The Latest Breaking News from Japan

Why Japan is running short of plastic bags, trays and gloves

Shortage affecting bakeries to convenience store chains, and making everyday items more expensive for people

The Independent UK · Jun 4

These best-selling compact cameras share a winning formula – and smartphone fatigue may explain their success in Japan

The latest sales figures reveal that Japan's most popular compact cameras are simple and surprisingly cheap, starting from US$99

Digital Camera World · Jun 4

In 1979, Japan released 30 mongooses onto Amami Oshima to kill venomous snakes, and it took 45 years to fix what happened next

Japan's ambitious plan to control venomous snakes on Amami Ōshima with Indian mongooses in 1979 backfired spectacularly. The introduced predators, active during the day, failed to hunt nocturnal snakes but decimated native wildlife, including the endangered Amami rabbit. After nearly five decades and a massive eradication effort, Japan has finally…

The Economic Times · Jun 4

Japan’s Punch the monkey and his troop to get air conditioning amid searing heat

City of Ichikawa sets aside £370,000 in its supplementary budget for 2026 to improve conditions for Punch and the rest of the macaque troop

The Independent UK · Jun 4

Global Market: Japanese bond yields mixed as BOJ rate-hike expectations and inflation concerns shape sentiment

Japanese government bond yields saw mixed trading as investors weighed the Bank of Japan's potential interest rate hike against global inflation worries. Governor Ueda's hawkish remarks fueled expectations of a rate increase in June, signaling a shift towards tighter monetary policy. Meanwhile, rising oil prices due to geopolitical tensions kept…

The Economic Times · Jun 4

Dollar clings to 2-month high as Gulf hostilities flare, yen wobbles near intervention zone

Heightened Middle East tensions, including Iranian attacks and U.S. strikes, propelled oil prices and boosted the dollar's safe-haven appeal near a two-month peak. The yen teetered around the 160 mark, sparking intervention fears. Meanwhile, strong U.S. services inflation data reinforced expectations of sustained high interest rates, while the Bank of…

The Economic Times · Jun 4

Japan sees shortage of plastic bags, trays and gloves, as Iran war-induced naphtha shortage worsens

The Middle East is Japan’s main source of crude oil, from which naphtha is extracted and used to make items including printing ink and plastics

The Guardian - AU · Jun 4

Certification listing appears to confirm Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra as Samsung's third flagship foldable: what we know

Leaked Japanese certifications appear to confirm the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra name, plus how many models we can expect.

Tom’s Guide · Jun 3

These Fortune 500 companies are bigger than most national economies—here's where they'd rank as countries

Some companies on the Fortune 500 list rank even higher than national economies. Nvidia would be the fourth largest economy were it a country.

Fortune · Jun 3

Japan is considering stronger age restrictions for social media use — but public response to the move hasn't been as positive as hoped

Japan’s communications ministry has proposed new measures to protect young people from social media addiction

TechRadar · Jun 3