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July 01, 2026
 

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PARENTHOOD

A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2026
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
LGBTQ+ people in Japan face such limited fertility treatment options, they could ultimately be deprived of the right to safely start a family.
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 29, 2026
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
Beyond the paperwork and the language barrier, James Benstead says the hardest part about adopting in Japan was the waiting.
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn’t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 28, 2026
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
Japan does not offer same-sex couples the same legal rights and benefits granted to married couples.
Japan’s population decline continues to accelerate despite some modest positive signs, highlighting the need for broader social, economic and cultural changes to raise the birth rate.
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 2026
A bleak prognosis for Japan’s demographic future
The most recent government statistics show fertility rates hitting record lows — again.
The Kyoto District Court in the city of Kyoto heard a complaint Wednesday from a man who says his estranged wife presented someone else's sperm as his and was able to undergo successful fertility treatment using it without his awareness.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 4, 2026
Man sues hospital after wife gives birth using someone else’s sperm
The woman was sentenced in April 2025 for forging the man’s consent form, but the hospital said it gave adequate explanation and that the man’s claims are incorrect.
Expectant mothers who were exposed to severe heat during their 19th week of pregnancy faced a 16% higher risk of preterm birth than those who were not, a study found.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 4, 2026
Extreme heat raises risk of preterm births, research shows
Findings indicate that women are particularly susceptible to the effects of heat between the 16th and 22nd weeks of pregnancy.
Low income, difficulties meeting a partner and balancing work with raising a child are some of the factors playing a role in Japan's declining fertility rate, the Children and Families Agency said.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 3, 2026
Japan’s births hit new low, but drop less severe than previous years
The 2.2% decrease in the number of births recorded in Japan was a relatively modest drop compared to the year-on-year 5% decline seen over the past several years.
Noninvasive prenatal testing has gained popularity as an alternative to conventional tests due to its lower stress levels for mothers.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2026
More pregnant women in Japan undergo prenatal checkups
Noninvasive prenatal testing has gained popularity as an alternative to conventional tests due to its lower stress levels for mothers.
China’s one-child policy helped create weak domestic consumption, overwork, youth unemployment and demographic decline, fueling the rise of “lying flat” culture — a threat to the country’s long-term economic sustainability.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2026
Why have China’s young people become so fed up?
Decades of misguided economic policymaking have left China in a demographic hole that it seems incapable of climbing out of.
Yawata Mayor Shoko Kawata recently announced that she will take maternity leave, making her the first sitting mayor in Japan to do so.
JAPAN / Politics
May 29, 2026
Meet the Japanese mayor seeking to normalize maternity leave in public office
Shoko Kawata discusses balancing pregnancy with her duties — and the reaction that followed her announcing she would take leave before and after childbirth.
Itsunori Onodera, the Liberal Democratic Party's tax chief, on Wednesday presented a draft outline for providing additional benefits for households with children during a meeting of lawmakers.
JAPAN / Politics
May 28, 2026
Lawmakers eye extra benefits for child-rearing households
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is looking into increasing take-home pay for low- and middle-income workers by adjusting the amount of benefits according to income.
The Children and Families Agency says language should not be a barrier to calling the 189 hotline.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
May 27, 2026
Built for speed: Inside Japan’s child protection system
In Japan, sources such as schools, neighbors, and the 189 hotline all feed into a child protection system designed to surface potential risks early, even when certainty is low.
Hiroya Masuda (center), head of the Forum for the Future We Choose, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in March.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 27, 2026
Deeply entrenched gender roles a key factor in Japan’s low birthrate
A survey has found that many women in rural areas feel constrained by social norms, which could lead to a demographic crisis if left unaddressed.
Shoko Kawata, the 35-year-old mayor of Yawata, speaks to reporters on Thursday in the city.
JAPAN / Politics
May 22, 2026
Mayor in Kyoto Prefecture to take maternity leave in first for Japan
Shoko Kawata, the 35-year-old mayor of Yawata, plans to take her leave later this summer.
Staff members from SOS Children’s Villages Japan explain the organization's short-stay foster care program during a monthly briefing session in the city of Fukuoka in February.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
May 18, 2026
Fukuoka takes lead in short-stay foster care programs
Municipalities across Japan are starting to adopt short-stay programs through which children stay with foster families, allowing them to spend time in home-like settings.
Akiko Hashiguchi is one of the few people in Japan to publicly share her personal experience with muri shinjū under her own name. She has since been involved in parents’ support work and advocacy around developmental disorders.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 18, 2026
‘There was no village’: Japan’s troubling pattern of family murder-suicides
In a society where asking for help is often difficult, many parents and caregivers are unsure where to turn. Sometimes, it leads to tragedy.
A survey among junior high school students found that the delinquency rate was highest, at 12.2%, among respondents who had experienced parental violence and whose families are not financially comfortable.
JAPAN / Society
May 13, 2026
Children facing parental violence more likely to turn to delinquency
A group of researchers surveyed students at five junior high schools in the Kansai region between December 2024 and January 2025 for the study.
Though mothers in Japan aren't expected to bear the entirety of the family's child-rearing burden as in decades past, author Lisa Katayama says the strain still falls largely on their shoulders.
CULTURE / Books
May 9, 2026
In Japan, ‘moms pull weight in ways that are superhuman’
In a new book, a mom raised in Tokyo but living abroad reflects on how Japan’s conception of motherhood helps her raise her young daughters.
Sun hats, hoodies with built-in UV protection and parasols are on the must-have lists of Japanese moms this summer.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 8, 2026
When it comes to their kids, Japanese mothers look beyond pink and blue
A look at how evolving vocabulary around fashion signals changing attitudes toward gender and function.
Of those surveyed by a Tokyo-based research company about their Mother's Day plans, 17.6% said they would give flowers.
JAPAN
May 7, 2026
Over 60% of people in Japan have plans for Mother’s Day, survey finds
Asked about their plans, 21.2% of those surveyed said they will give confectioneries, while 17.6% chose flowers and 14.4% said they will say thank you.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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