While Japan’s overall fertility rates are low, this is particularly true for prefectures in the east of the country, which lag considerably behind those in the west. Demographic expert Fujinami Takumi investigates the reasons for this disparity.

Two years ago, Nihon Hidankyō, a Japanese grassroots organization of atomic bomb survivors, received the Nobel Peace Prize for its decades-long crusade against nuclear weapons. We talked to Hidankyō secretary general Hamasumi Jirō about the impact of the Nobel on the movement and efforts to pass the torch to a younger generation of activists.

A September 17 cabinet reshuffle brought Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae some welcome news on the public support front, but her approval ratings remained generally unchanged, with attention focused on the taint of scandal and prospects for future policy.

A Japanese government survey found that the number of young people with no romantic experience is continuing to climb.

Inside Keiō University’s magnificent red-brick Old Library, the cozy Café Hakkakutō offers refreshments including coffee milk, a drink enjoyed by the university’s founder, Fukuzawa Yukichi.