Japan

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$3.2M Tuna Shatters Japan's Auction Record



This Is a
$3.2M Fish
Jan 5, 2026 5:59 AM CST

This Is a $3.2M Fish

Record-breaking 536-pound bluefin has been transformed into sushi in Tokyo

(Newser) - The world's priciest tuna just changed hands in Tokyo. Kiyoshi Kimura, the flamboyant sushi-chain owner who calls himself the "Tuna King," paid a record $3.2 million for a single Pacific bluefin tuna at the city's New Year auction, the first of the year at the...

Japan's Female Lawmakers Demand More Bathrooms

Petition highlights fact that there are just 2 stalls for females near Diet's main chamber

(Newser) - Japan's parliament has run into a somewhat basic problem as more women win office: There aren't enough toilets for them. Now 58 lawmakers—Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi among them—have formally asked the lower house to add more women's restrooms in the National Diet Building, arguing that...

Boy, 5, Dies on Family Trip Before Making It Up Slope

Hinata Goto died after his arm got caught in 'snow escalator' at Hokkaido's Asari ski resort

(Newser) - A family ski outing in northern Japan ended in tragedy after a 5-year-old boy became trapped in a moving walkway at a Hokkaido resort and died, prompting a safety investigation and criticism of the equipment's design. Local media identified the child as Hinata Goto of Sapporo. He was using...

15 Stabbed, 7 Injured With Chemical in Rampage in Japan

Suspect arrested, but motive for attack at rubber factory is unknown

(Newser) - A man has been arrested after stabbing eight people and injuring seven others with what was believed to be bleach at a tire factory in central Japan on Friday, officials said. There was no immediate explanation of a possible motive. Eight people were taken to hospitals after being stabbed by...

Finnish PM Apologizes to Asia for Lawmakers' Racist Gestures

3 members of Finns Party shared posts showing them pulling back their eyelids

(Newser) - Finland's top leader is trying to stamp out a racist controversy that jumped from Miss Finland to Parliament. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Wednesday issued an apology to China, Japan, and South Korea after several lawmakers posted photos of themselves tugging back their eyelids—a gesture widely recognized as...

For First Time in 53 Years, Japan Will Be Panda-less

4-year-old twins born in Tokyo zoo to head home to China

(Newser) - Popular twin pandas at a Tokyo zoo are set to return to their homeland in China in late January, officials said Monday, leaving Japan without a panda for the first time in about half a century. Prospects for their replacement are not favorable either as ties between the two countries...

6.7 Magnitude Quake Hits Northeast Japan

It caused small tsunami waves days after stronger quake

(Newser) - A 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Japan and caused small tsunami waves but no apparent damage Friday, days after a stronger quake in the same region. Friday's quake occurred off the east coast of Aomori prefecture, in the north of Honshu, the main Japanese island, at a depth...

'Megaquake' Risk Rises After 7.5 Japan Quake

Monday earthquake injured at least 23, triggered tsunami

(Newser) - A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan late Monday , injuring 23 people and triggering a tsunami in Pacific coast communities, officials said. Authorities warned of possible aftershocks and an increased risk of a megaquake.
  • The Japanese government was still assessing damages from the tsunami and late-evening quake,
...

Inside the Growing Call to Let This Woman Be Monarch

Princess Aiko's popularity has many wanting to change Japan's male-only succession law

(Newser) - Japan's beloved Princess Aiko is often cheered like a pop star. During a visit to Nagasaki with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, the sound of her name being screamed by well-wishers along the roads overwhelmed the cheers for her parents. Now the 24-year-old's supporters want to change Japan'...

In Japan, Expect Your Toilet to Make Some Noise

Devices that mask bathroom sounds are the newest trend in Japan's high-tech public restrooms

(Newser) - Japan's famously high-tech toilets are getting a new upgrade: sound-masking devices designed to cover up the less melodic realities of public restrooms. These gadgets, often called Otohime, or "Sound Princess," are now a staple in Japanese bathrooms, emitting everything from rushing water to birdsong with the push...

Jeremy O. Harris, Who Wrote Slave Play, Held in Japan

Officials say ecstasy was found in playwright's carry-on at airport

(Newser) - Jeremy O. Harris, a playwright best known for his Tony-nominated Slave Play, was arrested in Japan last month on suspicion of attempting to smuggle illegal drugs into the country. Authorities said they found 0.78 grams of crystal containing the synthetic drug MDMA—ecstasy—in his carry-on tote bag at...

Trump Wants Japan's Tiny Kei Cars on US Roads

'They're really cute,' he says

(Newser) - President Trump has declared his fondness for Japan's tiny kei cars and now wants to see them made and sold in the US. Speaking at a White House event where he announced plans to roll back fuel efficiency standards , Trump praised the ultra compact cars, Ars Technica reports. "...

What Brendan Fraser's New Film Reveals About Japan

Rental Family highlights hiring actors to play family members for appearances, fending off loneliness

(Newser) - Rental Family, a moving drama from Searchlight Pictures starring Brendan Fraser, is sure to spark interest in Japan's real-life industry of the same name. The film, which is in release in the US and opens in Japan in February, centers on Phillip, an American actor who's recruited by...

Report: Trump Warns Japan Against Provoking China

WSJ reports that president spoke to Takaichi after Xi focused on Taiwan in phone call

(Newser) - President Trump advised Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi not to provoke China over Taiwan's sovereignty following a heated call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing officials familiar with the discussions. The warning came after Takaichi suggested that Japan might respond militarily if China attacked...

As China Raises Stakes, Taiwan Unveils $40B Defense Spree

Taiwan cites China's military buildup in its announcement of new defense budget

(Newser) - As China ramps up military activity near Taiwan, the island's president announced a fresh $40 billion defense budget to shore up its defenses. President Lai Ching-te unveiled the plan for the supplementary budget on Wednesday, citing what he described as an "unprecedented military buildup" by Beijing and stepped-up...

What's Behind New Tensions Between Japan and China
Japan's New
Female PM
Ticks Off China
in a Big Way
the rundown
Nov 24, 2025 10:19 AM CST

Japan's New Female PM Ticks Off China in a Big Way

Sanae Takaichi remarks about Taiwan have set off a major diplomatic row

(Newser) - Japan's first female prime minister took office only last month , but Sanae Takaichi's reign already has been memorable: Her comments about Taiwan have brought Japan's relations with China to their lowest point in years, and the tensions have international implications. Coverage:
  • The start: Earlier this month, when
...

Japan's First Female PM Dodges a Sumo Controversy

Sanae Takaichi would likely not be allowed in the ring to present a trophy

(Newser) - It appears that Japan's first female prime minister will not be trying to upend a centuries-old tradition: the idea that women can't enter the sumo wrestling ring. Previous Japanese leaders have handed out the trophy at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo, which wrapped up on...

It's a Sign Things Are Getting Worse Between China, Japan

China on Wednesday halted recently restarted seafood imports from Japan

(Newser) - Japan in early November resumed exporting seafood to China—but those shipments look to be short-lived. As tensions rise between the two countries over new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Nov. 7 comments about potential military action against China if Taiwan were to be attacked, China on Wednesday said...

The Bomb Threats Bear His Name. He Didn't Make Them

The Japanese lawyer whose name appears on them isn't sending them

(Newser) - A mysterious wave of bomb threats signed "Takahiro Karasawa" has been confounding authorities in a number of Asian countries, and as the New York Times reports, the mystery is an odd one. For starters, the real Takahiro Karasawa is a Japanese lawyer who says he has no hand in...

The Monkey Chasing Squad Battles Problematic Primates

50 paid, part-time civil servants try to control the monkeys in Japan's Northern Alps

(Newser) - In the foothills of Japan's Northern Alps, people are chasing monkeys. Wearing bright orange vests, the humans ring bells, blow whistles, and strike rocks and trees with walking sticks as they weave through bamboo and brush. Using GPS trackers, they follow the monkeys' movements and radio teammates to close...

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