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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 4m

A Japanese group of lawyers tackling karōshi, or overwork-related deaths, has protested new Liberal Democratic Party leader Sanae Takaichi's remarks calling on the ruling party's members to "work like workhorses"

Lawyers protest Takaichi's 'work like workhorses' remarks

The group is led by Hiroshi Kawahito, a lawyer who represented the family of an employee of major advertising agency Dentsu who committed suicide due apparently to overwork.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 25m

The Mie Prefectural Government plans to create what it says will be Japan's first ordinance with a penalty aimed at deterring customers from behaving abusively to workers.

Mie eyes Japan's first penalty against customer abuse

The ordinance would define customer abuse as excessive nuisances that go beyond social norms and harm employees' working environment.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 53m

The National Police Agency on Tuesday held the first meeting of an expert panel on measures against illegal drone flights, in light of the growing threat of drones being used for terrorism and other purposes.

Police launch talks on stricter drone rules in Japan

The panel plans to compile a report by the end of the year on expanding the list of no-fly zones and penalties, with a view to revising the drone control law.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 1h

Wages rose at the slowest pace in three months, with real pay extending its falling streak, highlighting a challenge for newly elected ruling party leader Sanae Takaichi and her pledge to address rising living costs.

Japan’s wage growth slows, underscoring challenge for Takaichi

Nominal wages increased 1.5% in August from a year earlier, decelerating from 3.4% in the previous month and falling below economist expectations.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 1h

A Pentagon review of the AUKUS pact is a "brass-tack” evaluation of its affordability and whether the agreement fits with President Donald Trump’s foreign-policy priorities, a Defense Department nominee has said.

Pentagon conducting ‘brass-tack’ review of AUKUS, nominee says

The comments from John Noh, Trump’s pick for assistant secretary for Indo-Pacific security affairs, mark a rare moment that the administration has acknowledged the review.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 2h

East Japan Railway, or JR East, said Tuesday that it will introduce a successor to its East-i inspection train for shinkansen lines in fiscal 2029.

JR East to introduce new inspection shinkansen in fiscal 2029

The next-generation model's design will be finalized around next summer after ideas are sought from employees across JR East group companies.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 3h

BREAKING: Japan’s Susumu Kitagawa became the country's second Nobel winner this year, joining two other scientists to win the chemistry prize Wednesday for their role developing metal-organic frameworks.

Japan's Susumu Kitagawa wins chemistry Nobel for metal-organic frameworks

Kitagawa — the second Japanese Nobel winner this year — joined Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi in winning the award for creating 'new rooms for chemistry.'

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 4h

An agitated bear roamed the aisles of a supermarket in central Japan, injuring two men and frightening shoppers, while separately a man was found dead in a suspected mauling.

Bear injures two in Japan supermarket, man killed in separate attack

More and more wild bears have been spotted in Japan in recent years, even in residential areas, due to factors including a declining human population and climate change.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 4h

SoftBank Group agreed to acquire ABB’s industrial robots unit at an enterprise value of almost $5.4 billion, reflecting Masayoshi Son’s growing bets on artificial intelligence.

SoftBank to buy ABB’s robotics arm in $5.4 billion deal

The Japanese investment firm agreed to take over a business with more than 7,000 employees, which supplies industrial arms and robots to manufacturers including BMW.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 4h

Including an equity investment from Nvidia, the Elon Musk-backed artificial intelligence startup xAI is raising more financing than initially planned to bring its ongoing funding round to $20 billion.

Nvidia to invest in Musk’s xAI as part of $20 billion funding

The massive capital raise is just the latest for the AI industry, which has seen major tech companies invest to build the infrastructure necessary to develop top AI models.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 4h

Anecdotes shared by Sanae Takaichi's hometown friends and supporters render a softer side to the hard-line conservative, who cites Margaret Thatcher as her hero.

In hometown of Japan's 'Iron Lady', supporters stress a softer side

The hard-line conservative cites Margaret Thatcher, a divisive figure in British politics known as 'the Iron Lady,' as her hero.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 4h

The national weather agency is urging people in the vicinity of the Izu chain of islands to be vigilant about windstorms, high waves and torrential rain through Thursday as Typhoon Halong approaches.

Typhoon Halong to cause windstorms, heavy rain and high waves on the Izu islands

Japan's weather agency is forecasting up to 300 millimeters of rain on the Izu islands in the 24 hours through Thursday noon, with a linear precipitation zone possibly forming.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 5h

President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Canada have "come a long way” in the trade talks, with a trading relationship worth $900 billion on the line.

Trump says U.S. and Canada working on formula for tariff deal

The U.S. president described the two North American nations as being in 'natural conflict” because they’re competing for the same business.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 5h

U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be the Pentagon's top Asia official has urged Japan to ramp up its defense budget, saying Tokyo “has long underemphasized spending for its own defense.”

Top Pentagon nominee says Japan has 'long underemphasized' defense spending

John Noh, the White House's nominee to be the Defense Department's top Asia official, said Tokyo “has long underemphasized spending for its own defense.”

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 5h

A Myanmar military strike on a festival event and protest killed 40 people, including children, according to an attendee and a local committee member.

Myanmar junta strike kills dozens at festival protest, residents say

Hundreds of people were gathered in central Myanmar's Chaung U township for the Thadingyut full moon festival when the military reportedly dropped bombs on the crowd.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 6h

Undeterred by major setbacks that recently befell the famed Kishu ume, or plums grown in Wakayama Prefecture, umeboshi pickled plum makers are working on developing new products using hail-damaged ume.

New products created to save Wakayama ume from hail damage

Amid a poor crop, some companies have adopted a marketing tactic of highlighting hail-damaged ume>/i>.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 6h

Amaou, a premium strawberry variety developed and grown in Fukuoka Prefecture, remains one of Japan's most sought-after fruits, consistently fetching top prices.

Fukuoka steps up protection for Amaou strawberry brand

Renowned for its striking appearance and rich sweetness, Amaou has enjoyed strong popularity since its debut and is often hailed as the top tier of sweet strawberries.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 6h

A senior Japan Football Association official has been sentenced to an 18-month suspended jail term in France after viewing images of child sexual abuse during a plane journey, a court official said Tuesday.

Japanese football official sentenced for viewing child sexual abuse images

Masanaga Kageyama, the association's technical director, was arrested last week during a stopover in Paris on the way to Chile to attend the Under-20 World Cup.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 7h

Hundreds of Texas National Guard soldiers gathered at an army facility outside Chicago as President Donald Trump threatened to invoke an anti-insurrection law and deploy troops to more U.S. cities.

Trump's Insurrection Act threat escalates showdown with Democratic cities

President Donald Trump again left open the possibility of using the Insurrection Act to sidestep any court rulings blocking the dispatch of guard troops into Democratic-led cities.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 7h

Young people across Asia are struggling to find good jobs, with many stuck in low-productivity work that the World Bank warns could strain social stability as frustrations fuel a global wave of youth-led protests.

Asia’s youth struggle to find good jobs, World Bank warns

The bank highlighted a persistent gap between younger and more experienced workers across several Asian economies.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 7h

U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed climate change as "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world" and his administration has reportedly moved to quash debate on the issue.

Trump calls climate change a con; science braces for more

The Department of Energy is reportedly telling staff to avoid using language that runs counter to the president's views on climate science.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 8h

President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday was under pressure even from allies to find a rapid solution to France's political deadlock, after his first prime minister urged him to resign for the sake of the country.

Macron urged to quit to end France political crisis

Macron is facing pressure even from allies to find a rapid solution to France's political deadlock.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 8h

Hamas is looking to secure a "fair hostage exchange” as part of a deal with Israel to end the two-year war that’s devastated Gaza and destabilized much of the Middle East.

Hamas says it wants ‘fair hostage exchange’ in Egypt talks

The Palestinian militant group’s negotiating team in Egypt will aim to 'eliminate all obstacles” to a settlement, a spokesperson said.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 9h

Sanae Takaichi, the new leader of the ruling LDP, is considering skipping a visit to Tokyo's war-linked Yasukuni Shrine during its autumn festival, ahead of Japan's busy diplomatic schedule later this month.

Takaichi may skip Yasukuni visit during Autumn Festival

The new LDP chief is apparently taking into account the impact a visit might have ahead of busy diplomatic schedule and how it could hurt relations with coalition partner Komeito.

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The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 11h

Qilin, a ransomware group with a track record of intrusions against major entities around the world, claimed responsibility for a hack on Japan’s Asahi Group, which disrupted production at the beer and beverage giant.

'Qilin' cybercrime gang claims hack on Japan's Asahi Group

The ransomware group has a track record of intrusions against major entities around the world.

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