All you need to know about Japan’s unasked-for restaurant appetizers that you have to pay for

Otoshi is a unique part of Japan’s restaurant culture that can feel like a scam if you’re not ready for it. With record-breaking numbers of foreign tourists visiting Japan, that means there are also record-breaking numbers of foreign tourists eating in …

Elementary and junior high students speak out on Japan’s strangest school rules

Underwear must be a certain color, or if in gym class, removed entirely. The Japanese schooling system has an ongoing problem, being rife with outlandish rules that simply don’t make sense in the modern day: elementary school students not being allowed to …

Japan goes to the polls amid a rice crisis

Half of all these seats in the upper house will be renewed on 20 July, a crucial date for PM Ishiba after his Liberal Democratic Party failed to obtain an absolute majority in the lower house of parliament in last October's elections. For voters, the …

Beyond the ramen: Things to do in Fukuoka City, Japan's soulful southern gem

In a country where megacities dazzle with neon lights and ancient capitals exude solemn grace, Fukuoka City exists in a realm between.  Nestled on the northern shore of Kyushu, this portside city has long served as Japan's western gateway; a confluence …

Japan pulls out of talks with Trump administration after ‘being ordered to spend more on defence’

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our …

Judo: Georgia wins mixed team gold after upsetting Japan in semis

Japan judo team members pose with their world championship mixed team bronze medals in Budapest on June 20, 2025. (Kyodo) BUDAPEST (Kyodo) -- Georgia won its first mixed team judo world championship Friday after upsetting favorite Japan in the semifinals …

Wartime diaries from over 100 schools exist in Japan and Taiwan, researchers say

Japanese researchers have found that diaries of more than 100 schools written during the final year of World War Two still exist in Japan and Taiwan. The diaries, which recorded details about school events and the lives of students, were written by …

Singapore Overtakes Japan as Asia’s Richest Market

While Singapore’s net financial assets per capital grew 4.4 percent year-on-year, global economic instability and trade wars are weighing heavily on the global middle class, according to Allianz’s new Global Wealth Report. With net financial assets per …

TV PATROL: Pilipinas, Japan, at US nagsagawa ng joint coast guard exercises

Japan Cancels Annual Meeting With US After Trump Demands Higher Defence Spending

Home Indo-Pacific Japan Japan Cancels Annual Meeting With US After Trump Demands Higher Defence Spending Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported that President Trump's administration was demanding that its Asian allies, including Japan, spend 5% of their …