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July 02, 2026
 

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The town assembly of Kaisei in Kanagawa Prefecture has been opening its chamber as a study room for students during summer vacation since July 2023.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 2, 2026
Local assembly chambers in Japan open their doors for studying and weddings
As the chambers are only sparingly used when assemblies are not in session, it is hoped allowing residents to make use of the spaces will raise public awareness of the assemblies.
Collapsed walls in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, early Saturday following an earthquake
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2026
Cabinet Office refreshes guidelines for municipalities to prepare for major quakes
The new standards clarify methods for estimating the number of first-aid staff and ambulances needed for relief operations.
The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jun 29, 2026
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
Faced with the same demographic pressures confronting other towns, Yokoze is experimenting with a different approach.
A bear warning sign is displayed at the site near where a Spanish visitor was attacked by a cub last October in Shirakawa village, Gifu Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2026
Schools in Tokyo suburb to get bear sprays
Japan saw a record 13 people killed by bears last fiscal year, and five more fatalities and 20 people injured between April 1 and May 30 this year.
A maglev train exhibited in Tsuru, Yamanashi Prefecture, in 2020
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2026
Shizuoka governor to approve maglev line construction
Shizuoka Gov. Yasutomo Suzuki plans to announce the approval at a prefectural assembly meeting on July 7.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 23, 2026
Takaichi and JIP agree to pass bill on backup capital this parliamentary session
The Japan Innovation Party has long sought a backup capital plan, agreeing to join the ruling coalition last year in exchange for passing legislation on it.
Internal affairs minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (center) speaks during a meeting with Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki (left) and Yubari Mayor Tsukasa Atsuya (right) in Yubari, Hokkaido, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2026
Bankruptcy-induced salary cuts for Yubari city workers to end
The announcement was made on the 20th anniversary of the city’s declaration of financial collapse.
Toyoji Sudo, mayor of Shimotsuma, Ibaraki Prefecture, was found dead early Monday.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2026
Mayor of Ibaraki city found dead in drainage ditch
Ibaraki Prefectural Police believe, based on surrounding circumstances, that Toyoji Sudo killed himself.
A "customer harassment" prevention awareness poster at the entrance of an Aoki Super supermarket in Aichi Prefecture
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Chubu
Jun 15, 2026
‘Customer harassment’ continues in Japan despite moves to end it
While ordinances have been helping many businesses across the nation to combat “customer harassment,” they haven’t been a silver bullet for such abuse.
Hirofumi Yoshimura (left), head of the Japan Innovation Party, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also Liberal Democratic Party president, during a meeting at the Diet in Tokyo on March 17
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 15, 2026
Bills on JIP’s signature policy goals in limbo as parliamentary session nears end
The party, also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai, continues to push for the creation of a secondary capital and a reduction of seats in the Lower House.
Japan's National Diet Building in Tokyo. Japan has released an online visualization tool that makes it easier to analyze the fiscal conditions of local governments.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2026
Japan releases tool to visualize local government finances
Users can examine revenues, expenditures and fiscal indicators of local governments through graphs and color-coded maps.
Parent-child groups cook dishes using milk offered as a return gift for the hometown tax donation program during an event held in Tokyo in March.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2026
Hometown donations program to refocus on local community ties
Following a revision to the furusato nōzei system, the internal affairs ministry wants to move away from the “good deals” offered through generous return gifts.
Local governments are being asked to create a council that would help promote early intervention regarding youths at risk of suicide.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 8, 2026
Agency asks local authorities to set up youth suicide prevention councils
The aim is to quickly identify youths who are at risk of dying by suicide by obtaining information from schools and medical institutions, and promoting early intervention.
Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi won his third four-year term in Sunday's gubernatorial election.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 1, 2026
Hanazumi wins third term as Niigata governor
The 68-year-old governor was backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and the prefectural chapters of the Japan Innovation Party, the Democratic Party for the People and Komeito.
Yawata Mayor Shoko Kawata recently announced that she will take maternity leave, making her the first sitting mayor in Japan to do so.
JAPAN / Politics
May 29, 2026
Meet the Japanese mayor seeking to normalize maternity leave in public office
Shoko Kawata discusses balancing pregnancy with her duties — and the reaction that followed her announcing she would take leave before and after childbirth.
The Osaka Municipal Assembly passes a proposal on Wednesday to establish a statutory council to discuss what has become known as the Osaka metropolis plan.
JAPAN / Politics
May 28, 2026
Osaka Municipal Assembly approves proposed council to discuss metropolis plan
The council may hold its first meeting as soon as next month if its establishment is greenlit at the prefectural assembly’s plenary meeting next Wednesday.
The parliament enacted legislation Wednesday allowing local governments to issue digital debt securities.
JAPAN / Politics
May 27, 2026
Japan enacts bill enabling digital issuance of local government bonds
At a plenary meeting, the Upper House passed legislation to revise multiple laws related to local autonomy, based on proposals from local governments.
"Kōsen" technical colleges are five-year institutions offering higher education to students who have graduated from junior high school, with the aim of nurturing practical and creative engineers.
JAPAN
May 24, 2026
Japan may add farming and anime courses to technical colleges
In response to many local governments aiming to establish new “kōsen” technical colleges, the ministry hopes to develop talent in a wide range of areas.
Shoko Kawata, the 35-year-old mayor of Yawata, speaks to reporters on Thursday in the city.
JAPAN / Politics
May 22, 2026
Mayor in Kyoto Prefecture to take maternity leave in first for Japan
Shoko Kawata, the 35-year-old mayor of Yawata, plans to take her leave later this summer.
Minamitorishima has no resident population and is off-limits to the general public.
JAPAN / Society
May 21, 2026
Survey begins to determine remote island’s suitability for nuclear disposal site
Japan’s waste management organization will carry out a literature review on the geology of Minamitorishima, located nearly 2,000 kilometers from Tokyo.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
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.
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.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
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.

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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