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July 01, 2026
 

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ANIMALS

A baby Japanese macaque named Punch drags a stuffed orangutan at Ichikawa City Zoo, in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2026
Punch-drunk love: Lonely baby monkey in Japan goes viral
A tiny Japanese macaque at a local zoo in Chiba Prefecture has become an online sensation, with people around the world rooting for him after he was abandoned by his mother.
A baby Japanese macaque named Punch sits next to a stuffed orangutan at Ichikawa City Zoo in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2026
Monkey see, monkey soothe: Zookeepers get creative to save infant macaque
Punch, a baby Japanese macaque, was given the plush toy after being abandoned by his mother.
Morinaga Chairman Eijiro Ota holds his pet dog Nono during a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 20, 2026
Morinaga launches treats that dogs and people can share
The company adapted its classic favorites, such as Moonlight cookies, to make them suitable for dogs.
Rajendra Garawad, the deputy inspector-general of forest at India's National Tiger Conservation Authority, inspects a sedated cheetah at the Rooiberg veterinary facility, Limpopo province, South Africa, on Feb. 17, 2023.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Feb 19, 2026
India celebrates cheetah births to boost reintroduction bid
African cheetahs were first reintroduced to India in September 2022 following the extinction of the Asiatic subspecies in the country in 1952.
Ai, a chimpanzee known as a "genius" for her cognitive abilities, died on Jan. 9 at Kyoto University's Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2026
Kyoto University center launches memorial website for ‘genius’ chimpanzee
Along with memorial messages, the website is collecting donations to improve the breeding environment for 10 chimpanzees.
An employee serves a customer shopping for pork at a black pork shop in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, China, on Jan. 16.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 2, 2026
Disgruntled with Western pork, China wants to go back to black pigs
For older buyers in particular, black pork evokes childhood, when black-haired ‍pigs were ⁠raised at home and slaughtered around Lunar New Year.
A worker operates a forklift as giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei arrive from Japan at Bifengxia Panda Base in Yaan, China, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2026
Japan-born pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei arrive home in China
The panda’s journey coincided with a low point in Sino-Japanese relations over Taiwan.
Staff members see off a truck transporting twin pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei as they depart from Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Tuesday for their planned return to China.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2026
Last two pandas in Japan leave for China
There may be a long absence of pandas in Japan, which have served as a symbol of the two countries’ friendship, pundits say.
A large-scale solar project near Hokkaido's Kushiro Wetlands is driving a surge in land donations to a local environmental trust, as residents try to keep their property out of the hands of developers.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 26, 2026
Land donations surge near Kushiro Wetlands amid megasolar controversy
A local environmental trust has seen a large uptick in land donations from residents seeking to keep their property out of developers’ hands.
Visitors flock to see four-year-old female giant panda Lei Lei at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Sunday, the last viewing day before her planned return to China.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2026
Crowds flock to Tokyo zoo to see pandas before they leave for China
The departure of four-year-old twins Xiao ‍Xiao and ⁠Lei Lei leaves Japan without pandas for the ‍first time since 1972.
The reflection of one of Ueno Zoo’s twin pandas is seen at their enclosure. The animals’ popularity has prompted concern among local businesses that their departure could hurt foot traffic in surrounding neighborhoods.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jan 23, 2026
What happens when the pandas leave Ueno?
The return of Ueno Zoo’s last giant pandas underscores how an animal became a diplomatic symbol — and what happens when that symbol is withdrawn.
The only remaining giant pandas in Japan, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei of Tokyo's Ueno Zoo, are scheduled to be transported by aircraft from Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture on the night of Jan. 27, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2026
Last two pandas in Japan to leave for China on Jan. 27
All giant pandas raised in Japan are on loan from China for breeding research purposes, with ownership remaining with China, including for pandas born in Japan.
Takeru Nakagawa, secretary-general of the Kiso Horse Conservation Association, cares for a Kiso breed horse in Kiso, Nagano Prefecture, in December.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2026
Farm in Nagano Prefecture works to save disappearing Kiso horse breed
Although about 7,000 Kiso horses existed in the region during the Meiji Era, only about 140 remain in Japan today.
What appeared to be a bear's footprint was found in Akkeshi, Hokkaido, on Jan. 1.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2026
Bear sightings in Japan continue into 2026
A slew of sightings, mainly in the Tohoku region, includes reports of collisions with vehicles and damage to property.
A newly identified amphipod species, Melita pandina, announced in November
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2026
Amphipod species with panda-like coloring discovered in Wakayama
Some in the prefecture hope the creatures will be a new local tourism resource after four giant pandas raised at a leisure facility in Shirahama, were returned to China last year.
Studies involving Ai, a "genius" chimpanzee who has died at the age of 49, are said to have revealed "various aspects of the chimpanzee mind."
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2026
‘Genius’ chimpanzee Ai dies in Japan at 49
Aside from mastering Chinese characters and the alphabet, Ai could also identify the Arabic numerals from zero to nine and 11 colors, a primatologist said.
A woman wearing traditional Japanese attire enjoys horseback riding on a native Dosanko horse on Dec. 5 in Kashiwara, Osaka Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2026
Horse park in Osaka aims to protect Japanese breed
The park offers opportunities for people to experience riding a Dosanko Japanese horse while wearing traditional Japanese clothing, including armor.
Chef Kiyoshi Fujimoto seasons bear meat at his restaurant in Sapporo in December.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2026
From predator to plate: Japan’s bear crisis sparks culinary craze
Although far from an everyday dish, bear has long been eaten in mountainous villages across Japan.
A bear warning sign is displayed in Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture, in November.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2026
Japan sees record 47,000 Asian black bear sightings over eight months
The April-November figure nearly doubled from the previous annual record high of 24,348 marked in fiscal 2023.
A facility dog naps alongside a patient at the National Center for Child Health and Development in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 6, 2026
Facility dogs comfort hospitalized children in Japan
With high costs posing a challenge, some hospitals are turning to crowdfunding to introduce facility dogs.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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