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The World’s First: Japan’s Viral Cold-Water Instant Noodles
Inside the Hiyashi cup noodle craze The post The World’s First: Japan’s Viral Cold-Water Instant Noodles appeared first on Metropolis Japan .
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Bain and Lone Star plan second-round bids to take Nikkon private
Nikkon Holdings, a Japanese logistics group specializing in the automotive supply chain, will hold a second round of bidding in the first half of September to be taken private, with investors Bain Capital and Lone Star Funds considering proposals, people with knowledge of the mat...
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Japanese companies consider asset sales as yen debt costs rise
Among measures under deliberation are sales of strategic shareholdings and other assets to offset the impact, borrowing more overseas and bringing forward funding plans....
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Tohoku Shinkansen resumes after partial suspension over maintenance delay
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train service resumed on Thursday after a partial suspension between JR Nasushiobara Station in Tochigi Pref
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Imperial Palace eyed for former emperor's farewell ceremony
TOKYO (Kyodo) --The Imperial Household Agency is considering holding a farewell ceremony for Japan's former Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace upo
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Berkshire CEO Greg Abel vows long-term support for Japan trading houses
Berkshire Hathaway has increased its stake in Mitsubishi, Mitsui & Co., Itochu, Sumitomo and Marubeni to more than 10% in recent years.
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The Japanese Masterpiece That Lost Its Head: The 1,000-Year-Old Usuki Stone Buddha
A stone Buddha whose fallen head once lay at its base underwent restoration in the twentieth century, and its downward gaze now invites viewers to look up with renewed reverence....
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Japan’s Long-Term Interest Rates Hit 30-Year High of 3%
Japan’s long-term interest rates reached a 30-year high of 3.005% on September 1, as Tokyo bond markets reacted to a record national budget request and persistent worries over fiscal discipline....
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Japan's ruling party secretary general likely to stay on in execs reshuffle
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is likely to retain Shunichi Suzuki as secretary general of her Liberal Democratic Party in a
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Muslim couple open rural Japan home to build community
MATSUE (Kyodo) -- Dressed in kimono, a Moroccan Muslim and his Japanese wife whisk matcha tea and welcome visitors to their more than 100-year-old far
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Japanese study finds heatstroke risk varies by age and day of the week
TOKYO -- A Toho University research team has found that the risk of heatstroke varies significantly according to age and the day of the week, highligh
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Haiku in English: Sept. 3, 2026
can't forgetyour happiest smilegardenias blooming--Aki Tsukioka (Kyoto, Japan)Selected by Dhugal J. Lindsay
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Tokyo’s National Theatre Reopens — But Not for a Kabuki Performance
Last year, Lee Sang-il’s Kokuho did something no Japanese film had managed in over two decades: it became the country’s highest-grossing live-action local release, pulling in more than $120 million and landing as Japan’s entry for this year’s Academy Awards. At its center are two...
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Sumo: Yokozuna Onosato resumes full-scale training ahead of Autumn meet
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Yokozuna Onosato resumed full-scale training Wednesday at his Nishonoseki stable in Ami, Ibaraki Prefecture, in preparation for the S
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Mitsubishi Motors unveils revived Pajero model after 7 yr hiatus
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Mitsubishi Motors Corp. unveiled Wednesday a new Pajero, reviving the iconic model line after a seven-year hiatus and relaunching it
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Japan Autumn Leaves Forecast 2026: The Best Times To See Fall Foliage
While the delicate pinks of cherry blossoms may be at the forefront of Japan’s global botanical reputation, the changing colors of autumn foliage — known as koyo in Japanese — promise a breathtaking presentation of fiery scarlet and regal gold in a level of natural ethereal spect...
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How Japan’s bond rout is turning the tide of global capital
While there's no sign of Japan dumping its $2.4 trillion hoard in overseas debt yet, global fund managers and a growing body of data is showing a steadier drawdown is underway....
schools
Japan to subsidize community efforts to prevent child suicides
The move comes at a time when the number of suicides among elementary, junior high and high school students marked a record high of 538 in 2025.
business
Japan, Austria agree to boost cooperation in economic security, AI
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan and Austria's foreign ministers have agreed to deepen cooperation on economic security, including strengthening supply chains,
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Nikkei briefly plunges 3% on higher bond yields, Middle East conflict
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks plunged Wednesday, with the Nikkei index briefly dropping more than 3 percent, as Japanese government bond yields rose a
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Japan PM vows to speed up AI, unmanned defense asset introduction
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told senior members of the Self-Defense Forces on Wednesday that Japan wants to speed up the use of art
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From City Pop to The Weeknd: The Best Live Shows in Tokyo This September
September in Tokyo trades the stadium scale of August’s festival season for something more intimate and, in a lot of cases, more reflective. This month’s calendar is varied, with performances from multiple city pop icons to a Scottish indie band revisiting the album that made the...
business
Nearly 1,000 business manager visa holders left Japan in first half of 2026
Under stricter requirements imposed since October, applicants must now have at least ¥30 million in capital, up from ¥5 million.
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Tokyo to lift ban on bear hunting next April
According to a new bear management plan, the Tokyo government will aim to cull about 34 bears a year to keep the population from increasing.
safety
Easy Japanese news in translation: Summer festival for traffic safety held in Tokyo
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Seijo Police Station and others held a summer festival for traffic safety in the capital's Setagaya Ward on
government
Kobe shifts junior high school club activities to community groups
KOBE -- Club activities at municipal junior high schools in this western Japan city were transferred to community-run clubs on Sept. 1. The move mark
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Hawkish BOJ member calls for 'nimble' approach to interest rate hikes
SAPPORO (Kyodo) -- Bank of Japan policymaker Hajime Takata on Wednesday stressed the need for an early rate hike, saying the central bank should take
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Baseball: NPB's oldest player, Swallows pitcher Ishikawa, 46, to retire
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Nippon Professional Baseball's oldest active player, 46-year-old Yakult Swallows pitcher Masanori Ishikawa, will retire at the end of
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Japan's Kashima shrine launches once-every-12-yrs Mifune festival with 100-boat flotilla
KASHIMA, Ibaraki -- Kashima Jingu shrine in this east Japan city launched its Mifune Matsuri festival water procession on Sept. 2, with a ceremonial b
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Japan, Poland agree to coordinate support for Ukraine recovery
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese and Polish foreign ministers agreed Monday at their meeting in Slovakia to coordinate support for Ukraine's recovery and to
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SoftBank successfully conducts flying telecom base test over Japan
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- SoftBank Corp. said Wednesday it has achieved communications tests of its flying mobile phone base in preparation for commercializati
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Sumo misses out on potential superstar as Hidetora Hanada decides against turning pro
According to a Japanese media report, the former amateur yokozuna was still mulling over the decision right up until the deadline.
safety
3 arrested over attempted home repair fraud after Chiba Pref. floods
CHIBA -- Three people suspected of trying to defraud a homeowner out of 3.2 million yen (nearly $20,000) for purported repair work after torrential ra
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Tokyo stocks tumble in morning on high bond yields, US-Iran conflict
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks fell sharply Wednesday morning on elevated Japanese government bond yields and inflation concerns after renewed U.S.-Ira
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Editorial: With massive deficit spending looming, Japan must heed market's fiscal warning
The administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is sharply expanding public spending without regard for the country's enormous debt. Fina
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Earthquake disrupts tourism across southwest Japan, even in areas left unscathed
While recovery efforts are gradually moving forward across Kumamoto Prefecture after the region was struck by a strong temblor on July 28, the local t
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For foreign nationals in Japan, are rent hike notices take it or leave it?
Some accept the inevitability of having to pay higher rents due to inflation. Others find the extra financial burden frustrating amid stagnant wages.
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The Japanese idealist behind the only foreign deradicalization program in Somalia
With Washington and other donors reducing much of their aid to Somalia, Yosuke Nagai's agency has effectively become the only foreign-run one still working on deradicalization....
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A-bomb survivors' group decries 'absolute evil' of nukes at U.N. confab
NEW YORK (Kyodo) -- The leading Japanese atomic bomb survivors' group on Tuesday denounced the "absolute evil" of nuclear weapons during a United Nati
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BOJ to debate rate rise, inflation much closer to 2% target: governor
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (Kyodo) -- Bank of Japan chief Kazuo Ueda said Tuesday that underlying inflation in Japan is nearing the central bank's pric
schools
Japan youth messengers call on world to reduce risks of AI-powered military
GENEVA (Kyodo) -- A group of Japanese high school students visiting the U.N. office in Geneva on Tuesday called on the world to reduce the risks assoc