Society
Why These Special Edition Pokémon Goods Ask for Your Japan National ID
To fight scalpers, the Pokémon Company will use Japan's My Number national ID to verify buyers of its 30th-anniversary cards. Most Japanese…
The latest Japan travel and culture news
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Society
Women
Japanese Announcer Uses Common-Law Marriage to Dodge Country’s Surname Law
TBS announcer Yamamoto Erika kept her name by choosing common-law marriage over a legal one - but she'll get married if the…
Law & Crime
Japan’s Internet Wants Uchida Riko Executed. Here’s Why That Won’t Happen
The Internet is calling for blood in the brutal murder of a 17-year-old girl. But prosecutors are following decades of precedent.
Race in Japan
A Nepali Combini Clerk Foiled a Scam in Japan, Even as Politicians Cast Foreigners as Threat
A 24-year-old Nepali convenience-store clerk in Kobe sensed an elderly customer was being scammed and stepped in.
Women
Japanese TV Station’s Sexist Program Title Has Men Arguing Against Themselves
If the show's producers were hoping to grab a negative reaction from women, they didn't succeed. But it got plenty of men…
Law & Crime
“Accidental” Affair? Japan Supreme Court Reconsiders Cheating Damages Award
On June 5, 2026, Japan's Supreme Court issued its first-ever ruling on a question most Westerners don't know Japanese law even asks:…
Insider
[Insider] Japan Wants to Jail Men Who Buy Sex. Sex Workers Say That’ll Get Women Hurt
A majority of voices are clamoring for Japan to criminalize prostitution buyers. Here’s why the country's sex worker advocates oppose that.
LGBTQ
Tokyo Court Awards Damages to Outed Transgender Author
Award-winning author Li Kotomi won a small but symbolic ruling against a lawyer who had been involved in the Aum Shinrikyo trials.