Japan | News

Pika Pika! Vandaag is in Japan PokéPark Kanto geopend. Het is een pretparkje in het grotere Yomiuriland-pretpark in Tokio, waar het voor Pokémonliefhebbers vooral fijn…

De Verenigde Staten, de Europese Unie en Japan hebben woensdag stappen gezet richting de vorming van een alliantie op het gebied van zeldzame grondstoffen, die bijvoorbeeld nodig zijn voor hightech en de energietransitie. Die alliantie moet een tegenwicht vormen tegen China, dat dominant is op de wereldwijde markt voor zeldzame metalen en mineralen.

Japan investeert stevig in bedrijven die alternatieven bieden voor Chinese grondstoffen. Gaan andere landen nu ook met die Japanse blauwdruk aan de slag?

Japan spent decades as the world’s best destination for the world's easiest funding trade. You could borrow yen at very low rates, buy almost anything with a higher yield, hedge just enough to feel responsible, and assume the Bank of Japan would keep volatility contained. Late January 2026 is what it looks like when that […] The post Japan bond market chaos threatens unprecedented Bitcoin liquidations as the era of free money ends appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Hundreds gathered to say farewell to two popular pandas departing Tokyo for China on Tuesday, leaving Japan without any of the beloved bears for the first time in 50 years as ties between the Asian neighbours fray. Panda twins Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao were transported by truck out of Ueno Zoological Gardens, their birthplace, disappointing many Japanese fans who have grown attached to the furry four-year-olds. “I’ve been coming to watch them since they were born,” Nene Hashino, a woman in her 40s wearing a panda-themed jacket and clutching a bear stuffed toy, told AFP. “It feels like my own children are going somewhere far away. It’s sad.” The pandas’ abrupt return was announced last month during a diplomatic spat that began when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hinted that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan. Her comment provoked the ire of Beijing, which regards the island as its own territory. The distinctive black-and-white animals, loaned out as part of China’s “panda ...

Japan’s financial regulator is weighing rule changes that could allow crypto assets to qualify for ETFs, signaling a possible shift in retail access. Japan’s financial regulator is weighing potential rule changes that could pave the way for cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with local media reporting that 2028 is being discussed as an early target. According to a report by Nikkei, citing people familiar with the matter, Japan’s Financial Services Agency plans to amend its regulatory framework to allow crypto to be included as eligible ETF assets alongside stronger investor-protection mechanisms.  Major financial groups, including Nomura Holdings and SBI Holdings, are among the first companies expected to develop crypto-linked ETF products, Nikkei reported. Read more

At first glance, this looks like a story that lives on the back pages of a newspaper, Japanese government bonds with maturities that run so long they sound like a joke, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years. If you own Bitcoin, you still end up in the blast radius. Because when Japan’s long-dated bonds start […] The post Bitcoin is in the blast radius after Japan’s bond market hit a terrifying 30-year breaking point appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The world’s biggest nuclear power plant was restarted on Wednesday for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, its Japanese operator said, despite persistent safety concerns among residents. The plant was “started at 19:02”, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) spokesman Tatsuya Matoba told AFP of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata prefecture. The regional governor approved the resumption last month, although public opinion remains sharply divided. On Tuesday, a few dozen protesters — mostly elderly — braved freezing temperatures to demonstrate in the snow near the plant’s entrance, whose buildings line the Sea of Japan coast. “It’s Tokyo’s electricity that is produced in Kashiwazaki, so why should the people here be put at risk? That makes no sense,” Yumiko Abe, a 73-year-old resident, told AFP. Around 60 per cent of residents oppose the restart, while 37pc support it, according to a survey conducted in September. TEPCO said on Wednesday it would “proceed with careful verification of each plan...

Pakistan and Japan have formalized a grant agreement to enhance pediatric healthcare facilities in South Punjab, with the Japanese government committing $18.

China legt de uitvoer naar Japan aan banden van goederen en grondstoffen die mogelijk militaire toepassingen hebben, een nieuwe stap in een slepende ruzie tussen beide landen. Maar Japan heeft vaker met dat bijltje gehakt.

China did not stipulate covered items, but experts believe the restrictions could affect rare earth minerals, a potential Achilles' heel for Japan.

Japan's Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama stood at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Jan. 5 and declared 2026 a “digital year,” framing traditional exchanges as the primary gateway for investors to access cryptoassets and ETF-like products. As Elliptic noted, she pointed to US spot Bitcoin ETFs as a model, explicitly stating what Japan's Financial Services Agency […] The post XRP currently dominates Japan’s cash inflows, and a new 20% tax rate is about to lock that advantage in appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Tokyo bond traders have a new number burned into their screens this week, 3.5%. For most of the past two decades, Japan’s long end was the place the world went to forget about interest rates. If you were a pension fund trying to match liabilities, a bank trying to park liquidity, or a global macro […] The post Bitcoin faces a “liquidity drain” danger zone as Japan’s 30-year yield breaks a historic record appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Japan will supply Ukraine with 66 units of technical equipment for frontline regions under the Emergency Recovery and Reconstruction Project supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Japan’s finance minister signaled that crypto’s future lies inside regulated exchanges as Japan advances tax, disclosure and market reforms. Japan appears to be moving to bring cryptocurrencies deeper into its traditional market rulebook, signaling that regulators want digital assets handled through established exchanges and securities-style oversight rather than a parallel system. The direction was underscored on Monday by Finance Minister and Financial Services Minister Satsuki Katayama, who publicly backed traditional securities exchanges and market infrastructure as the primary gateway for blockchain-based assets.  Speaking at the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s New Year opening ceremony, Katayama framed 2026 as Japan’s first year of full-scale digitalization. Her remarks echoed a broader regulatory shift that has been steadily aligning crypto with traditional capital markets.  Read more

Japan has transferred approximately EUR 47.7 million to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and agreed to launch a new phase of the Emergency Recovery Program.

Japan’s ruling coalition has released its 2026 tax reform blueprint, outlining a potential shift in how cryptocurrencies are treated under the country’s tax system, according to a CoinPost report. The post Japan’s 2026 Tax Reform Blueprint Maps Out New Framework for Crypto Assets: Report  appeared first on Cryptonews.

Fourteen people were injured in a stabbing attack in a factory in central Japan during which an unspecified liquid was also sprayed, an emergency services official said on Friday. “Fourteen people are subject to transportation by emergency services,” Tomoharu Sugiyama, a firefighting department official in the city of Mishima in the Shizuoka region, told AFP. He said a call was received at about 4.30pm (12:30pm PKT) from a nearby rubber factory saying “five or six people were stabbed by someone” and that a “spray-like liquid” had also been used. Japanese media, including public broadcaster NHK, reported that police had arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder. The seriousness of the injuries was unknown, although NHK said all victims remained conscious. Sugiyama said at least six of the 14 victims had been sent to a hospital in a fleet of ambulances. The exact nature of the injuries was also unclear. The factory in Mishima is run by Yokohama Rubber Co., whose business includes manufacturing tyres for t...

Groeiende onzekerheid over Amerikaanse digitale diensten leidt in Europa tot een zoektocht naar een nieuwe bondgenoot. Japan is interessant, maar moet een grote inhaalslag maken.

The Bank of Japan tightened policy on Dec. 18, lifting its benchmark rate to 0.75%, the highest since 1995. Governor Kazuo Ueda framed the move as a formal break with the “ultra-accommodative” regime that has helped fuel global risk-taking for decades. Following the news, Bitcoin was little changed near $87,800, but the calm surface belies […] The post Japan’s rate hike ends the ‘free money’ era and puts Bitcoin on notice appeared first on CryptoSlate.