Japan — news & stories

Mount Fuji — Japan’s highest peak and a sacred site that has inspired artists and pilgrims for centuries — was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a Cultural Site in 2013.

Japan recorded 3.6 million international visitors in March 2026, a 3.5% year-on-year rise and the highest figure ever for the month, even as arrivals from China and West Asia fell.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi planned an early-July 2026 visit to Assam, India, accompanied by executives from more than 50 Japanese companies including Suzuki and Itochu, part of a broader Japan-India summit.

The IMF Executive Board's 2026 Article IV review found Japan's economy transitioning from extraordinary monetary easing toward policy normalization, with domestic demand and labor shortages driving steady growth.

Core consumer prices in Tokyo's central wards rose 1.6% year-on-year in June 2026, up from 1.3% the prior month, keeping the Bank of Japan on track for further interest-rate hikes.