Tokyo Review
@tokyoreview.net
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.
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.
Helen Cecile argues that upcoming NSS revisions under PM Takaichi must integrate energy security to ensure Japan’s defense plans are operational, not aspirational.
The Energy Blind Spot in Japan’s National Security Strategy
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...
www.tokyoreview.net
February 11, 2026 at 1:49 AM
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.
Helen Cecile argues that upcoming NSS revisions under PM Takaichi must integrate energy security to ensure Japan’s defense plans are operational, not aspirational.
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.
The invisible 18-year-olds: Special-needs graduates in Japan
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 ...
www.tokyoreview.net
February 10, 2026 at 8:16 AM
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.
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...
www.tokyoreview.net/2026/02/is-t...
Is this the end of a unified opposition?
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 ...
www.tokyoreview.net
February 7, 2026 at 4:08 PM
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...
www.tokyoreview.net/2026/02/is-t...
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
Japan faces child safety crisis amid rising school bullying and child abuse
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...
www.tokyoreview.net
February 4, 2026 at 12:40 PM
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
We have started our Election 2026 coverage, beginning with a piece by editor Nishimura Rintaro about the challenges PM Takaichi faces this year
Takaichi faces major stress test in 2026
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...
www.tokyoreview.net
January 23, 2026 at 3:15 AM
We have started our Election 2026 coverage, beginning with a piece by editor Nishimura Rintaro about the challenges PM Takaichi faces this year
Japan does not have a "foreigner problem" in any sense of the word, but the topic has dominated recent political discussions. Stefan Aichholzer carefully deconstructs the myth to reveal that there is not much of substance behind the rhetoric.
Rhetoric over reality: The myth of rising foreign crime
Recent public debate in Japan has grown markedly more heated around foreign crime, driven in part by political rhetoric, rising arrests of non-Japanese individuals, and proposals by governing party fa...
www.tokyoreview.net
January 14, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Japan does not have a "foreigner problem" in any sense of the word, but the topic has dominated recent political discussions. Stefan Aichholzer carefully deconstructs the myth to reveal that there is not much of substance behind the rhetoric.
What happens when a bold U.S.-Japan policy proposal meets 30 years of history?
In a new essay, Amb. Kurt Tong, Managing Partner at The Asia Group, revisits his 1995 call to “revolutionize” America’s Japan policy—and how the relationship evolved since.
In a new essay, Amb. Kurt Tong, Managing Partner at The Asia Group, revisits his 1995 call to “revolutionize” America’s Japan policy—and how the relationship evolved since.
A 1995 Vision for U.S.–Japan Relations, Revisited
Tokyo Review invited me to take a critical look at an essay I published in Foreign Policy thirty years ago, when I was a junior diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. In that piece, ambitiously titled...
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January 8, 2026 at 3:01 PM
What happens when a bold U.S.-Japan policy proposal meets 30 years of history?
In a new essay, Amb. Kurt Tong, Managing Partner at The Asia Group, revisits his 1995 call to “revolutionize” America’s Japan policy—and how the relationship evolved since.
In a new essay, Amb. Kurt Tong, Managing Partner at The Asia Group, revisits his 1995 call to “revolutionize” America’s Japan policy—and how the relationship evolved since.
In Japan, entering a PhD program can be a big gamble. Ryo Konishi and Stefan Aichholzer explain how the current state of graduate education and research funding is leading to steady declines in Japan's research workforce.
The price of a PhD in Japan: Prestige without security
As Japan faces demographic decline and a shrinking research workforce, securing the next generation of researchers has become a matter of national urgency. Financially stable doctoral programs are ess...
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December 30, 2025 at 3:38 PM
In Japan, entering a PhD program can be a big gamble. Ryo Konishi and Stefan Aichholzer explain how the current state of graduate education and research funding is leading to steady declines in Japan's research workforce.
Kentucky’s first female governor helped secure one of the most enduring pillars of the U.S.–Japan relationship—far from Washington.
In a moving new essay, Duncan J. Barron reflects on Martha Layne Collins and the quiet power of subnational diplomacy.
In a moving new essay, Duncan J. Barron reflects on Martha Layne Collins and the quiet power of subnational diplomacy.
Remembering Martha Layne Collins: A Force for U.S.–Japan Subnational Diplomacy
“Without a doubt.” When I asked my father whether Toyota had changed our hometown, he was unequivocal. A day-one employee at what became Toyota’s largest global manufacturing hub, he spent more than 2...
www.tokyoreview.net
December 23, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Kentucky’s first female governor helped secure one of the most enduring pillars of the U.S.–Japan relationship—far from Washington.
In a moving new essay, Duncan J. Barron reflects on Martha Layne Collins and the quiet power of subnational diplomacy.
In a moving new essay, Duncan J. Barron reflects on Martha Layne Collins and the quiet power of subnational diplomacy.
"Japan’s low levels of street protest have not produced disengagement; participation has migrated online", Rina Komiya writes, as she explains how digital outrage increasingly manages to derail local inclusion policies in Japan.
How online outrage undermines local inclusion efforts in Japan
A specter is haunting local governance in Japan—the specter of the attention economy. Municipal officials, whose daily work usually revolves around routine community services, now find themselves conf...
www.tokyoreview.net
December 15, 2025 at 1:45 AM
"Japan’s low levels of street protest have not produced disengagement; participation has migrated online", Rina Komiya writes, as she explains how digital outrage increasingly manages to derail local inclusion policies in Japan.
Heidi Lee returns with a review of Left-Handed Girl, a Sean Baker-produced Taiwanese film directed by Shih-Ching Tsou that offers "a penetrative character study of girlhood in Chinese cultures."
“Left-Handed Girl” review
The adult world glimpsed through—or better yet, juxtaposed with—children’s eyes is brutally honest. What is it about grandparent-grandchild relationships? They might be affectionate together but barel...
www.tokyoreview.net
December 8, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Heidi Lee returns with a review of Left-Handed Girl, a Sean Baker-produced Taiwanese film directed by Shih-Ching Tsou that offers "a penetrative character study of girlhood in Chinese cultures."
"For many farmers, long hours and tough work have been a steady reality. Now, what lies ahead remains uncertain, even with growing help from migrant laborers."
Matthew Myles writes about his experience working on a dairy farm in Hokkaido.
Matthew Myles writes about his experience working on a dairy farm in Hokkaido.
Migrant labor in an aging agricultural sector
Just last year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) published a report that indicated a decrease in “core agricultural workers,” falling by over half to a new low of 1.1 million...
www.tokyoreview.net
December 5, 2025 at 1:19 PM
"For many farmers, long hours and tough work have been a steady reality. Now, what lies ahead remains uncertain, even with growing help from migrant laborers."
Matthew Myles writes about his experience working on a dairy farm in Hokkaido.
Matthew Myles writes about his experience working on a dairy farm in Hokkaido.
Japan’s labor market and social welfare challenges demand foreign labor, yet the current political framing from Takaichi's new government treats foreigners as a social problem, writes Stefan Aichholzer in his analysis:
Foreigner fatigue and Japan’s new populism
Japan’s new government under Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and its partnership with the populist Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai), raises significant...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 19, 2025 at 6:20 AM
Japan’s labor market and social welfare challenges demand foreign labor, yet the current political framing from Takaichi's new government treats foreigners as a social problem, writes Stefan Aichholzer in his analysis:
This new film review by Heidi Lee of the upcoming film "Bring Him Down to a Portable Size" asks timely questions about the moral failings of masculinity
“Bring Him Down to a Portable Size” review
The question of ego might be best answered in the portrayal of one’s (imaginary) nemesis. During their stage greeting at the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival, director Nakano Ryōta lauded actor ...
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November 18, 2025 at 1:50 AM
This new film review by Heidi Lee of the upcoming film "Bring Him Down to a Portable Size" asks timely questions about the moral failings of masculinity
Taiwan is back at the center of Sino-Japanese tensions. PM Takaichi’s remarks on a “survival-threatening” Taiwan scenario sparked fury in Beijing—but the audience that matters most is in Taipei.
Taipei is watching Takaichi’s standoff with Beijing
Taiwan is back at the center of Sino-Japanese relations after Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae told the Diet last week that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could pose a “survival-threatening situation” for Ja...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 17, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Taiwan is back at the center of Sino-Japanese tensions. PM Takaichi’s remarks on a “survival-threatening” Taiwan scenario sparked fury in Beijing—but the audience that matters most is in Taipei.
Tamaki Yūichirō is dealing with forces that cannot be controlled. Can he—and those learning from his recent success—avoid being changed by the worst impulses of contemporary politics?
The center’s self-defeating politics
As Japan’s far-right gains political and ideological force, can the center hold? It is a familiar question, one that is now rapidly gaining salience after Takaichi Sanae was elected leader of the Libe...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 14, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Tamaki Yūichirō is dealing with forces that cannot be controlled. Can he—and those learning from his recent success—avoid being changed by the worst impulses of contemporary politics?
Writing about Japan's declining suicides, Peter Chai from Waseda University argues that the numbers obscure the unequal distribution of risk www.tokyoreview.net/2025/11/japa...
Japan’s suicide rates decline, but risks persist for youth and women
For much of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Japan faced persistently high suicide rates. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, annual suicides exceeded 30,000 for 14 consecu...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 11, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Writing about Japan's declining suicides, Peter Chai from Waseda University argues that the numbers obscure the unequal distribution of risk www.tokyoreview.net/2025/11/japa...
Rintaro Nishimura offers a timely and vital analysis of the LDP's fragile, new alliance with Nippon Ishin no Kai. Will the partnership serve both parties equally, as the LDP-Komeito coalition once did? Or has it already started teetering on the edge?
The future of the LDP-Ishin partnership
Japanese politics has hit a major inflection point. Takaichi Sanae has become the first woman to be named prime minister. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) over two decades-long coalition w...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 5, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Rintaro Nishimura offers a timely and vital analysis of the LDP's fragile, new alliance with Nippon Ishin no Kai. Will the partnership serve both parties equally, as the LDP-Komeito coalition once did? Or has it already started teetering on the edge?
In this film review, Heidi Ka-Sin Lee discusses "Black Box Diaries" by Itō Shiori, a pathbreaking documentary detailing the director's own civil case against her assaulter, but which has yet to be released in her home country.
“Black Box Diaries” review
Itō Shiori, the Japanese #MeToo trailblazer who regrettably never was A conspiracy-thriller-adjacent documentary of her 8-year journey as a sexual assault survivor, Itō Shiori’s Black Box Diaries (202...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 5, 2025 at 3:01 PM
In this film review, Heidi Ka-Sin Lee discusses "Black Box Diaries" by Itō Shiori, a pathbreaking documentary detailing the director's own civil case against her assaulter, but which has yet to be released in her home country.
Ten years ago, two municipalities in Tokyo wrote history by commencing Japan’s first so-called “partnership systems” to provide some level of recognition to LGBTQ+ couples’ relationships. In the years that followed, the policy has spread tremendously and paved the way for further change.
A decade of LGBT partnership systems in Japan
Ten years ago, two municipalities in Tokyo wrote history by commencing Japan’s first so-called “partnership systems” (パートナーシップ制度) to recognize LGBTQ+ couples’ relationships. In the years that followed...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 5, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Ten years ago, two municipalities in Tokyo wrote history by commencing Japan’s first so-called “partnership systems” to provide some level of recognition to LGBTQ+ couples’ relationships. In the years that followed, the policy has spread tremendously and paved the way for further change.
@rmarcantuoni.bsky.social provides a summary of his recent research article on the far-right conspiracy party Sanseitō. Responding to the media's portrayal of the party as a catch-up moment for Japanese politics, he instead argues that its conspiracy ideology is a novel form of political action.
What far-right conspiracy party Sanseitō tells us about a nascent ideology
In July 2025, Sanseitō (a.k.a. The Party of DIY !!) became the first far-right political party in postwar history to establish a stable presence in both Houses of the National Diet. With the party’s f...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 5, 2025 at 2:12 PM
@rmarcantuoni.bsky.social provides a summary of his recent research article on the far-right conspiracy party Sanseitō. Responding to the media's portrayal of the party as a catch-up moment for Japanese politics, he instead argues that its conspiracy ideology is a novel form of political action.
"If the United States hopes to rely on Japan as a pillar of the Indo-Pacific order, it must match Japan’s sense of urgency with sustained capacity, clarity of direction, and alignment of strategic intent", Jada Fraser writes in her analysis on the changing dynamics of the US-Japan security alliance.
Why Japan’s accelerated defense timeline is not just about security threats
Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s decision to move Japan’s defense-spending target of two percent of GDP two years earlier—from fiscal 2027 to the current fiscal year—is more than a headline. It reflect...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 5, 2025 at 2:05 PM
"If the United States hopes to rely on Japan as a pillar of the Indo-Pacific order, it must match Japan’s sense of urgency with sustained capacity, clarity of direction, and alignment of strategic intent", Jada Fraser writes in her analysis on the changing dynamics of the US-Japan security alliance.
Times are changing and so is Tokyo Review. We are excited to announce a fresh new team of editors!
It’s been a while
When Tokyo Review was founded eight years ago, its founders had two goals. The first was to elevate the standard of analysis on Japan-related issues for an English-speaking audience. That goal remains...
www.tokyoreview.net
November 5, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Times are changing and so is Tokyo Review. We are excited to announce a fresh new team of editors!
As voting continues in Japan's Upper House election, Rintaro Nishimura asks whether the LDP's declining fortunes and global instability could make the once unthinkable - a grand alliance with the opposition CDP - into a new reality: www.tokyoreview.net/2025/07/how-...
How realistic is a “Grand Coalition”?
Faced with losing its majority in both Houses of the Diet, the LDP may need new partners to allow stable governance - with even a coalition with the main opposition party being on the table.
www.tokyoreview.net
July 20, 2025 at 9:22 AM
As voting continues in Japan's Upper House election, Rintaro Nishimura asks whether the LDP's declining fortunes and global instability could make the once unthinkable - a grand alliance with the opposition CDP - into a new reality: www.tokyoreview.net/2025/07/how-...
Japan’s ruling coalition has lost its majority – with difficult negotiations among potential governing partners on the horizon, @robfahey.bsky.social runs through the winners and losers of yesterday's election.
www.tokyoreview.net/2024/10/elec...
www.tokyoreview.net/2024/10/elec...
Election 2024: The Winners and Losers
Japan's ruling coalition has lost its majority - with difficult negotiations among potential governing partners on the horizon, who are the winners and losers of this week's election?
www.tokyoreview.net
October 28, 2024 at 4:41 AM
Japan’s ruling coalition has lost its majority – with difficult negotiations among potential governing partners on the horizon, @robfahey.bsky.social runs through the winners and losers of yesterday's election.
www.tokyoreview.net/2024/10/elec...
www.tokyoreview.net/2024/10/elec...