Starting November 1, Japan's new tax-free shopping system will require international visitors to pay consumption tax at the time of purchase and claim refunds upon clearing customs or after leaving the country.

The warming of relations between Beijing and Moscow is becoming a diplomatic nightmare for Tokyo as the two powers collaborate to weaponize historical memory against Japan, warns China watcher Kawashima Shin.

Sasaki Rintarō, who played college baseball at Stanford University before signing with the Miami Marlins, is part of a growing trend: Japanese high school baseball players bypassing the NPB and heading to US colleges in pursuit of careers in Major League Baseball. Young athletes in other sports are also going abroad to study, seeking opportunities to broaden their horizons both on and off the field.

Sasaki Rintarō, who played college baseball at Stanford University before signing with the Miami Marlins, is part of a growing trend: Japanese high school baseball players bypassing the NPB and heading to US colleges in pursuit of careers in Major League Baseball. Young athletes in other sports are also going abroad to study, seeking opportunities to broaden their horizons both on and off the field.

Despite administrative efforts to cut overtime, a recent survey finds that unreduced workloads mean most schoolteachers in Japan continue to put in long shifts.