March 1, 2021
OSAKA — Feline friends saved the day for one restaurateur in Osaka who was on the verge of shuttering his business because of the coronavirus pandemic. Diorama Restaurant in Tennoji Ward, Osaka, is well-known for its elaborate model train system set in intricate landscapes. Nowadays, though, the...
China has offered monetary rewards to researchers who publish papers in prominent scientific journals, and even set publication quotas for Japanese and other researchers participating in the country’s Thousand Talents Plan, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. The researchers have been asked to hav...
In January, a room in the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry headquarters in the Kasumigaseki district of Tokyo was the nerve center for Japan’s attempts to secure COVID-19 vaccines. Senior officials of the ministry’s Health Service Bureau, interpreters, people with U.S. legal qualifications and...
It will soon be 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, which left about 22,000 people dead or missing. The central and local governments must support the revitalization of local communities a...
There has been a series of cases in which operators of “after-school day services” used by children with disabilities made fraudulent claims for compensation. The central and local governments sho...
The face of an employee working remotely is displayed on the screen of a robot moving through the halls of a company, cheerfully greeting colleagues with "thank you for your hard work.” These rob...
Researchers who receive financial support from the government will be required to disclose information about their funding, including money they receive from abroad, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. ...
SAPPORO — Hoping to further promote Ainu culture on the world stage, performers of traditional Ainu dances and music have produced a promotional video with the aim of having it shown at various even...
Unheralded Kengo Suzuki put on quite a show in bringing down the curtain on the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon. Suzuki shattered the men’s Japan record in the marathon by over a half-minute in winnin...
The global shortage of semiconductors has become a cause for concern that could impede the recovery of economies already reeling from the novel coronavirus pandemic. A sharp spike in demand for the c...
MATSUYAMA — Much like their aerial counterparts, the technological development of underwater drones has expanded their usefulness in a wide range of activities. These submersibles are proving valuab...
KYOTO — Weeping plum blossoms are in full bloom at Jonangu Shrine in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. About 150 plum trees signaled the arrival of spring in the old capital, their drooping branches dripping wit...
BEIJING — The Japanese Embassy in China has asked Beijing to reconsider its method of collecting PCR test samples from the anus of some visitors, a Japanese government official revealed. China ma...
Toyota Motor Corp. began construction of a smart city in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Tuesday, in an ambitious project that aims to accelerate practical application of cutting-edge technologies. ...
Keep track of the coronavirus epidemic as it unfolds in Japan. Relevant stories and graphics appear below covering events up to and including the current state of emergency and the future outlook. ...
The following charts give a visual representation of the spread of the novel coronavirus in Japan and around the world. The first shows the extensiveness of cases in relation to a nation’s populatio...
The coronavirus pandemic has been affecting the employment of athletes aiming for the Tokyo Paralympics, which are just six months away. Some athletes have lost their jobs because their contracts were...
Medical care for COVID-19 patients recuperating at home has emerged as an important issue amid the third wave of the novel coronavirus. Satoshi Hirahara, a doctor at Kajiwara Clinic in Kita Ward, To...
The resurgence of coronavirus infections and the declaration of another state of emergency for some prefectures has once again highlighted the importance of telecommuting as a means for workers to avo...
Despite the government’s decision to lift the state of emergency early for six prefectures mainly in the Kansai and Chukyo regions, it cannot be said that the coronavirus pandemic has been successfu...
Seiko Hashimoto, the new president of the Tokyo Games organizing committee, said a spectator-free option is not currently envisioned for the Games in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun and other me...
If the lifting of the state of emergency causes people to let down their guard, it would all have been for nothing. It is necessary for the government to continue urging people to take thorough measur...
The government is considering lifting the ban on e-money salary payments, in which salaries would be transferred to smartphone payment apps without going through banks, but there are many issues with ...
Keep track of the coronavirus epidemic as it unfolds in Japan. Relevant stories and graphics appear below covering events up to and including the current state of emergency and the future outlook. ...
The following charts give a visual representation of the spread of the novel coronavirus in Japan and around the world. The first shows the extensiveness of cases in relation to a nation’s populatio...
The government has decided to gradually ease restrictions on the number of people who may attend large-scale events, after the state of emergency currently in effect in 10 prefectures is lifted, accor...
In January, a room in the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry headquarters in the Kasumigaseki district of Tokyo was the nerve center for Japan’s attempts to secure COVID-19 vaccines. Senior official...
The government’s reliance on foreign imports of vaccines, which are the key to fighting infectious diseases, is not encouraging. To ensure a stable supply, Japan’s vaccine development strategy sh...
The following are excerpts from interviews with retired Adm. Patrick Walsh, former commander of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet who was in overall command of the Operation Tomodachi U.S. military reli...
A stable supply of electricity is a prerequisite for realizing decarbonization in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The government must aim to make effective use of nuclear power plants, whic...
The Japan Coast Guard could use weapons that may cause injuries at vessels trying to land on the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, the government said Thursday. If a crew member of a China Coa...
The Tokyo Games organizing committee will announce its basic decision on whether to accept spectators at the Games around March 25 when the Olympic torch relay begins, committee President Seiko Hashim...
BEIJING — The Japanese Embassy in China has asked Beijing to reconsider its method of collecting PCR test samples from the anus of some visitors, a Japanese government official revealed. China ma...
The Japan News has partnered with media startup inkl, a news service that curates articles from the world’s leading publishers for users to read on mobile devices. A selection of articles from The Japan News and The Yomiuri Shimbun is now available to read on inkl, which hosts titles from about 20 countries. 
For people who want plants but don’t want the hassle of caring for them, a solution has arrived: ornamental flowers made from clay. Plant lovers can decorate their homes with clay versions of their ...
The woman walks briskly across the airport, her khaki jacket perfectly matched with a chunky piece of exotic jewelry around her slender neck. When a Homeland Security agent stops her to search her bel...
Surely everyone knows what it’s like to feel shame — that acute warm flush that tingles under the skin of the face, the cringing feeling, the replay of the flinch-inducing scene later in our imagi...
