December
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Japanese media on December 1, 2025, heavily focused on financial policy, particularly the Bank of Japan's potential interest rate hike. Early reports indicated the BOJ would weigh a rate hike at its December meeting (Kyodo News English). This news significantly impacted the market, with the Nikkei average temporarily falling over 1,000 yen after Governor Ueda's remarks, cooling year-end rally expectations (Nikkei Shimbun, Yahoo News Japan). By late morning, Governor Ueda was signaling readiness to normalize policy while seeking coordination with the Takaichi administration (Nikkei Shimbun). The government also explored allowing minors to utilize NISA (Yahoo News Japan).
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Japanese media on December 2, 2025, heavily focused on the full transition to the My Number ID card for health insurance, with the conventional insurance cards expiring for 78 million company employees (Yomiuri Shimbun). This comes after ongoing discussions about its expansion challenges. Concurrently, discussions continued around proposed reductions to House of Representatives constituencies, affecting 20 prefectures, with the LDP and Ishin aiming to submit a bill to cut 10% of seats this session (NHK News, Asahi Shimbun). In other news, an individual was arrested after a knife incident at Tokyo DisneySea's Hotel Miracosta, identified as a former employee of a company holding a year-end party there (TBS News).
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Japanese media extensively covered the trial for the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with his wife Akie Abe attending court for the first time throughout the day. Early reports noted her presence, followed by details of the defendant Yamagami bowing deeply to her. Later, Yamagami clarified his motive, stating Abe was not his primary target but rather a "religious group," and that he had intended to apologize to Akie Abe the following day. This event dominated headlines from morning into the afternoon. Concurrently, a police inspector was re-arrested for leaking investigative information, including camera locations, to a scout group, a story that developed in the early morning. Additionally, discussions continued regarding the legalization of birth surnames for married couples, a proposal driven by Prime Minister Takaichi, and the government's consideration of a two-year suspension of the environmental performance tax on car purchases.
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Japanese media extensively covered the trial of Tetsuya Yamagami, Shinzo Abe's assassin, with reports in the early afternoon detailing his first public apology to the victim's family, stating he had no ill will towards Akie Abe and that directing his anger at Abe was a mistake. This follows Akie Abe's court appearance the previous day. Concurrently, news broke in the early evening of a cyberattack on "Kaikatsu CLUB" using AI, leading to the re-arrest of a high school student suspected of stealing 7 million user records. Separately, a widespread gas leak in Ube City caused multiple fires and halted supply to thousands of households, a major local incident.
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Japanese media extensively reported on the arrest of four individuals suspected of being the masterminds behind a series of "dark part-time" robberies in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Early morning headlines across multiple outlets highlighted the apprehension, with later reports detailing the use of smartphone analysis to identify the suspects and a victim's harrowing 20-hour ordeal. This development marks a significant progression in the ongoing investigation into these violent home invasions. Concurrently, discussions continued regarding defense financing, with the government and ruling party considering an income tax increase from 2027 to fund defense spending, a shift from previous stances. Also prominent were reports of China deploying over 100 naval vessels in East Asian waters, reportedly in response to Japan's Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan, prompting concern from Taiwanese authorities.
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Japanese media extensively focused on the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw. In the early afternoon, NHK and Yomiuri Shimbun began reporting on the draw, with specific attention given to President Trump's appearance and the awarding of the FIFA Peace Prize. By early evening, it was confirmed that Japan was placed in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Tunisia, and a European playoff winner, a development widely reported across all major outlets. This news followed previous days' summaries highlighting the ongoing "dark part-time" robbery cases, which continued to see new details emerge regarding suspects' communication tactics and investigational challenges. Separately, Trump's administration's new national security strategy, demanding increased defense spending from Japan and South Korea for Taiwan deterrence, also garnered attention in the evening, alongside a shift in US stance on European self-defense and NATO expansion.
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Japanese media extensively reported on a significant escalation in relations with China, focusing on Chinese military aircraft locking radar onto Japanese Self-Defense Force jets southeast of Okinawa. Early afternoon reports from NHK, Sankei Shimbun, and other major outlets detailed the radar lock-ons and Japan's strong protest. Throughout the evening and into the early morning, this remained the dominant story, with Defense Minister Koizumi and Prime Minister Takaichi expressing strong condemnation of this "dangerous act." China, in turn, denied the claims and accused Japan of provocation. This event is being compared to the 2012 Senkaku Islands crisis, indicating a notable deterioration in bilateral relations.
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The day began with continued reports on the escalating tensions with China, as Japanese officials refuted China's claims regarding radar lock-on incidents involving Self-Defense Force jets. Throughout the morning, government figures, including the Chief Cabinet Secretary, reiterated Japan's stance and condemned China's actions. However, editorial focus dramatically shifted in the early afternoon with news of a powerful earthquake. At 02:40 PM, multiple major Japanese news outlets reported a 6.6 magnitude earthquake in Aomori Prefecture, quickly followed by tsunami warnings for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate prefectures, with anticipated tsunami heights of up to 3 meters. This major natural disaster and the subsequent evacuation advisories dominated headlines for the remainder of the day.
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The aftermath of the M7.6 earthquake off Aomori continued to dominate Japanese headlines on December 9th. In the early morning, tsunami warnings were downgraded to advisories and eventually lifted, but the focus shifted to the newly issued "Later Earthquake Advisory Information"—the first of its kind—urging continued vigilance for approximately one week for potential major aftershocks. Reports detailed 30-35 injuries, property damage including school closures, and disruptions to transportation. By late morning and throughout the afternoon, media attention increasingly centered on the rapid spread of misinformation and fake news on social media regarding the earthquake, with experts urging the public to rely on official sources. Concerns were also raised about the cold weather impacting affected areas.
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