News, business, and culture from Japan.
Japan's defense chief has traveled to Australia to deepen a partnership built on the biggest arms export in his country's postwar history. The visit is about far more than frigates. It is about two democracies binding themselves together as the security of the Indo-Pacific grows more uncertain.
Morning Sun Editorial ·
With a launch planned for the end of this year, Japan's MMX probe is being readied to fly to the Mars moon Phobos, scoop up a handful of soil and carry it home by 2031. If it works, Japan will hold the first material ever returned from the neighborhood of the red planet.
Morning Sun Editorial ·
Horse racing is shrinking across much of the world, yet in Japan the betting turnover keeps climbing past 3 trillion yen and a new generation of fans is pouring in. A smartphone-first betting culture and an unlikely anime hit have turned a centuries-old pastime into one of the country's quiet success stories.
Morning Sun Editorial ·
Vladimir Putin has made his debut visit to the contested Kuril Islands, touring a fish plant and a hospital on territory Japan insists is its own. The trip drew a furious protest from Tokyo and pushed the two countries' oldest quarrel further from any resolution.
Morning Sun Editorial ·
A shallow magnitude 7.1 quake tore through Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday afternoon, buckling part of a shopping mall, cracking the stone walls of the region's famous castle and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes. A brief tsunami warning was issued and then lifted as the region braced for aftershocks.
Morning Sun Editorial ·
Japan has lifted its visa fee to five times its former level while cutting passport costs at home, a two sided attempt to ease overtourism and rebalance the flow of travelers.
Morning Sun Editorial ·
