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July 12, 2026
 

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MEDICINE

People in Japan get among the fewest hours of sleep in the world, with the OECD data showing that the average amount is 7 hours and 22 minutes — far shorter than the global average of 8 hours and 28 minutes.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 17, 2026
Japan’s health ministry to allow clinics to add sleep disorders as their specialties
The move aims to make it easier for people to find doctors who can treat insomnia and other sleep-related health issues.
An Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft remains parked at the airport after the flight was canceled at Incheon International Airport in South Korea on March 5.
WORLD
Mar 16, 2026
Middle East war disrupts pharma air routes and risks cancer drugs supply
The conflict has knocked out key air transit hubs and closed shipping routes.
Saitama Prefectural Children’s Medical Center head Akira Oka (center left) and other staff bow to reporters in the city of Saitama on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 12, 2026
Unexpected drug found as Saitama hospital probes death of teen after treatment
An anticancer drug found in a patient’s cerebrospinal fluid was not intended for use in the therapy he received.
Astellas Pharma Chief Executive Officer Naoki Okamura
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2026
Trump’s drug cost push helps Astellas win higher price in Japan
Japan, where medicine prices are among the lowest in the most developed nations, has become a critical reference point in U.S. plans to match drug prices with other countries.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s economic strategy aims to boost the nation’s growth potential by offering public support to cutting-edge industries.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2026
Japan’s investment targets include AI, quantum computing and drones
The list includes 27 technologies already under early stage review, such as physical artificial intelligence systems, regenerative medicine, quantum computing and marine drones.
Long-term studies show that mentally stimulating activities such as games and targeted brain training can strengthen cognitive resilience and delay the onset of dementia.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2026
Tired of spending billions on dementia care? Try a brain workout.
Twenty years later, about 25% fewer people in the speed training group developed dementia compared with the people who weren’t offered the intervention.
A small group of people carry rare genes that slow aging itself, protecting them from major diseases even when their lifestyles are far from ideal. Scientists hope to replicate these protective effects.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2026
Why some people live to 100 despite doing everything wrong
A recent study showed that longevity is roughly 50% genetic and 50% environmental — a substantially higher genetic contribution than earlier research indicated.
A nurse prepares to test people at a COVID-19 testing facility in in Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 13, 2020
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 10, 2026
New Zealand COVID-19 curbs saved lives but brought social and fiscal costs
The Royal Commission made 24 recommendations for improving preparedness for future pandemics, including assessments of fiscal resilience and clearer decision-making during crises.
A researcher works in the vaccine laboratory of Panacea Biotec, a pharmaceutical company in New Delhi.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Mar 6, 2026
India moves closer to dengue vaccine as final trials underway
Dengue, which causes severe flu-like symptoms and debilitating body aches, has exploded globally, fueled by rising temperatures and densely populated cities.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's factory in the city of Osaka. The firm had been embroiled in a scandal involving its supplements.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 5, 2026
Researchers uncover mechanism behind beni kōji health problems
Though it had been known that puberulic acid was behind the high-profile health scare in 2024 involving supplements, it was unclear how the substance damaged kidneys.
Japan’s panel of experts has cleared Daiichi Sankyo’s vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella for ministerial approval. If approved, it will become the country’s only available MMR vaccine, primarily intended for children.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 3, 2026
Japan expert panel OKs Daiichi Sankyo’s MMR vaccine
If approved by the minister, the vaccine, primarily for children, will be the sole MMR vaccine available in Japan.
Koichi Tanigawa, head of the Futaba Medical Center, says "there is clearly a shortage of hospitals" in the Futaba region in Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Mar 2, 2026
Medical care key to evacuees’ return to Fukushima 15 years on
In Fukushima Prefecture, the number of medical institutions has plunged from 132 to 47 since the disaster.
Pins showing the new inverted food pyramid and reading "I'm a MAHA Mom" displayed during an "Eat Real Food" rally at Brazos Hall in Austin, Texas, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 28, 2026
Trump’s pesticide and vaccine moves spur MAHA backlash ahead of midterms
An aggressive White House push on health policies risks stalling out as key parts of the “Make America Healthy Again” coalition grow frustrated.
A Japanese research team has developed miniaturized testicular tissues called testicular organoids from mouse embryonic stem cells, in a world first.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 27, 2026
Japanese researchers create mouse testicular organoids in vitro
Two of the researchers were also the first to create ovarian organoids from mouse embryonic stem cells, in 2021.
An iPS cell-derived heart muscle sheet developed by Cuorips
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Feb 20, 2026
iPS cell-based products win conditional approval from health ministry panel
The endorsement was based on small-scale clinical studies that confirmed only their safety and “presumed” their efficacy.
Takayuki Matsuda, a member of Doctors Without Borders, speaks during an interview in Cairo on Sunday. Matsuda was engaged in the procurement of goods and equipment maintenance in the Gaza Strip between December and Feb. 12.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2026
Japanese member of Doctors Without Borders deplores Gaza medical crisis
The group has had to stop humanitarian aid in the enclave due to Israel’s banning of international nongovernmental organizations from operating there.
Myocardial sheets made from iPS cells
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2026
Japan panel OKs medical products using iPS cells
The products, if approved by the health minister, are expected to be the world’s first of their kind.
St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo's Chuo Ward
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 18, 2026
Two women in Japan give birth after frozen ovarian transplants
It is rare that post-transplant pregnancies and childbirths by those who entered menopause due to cancer treatment have been closely monitored.
A bartender prepares traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis-based cocktails in Shanghai on Feb. 3.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 17, 2026
‘Punk wellness’: China’s stressed youth mix traditional medicine and cocktails
Bars focused on traditional Chinese medicine have popped up in several cities across the country.
An Afghan man buys medicine at a pharmacy in Kabul on Feb. 9.
WORLD
Feb 17, 2026
Bitter pill: Taliban government shakes up Afghan medicine market
A decision to overhaul its medicine market was meant to improve quality and boost domestic production, but industry specialists say the changes have led to a litany of problems.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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