Society

December 17, 2025
Inbound Visitors Surpass 39 Million: Japan’s Tourism Boom—and a Turning Point for a “Tourism Nation”

On December 17, 2025, Japan’s tourism industry reached an unprecedented historical turning point. According to data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and the Japan Tourism Agency, the estimated cumulative number of inbound foreign visitors from January to November 2025 reached 39,065,600, surpassing the previous all-time annual record set in 2024 (36.87 million) with more than a month still remaining.

By Honourway Asia Pacific Limited

August 30, 2025
3.42 Million Visitors in August: Japan’s Tourism Enters a New Era

In August 2025, Japan reached a historic milestone in inbound tourism. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), an estimated 3,428,000 overseas visitors came to Japan that month—up 16.9% year-on-year.

By Honourway Asia Pacific Limited
July 8, 2025
Three Years After Abe’s Death: The Gunshots That Put Japan at a Crossroads

Three years have passed since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was struck down by an assassin’s bullet on July 8, 2025. Even now, people continue to visit the site of the tragedy—outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City—offering flowers and quiet prayers in remembrance of his death.

By Honourway Asia Pacific Limited
February 15, 2025
The Abyss of “Dark Part-Time Jobs”: A Rescue Across Borders

On February 15, 2025, news flashed across the world: a Japanese teenage boy had been rescued from the depths of Southeast Asia’s criminal underworld. The 17-year-old was freed from a fraud compound in Myanmar’s border region, operated by an international cyber scam organization. According to authorities, he had been lured to Myanmar by a Japanese man and forced to participate in fraud schemes once there.

By Honourway Asia Pacific Limited

February 7, 2025
Verdict for Shohei Ohtani’s Former Interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara

On February 7, 2025 (Japan time), the final act of a drama watched around the world came to a close at the U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, California. Judge John Holcomb sentenced Ippei Mizuhara (40), former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, to 4 years and 9 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for bank fraud and filing a false tax return.

By Honourway Asia Pacific Limited
January 10, 2025
Record-Breaking Tourism to Japan—and What Lies Beneath

In January 2025, Japan’s inbound tourism market reached a historic turning point. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the number of foreign visitors to Japan that month hit 3,781,200, the highest monthly total on record. This figure represents an astonishing 40.6% increase year-on-year and far surpasses the previous record of roughly 3.49 million set in December 2024.

By Honourway Asia Pacific Limited
January 6, 2023
A Place for Expertise

It was in 2008, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis when Barack Obama was elected the president of the United States with the support of a grassroots campaign using social media.

By Satoshi Machidori
December 23, 2022
The Fate of Society and Culture Ripped Apart by Fast-Moving Technology

The COVID pandemic will be remembered and retold for many years to come as the 21st century’s world-changing event and historic tragedy.

By Kyo Cho
March 1, 2022
Lamenting Japan from Cambodia

I am engaged in activities to remove landmines and unexploded ordnance buried in Cambodia.

By Ryoji Takayama
February 9, 2022
Japan-U.S. Comparison Through the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Glass Half Empty vs. Half Full

Over the past few times, in my column, I have written from different angles about the economic, political, and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

By Masaaki Kotabe
January 5, 2022
The Reality of Vietnam, Our Reliable Friend

As the first destination for his foreign visit, former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga chose Vietnam in October 2020.

By Kunio Umeda
November 22, 2021
Polish Orphan Who Sowed Pro-Japan Seeds

In August 2020, at Poland’s capitol Warsaw, a memorial service was held for the 76th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.

By Ryotaro Sakamoto
November 17, 2021
Corn Prices Driven Up by China’s Voracious Hog Herds

Prices of cooking oil, mayonnaise, and tofu went up in succession this July.

By Hiroshi Takahashi
September 10, 2021
Tokyo Olympics and the Mysterious City in the Eyes of British Media Reporters

With Team Japan winning the most medals in its history, How will the foreign journalists look back on this summer in Tokyo where various factors intertwined?

By Satoshi Takehana
August 31, 2021
Stay-at-Home Dad Backs up Female Head Coach of Brazilian Men’s Judo: Interview with Yuko Fujii #1

In June 2018, the news of Yuko Fujii (then 35) becoming the judo head coach of Brazil’s men’s team shocked the sports world across the globe.

By Hiroaki Sawada
August 31, 2021
Southeast Asia: How Will It Survive the Era of US-China Confrontation?

As pandemics reach a climax, a number of phenomena are taking place that will determine the future course of the world. From a geopolitical point of view, the most important of these is the further escalation of tensions between the United States and China.

By Yutaka Iimura,Senior Fellow at GRIPS Alliance,Visiting Professor at National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies,Former Ambassador of Japan to Indonesia and to France
August 31, 2021
Water Majors Veolia of France Focus on Exploring Water Business in Miyagi Japan

There are global companies in the water business so called water majors. For a long time from the 19th to the 21st century, Veolia Environment , Suez both of France, and Thames Water of the U.K. were the three companies called water majors.

By Kazunari Yoshimura
August 31, 2021
Why a Chinese Invasion of the Pratas Islands Is a Blind Spot in the Controversy over a Taiwan Contingency

The cover of The Economist (May 1 issue) caused a buzz as it depicted U.S. and Chinese military forces heading towards Taiwan on the center of a radar screen.

By Tetsuo Kotani
August 31, 2021
Married After Dating Zero-Days, She Became Pregnant While Coaching the Brazilian National Judo Team ― Interview with Yuko Fujii and Her Husband #2

Yuko is a native of Obu City, Aichi Prefecture in Japan. She had been coaching the British Women’s National Judo Team in the U.K. since 2010, working day and night to achieve good results at the 2012 London Olympics.

By Hiroaki Sawada
August 31, 2021
Female Judoka from a Slum Becomes a Gold Medalist: Head Coach Yuko Fujii in Brazil Presents a New Form of Husband and Wife #3

With five months to go until the Tokyo Olympics, a Japanese woman, Yuko Fujii, leads the Brazilian men's judo team.

By Hiroaki Sawada

TOPICS

WORLD INSIGHT

Inbound Visitors Surpass 39 Million: Japan’s Tourism Boom—and a Turning Point for a “Tourism Nation”

3.42 Million Visitors in August: Japan’s Tourism Enters a New Era

Three Years After Abe’s Death: The Gunshots That Put Japan at a Crossroads

The Abyss of “Dark Part-Time Jobs”: A Rescue Across Borders

Verdict for Shohei Ohtani’s Former Interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara

Record-Breaking Tourism to Japan—and What Lies Beneath

A Place for Expertise

The Fate of Society and Culture Ripped Apart by Fast-Moving Technology

Lamenting Japan from Cambodia

Japan-U.S. Comparison Through the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Glass Half Empty vs. Half Full

The Reality of Vietnam, Our Reliable Friend

Polish Orphan Who Sowed Pro-Japan Seeds

Corn Prices Driven Up by China’s Voracious Hog Herds

Tokyo Olympics and the Mysterious City in the Eyes of British Media Reporters

Stay-at-Home Dad Backs up Female Head Coach of Brazilian Men’s Judo: Interview with Yuko Fujii #1

Southeast Asia: How Will It Survive the Era of US-China Confrontation?

Water Majors Veolia of France Focus on Exploring Water Business in Miyagi Japan

Why a Chinese Invasion of the Pratas Islands Is a Blind Spot in the Controversy over a Taiwan Contingency

Married After Dating Zero-Days, She Became Pregnant While Coaching the Brazilian National Judo Team ― Interview with Yuko Fujii and Her Husband #2

Female Judoka from a Slum Becomes a Gold Medalist: Head Coach Yuko Fujii in Brazil Presents a New Form of Husband and Wife #3

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