart Otorbaev
Tired of spending billions on dementia care? Try a brain workout.
By Lisa Jarvis

ENVIRONMENT

Scientists say the last 11 years have been the warmest ever recorded, with 2024 topping the podium and 2023 in second place.
'Significant' acceleration of global warming since 2015: study
Scientists say the last 11 years have been the warmest ever recorded, with 2024 topping the podium and 2023 in second place.
How fossil fuel disruptions lead to booms in solar and batteries
By Akshat Rathi
What Trump¡¯s new tariffs mean for climate tech
By Coco Liu
India celebrates cheetah births to boost reintroduction bid
By Peter Martelli
Junk to high-tech: India bets on e-waste for critical minerals
By Arunabh SAIKIA and Uzmi ATHAR

CULTURE

Winnie the Pooh, the red-shirted bear of children's literature and Disney films, turns 100 this year.
Oh, bother ¡ª?Winnie the Pooh is turning 100
Nearly a century after his debut, the honey-loving bear remains one of the world¡¯s most beloved children's characters.
100 ways to belong: The radical inclusivity of Company Grande
By Kris Kosaka
For Evan Call, every melody is a conversation
By Patrick St. Michel
¡®Johatsu: Into Thin Air¡¯: The quiet desperation of those who disappear
By Mark Schilling
¡®This Place¡¯: Estrangement and renewal set against a city¡¯s recovery
By James Hadfield

LIFE

In Japan, whistleblowing can clash with cultural expectations of loyalty to one¡¯s company or group.
Loyalty and the language of whistleblowing in Japan
By Yaeko Kabe
How Japanese grammar and vocabulary reveal the cultural tensions surrounding hierarchy and whistleblowing.
Need a quick, healthy meal? Steam a bowl of sushi
By Simon Daly
Working overtime: ¡®Silver Jinzai¡¯ centers keep Japan¡¯s seniors employed
By Bhavesh Gulrajani
Pitas, parfaits and more in Yoyogi-Uehara
By Robbie Swinnerton
From Italy to Japan: Vannelli Coffee opens in Tokyo
By Weiwen Lin

COMMUNITY

In the week before CC¡¯s closed, customers lined up in the rain to pay a final visit to the longstanding cafe.
Kyoto bids farewell to a storied poets¡¯ cafe
By Felicity Tillack
Opened by American poet Cid Corman in 1974, CC¡¯s in Nakagyo Ward had served as an important gathering ground for the literary community.
Don¡¯t keep patient Pine waiting any longer
Recentering Okinawa, one story at a time
By Kris Kosaka
In Sapporo, snow becomes a shared language
By Karl Pont
Pomelo peps up a Kobe couple¡¯s life

Editors' Picks

BASEBALL
How one of 91²Ö¿â deadliest disasters shaped Shohei Ohtani's life
By Mai Yoshikawa
Ohtani on the field at Hanamaki Higashi High School on Sept. 18, 2012, the day he signed his application to turn pro.
ASIA PACIFIC
Spate of missile deployments points to ¡®division of labor¡¯ with Taiwan
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Typhon midrange weapons system arrives on Luzon island in the Philippines in April 2024.
JAPAN
Over 80% in Japan believe a major disaster is coming in the near future
By Jessica Speed
In a survey from the Japanese Red Cross Society, 80.3% of respondents said the Great East Japan Earthquake should not be forgotten when considering disaster preparedness measures and awareness.
LIFE
High above Gion, Kyoto¡¯s Imperial Hotel is a new frontier for geisha district
By Owen Ziegler
First built in 1936 as the Yasaka Kaikan theater, the building housing the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto is the only such structure within the Gion neighborhood above the legal limit of 12 meters.
CULTURE
Bad Bunny plays first-ever Japan show at exclusive Spotify event
By Patrick St. Michel
More than 2,300 of Bad Bunny's top Spotify listeners in Japan were invited to his Billions Club Live show at Tipstar Dome Chiba on Saturday.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Yoshiko Sato, visiting Minato Park in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, with her two sons, says the park carries a special meaning for her.
A Japanese city looks to pick up the pieces yet again
By Tomoko Otake

JT Directory Service

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WHAT¡¯S TRENDING

JAPAN
Japan visa fee cap to surge more than tenfold under new immigration bill
By Jessica Speed
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in the capital's Minato Ward. The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill that would see the first major revision to the statutory ceiling on immigration-related residence fees for foreign nationals since 1982.
JAPAN
Over 80% in Japan believe a major disaster is coming in the near future
By Jessica Speed
In a survey from the Japanese Red Cross Society, 80.3% of respondents said the Great East Japan Earthquake should not be forgotten when considering disaster preparedness measures and awareness.
BASEBALL
How one of 91²Ö¿â deadliest disasters shaped Shohei Ohtani's life
By Mai Yoshikawa
Ohtani on the field at Hanamaki Higashi High School on Sept. 18, 2012, the day he signed his application to turn pro.
ASIA PACIFIC
Spate of missile deployments points to ¡®division of labor¡¯ with Taiwan
By Gabriel Dominguez
A Typhon midrange weapons system arrives on Luzon island in the Philippines in April 2024.
BASKETBALL
Bam Adebayo scores 83 points, second highest in NBA history
Heat center Bam Adebayo dunks against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Kaseya Center in Miami on Tuesday.