A publishing platform for academics, journalists and researchers writing in-depth, evidence-based work on issues related to Japan and its place in the world.
Tokyo Review
Even as Japan finally has its first female prime minister, few women have been able to leverage their educational achievements to attain leadership roles. @peterchai1013.bsky.social argues Women's Universities still have a role to play in tackling this.
Over eight decades after philosopher Tosaka Jun died in prison, his writings remain helpful.
Drawing upon Tosaka's work, Yunchen Tian cautions that the discourse of Japan's "foreigner problem" should be understood as more than perceived grievances against foreign residents and tourists.
In Japan's ongoing far-right turn, it's ideas and not Diet seats that pose the greatest threat to the nation's democracy.
The idea of a unified opposition may have run its course. If so, what remains to be seen is whether or not the predicted defeat of the CRA will be a moment of creative destruction.
www.tokyoreview.net/2026/02/is-t...
Japan’s defense strategy assumes stable energy access—but what if that assumption fails?
Helen Cecile argues that upcoming NSS revisions under PM Takaichi must integrate energy security to ensure Japan’s defense plans are operational, not aspirational.
Peter Chai and Charles Crabtree write about how Japan can face the unfolding child safety crisis as the sources of harm diversify and spill out of the classrooms
The Hormuz crisis highlights a concerning contradiction for Japan, writes Helen Cecile Nowatka.
"Many of the supply chains underpinning Japan’s decarbonization strategy remain tied to the same vulnerable energy networks and maritime chokepoints the transition is meant to reduce dependence on."
Tightened requirements for Business Manager visas spell trouble for migrant-run restaurants across Japan.
"Fraudulent applications, paper companies, and exploitative arrangements should be addressed. But a blanket 30-million-yen capital requirement is a blunt instrument", writes Rina Komiya.
Omission of special-needs graduates from official Japanese government data about the country's "18-year-old population" does not appear to reflect deliberate exclusion, but it nevertheless carries negative symbolic and practical consequences.
We have started our Election 2026 coverage, beginning with a piece by editor Nishimura Rintaro about the challenges PM Takaichi faces this year
Japan’s recent political milestone—the election and re-election of Takaichi Sanae as Prime Minister—has drawn fresh attention to gender inequality in Japanese society. Yet one dimension of this inequa...
The Liberal Democratic Party’s absolute majority in the House of Representatives under the leadership of PM Takaichi Sanae, and the 15 seats won by the anti-immigration party Sanseitō, mark another st...
The biggest surprise in an already difficult-to-predict election has been the merger of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and the ruling party’s former coalition partner Komeito into ...
Following her decisive Lower House victory, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae signaled plans to devote greater resources to strengthening Japan’s defense posture. Given the Liberal Democratic Party’s newf...
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Japan is confronting mounting concerns over child safety, as data from education and police authorities point to record levels of school refusal, a rise in serious bullying cases, continued disciplina...
The recent escalation of tensions around Iran and renewed instability in the Strait of Hormuz have exposed Japan’s energy import vulnerabilities with particular clarity. Around 90 to 95 percent of Jap...
A December 2025 report by the Mainichi Shimbun revealed that Japan’s Ministry of Education had not included graduates of special-needs schools in its official count of the “18-year-old population,” a ...
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The new year has kicked off with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi calling a general election to “ask the sovereign people to decide” whether to support her and the new Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-Japa...
