A powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, collapsing part of a shopping centre and leaving workers missing. A tsunami advisory was lifted, but rescue operations and infrastructure checks continued into the night.
Japan's National Intelligence Agency begins work this month — the country's first centralised spy service since the Second World War, with about 700 staff and FBI backing. The launch comes as a New York Times investigation exposes a Russian military-intelligence unit procuring missile and drone components from Aeroflot's Tokyo office.
Japan said on Wednesday that China had detained two of its citizens in the port city of Dalian over an alleged rare-earth export attempt. The case surfaced as Beijing opened a whistleblower hotline for illegal mineral exports, sharpening a rivalry that runs through every economy — Europe's included — dependent on Chinese supply.
Japan recorded 705,809 births in 2025, a 10th consecutive record low, while South Korea's fertility rate rose to 0.80 from 0.75. Tokyo and Seoul are forming a joint task force on the demographic crisis. Here is what the numbers mean, why Korea's uptick may not last, and why below-replacement Europe should pay attention.
Japan's NICT has signed a collaborative research agreement with Luxembourg start-up Odysseus Space and a memorandum of understanding with the University of Luxembourg, both inked on 4 May 2026 at the Prime Minister's Office. The deals, announced on 21 May, target optical satellite-to-ground communications and non-terrestrial networks, with ministers from both countries present at the signing.
Japan is trying to lock in a Trump-Takaichi meeting before the US president's planned mid-May visit to Beijing, anxious that a Trump-Xi deal could quietly trade Japanese interests.
On 20 April 2026, a major earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan. Authorities urged residents to stay away from coastal areas of Iwate, Aomori and Hokkaido as tsunami waves of up to 3 metres were expected.
On 8 February 2026, the LDP under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won at least 316 seats — Japan's largest single-party haul since 1945. Takaichi succeeds Shigeru Ishiba, who resigned in September 2025 after consecutive electoral losses.