Japan: The Top News Stories of 2025

January

Shōgun wins four awards at the Golden Globes on January 5, including best drama series and acting awards for Sanada Hiroyuki, Anna Sawai, and Asano Tadanobu.

Former SMAP member Nakai Masahiro announces his retirement from show business on January 23, after a scandal concerning alleged sexual assault. Hieda Hisashi, the head of Fuji Media Holdings, resigns on March 27, shortly before the March 31 publication of a third-party committee report concluding that Nakai sexually assaulted a Fuji Television employee.

On January 28, a sinkhole suddenly opens at a prefectural road intersection in Yashio, Saitama, killing a truck driver when his vehicle falls in. The collapse is caused by a rupture in a sewage pipe, hampering rescue efforts, during which two firefighters are injured. Over 1 million residents are asked to conserve water, as Japan’s aging infrastructure comes under the spotlight.

February

On February 3, SoftBank Group and OpenAI agree to set up a joint venture. SB OAI Japan, founded in November, says it will provide AI agents for improving company management and automating tasks.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (left) shakes hands with SoftBank Chairman and CEO Son Masayoshi in Tokyo on February 3, 2025. (© Jiji)

Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru meets with US President Donald Trump in Washington on February 7 and pledges to increase Japan’s investment in the United States to $1 trillion. Minister for Economic Revitalization Akazawa Ryōsei is appointed to lead Japan-US tariff negotiations, and he participates in repeated talks. The two sides reach an agreement in July, and President Trump signs an executive order on September 4 to implement this. Tariffs are set at 15% for all imports from Japan and additional tariffs for automobiles at 15%. Japan promises to make a huge investment of $550 billion in the United States and to open up its automobile and rice markets.

On February 13, Honda and Nissan formally announce that discussions of a possible merger between the two companies have broken down. In April, Ivan Espinosa takes over as president of Nissan, and the following month he announces a net loss of ¥671 billion for the automaker for the fiscal year ended in March 2025. Nissan announces a restructuring plan in July to include cuts of 20,000 jobs and the closure of seven factories.

March

Japan becomes the first team apart from the hosts to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2–0 victory over Bahrain on March 20.

The Self-Defense Forces launch a Joint Operations Command on March 24 for directing operations of their ground, maritime, and air forces. Its primary objectives are to speed up initial responses to emergencies and disasters and to boost coordination with the US military. The command is initially headed by Lieutenant General Nagumo Ken’ichirō.

April

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visit Iōtō (Iwo Jima), the site of a major World War II battle, on April 7. In the year marking the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War II, they also visit memorial sites in Okinawa, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki over the following months.

The imperial couple and their daughter, Princess Aiko, at the Cornerstone of Peace at Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa, on June 4, 2025. (© Jiji)

Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai is held from April 13 to October 13 with the involvement of more than 160 countries, regions, and international organizations. The centerpiece of the event is the Grand Ring, the world’s largest wooden structure. There are more than 25 million visitors, and the event is expected to show a profit.

Visitors gather to take pictures with the official Expo mascot Myaku-Myaku on April 13, 2025. (© Jiji)

The yen gradually strengthens, approaching the level of 140 to the dollar in April. However, after Takaichi Sanae becomes prime minister in October, pressure for depreciation returns and the rate remains between 150 and 160 in November and December.

May

Tsutsui Yoshinobu becomes the new chair of Keidanren on May 29, shortly after leaving his position as chairman of Nippon Life Insurance. He is the first representative of the finance world to head the business organization.

Sales of rice released from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries stockpiles begin on May 31, 10 days after Koizumi Shinjirō takes over as agriculture minister. The policy, an effort to tackle soaring prices of the staple grain, was previously announced in February. Priced at around ¥2,160 for five kilograms, the rice set aside from earlier harvests is sold at around half the market price for regular rice. However, rice prices remain high, at an average of ¥4,300 for five kilograms in early December. A policy to increase production introduced by Prime Minister Ishiba is later reversed by the Takaichi administration.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Koizumi Shinjirō inspects the rice on sale at a Tokyo supermarket on May 23, 2025. (© Jiji)

June

Nippon Steel’s acquisition of US Steel is finalized on June 13 with the signing of an executive order by President Trump. While the American company will be a full subsidiary of Nippon Steel in the deal worth $14.1 billion (¥2 trillion), the US government will receive a “golden share,” giving it the rights to appoint directors and veto major decisions.

July

The ruling coalition of the LDP and Kōmeitō wins just 47 seats in the July 20 House of Councillors election, falling short of the 50 it needs to maintain a majority. The coalition is now a minority in both the lower and upper houses. Smaller parties the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseitō make notable gains.

August

Prime Minister Ishiba meets with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in Tokyo on August 23. The two leaders agree to promote stable and future-oriented relations and to strengthen trilateral cooperation with the United States. Ishiba also meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Japan on August 29.

September

On September 1, the government passes “emergency hunting” legislation for shooting of dangerous animals that enter populated areas. There is a notable increase in bear sightings and attacks in northern prefectures like Akita, Iwate, and Fukushima, amid poor harvests for tree nuts eaten by the animals. According to preliminary figures from the Ministry of the Environment, 230 people were attacked by bears from April through November, and there were 13 fatalities—both are new records. Sightings and attacks have even taken place in residential areas and near schools. As of early December, there have been more than 40 cases of emergency hunting of bears.

Also on September 1, Suntory Chairman Niinami Takeshi resigns. Niinami was subject to a search of his house in August on suspicion that he had imported US supplements containing harmful ingredients derived from cannabis. On September 30, he resigns as the chairman of Keizai Dōyūkai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives).

Prince Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Fumihito and the nephew of Emperor Naruhito, has an official coming-of-age ceremony on September 6, which is his nineteenth birthday.

The World Athletics Championship takes place in Tokyo from September 13 to 21. Japanese athletes win a total of two bronze medals.

Asahi Breweries suffers a ransomware attack on September 29 that shuts down its order processing system, causing major disruptions to its shipments and sales. Its November sales drop 20% compared with the same month in 2024. While the company resumes processing orders via its system in early December, recovery work continues throughout the rest of the month.

October

Takaichi Sanae is elected as president of the Liberal Democratic Party on October 4 following the resignation of Ishiba Shigeru on September 7. On October 10, Kōmeitō announces its withdrawal from the coalition government, citing insufficient efforts to tackle issues of money in politics. The LDP enters a new coalition with Ishin no Kai on October 20, and Takaichi becomes Japan’s first female prime minister on October 21.

On October 6, Sakaguchi Shimon is one of three winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of regulatory T cells that suppress excessive immune responses. On October 8, Kitagawa Susumu of Kyoto University is among three recipients of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing porous materials that could help tackle environmental issues like climate change.

In her October 24 policy speech, Prime Minister Takaichi outlines her plans to build a strong economy and restore Japanese diplomacy. She also states her aim to fundamentally strengthen the nation’s defense. On November 21, the government adopts a ¥21.3 trillion stimulus package, including payments to families raising children, electricity and gas subsidies, gasoline tax cuts, investment in growth areas including AI and semiconductors, and defense measures. An ¥18.3 trillion supplementary budget is passed on December 16.

President Trump arrives in Japan for the first time in six years on October 27, meeting Prime Minister Takaichi the next day. The two leaders visit the US Navy’s Yokosuka base together.

Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae poses with US President Donald Trump aboard the US Navy aircraft carrier George Washington in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, on October 28, 2025. (Pool photo; © Jiji)

Also on October 27, the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Nikkei index rises above 50,000 for the first time, buoyed by climbing global AI and semiconductor stock prices, and recovery due to progress in tariff talks, after the initial announcement of tariffs led to an April slump.

On October 28, defendant Yamagami Tetsuya pleads guilty at the Nara District Court to murder and other offenses related to the assassination with a homemade firearm of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzō while he was campaigning in Nara in 2022. Yamagami testifies that his mother joined the Unification Church and repeatedly made large donations, leading to the ruin of his family, and says that he targeted Abe because he thought he had a connection to the religious group. On December 18, prosecutors call for a life sentence for Yamagami. The verdict is due to be given on January 21, 2026.

From October 30, Prime Minister Takaichi attends the APEC summit in South Korea. On October 31, she meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping and they agree to pursue mutually beneficial strategic ties. The following day, she meets with Taiwan’s APEC representative Lin Hsin-i.

Japan’s consumer price index (excluding fresh food) for October rises by 3.0% year on year, in the fiftieth consecutive month of increases. Meanwhile, preliminary findings for the Monthly Labor Survey of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare for October show that real wages per worker are down 0.7% year on year, falling for the tenth consecutive month.

November

On November 7, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae says in the Diet concerning a possible Taiwan contingency, such as China imposing a maritime blockade, that “if it involves the use of force, it could be a crisis threatening Japan’s survival,” a statement potentially signaling that Japan could exercise its right to self-defense and support US forces. The Chinese government makes a strong protest, demanding the withdrawal of the comment and calling on Chinese tourists and students not to visit Japan. It also exerts economic pressure through actions including stopping screening of Japanese films and performances by Japanese artists in China.

On November 13, Ohtani Shōhei is chosen as the National League MVP in a season in which he led the Los Angeles Dodgers to a league pennant and World Series championship.

The film Kokuhō reaches total box office earnings of ¥17.38 billion on November 25 to set a new record as the all-time highest grossing Japanese live action movie in the domestic market, less than six months after opening on June 6. The kabuki epic of a boy adopted into a prestigious family who devotes his life to the stage is directed by Lee Sang-il.

December

On December 8, the Cabinet Office announces that Japan’s nominal GDP for 2024 was ¥634.2 trillion in 2024, under revised standards. This is the first time it has exceeded ¥600 trillion.

In the evening of the same day, a magnitude-7.5 earthquake off the east coast of Aomori Prefecture causes shaking of upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in the city of Hachinohe, leading to 51 injuries, mainly within the prefecture. Tsunami waves of up to 70 centimeters are observed. In the early hours of the following day, the Japan Meteorological Agency announces an advisory that there is now a greater risk of a large earthquake occurring in the surrounding area. This is the first time it has issued such an advisory, which lasts until midnight leading into December 16.

At its December 19 policy meeting, the Bank of Japan raises its short-term interest rate to 0.75%, which is its highest level since 1995. It previously increased the rate from 0.25% to 0.5% in January.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Takaichi Sanae, Japan’s first female prime minister, comes out of the Kantei in Tokyo on her way to visit the Imperial Palace on October 21, 2025. © Jiji.)