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Japan’s Duty-Free System For Tourists Will Change to Refunds in November 2026
Japan's planning to change how tourists shop: the country's new duty-free laws will now require requesting a refund at the airport.
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NEWS
Japanese City Will Name-and-Shame Customers Who Abuse Workers
"Customer harassment" remains a significant problem in Japan. Kuwana City in Mie Prefecture will fight it with a new weapon: shame.
POLITICS
Japan Proposes Changing Election Poster Rules to Avoid a Repeat Disaster
This summer, Tokyo was plagued by election posters that included cute cats, pornography, and outright financial scams. A new law hopes to…
LAW & CRIME
“I Love Doraemon”: Chinese Resident Who Helped Deface Shrine Sent to Prison
A love for Doraemon brought 29-year-old Jiang Zhuojun to Japan in 2013. Now, he's a convicted criminal in the country he once…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Japanese Cosmetic Surgeon Under Fire for Posting Autopsy Photos
Cosmetic surgeon Kuroda Aimi treated a medical training trip to Guam as a fun holiday, posting pics of dead bodies and flashing…
POLITICS
Osaka City Mayor Dissolves Assembly Over Sexual Assault
Locals are demanding answers of Kishiwada City Mayor Nagano Kohei after he dissolved the Assembly, dismissing charges of sexual assault as a…
LAW & CRIME
Couple Finds Live Rocket Launcher in Grass in Japan’s Kitakyushu
You don't hear much about gun violence in Japan. You hear even less about rocket launcher violence. And yet...
TRAVEL
GACKT: Japan Should Return to Isolationism, Maybe
Singer-songwriter GACKT appears to have the solution for overtourism: return the country to isolationism.